Angelenos love their dogs, but they love their beer too. This is why many Los Angeles breweries are getting on board with making their establishments comfortable for furry, four-legged patrons.

Here is a list of some of the most dog-friendly breweries in Los Angeles County and the scrumptious bites you can enjoy with those crushable brews.

Angel City Brewery by angelcitybeer – CC BY

1. Angel City Brewery

No place captures the Angeleno spirit quite like Angel City Brewery in the heart of the Arts District.

A forerunner in L.A.’s craft beer scene since 1997, Angel City Brewery is a place welcome to diverse clientele – Fido included (so long as he’s on a leash).

The great thing about their Public House is that outside food is welcome, which gives you the opportunity to enjoy neighborhood cuisine such as Downtown Taco and Downtown Doggo, or whatever delicious food truck is parked out front each night.

The Pub at Golden Road by loki_kane – CC BY

2. The Pub at Golden Road

Golden Road is known for having the most dog-friendly tasting room in L.A. The Atwater Village location near Griffith Park hosts “Puppy Hour” from 3 – 6 P.M. on Mondays through Thursdays. Golden Road donates $1 to a local rescue for every beer sold.

Even better, their delicious apps, such as pretzel mac and fried avocado tacos, are half-off! Your pup won’t miss out on the eats either – for $5 they can enjoy house-made puppy chow made especially for them!

Frogtown Brewery by frongtownbeer – CC BY

3. Frogtown Brewery

If you happen to be walking your dog along the Los Angeles River and suddenly find yourself parched, why not make a pitstop at Frogtown Brewery? You and your four-legged companions are welcome as long as they’re on their leash.

If they happen to be thirsty too (which they probably will be), Frogtown happily provides water bowls at your request. Enjoy the offerings from that day’s food truck, or have your food delivered right to the tasting room!

Trustworthy Brewing Co. by copperthelab – CC BY

4. Trustworthy Brewing Co.

The first core value at Trustworthy Brewing Co. in Burbank is fun, so it’s no surprise that these folks are happy to see your doggos in their tasting room!

Leashed dogs are welcomed with open arms, treats, and water, while their humans get to indulge in delectable brews. They have a full food menu complements of Market City Caffe, who will deliver straight to your barstool.

Macleod Ale Brewing Co. by mingustdogg – CC BY

5. MacLeod Ale Brewing Co.

Anglophiles thirsty for a taste of British Ale brewed fresh in Van Nuys ought to check out MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. They know what it’s like to be without your pup, which is why their dog-friendly tasting room has water bowls available per request.

There is a different food truck almost daily and sometimes even live music.

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For Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, making delicious craft beer is a collaborative effort.

Bjergsø is the man behind Mikkeller, a rising microbrewery whose eclectic cans have been popping up all over the world. You may have seen the stylized cartoons on the shelves of your local liquor or grocery store.

Originally a physics teacher, the Danish brewer now travels to other microbreweries across the globe and uses their equipment to create something truly unique. Bjergsø’s beer has been met with rave reviews in the United States, and he has gone on to export his microbrews to LA, San Diego, and more.

Gypsies, tramps, thieves and… brewers?

After Mikkeller develops an exotic brew, he then exports the finished products to 40 different countries. He’s garnered a bevy of critical acclaim as one of the most innovative brewers in the international scene.

But Mikkeller’s success has been years in the making and before that, Bjergsø wasn’t exactly the most enlightened beer drinker. Like many of us, his early experiences with beer was drinking cheap beer in excess.

Bjergsø had a particular penchant for Miller High Life, which was considered exotic when it arrived in his native Denmark in the late ‘90s. Later, while studying to become a schoolteacher, Bjergsø discovered other foreign beers such as Chimay and Hoegarden.

As he began drinking quality beers, he had the revelation that he could save money by trying to create them himself. With the help of his long-time friend, Kristian Klarup Keller, they began experimenting with home brews.

They tested their brews on their local beer club and home brewing competitions, often winning blind taste tests. By 2006, their home-brewed beer became so popular that the pair founded Mikkeller.

Welcome to the big show

Their real breakthrough came later that year when they developed a stout made with french press coffee called Beer Geek Breakfast, which won an international competition. Mikkeller debuted at the Copenhagen Beer Festival with eight different offerings. The critical acclaim they gained from their was enough to score an international distribution deal.

Despite growing demand, Mikkeller never opened up an official space for their operations, and instead saved money by renting out equipment in established breweries. That in itself helped develop the company’s ethos, since collaborating with different brewers seems to be one of Bjergsø’s strong suits.

In the years that followed, Bjergsø continued to develop new beer recipes out of his home base in Denmark while using host facilities to brew. He primarily operates out of Belgian brewery De Proefbrouwerij, but also visits breweries in Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In 2016, Mikkeller opened its first U.S. location in San Diego, setting up shop in a facility previously owned by AleSmith, whose owner Peter Zein allegedly once gave Bjergsø pointers on his stouts.

And, while Mikkeller may not have expanded his dynasty into the cannabis industry yet, hops are only a skip away from hemp. Those interested in both should check out how many brewers are starting to infuse the two for some delicious and refreshing treats.

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Shibumi is a Japanese restaurant in the heart of downtown LA and a member of the exclusive Jonathan Gold’s 101. It also happens to be the only restaurant in town that serves true Kobe beef. But lately, the eatery has been gaining notoriety for having a secret menu akin to west coast fast food staple, In-n-Out.   

Shibumi diners in the know can now order a selection of well-crafted cannabis dishes. 

Cuisine de cannabis  

Owner David Schlosser’s signature cannabis dish is a tempura battered leaf, carefully deep fried to maintain its distinctive shape, then sprinkled with house-made CBD salt.  

Shibumi offers vegetables served with hemp seed and oil-infused sauce. Kimchi made with chopped cannabis leaves, cabbage, ginger, and salt – fermented for over forty-eight hours. As well as a pork dish smoked with dried cannabis branches, imbuing the meat with a sweet bouquet of hemp and charred, earthy tones.

Schlosser assures customers that there is no risk of getting high from any of the dishes because none contain THC (which is only found in the bud), just cannabidiol. At his restaurant, he only uses leaves grown by a local, organic farm.  

Schlosser told Lonely Planet his goal is to promote the health benefits of cannabis,“I’d like to show more about the plant and its versatility. It offers incredible benefits to your system, for example, a lot of essential fatty acids for your brain and brain function.”

It’s also high in fiber, rich in antioxidants, and provides folate, iron, calcium, and vitamins C and K. 

Cannabis Leaf Tempura by Shibumi – CC BY

The official ambassador of cannabis cooking 

Schlosser became interested in cannabis’s culinary possibilities while living in Japan where he was the US Ambassador’s chef. “They’ve been eating cannabis in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years,” he says. “It’s not about getting high, it’s about injecting the health properties of the plant.”

Besides its nutritional value, cannabis has also been used to treat an array of conditions from easing anxiety, reducing joint inflammation, to improving sleep for millennia. There is a trove of historical documentation showing that humans have been ingesting and imbibing cannabis for at least five thousand years.  

The ancient Chinese used the leaves for tea and the seeds as a grain, Moroccans enjoyed hash jam, and Parisian literati of the mid-nineteenth century added cannabis to their coffee to fuel conversation and creativity at the Club des Hachichins (Club of the Hashish-Eaters).

But the godmother of modern cannabis cooking was Alice B. Toklas, who published a cookbook in 1954 that extolled the virtues of cannabis in the kitchen.

Part memoir, part gastronomic musings, the Alice B. Toklas Cookbook is best remembered for her recipe for hash fudge.  

Although she later gave credit for the recipe to her friend, painter/poet/performance artist Brion Gysin, Toklas and pot brownies became synonymous in pop culture.

Now Shibumi is elevating cannabis dishes to a higher level of cuisine at reasonable prices. The tempura appetizer costs $5, the kimchi $8, and the pork dinner will only set you back $30.  

And for the cocktail-minded, the restaurant has a cannabis drink special aptly named The Baked Alaska. Made with gin, chartreuse, bitters, chlorophyll—yes, the stuff that makes plants green—and some CBD concentrate, the meal is practically an homage to the leafy green.

High potential for cannabis cuisine 

Schlosser believes the demand for cannabis cuisine will only grow. “I think we were kind of ahead,” he told Time Out magazine.  

He says he began using cannabis in dishes even before California legalized cannabis for recreational use in November 2016. At that time you needed a medical marijuana card to host a cannabis dinner. “It was extremely hush-hush when we launched, but … once the law passed it became consistent, and now we have it every day.”  

Within a decade he envisions cannabis restaurants co-existing beside Italian trattorias and Mexican cantinas. “This is just the beginning.” 

The rest of the culinary-related cannabis world includes some stellar combinations of hops and hemp, some surprisingly refreshing ways to spice up a summer BBQ, and even intense discussions on whether cannabis is considered the next aphrodisiac. 

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