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MyspaceWhere: 214 State Street, 845-8243, unionale.com
What: A brewery serving lunch and dinner inside and on their patio, with a wide variety of high-quality pub fare
How Much: Starters $4-$8, deluxe burger $8, flatbread pizza $14
The Dish: Union Ale Brewing Company opened its doors last year in Santa Barbara’s self-proclaimed Funk Zone on lower State Street by the train station. The notoriously difficult spot for restaurants has seemingly found a formula that works, with the focus on a quality selection of draft beers (house beers are brewed by Firestone) accompanied by fresh American-inspired cuisine. Union, which attracts diners, sports game watchers, and beer drinkers, adds a little sparkle to the traditional brew pub food—fries, burgers, and pizza—with the option of crispy sweet potato fries, up to nine sauces to dip them in, freshly baked daily special burger buns, and flatbread pizzas made from nine-grain wheat or white dough. A full bar, 24 beers on draft, Sunday-Thursday happy hour, and a late-night menu are among the restaurant’s selling points. Appetizers include deviled eggs with pickled peppers and olive oil mayo, BBQ chopped pork sliders, and stuffed artichoke. A Bucket A’ Wings comes with your choice of five to 52 pieces ($8-$37), and the SMOG flatbread pizza is a favorite, with sausage, mushroom, onion, and green bell pepper. The ginger tofu salad, pulled pork sandwich, and rack of smoked St. Louis pork ribs are popular, and much more exciting than your typical bar menu. Brothers and co-owners Matthew and Ben Chrestenson hit the bull’s-eye for Santa Barbara, with food that complements the drink
Union Ale Brewing Co.
214 State St., Santa Barbara
805-845-8243. More Info
Related Links
- More Restaurant reviews
- Union Ale Opens in Funk Zone [ May 7, 2010 ]
View our complete restaurant guide here.
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Comments
Oh wow, Firestone on tap, how original....
Upper_State (anonymous profile)
May 3, 2010 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
But no table service... they had this start and I feel that this is a real miss for these folks.
These ads need to be clearly called Advertisements and reveal that the Independent is getting paid for their placement.
BeachLivin (anonymous profile)
May 3, 2010 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Advertisements are paid for, these are not. There has never been a connection between our sales staff and our Restaurant Soup column. We don't play that game. Thanks for reading.
Matt (Matt Kettmann)
May 3, 2010 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
benjamin (anonymous profile)
May 5, 2010 at 6:09 a.m.
benjamin, you opinions are welcome. Your extremely rude tone isn't. Feel free to contribute in a more civil manner.
--Web Admin
webadmin (webadmin)
May 5, 2010 at 8:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Didn't you review this before? I could be wrong.
805RunningCrew (anonymous profile)
May 7, 2010 at 11:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
805RunningCrew:
We covered the Union Ale opening; we've added the link to that story under Related Links, above, and here.
http://www.independent.com/news/2009/...
--WebAdmin
webadmin (webadmin)
May 7, 2010 at 11:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I drove past this place a couple weeks ago on a Friday night and it was hoppin'! It looked like a really cool fun gastropub, and now that I know what's on the menu, I'll go in next time. Thanks for the info.
LV (anonymous profile)
May 7, 2010 at 11:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)