In the last nine months, Fort Point Beer Co.'s Valencia Street brewpub — which opened pre-pandemic, then closed for most of it — has ramped up its food offerings and become more of a full-fledged restaurant. And now they have happy hour.
Fort Point Beer Co. has firmly established itself as a favorite brand of canned beer around town, and its easily recognizable can and box designs can be spotted on any sunny weekend on blankets in Alamo Square or Dolores Park. Their familiar roster of six core beers that are typically found in local grocery refrigerator cases — KSA, Villager, Animal, Westfalia, Lobos, and Sfizio — are not all they have to offer, though.
In addition to limited-run beers — they currently have an Irish coffee-inspired stout that's aptly named Buena Vista, after Buena Vista Cafe, and Yuzu-infused KSA radler, for instance — they're canning two ciders these days, as well as a hard kombucha. The menu at the Valencia flagship brewpub has also grown as of last fall to include a full lunch/dinner spread and happy hour.
The recently launched happy hour includes $5 draft pours of all Fort Point offerings, and discounted dishes like fish dip & chips with cold-smoked sturgeon ($9), and Rice-a-Roni arancini that have Dungeness crab in them — regularly $12, $9 at happy hour.
"San Francisco has always been a strong influence for us, from the type of beers we create to the stories we tell through each of them. Similarly, all dishes on the new menu are those that SF locals know and love,” says co-founder and Chief Brand Officer Dina Dobkin. "Our goal is to deliver on what makes the original dishes great, but also surprise and delight through excellent ingredient sourcing, high level of execution, and twists that take each dish from ‘familiar’ to ‘special’ without being fussy.”
The quality of the food comes thanks to culinary director Cecile Macasero, a former chef de cuisine at Kin Khao.
Their cioppino, which I sampled at a Beer Week event, is pretty bomb. And they're offering fried clam rolls ($16) and Dungeness crab rolls ($24, or $14 for a half) — and the crab roll can be dolled up with salmon roe for an additional $11.
The raw bar offerings include fresh oysters — regularly $3.50 apiece, $2 at happy hour — and a "Swan-style crudo" of scallops topped with citrus, capers and red onion. (IYKYK)
Two other dishes on the menu born in San Francisco, Green Goddess dip ($9) and shrimp Louie salad ($25) — you can also get crab Louie ($32).
There's also a healthier grilled fish sandwich ($19), and a burger ($17) topped with house-made American cheese.
Fort Point Valencia is open seven days a week at noon, and serves until 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8 p.m. Sunday. Happy hour is 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
