114 North Glassell St.
Orange, CA 92866
I got ripped off with my birthday dinners this year. Usually, Katie and I celebrate dinner by ourselves, then my parents take me out, and I finish it with another dinner from Katie's parents. Since it has been far too long since my and Katie's parents have seen each other this year, we combined our meals with them. This shorted me out of a birthday dinner, but it was worth it to get them together for a long-overdue meetup. The hard part was finding a spot they would all like. After much research, I decided on the 1886 Brewing Company.
Opened for business for three years now, 1886 Brewing Company is located right next door to Citrus City Grille and on the same side of the street as Smoqued BBQ, O'Hara's Pub, and Pandor Bakery and Cafe. Speaking of Smoqued BBQ, this restaurant is run by the same owners of that restaurant. They named this restaurant after the year this building was constructed. In those 137 years, this spot has been many businesses, but most recently, it was an antique store about five years ago. There are not too many restaurants in OC that can claim to be housed in a 137-year-old building.
Beer is brewed on the premises, and as recently as this year, they have won awards for it. You can see the large, shining tanks proudly standing behind the bar when you enter the restaurant. The six of us were ushered to the back patio, which was covered to prevent the sun from baking us. It was quieter out there, which I'm sure our parents were thankful for.
Like most bars/restaurants, the menu here is varied and offers plenty of choices that even the most picky of eaters can find something they will like. There are 11 appetizers to pick from, along with salads, sandwiches and burgers, and most substantial entrees. The price point for most items hovers around $17, with only a couple of things exceeding $20. Happy hour is offered on weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m., Taco Tuesday is celebrated all day with $3 tacos, and brunch is highlighted by either a $29 prix fixe option or they get a lot of love for their brunch charcuterie board, which features lots of breakfast staples. We were here at 5 p.m., so dinner was what we were after. Let's see if this was a good pick for the six of us.
If I had left it up to Katie, she would have gotten the hummus or the Bavarian pretzel as an appetizer, but it was my birthday, so I would not submit to her (at least not today). I was intrigued by the nachos and chori-queso, but I went the safe route here and picked the Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($10) and the Chile Verde Poutine ($16). The better of the two was the poutine. The fries were topped with chile verde shredded pork, pickled red onion, and cheese curds. The fries were done nicely and stayed crisp the whole time we were chowing down on this. I liked the contrast between the pickled onions and the rich pork. This could have been made even better if more pork had been added and it was layered better. Near the end, we just had fries left. The sprouts were crispy but not conducive to sharing between six people. They were topped with bacon and a sweet and sour sherry gastrique that was a nice deviation from the usual balsamic that most places use.
My mom will start the entree portion of our meal with these Boneless Wings ($12). These five pieces of chicken were crispy and plump. They usually come with buffalo sauce, but my mom wanted them naked with a side of ranch. She ate three tenders, making me think my light-eating mother was a big fan of them. The chicken strip I tried was tender and juicy and went perfectly with the provided ranch dressing.
Katie seemed to need help picking what she wanted at 1886, and she finally settled on the T-Bird Sandwich ($16 plus a $2 upcharge for fries). The toasted sourdough housed a good amount of sliced roasted turkey, two slices of provolone, tomato, red onion, pepperoncini, and shredded lettuce tossed in a red wine vinaigrette. This sandwich exceeded her expectations. She liked the sliced turkey and the crunch of the toasted bread and found the tanginess of the pepperoncini and the lettuce with the vinaigrette to keep her interested while she was eating this. The fries were nice and crispy and were an excellent accompaniment to the sandwich.
I've wanted a good patty melt for some time now and hoped that this Meatloaf Patty Melt ($17 plus a $2 upcharge for a side Caesar) would satisfy my craving. It actually did. Again, toasted sourdough was the bread of choice for this sandwich and included a slice of bacon meatloaf, grilled onion, provolone, and American cheeses. The sandwich was delicious, even though the bacon could have been slightly more pronounced. A very well-built patty melt. My only tweak for next time will be to jettison the lackluster tomato jam that came with this and get their much better house sauce that was way better for dipping the sandwich in. The Caesar was okay, but I could have used more dressing and parmesan cheese.
My dad selected the Fish and Chips ($18) this evening. The three pieces of cod are beer battered and came with hand-cut fries and a ravigote sauce, which is something I've never heard of and had to look up what it was. It's a mustard-based French sauce freshened with shallots, capers, or herbs. This one looked like a creamy Thousand Island, as it did not have any noticeable mustard hints. My dad thought it was a tarter sauce, as he didn't bat an eye while dipping his fish into it. He ate these three pieces rather quickly.
Last but not least was this Rosemary Chicken that Katie's mom ordered. It was served with a bordelaise sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Lynn was on the other side of the table from me, so I did not get the chance to try any of this, but she seemed to have liked it, even though she took a good amount home.
1886 Brewing Company was an excellent choice for my birthday dinner with our parents. Their menu is varied enough that everyone can find something to order from it. No, the food will not be up for a James Beard award anytime soon, but if you are looking for better-than-average bar food at reasonable prices, give 1886 a try. We experienced reliable service during this visit, with no complaints about our server or any of the other employees we encountered. Even though I got swindled out of an extra birthday dinner, it was worth it to have our parents get to see each other, and even better, we all seemed to enjoy our time at 1886 Brewing Company.
Out of five railroad cars (because 1886 is the year that the first trainload of oranges left Los Angeles via the transcontinental railroad), five being best to zero being worst, 1886 Brewing Company gets 3 railroad cars.
For more information about 1886 Brewing Company, head to their website by clicking here: https://1886brewingco.com/
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