BLUE PALMS BREWHOUSE
CRAFT BEER & ELEVATED BAR FOOD COMES TO NORTHRIDGE

A stalwart and popular gastropub on Hollywood Boulevard for over a decade, Blue Palms Brewhouse, which was also distinguished as Hollywood’s first American alehouse, shuttered its original location during the pandemic and has now set up shop in Northridge in the San Fernando Valley.

While the Hollywood location was more of a sports bar, the Northridge brewhouse, located at The Mix on Balboa, offers a more elevated setting. The new spot features a gorgeous, newly remodeled interior equipped with nine TVs, inside and outside, allowing guests to always enjoy the night’s biggest games. And yet it doesn’t feel like your typical sports bar. Blue Palms also offers a cozy outdoor patio where visitors can feel safe and relaxed. The interior restaurant features massive windows displaying the vibrant greenery surrounding the brewery.

“The Blue Palms Brewhouse will be serving twenty highly curated beers on draft,” says owner Brian Lenzo. “We will have a state-of-the-art draft beer system of original design that will dispense all beers at the proper temperature and at the custom gas pressures. We are lovers of beer and want to represent each beer in the proper form, which means the right serving temperature in the right glass.”

Aside from 20 specialty draft beers, the brewhouse will also carry wines on draft and well-curated wines by the glass or bottle. The food menu features great Angus beef burgers, Truffle Burger, Fuego Steak Melt, Lobster Mac & Cheese, signature Prime Rib French Dip, wings, and salads. The new location will also be serving pizza with Lenzo family sauce recipe. And all menu items are made to order.

During our recent visit for dinner, we began our night out with popular starter items, including the Wings & Rings, and Beer Steamers. I highly recommend the Beer Steamers, which is a mighty mix of mussels, clams, beer, shallots, rosemary, and tasty toast. This one is a solid winner. It’s great to share or can be a fantastic filling meal all on its own.

The Wings & Rings is simply solid bar food. It’s just what you would expect—wings with your choice of hot, bbq or spicy garlic sauce alongside onions rings with blue cheese dressing and sides of carrots and celery. Both of these starters pair very well with a nice, cold beer.

If you want some healthy greens with your meal, the Baby Spinach salad is a good way to go. Prepped with wild mushrooms, bacon, goat cheese, tomatoes, balsamic and shallot vinaigrette with grilled onions, this salad delivers the goods.

The menu also features a bevy of burgers and sandwiches.  While the Liars Fuego Steak Melt (prime rib with sautéed serrano and jalapeños P&W peppers) came highly recommended, we opted for the Truffle Burger, which was absolutely phenomenal. The Truffle Burger features a white truffle glazed bun, black truffles, maytag blue cheese, P&W peppers, onions, cremini mushrooms, aioli, and cooked in duck fat. Cooked in duck fat! Yes, this burger is a cheat as how can in not be out-of-this-world great with truffles and cooked in duck fat? I’m not complaining. And I will be back for another one of these bomb burgers.

There’s also an impressive sausage list, including wild boar, pheasant, elk, and smoked duck. You can order your sausage(s) as a sandwich or as a plate—choosing any two sausages over a bed of house spiced sauerkraut with caramelized onions and sliced serrano peppers served with chipotle aioli and spiced mustard.

The entrees list features a solid selection, including Fish & Chips, grilled filet mignon, beef short ribs, smoked baby back ribs, chicken scaloppini, and healthier options such as Blackened Tofu, and Grilled Scottish Salmon. We went with the rich and decadent Lobster Mac & Cheese with lobster claw, cheddar, parmesan, and cremini mushroom. This dish does not disappoint.

While I am not the biggest beer fan, I was able to find satisfying options. The Belgian Tripel paired well with the Beer Steamers and the Wings & Rings. The Dragon’s Milk Stout, while filling, went well with the heartier options. By the time we were in food heaven with the Truffle Burger and Lobster Mac & Cheese, I opted for a nice glass of red wine.

Too full for dessert, the Made Marion cider libation, with notes of cranberry, was a delicious liquid dessert—always a favorite of mine. The outdoor patio offered a great setting for a nice, long meal. There’s no street traffic, instead there’s a park in front of the restaurant so the atmosphere is very chill. While it’s a bit of a haul to get to Northridge, I didn’t miss the craziness or sketchiness of Hollywood Boulevard. Kudos to the Blue Palms team for its new chill and comfy location (with solid comfort food).

Blue Palms Brewhouse is located at 8440 Balboa Blvd in Northridge. Open daily from 3pm to close. Call (818) 818-5599.  

Story By: Jose Martinez

Photography Courtesy Of: Blue Palms Brewhouse