Brewing Up a Reputation

The outdoor deck overlooking scenic King Harbor in Redondo Beach is the best place to view the night action at the little-known Waterfront Brewery, which is slowly coming of age in its first year.

For starters, the view of the blue and orange hues sinking below the Pacific at sunset is spectacular. Then there’s the cool effect of lights flickering on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. But most important, the patio provides easy access to the bar, which started offering music a few months back.

The Waterfront Brewery may be the best-kept secret in the well-known marina. Since it took over the former Reuben’s spot last year, locals have discovered that dining at the ocean-side microbrewery-restaurant is a cool alternative to the trendy clubs that dot the rest of the waterfront.

In the summer, the place was packed at sunset with tourists spilling over from a day at the Redondo Beach Pier for a seafood dinner. The fall has brought locals who go to the spacious bar to watch Monday Night Football and cash in on the happy-hour hors d’oeuvres and the $2 discount drafts, which include a smooth pale ale and a heavy Hefeweizen.

But slim pickings and small crowds most other nights led owners of the year-old venue to add entertainment to the menu. Now Friday and Saturday nights are cooking with a mix of alternative- and blues-oriented bands.

The crowd is still pretty thin on Thursday nights, but general manager Bob Yuro is hopeful that it will grow in time. After all, the place has that location, location, location thing going for it.

The folks who frequent the brewery, which serves up five microbrewed beers in addition to offering a full bar, are a casual set of South Bay scenesters who don’t like to get dressed up to go out or go too from far home.

On the outdoor deck, they lounge on the white patio furniture that’s topped off with shady umbrellas that stay open even at night. Inside, this denim- and T-shirt-clad gang sits in the saloon, listening to the music.

Old Reuben’s regulars are numbered among the Waterfront crowd. In many ways the place still looks like Reuben’s, with that chain-restaurant feel that comes with sports banners, dartboards and a decorative tile pattern that pictures the crest of the wave covering the length of the bar.

Even the resident blues singer, Doug MacLeod, is a holdover from Reuben’s. His one-man blues band performs Thursday nights and still attracts a small but faithful following of the old restaurant’s regulars who prefer listening to music over dancing.

Though the scene changes with each night, some things at the Waterfront Brewery remain constant: the ambience of summer even in winter, the great ocean view and a cool place to kick back and have a brew.

BE THERE

The Waterfront Brewery, 230 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, (310) 379-8363. 21 and over. No cover. Live music Thursday through Sunday nights.