After a long week of the daily grind, you probably want to unwind with a nice cold glass of craft brew. But where can you go if you have two young kids without being bound by the constraints of a restaurant? The answer: a brewery!
My son was two years old when my daughter was born, and after a few weeks of juggling between newborn life and toddler tantrums, my husband and I needed a break. That’s when the Babies & Brews Tour was born.
Orange County is home to some of the best craft beer, with approximately 50+ breweries at any given time, and we wanted to taste as many as we could in our daughter’s first 1.5 years of life. We traveled up and down Orange County visiting breweries in search of the trifecta. We looked for venues that 1) allowed us to enjoy a brewski in a safe environment (i.e., seating where kids could not easily fall off, no severely sharp corners and a lot of open space); 2) let our toddler express his creative voice and movements; and 3) didn’t make anyone feel annoyed or uncomfortable when our baby would cry for a moment to let us know that she was hungry.
We worked long and hard (and drank a lot of tasty beer) to cultivate this list for parents looking to unwind and let their kids be, well, kids.
Below are the top 7 kid-friendly breweries in Orange County:
1. Hangar 24 Craft Brewing
17877 Von Karman Ave, Unit 110, Irvine, CA 92614
Hangar 24 is the kid mecca of breweries, as it features the following:
– unmatched amount of open space and seating—with six different zones you can choose to sit in and multiple artificial grass areas that welcome children to run around and play.
– small aviary and chicken coop where kids can look at various birds, chickens and hens.
– delicious food with many shareable items and a kid’s menu.
– live music on Fridays, Saturdays, and most Sundays.
– ample, easy-to-access parking, and basketball court, putting green and cornhole.
We visited nearly all of OC’s breweries—from Seal Beach all the way to San Clemente—and Hanger 24 in Irvine was unmatched for being the best location for a brewery playdate. With so many children running around at any given time, the layout of Hanger 24 allows you to have a beer, speak to friends (and meet new ones!) and keep a close eye on your little ones even if they are running and playing in the distance.
2. Brewery X
3191 E La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92806
Brewery X’s huge selection of tasty brews, expansive biergarten and notorious pizza selection make it a fast favorite for beer-loving parents. Between the two taprooms and sprawling outdoor area, children of all ages are always floating around. The brewery always keeps the atmosphere lively on the weekends with live music and occasional “sip & shop” events where small businesses sell hand-made goods.
3. Golden Road Brewing
2210 E Orangewood Ave, Anaheim, CA 92806
The massive beer garden at Golden Road in Anaheim lands the brewery in the #3 spot. The patio area features games (cornhole, oversized Connect 4, Jenga, etc), a mini beach-like area, an outdoor bar and kid-friendly seating with umbrellas/heaters. The taproom is less ideal for children as it’s filled with mostly high-tops, but it does have a vast beer selection and large food menu.
4. Green Cheek Beer Co.
2957 Randolph Ave, Unit B, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Green Cheek in Costa Mesa sports a covered patio that is outfitted with artificial turf and rows of bench seating. There are also two additional sections where you can sit inside, but families at the brewery tend to stick to the outdoor patio. The beer selection is always solid, and the in-house kitchen offers a variety of burgers and fries.
5. Salty Bear Brewing Co.
2948 Randolph Ave, Unit C, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Salty Bear not only offers a massive selection of high-quality beers, but it features spacious indoor and outdoor seating areas that can accommodate children of all ages. Whether it’s parking a stroller at the edge of your table or having your toddler cruise his monster trucks along the stage or through the gravel, you will be sure to enjoy a craft brew while keeping your children entertained.
6. Radiant Beer Co.
1566 W Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, CA 92801
Radiant is much more low-key than the previous breweries featured, but I love how the brewery offers chalk and coloring pages for the kiddos. Radiant also has a game room in the back with foosball table, couch and lots of open space. There is also a good-sized outdoor patio that’s adjacent to a rotating food truck. Plus, it has a fun drink selection – everything from lagers and IPAs to beer slushies and hard smoothies.
7. Flashpoint Brewing Company
7302 Autopark Dr, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Flashpoint is on the smaller side compared to the others on this list, but with free juice for kids, an outside patio and a generous 5-taster beer flight, this brewery is definitely a contender for a top kid-friendly brewery.
A common theme that all these breweries have is that they all have a beer garden or large patio area where kids can roam free. Luckily for us Southern Californians, we are blessed with incredible weather for the most part and can take advantage of being outdoors all year round. During our tour, we also ran into a few other brewery-like places that we really enjoyed with our two young ones.
Below are some Honorable Mentions that weren’t quite breweries but met our criteria.
1. Beachwood Brewing at SteelCraft Garden Grove
12900 Euclid St, Garden Grove, CA 92840
An open-air eatery with a ton of seating, open space, two game areas for the kids and niche food and drink vendors.
2. Biergarten at Old World Huntington Beach
7561 Center Ave #49, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
A Bavarian utopia with live music, good food and hefty selection of imported beers. Just avoid Old World during Oktoberfest, as your littles will most likely get trampled from the drunken crowds.
3. Riip Beer & Pizzeria
19171 Magnolia St #12, Huntington Beach, CA 92646
Good pizza (by the slice or pie!), even better beer and a whole lot of kids.
Have we missed any kid-friendly Orange County breweries that you feel should be added to the list? Share them below in the comment section!
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Stephanie Metzinger is a Southern California native and currently resides in Huntington Beach with her husband, two kids and 16-year-old dachshund. When not enjoying time with her family, she is knee deep in all things public relations as the owner of her consultancy, Zinger Public Relations. Stephanie is an avid snowboarder, social media enthusiast, foodie and beer/wine aficionado.
