Tucked away on the gritty industrial edge of Glendale, down the street from a strip joint, and next to a set of train tracks is an unlikely haven for the thirsty and the peckish. Located in a converted warehouse, Golden Road Brewing is part of a new wave of microbreweries that have popped up in LA over the last few years, pouring heady brews and – unlike other breweries – serving up some great food as well. All with an eye to sustainability and social impact.

Golden Road features 20 revolving taps, all brewed and canned in LA. I’ve had them elsewhere, but was happy to down a few at the source with the girlfriend. However, what really surprised us was the quality of the food. I love lasagna, and went straight for it when I saw it on the menu. Layers of seasoned ground beef, tender noodles and squash slices in a tiny cast iron dish, accompanied by garlic bread and a side salad—I wasn’t mad at that at all.

We followed up with a braised short rib cheesesteak. The sandwich was great, but oddly enough I think I liked the fries even more. Perfectly crisp and salty on the outside and earthy potato on the inside—a well done fry is both a simple and surprisingly rare pleasure.

Perhaps not surprising given the LA location, Golden Road has some great vegetarian and vegan options as well. These fried avocado tacos were hands down the best thing we ate all night.

The avocados were crispy on the outside, silky on the inside. Set on top of some warm tortillas and dressed with cabbage, corn salsa, chipotle aioli and a generous squeeze of lime, these tacos were quintessential bites of California. (Disclosure: we came back the next day and actually ordered them again!).

-Hudson Leung & Elaine Tamargo, Guest Contributors

Hudson & Elaine are two LA-based food lovers who spend their weekends visiting new breweries and walking Elaine’s adorable shih-poo, Chelsea.