11 S Beaver St #1
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
*Disclaimer: We were not paid for this review. All opinions are our own and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
There are numerous pubs to choose amongst in historic downtown Flagstaff. Beaver Street Brewery is one of the many causal pubs that is popular with tourists thanks to the lively vibe and large menu of comfort foods. It's one of the best options due to the spacious dining room, cozy seasonal patio, friendly service, and tasty appetizers offered at a decent price.
Beaver Street Brewery offers a decent sized menu of appetizers, soups and salads, wood-fired pizzas, fondues, and sandwiches. A few of the more interesting choices we noticed on the menu included: Southwestern Salmon Cakes, Whistle Stop Fondue, and a Firecracker Shrimp Gordita Platter. As expected, the beer menu is pretty extensive.
They offer a separate gluten-free menu available by request. Some of the items you will find on the menu include 10 inch gluten-free pizzas, sandwiches with GF bread, and salads. Unfortunately, most of the appetizers where off limits to us due to cross contamination concerns. I recommend Beaver Street add a dedicated fryer and/or offer regular tortilla chips (which are certified gluten-free) as opposed to their homemade fried option.
The hummus here was very delicious: one of the best I've tasted in a restaurant. It was creamy in texture and sprinkled with pine nuts and olive oil. On the downside, we ordered the GF option which included GF bread as opposed to the chips, which we had to pay extra for, meaning we paid 10 bucks just for the hummus itself! It's not really fair to pay for the whole dish if you can't eat everything. The bread should have been included at no charge, or the dish marked down as there were no chips. Alternatively, extra veggies can be added as a cheaper replacement. Or better yet, keep some gluten-free tortilla chips in the kitchen at all times.
Unfortunately, the veggies were limited to 1 tomato, 3 cucumbers, and 3 kalamata olives, a bit skimpy for a hummus plate. We requested carrots and celery sticks, which they thankfully brought out at no charge (these should automatically be provided to anyone ordering the GF option as you are skipping the main part of the dish). If we wouldn't have asked for the extra veggies, we would have unnecessarily thrown out at least a container of hummus! In the future, Beaver Street should always provide extra veggies, GF tortilla chips, or a few pieces of GF bread as a fair trade off in my opinion.
As far as gluten-free entrees go, the Margarita Chicken sandwich and Mediterranean salad were both pretty great. The chicken sandwich (which is available with a GF bun) was marinated in tequila and lime and topped with red onions, lettuce, tomato, Monterey Jack Cheese, and cilantro pesto Mayonnaise). We made this dairy-free by omitting the pesto and cheese. For gluten-free, omit the pablo chili, ask for a GF bun, and pick the salad as your side. This was a delicious, filling dish, and appropriately priced. The Mediterranean Salad is the best option for any vegetarians. For under 15 bucks, you will receive a big plate of spring lettuce topped with tri color quinoa, roasted tomatoes and artichokes, kalamata olives, cucumbers, red onions, toasted pine nuts, feta cheese, and a side of hummus and balsamic vinegar. The Quinoa makes the salad much more satisfying than the wimpy vegetarian salads offered by most restaurants. To make this vegan, replace the feta cheese with a delicious side of guacamole. In addition, you can replace the included pita slice with a slice of toasted gluten-free bread for an extra dollar.
Overall, our entrees and hummus plate were more than enough to satisfy us. We did not leave hungry. Looking around at other diners, it seemed that the pizza and fondue were very popular. I will definitely try the pizza on my next visit.
Update: As of 2025, new appetizers include: Elote Dip and Chip, Arizona Cheese Curds, and an Ahi Tuna Stack. They still offer their trademark woodfired pizza, available in a number of combinations. Main dishes include: Chicken Pot Pie, Florentine Ravioli, and a delicious sounding Mediterranean Platter which includes hummus, falafel, Naan bread, kalamata olives, cumbers, and marinated artichokes. Now that I no longer dine gluten-free, I would love to come back here and test out some pizza and the Med plate.
Service was decent. Our waitress had no problem with any substitutions to make our meals gluten and dairy-free.
Beaver Street Brewery features a very spacious dining room with an open kitchen and attractive woodsy decor. The seasonal outdoor patio is open during Flagstaff's beautiful mild summer season. Here you can relax and enjoy your comfort food minus the noisy indoor crowds, along with taking in great views of the San Francisco peaks. In addition, there is a new billiards room featuring 5 pool tables.
Beaver Street works well as both a date night destination, or as a place to meet up with friends and enjoy a drink or 2 with a few appetizers or pizzas. There are lots of interesting appetizers which are easily large enough to share amongst a party. As my only suggestion, Beaver Street should add a few more GF/vegan appetizers and sides and possibly invest in a dedicated fryer so GF diners can enjoy the great appetizers without making modifications.
