Bitter ales and malty pints paired with hearty pies full of gravies and braised meat: they're hallmarks of a good pub and all too craveable in the cooler months. But what would happen if one of L.A.'s preeminent vegan proprietors opened a U.K.-style pub? As it turns out, the result is the Stalking Horse Brewery & Freehouse, a place for both omnivores and vegans looking to take part in the full pub experience—which includes fish and chips both vegan and non.
Toward the close of summer, Tony Yanow and the rest of the Artisanal Brewers Collective team—of Tony's Darts Away and Sixth St. Tavern fame—opened the Stalking Horse, an English brewpub at 10543 West Pico Boulevard in West L.A. It's got the trappings of a right proper pub: dark wood paneling, plaid wallpaper and even a hunting mural (a nod to the name: a man-made figure, often of a horse, which hunters would hide behind while in the field).
The 3,700-square-foot space houses not only a full bar and dining room, but a biergarten-inspired patio with a retractable roof. And then there's the brewery. Beer production isn't up and running just yet, but sometime this season, expect the seven-barrel system to craft English-style ales and porters under the guidance of Brandon Edwards, formerly of Columbus Brewing Company and Pizza Port Brewing. Those looking for cocktails or a stiff one will find a beverage program heavy on Scotch and gin.
Photograph: Courtesy The Stalking Horse/Wonho Frank Lee
As it is with the rest of Yanow's ventures, there are dishes for red-meat evangelists as well as those who prefer plants: the chicken tikka masala pasty (pie) is offered with both white-meat chicken and mock chicken; there is beef cheek bourguignon as well as vegan Welsh rarebit—the latter comes smothered in house-made vegan pub cheese.There's even a cottage (shepherd's) pie, and in lieu of beef, culinary director Trevor Faris swaps in the plant-based Impossible Foods.
Take a peek at some of its pub fare, below, and keep an eye on the spot's social for updates on the brewery.
Photograph: Courtesy The Stalking Horse/Wonho Frank Lee
The Stalking Horse is now open at 10543 West Pico Boulevard, from 11:30am to 1am Monday through Wednesday, 11:30am to 2am Thursday and Friday, 5pm to 2am on Saturday and 5pm to 1am on Sunday.