A report by Dana Eastland. As we covered last July in tablehopper, NoPa is getting a brewery and restaurant. It’s called BARRELHEAD BREWHOUSE, and it comes from owner-brewer Ivan Hopkinson, who previously was the assistant brewmaster at Park Chalet. The new spot is currently softly open.
The huge space at 1745 Fulton is the former home of Fulton Street Bar (which has been vacant for soooo long), and they’ve spent months working on it. Hopkinson and his team of builders, including Kieran O’Donoghue and Gerard Murphy, have made some majors changes to the space. They took out most of a loft that created a second floor, and now have a mezzanine that looks down into a main dining room with high ceilings and brewing equipment on display.
The mezzanine will be available to rent out for large groups, and there are two communal tables, one upstairs and one down. The space has some nice, personal touches, including a woodstove in the dining room and personal trinkets embedded into the lacquer on the reclaimed wood slabs.
The bar is under the mezzanine, and there are 43 beers on tap. The taps are fitted into a big, honking torpedo for a little rocket man charm. While we’re talking about beer, Hopkinson is still getting his own brewing operation up and running. Eventually, he’ll be able to offer his own brews along with some guest handles. For now, though, they’re all guests. Look out for options from breweries like Ballast Point, Ninkasi, and Goose Island. Once Hopkinson has his own beers going, he wants to offer a broad range of selections. There will be traditional, popular styles, as well as more adventurous ones.
The food menu comes from chef Tim Tattan, who previously worked as the sous chef at Monk’s Kettle. He’s already got a signature dish, the mini Cristo (that’s a deep-fried, miniature Monte Cristo), and his menu offers lots of pub-friendly food, like fish and chips, a burger, and smoked meats. Right now, they’re just serving snacks and dinner, but look out for brunch in the future. Hours are Mon-Fri 11am-2am, Sat-Sun 10am-2am, kitchen open until 1:30am (but they’re still working all that out—might be a good idea to call ahead and make sure they’re open before heading over). 1785 Fulton St. at Masonic, 415-416-6994.
Photo: Dana Eastland. © tablehopper.com.
