Introduction to 26 Degree Brewing Co.’s New Restaurant
After a decade of slinging suds, Pompano Beach’s 26 Degree Brewing Co. has debuted its first in-house restaurant — with help from a major Miami tastemaker whose name is synonymous with comfort food. Restaurateur Danny Serfer, from locally beloved Blue Collar and Michelin-recommended Mignonette, is the unlikely force behind the new 26 Degree Brewery & Kitchen, which soft-opened April 17, months ahead of 26 Degree’s 10th birthday in September.
The Unlikely Partnership
We say “unlikely” because, with all due respect to 26 Degree, why would the Miami-based Serfer care about a northern Broward County brewery? That answer, Serfer tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel, starts with the rekindling of an old friendship. Thirty years after becoming middle-school buddies at Davie’s NSU University School, Serfer and 26 Degree cofounder Yonathan Ghersi had grown apart. Then, in 2018, they got reacquainted after realizing they not only lived near each other on Bay Harbor Islands, but their kids went to the same preschool.
A Friendship Rekindled
“It turned out our kids are really super-tight friends,” says Serfer, who serves as 26 Degree’s consultant but not its chef. “So I started hanging out with Yonathan more and now we play tennis three times a week.” Sometime in 2019, Ghersi says he asked Serfer to help him grow 26 Degree’s revenue streams beyond craft beer with a full-scale restaurant, but the pandemic and badly needed upgrades sidelined their collaboration until 2023.
The Birth of 26 Degree Brewery & Kitchen
The idea is to feature dishes inspired by Old Florida seafood eateries and English and Irish pubs. 26 Degree’s culinary glow-up coincides with Ghersi’s two-year makeover of the brewery, which in late March debuted a 40-seat patio addition facing Atlantic Boulevard. Ghersi also spent $614,000 converting part of the brewery into a kitchen, with a ventilation hood, new air conditioning and appliances “under supervision from Danny, who was basically like, ‘With this menu, this is the equipment we need,’” Ghersi explains.
The Menu
All this inspired Serfer’s menu, which features Irish Banger Stew, braised oxtail and roast beef handhelds, savory lamb hand pies and fried alligator bites — all designed to be paired with 26 Degree’s pints. There also are mussels and a conch salad, both dishes “that are doing so well at Blue Collar, I put them on at 26 Degree,” he says. For that same reason, he added crispy gator bites, “because they were really popular at 15th Street back in the day and now.” Along with smash burgers, giant pretzels and charcuterie plates, there’s also the Pompano Beef Dip, a cousin to Chicago Italian beef combining roast beef and pulled braised oxtail, topped with housemade giardiniera and paired with an oxtail dipping jus. And there’s a hand pie stuffed with lamb, peas, chicken, leeks and prosciutto created by newly appointed chef Fergus Conneely, formerly of 3 Sons Brewing Co. in Dania Beach.
The Future of 26 Degree Brewing Co.
Adding a restaurant helps confront the harsh realities of running a brewery now, as craft beer’s once-mighty golden age has dimmed in the wake of oversaturation, declining taproom numbers and evolving consumer tastes, Ghersi says. “A taproom is great for revenue, but folks have to be entertained enough to come back,” he says. “We’re in this location with ample parking where other people already go out to dinner, and it doesn’t make sense to depend on just beer anymore.”
The Pompano Beef Dip at 26 Degree Brewery & Kitchen in Pompano Beach is similar to a Chicago Italian beef sandwich but made with braised oxtail and roast beef. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel
26 Degree Brewing Co. has undergone renovations ahead of its 10th anniversary, including a new patio and a kitchen serving gastropub comfort food. (Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Pompano Beef Dip at 26 Degree Brewery & Kitchen in Pompano Beach is similar to a Chicago Italian beef sandwich but made with braised oxtail and roast beef. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Irish Banger Stew is paired with Thirst Patrol, a bright and hop-forward pilsner at 26 Degree Brewery. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Brewer’s Pie, an individual pot pie, is paired with Yare Devil’s Amber Ale. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Conclusion
26 Degree Brewery & Kitchen soft-opened on April 17 inside 26 Degree Brewing Co., 2600 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach. A free luau party to mark the restaurant’s opening is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, starting at 5 p.m., and includes a limbo contest, hula dancing, live fire show and Best Hawaiian Shirt contest. Go to 26Brewing.com or call 954-532-6964.
FAQs
Q: What is the name of the new restaurant at 26 Degree Brewing Co.?
A: The new restaurant is called 26 Degree Brewery & Kitchen.
Q: Who is the consultant behind the new restaurant?
A: Restaurateur Danny Serfer is the consultant behind the new restaurant.
Q: What type of dishes can be found on the menu?
A: The menu features dishes inspired by Old Florida seafood eateries and English and Irish pubs, including Irish Banger Stew, braised oxtail and roast beef handhelds, savory lamb hand pies and fried alligator bites.
Q: What is the address of 26 Degree Brewing Co.?
A: 2600 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach.
Q: How can I find more information about 26 Degree Brewing Co.?
A: You can visit 26Brewing.com or call 954-532-6964.
