Breweries are popping up all over Cleveland, so many in fact that we have been having a hard time keeping up with them all. But when I heard about Masthead Brewing Co. serving Neapolitan style wood fired pizza, it shot to the top of our list.
It's within easy walking distance from Public Square so we decided to stop by on a Saturday afternoon during the first weekend of the Film Fest. It was a great excuse to stretch our legs and fill our bellies.
The whole front of the brewery is glass - actually garage door style windows that will allow them to open up when the weather is nice. I look forward to coming back when the weather is nicer! Pro tip: This is along the St. Patrick's Day route so you can have a front row seat while staying warm.
When you walk in, grab a menu and head to the register to place your order and pay.
This system is awesome because you don't have to hope to catch a bartender's attention and keeps everything moving really quickly. If you order food (which you should!), they give you a buzzer to let you know when it's ready.
The menu is small but has lots of tasty choices that will make your decision difficult. We wanted to order them all! But we finally picked the roasted eggplant and loved it. Some other tantalizing choices are the Mortadella with pistachio pesto, Spicy Soppressata and the Prosciutto. They even offer a Vegan pizza with an Italian tofu crumble, mushrooms, peppers and basil.
There's other food besides pizza too - salads and a few delicious sounding small plates (appetizers) round out the menu.
They are open for lunch but prepare to be tempted to drink beer.
And this is a brewery after all so let's talk about the beer! I highly recommend that you start off with a 4 beer flight. The sampler is a great way to try several beers. The pours are generous and nicely priced at $8.
My only complaint is the wooden holder for the glasses. It's awkward and hard to use without spilling the beer. And we were sober! I can't imagine how hard getting beer to your table would be after a few. Anyways, once you find a favorite, pints are between $5 and $7.50 each (and are much easier to carry!) They have several guest drafts and offer crowlers and growlers to go.
We thought the beers were really good with our favorites being the Rydaho Rye and A Few Good Acres Pale Ales, The IPA and Coffee Stout. I was happy that the alcohol content is reasonable so you can have more than one. They also have cocktails and wine if you're not in the mood for beer. I definitely want to try the Old Fashioned On Tap next time. I was happy to see Old City Soda on the menu too.
We loved it and I think you will too! Cheers!
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