Pints and Pint-sized: Legend Brewing Co.

Each month Pints and Pint-sized will highlight a local restaurant where city-dwelling parents can take their children and enjoy a good brew or two (responsibly, of course). This month: Legend Brewing Co.

September 26, 2013; 6:58 AM • by Richard Hayes

First let me get this out of the way: it is Legend, not Legends. You can sit on Legend’s deck but you cannot go to Legends.

People in RVA either love or hate Legend and a large part of that is due to what was an inconsistent kitchen and staff. I’m here to tell you that with new managers both have improved. The menu gets a seasonal update, and the food they’re sending out is much better. I stick to the burgers and sandwiches, and 99% of the time I’m content. The staff have also improved and stepped up their attention to diners. Legend has a wide open deck outside and warehouse-turned-beer garden minus the long tables inside. It can handle any family no matter the size.

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Pint-size score: 3 stars

On the first really warm spring day this would get a 6 out of 4, if (that’s a big if) you get a seat on the deck. Sitting outside watching birds, trains, the James, and the regulars provides entertainment for all ages. Inside is a large room with sports occasionally running on the big screen.

The wide open nature of both the deck and the interior allows for your little one to be a little louder than normal. Should your ankle biters scream just for the fun of screaming, as occurred in my vicinity last week, they won’t get too many glares. The staff gets a shout out as they not only tolerate kids but most seem to enjoy your little ones.

The decent kid’s menu has all the kid standards such as: grilled cheese, burger, chicken fingers, and usually comes with a few crayons so the unicorn on the menu can be rainbowized. Word of warning: if the deck is packed put in your kid order ASAP as the kitchen can get overwhelmed and wait times can jump up.

There’s music on Friday and Saturday which kicks off at 8:00 PM, and live Bluegrass on Sunday at 6:30 PM (a fun way for your little ones to practice their flat footing). There are no changing tables in the bathrooms.

Pint score: 3 stars

With the sudden growth of local breweries Legend has had to step up its brewing game, and it shows both in the quality of beers and in the variety. Our scale isn’t really built for a brewery, since you can’t expect Legend to carry other breweries’ beers. Despite this limitation Legend has a surprising number of options for your beer consumption.

They’ve got the usual suspects on draft: lager, pilsner, pale ale, IPA, porter, Hopfest, and brown. Ask an RVAer which of those they’ve had, and most likely you’ll hear brown. Current seasonals are Oktoberfest and Tripel. The taste profile of the seasonals varies a bit from season to season. Get a sample before buying a pitcher, but much like the kitchen this is getting more consistent. Lately the Oktoberfest and Hopfest are my go-to beers.

Also worth noting: this year Legend started the Urban Legend Series. These beers take their name from local legends and would fall into a subset of seasonals. Next up for the Urban Legend Series will be an Imperial Red Ale.

Happy Hour runs from 4:00 – 7:00 PM, and you’ll get a dollar or two off the non-seasonal selections.

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Pints and Pint-sized is the collaborative effort of Richard Hayes and Erin Sarro. Richard is editor of the blog Hills and Heights, father of a nine year old, and beer enthusiast. Erin juggles creative directing, two-year-old childrearing, and blog writing at Mommybeerest.net. Each month they’ll highlight a local restaurant where city-dwelling parents can take their children and enjoy a good brew or two (responsibly, of course).

September 26, 2013 6:58 AM 1