What’s on the menu at Bandit Brewery, the west end’s massive new beer hall

By Rebecca Fleming

| May 9, 2016

What's on the menu at Bandit Brewery, the west end's massive new beer hall — (Image: Giordano Ciampini)

Name: Bandit Brewery Neighbourhood: Roncesvalles Contact: 2125 Dundas St. W., 647-348-1002, banditbrewery.ca, @banditbrewery
Owners: Stephane Dubois and Shehzad Hamza Head brewer: Ben Morris Consulting chef: Harrison Hennick (George, Origin North, Skin and Bones, Furlough, NAO)

The drinks

Beer, of course. Morris, who graduated from the Niagara College Teaching Brewery, hopes to roll out 60 different brews over the next year. For now, there are eight available: a hefeweizen, a session ale, a lager, an APA, an IPA, a smoked porter and a Belgian pale ale. A bottle shop is in the works, but for now Bandit’s beer has to be consumed on the premises.

Though there are just eight beers on tap now, the goal is to have 15 taps at a time, plus another five dedicated to guest brews.

Flights of four are available (in adorably branded glassware).

Head brewer Ben Morris in his natural environment.

The food

Salty, cheesy, meaty, greasy grub—and a kale salad. Hennick’s short menu is full of snacks (pretzels, fries, charcuterie) meant to complement the beer. “I don’t want them to be known for their chimichurri steak,” he says. “They’re making some of the best craft beer in the city, and I don’t want the focus to be taken away from that.” Instead, Hennick will try to incorporate Bandit’s brews into the food (like his beer-battered cheese curds) whenever he can.

Soft pretzels served with grainy mustard. $5.

Fries topped with parm and served with house-made aioli. $6.

Kale salad with feta, toasted pumpkin seeds, pickled veggies and Bandit’s own APA vinaigrette. $9.

Confit chicken tails (more colloquially known as “chicken butts”), deep fried and served with Alabama white barbecue sauce (mayo, vinegar, horseradish, Old Bay). $8.

Charcuterie boards (wild boar cacciatore, lombetto, saucisson sec) and cheese trays (Le Baluchon, Bleu d’Elizabeth, Thunder Oak’s smoked gouda) come with crostini and house-made pickles. $18 each.

Seared hangar steak (from Clarksburg’s Top Meadow Farms) and roasted smashed potatoes, served with chimichurri and a fried egg. $19.

The space

Dubois and Hamza searched high and low for the right location before finding a former auto body shop, a space that had more than enough room to fit their tanks and a parking lot that could be turned into a patio. Communal tables, hanging plants, strings of lights and roll-up garage doors bring the outdoor beer garden inside. The patio isn’t open yet (the application is pending) but should be in time for warmer weather.