Alvarado Street Brewery
426 Alvarado St., Monterey, 655-2337 Carmel Plaza, Suite 112, Ocean and Mission, Carmel, 293-8621 asb.beer
Since opening its flagship location in 2014, Alvarado Street Brewery quickly became the beating heart of downtown Monterey, where even on weeknights, every table fills up and it’s tough to find an open stool at the bar. Patrons come for the award-winning beer – the brewery has shone from the outset in national beer competitions – and the tasty, approachably priced food. But they also flock to the spot for the scene: whether in the buzzing, high-ceiling interior or the cozy patio out back, there is no livelier social scene in town. And with a new outpost having opened in Carmel Plaza in late 2018, and another on the way in downtown Salinas, that lively scene is expanding.