We have so many craft breweries in the region that I’ve just stopped counting. But really good pizza and beer? Those numbers are smaller, but they exist (Birthright, Scratch, Switchback). Add Brü Daddy’s to the list of wood- (or otherwise-) fired pizza and craft beer getting cozy together on a menu full of inventive comfort foods.
Brü Daddy’s slipped into the space formerly occupied by Roar on Hamilton Street in Downtown Allentown in November 2019, just six months shy of the pandemic. The team is experienced and creative, and seems to finish each other’s sentences. Head brewer Todd Reinhardt worked at two stellar spots, Free Will in Perkasie and Two Rivers Brewing in Easton, prior to Brü Daddy’s. Head chef Gil DeGruccio cooked in kitchens around the Lehigh Valley, including at Vintage Restaurant (when Mike and Rebecca Pichetto owned it) and The Bookstore Speakeasy. Some may recognize Brü Daddy’s pizza chef John Choi, who tossed pizzas at Scratch and Whole Foods, before landing at Brü Daddy’s. To sit with the crew and observe their rapport, the conversation is expansive, creative, freewheeling. And so, naturally, are the food and beer.
And as for the owners Rich Ryan and his son Kevin? They own two Menchie’s frozen yogurt franchises in the Lehigh Valley, and when they were thinking about their next move, they kept coming back to a brewery, with pizza. Wife Karen came up with the name, illustrator Denton Burrows devised their hop-headed cool-guy logo, and Brü Daddy’s opened. As Rich describes it, they were slammed from the get-go. “We hit the ground running; we barely had time to get our bearings,” he says.
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It’s exhilarating and rewarding to open with such smashing success, but of course the pandemic halted progress. Like so many other food and beverage businesses, it became imperative for the crew to become strategic about its approach, and fast. More quickly than perhaps they would have anticipated, Brü Daddy’s started canning to help accommodate the demand for off-premises consumption; it’s one of a couple dozen breweries that ships its beer statewide. Pizza for takeout is already a thing, so packing those up to go wasn’t a stretch. And most of the menu is full of the kinds of foods that will travel well. Somehow, in the middle of all this insanity, the brewery's Black Sheep—a "schwarzbier," or German-style black lager—nabbed a silver medal at the 2020 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
The thing with pizza and beer, see, is that it’s a genius combo no one tires of. It’s also so simple and casual enough to eat any day of the week, but versatile enough you can stave off boredom by switching up your brew or your pie really easily. Brü Daddy’s developed a name for itself quickly, with pizza types tied to geography: Korean barbecue, Hawaiian flavors, Cape May shrimp, Iron Pig pulled pork and, of course, one called Phantom—with sausage, mozzarella, green onion and serrano pepper, named for the hockey team. They’ve formed a partnership with them—naturally. “You can’t move in here on Phantoms nights,” says Kevin.
Beers on offer vary, but you’ll find things like cream ales and sour ales along with pilsners and lagers. It’s also easy to elevate the experience and make it more special than you’d expect. And that’s true at Brü Daddy’s. With a dozen taps of classic and unique beers and a dozen and a half pizzas available for human consumption at any given moment (and more always on the horizon), it’s impossible to be bored.
There are pizzas and beers to please all palates; the place appeals to a wide range of demographics (see, pizza and beer are the great equalizer). “It’s not just hipsters,” says DeGruccio. But it’s not necessarily easy-peasy to do that well; anyone who pays attention to food and beer knows that just because you can put an ingredient on a pizza or throw it in the proverbial hopper, doesn’t mean you should. (We’ve all tasted our share of misguided experimental beers and pizzas with toppings that just never should’ve seen the light of day.) If you want something straightforward, you can order a La Margherita pizza and their signature IPA, Haze Daddy. But Brü Daddy’s brews all the beers, too—seasonals, sours and things you haven’t tried yet.
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Waikiki Pizza - Applewood bacon, pepperoni, San Marzanotomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, pineapple, peppadew peppers, green onion.
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K-Pop Pizza (Korean BBQ) - Shaved beef steak marinated in Korean BBQ sauce, arugula, San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, red onion, sriracha mayo drizzle.
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We Got the Beets - Arugula, oven-roasted beets,tart cherries, apples, goat cheese,pistachio, light apple cider dressing.
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El Cubano - Slow-roasted pork, shaved ham, swiss, house-made pickles, IPA dijonnaise, brioche roll.
Here’s where things depart from what you might expect.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here, but we’re not doing any entrées,” says DeGruccio. “We’ve got kind of like a food truck vibe to our menu,” adds Choi.
This means all of the food is unfussy and much of it you can eat with your hands. Everything has a bit of a twist. You can order a flight of fries, which sounds pretty close to heaven—two types and two dippers. Try the Bavarian Pretzel served with an IPA Dijon mustard and beer cheese, or their pierogis with kielbasa. The starters menu also includes what seems to be an essential app these days—roasted Brussels sprouts—along with something they call “Not Chicken Nuggets.” Yes, you guessed it: plant-based chicken nuggets. How about that?
Speaking of plants, great salads are abundant, along with options to add proteins to them (chicken, salmon, shrimp), and so are burgers (including a Beyond alternative), hand-helds such as the super-popular El Cubano sandwich, and plenty of other choices for sandwiches run the gamut from Texas brisket to fancied-up Philly cheesesteak to a roasted veggie wrap and a chicken caprese. The only design flaw is that abundance can bring on crippling indecision. There is a solution to that challenge: stay longer, drink more, eat more. “People will order rounds of food, shareables, pizzas and on. It comes in waves,” says Kevin.
We also haven’t touched the wings, or really delved into the beer garden outdoor seating area. Or discussed brunch, because that’s a thing, too, and it involves brunch French toasts, brunch quesadillas (all the cheeses, all of them) and brunch pizza with themes such as lox and cream cheese, wild berry pop tart, a western omelet and, of course, omelets themselves. You’d have to keep going back to Brü Daddy’s, over and over, to try everything creative they’ve come up with—whether it’s served to you on a plate or by the pint. Or both.
Brü Daddy's Brewing Co.
732 Hamilton St., Allentown | 610.351.7600 | brudaddysbrewingcompany.com
*Please check their website and/or social media for current operating hours and procedures.
Hours
Tues.–Thurs.: 4–10 p.m.; Fri. & Sat.: noon–10 p.m.; Sun.: 11a.m.–6 p.m.
Parking
Metered street parking, parking decks nearby
Specials
Socially distanced trivia nights on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.; pizza and beer nights on Wednesday (pizza with a flight, $15; pizza with any pint, $12); karaoke Thursdays at 7 p.m. Sunday brunch all day.
What to Order
Pizza is a must! The Waikiki and K-Pop are two of their signature pies, but you can design your own, too. If you want to go a little more classic, check out either a straight up La Margherita, a Bianca pie with several different cheeses or Meat Lovers. But heads up! You can also order their pizzas with a cauliflower crust and/or nondairy cheese, which means your vegan, keto and/or gluten-free friends can eat here, too. Beers are available by the can or growler.
