There’s a seemingly endless variety of restaurants in Irvine. However, there are times one may have difficulty attempting to narrow down somewhere to just hang out and sip a beer with some friends, without leaving the city. With that in mind, here’s a Irvine-centric list of breweries, taprooms and wine bars that keep it local.

The IRV Bar Whole Foods

One of Irvine’s most obscure beer stops rests in plain sight within the walls of Whole Foods Market at the Tustin Legacy. Tucked around the corner from the store’s main exit, there’s a modestly sized bar, with a nice selection of well-known labels, with taps from local legends like Unsung Brewery. Now, with new regulations, the Irv Bar in Whole Food is also offering take-out beer orders, allowing Whole Foods Market shoppers to grab their brew – or hard kombucha – with their Whole Foods grocery haul.

8525 Irvine Center Dr Irvine, CA 92618
Hours: 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., daily

BSB Irvine

Backstreet Brewery is a native establishment that started in Irvine in 1998. Specializing in craft beers, Backstreet started serving beers in Lamppost Pizza in Heritage Plaza and hasn’t looked back since. Affectionately known as BSB Irvine, this local craft brewery has a tasty lineup of beers including some gluten free hard seltzers, a variety of hazy and imperial IPAs. Check out their tap list to see what changes weekly.

4450 Culver Dr., Irvine
Hours:  Monday – Thursday: 11:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m.
Friday – Saturday  11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Left Coast Brewing

Born out of San Clemente, Left Coast Brewery has been sharing its creations with Orange County patrons since 2004. With popular titles like the 10% ABV Hop Juice Tripla IPA, made with five varieties of hops, Trestles IPA and the lighter Una Mas Lager and the 8.0% ABV VooDoo American Stout, Left Coast has spent nearly two decades crafting delicious renditions. With a taproom in Irvine, it looks like the Left Coast just got closer.

6652 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine CA

Hangar 24

With several locations across Southern California, Hangar 24 has a beautiful outdoor patio space in Irvine to complement its robust lineup of craft beer. 

17877 Von Karman Ave, Suite 110

Twenty Eight

By now, our readers know what to expect — wine, whisky and wagyu beef. While beer may not be at the top of the menu at Twenty Eight, the local Irvine eatery curates its in-house wine and whiskey collection with a high level of care, which consists of rare bottles of whiskey including the highly sought-after Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon, which is produced by the popular Buffalo Trace Whiskey facility.

Bacchus

Named after the Roman God of agriculture, wine and fertility, the Irvine-based Bacchus features six rotating taps, along with some bottled IPAs, stouts and ales, along with a solid list of wine and cocktails. As you move on to dinner, be sure to check out the well-rounded mix of small bites that include a cheese and charcuterie plate, crispy pork belly served with persimmons, miso, Japanese sweet potato, and mustard greens.

6735 Quail Hill Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92603 Tuesday – Thursday: 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.  Friday – Saturday: 4:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Sunday – Monday: Closed

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting Irvine Weekly and our advertisers.