Red Car Brewery and Restaurant

Came here many years ago. Cannot believe I forgot to rate this place, as even purchased a T Shirt here. A little bit commercial place, with ok beers, in the center of Torrance. In the last years a few more beer places have opened up in this area.

Located on the Torrance main street, just around the corner from Yorkshire Square. Visited for dinner on a Wednesday. Parking is in a connected lot plus street. Nice interior, though a bit worn. Beer selection is 6 beers available as samplers, full draft, pitchers and growlers to go. Traditional brewpub menu, I had a solid pizza. Had a 1st generation brewpub feel. (Just ok) I only use the total score, not the component parts.

Just 4 brews at the time of my visit, but all very good - with distinctive character & excellent taste.

Stopped in with gobzilla on a brewery tour of the area (this is before Monkish, the new Angel City, and El Segundo). We actually arrived after they closed but the guy that was sweeping up unlocked the door for us and let us order a flight. There were actually some other customers in there too but they weren’t serving beer or food anymore for the night. Because of that my experience may not be entirely representative of their normal service but they were all quite nice.

We sat at the bar (which was pretty nice) and admired the wood covered fermenters as the beers were poured. As has been mentioned, the beers really aren’t very good unfortunately. The location is a bit weird but as we’ve discovered that matters very little for most breweries. I tried the flight, left a generous tip, and headed back off into the night, never to return.

Somewhat small brewpub. Nice historical Spanish-style decor on the outside, plenty or parking, and a definite charm to it. The service was quick and friendly and the prices seemed decent. The beers, however, are wholly disappointing/subpar. Five beers, none of which were something I’d order again. If you’re doing the Torrance tour, might be worth a stop for a few ticks.

The beer is on point and the service is excellent. I wish I could get over to Red Car more! Have you had an IPA today?

Stopped by on a rainy Sunday. Nice, historical exterior. Plenty of parking on the street and lot next door. Big space, long bar, some big screen TVs for sports. Didn’t try the food, only a sampler flight (of the 5 house beers). Well priced, but all mediocre. Very small brewing system. An interesting stop, but not worth going out of your way.

(Visited 08/2010): Red Car is in Torrance off of Torrance and Cabrillo. They have a decent sized private lot and there appears to be metered parking in the surrounding blocks. The brewpub is housed in a historic brick telegraph building. The exterior has stucco and a patio, with lots of windows. The inside is brick with cream colored walls. The bar is on the right side with a small dining area opposite. Brewing equipment is visible behind the bar, and there is a chalkboard listing what beers are on tap. Red Car has 5 beers on draught and has a sampler for $5.25. The styles are pretty typical, including an Amber, APA, IPA, Porter and Anniversary Ale. The beers are average for the most part. Service on a weekday lunch at the bar was pretty good. The bartender was not very busy and was friendly. I had a sandwich and fries for lunch and it was decent. Overall this place does not exactly have a robust array of beers, and the ones they do have are straightforward. However it still merits a visit due to the nice atmosphere and overall quality of the beer and food.

Not much of a lunch crowd but we were there a little before noon. Only 3 beers on tap. I asked about the Motorman’s Reserve and then ordered the IPA. I think the server ended up giving me the Reserve. At least I hope she did for the brewer’s sake because it sure was not an IPA in my book! I didn’t feel like causing a fuss and the beer tasted good (just not as an IPA) so I just drank it and ate my Ahi Tuna Burger, which by the way, was very good. Otherwise it was a like so many other brewpubs around the country - good food, OK beer and nothing to really make it stand out. I’d go back if in the area but wouldn’t go out of my way.