After the end of a long day of being mom to four lovely ladies, sometimes a nice ice-cold beer and a meal I didn’t prepare sound really good.
So we gather the crew and go out into the world and try to find some family friendly establishments to take our small crew to. Here’s a quick rundown of the best East Valley breweries for families, because mama, you deserve a cold one.
XO,
Laurel
Barrio Brewing Co.
Locally closest to us is Barrio Brewing Co. (in Mesa).The kids LOVE to go watch the airplanes at Mesa Gateway, so snag a seat by the window and they will entertain themselves all night. (If that doesn’t work they do offer crayons and a coloring sheet.)
The kids love the atmosphere and sometimes they will run in to military pilots who will give them patches. The beer is nice and cold and the food is not cooked by me so we call it an easy win.
Old Ellsworth Brewery
Second closest to us and a bit south, is Old Ellsworth Brewery (Queen Creek). It is a great place to take the family to (and is family-owned itself!).
They offer a full scratch kitchen, 11+ of their own beers and a few taps from other local Arizona breweries as well. For kids, order the housemade lemonade. They also have specialty cupcakes, so even if your kids are bored of restaurants, the lemonade and cupcakes should bribe them to be happy while you sip on a beer.
AZ Wilderness Brewery
A bit further of a drive from us is AZ Wilderness Brewery (Gilbert, AZ) They have an amazing patio, and sometimes all you need is fresh air and sunshine to turn everyone’s moods right side up.
The food is delicious (although they did not have a kid’s menu when we went in so my kids split an adult entrée).
The portions are large and their Hazy IPA hit the spot.
It is also a dog friendly patio, once my kids saw that there was a dog there, they made me promise to bring back our dachshund next time we go.
The Perch
Next on the list is The Perch (Chandler, AZ). We have been here several times with the kids, they absolutely LOVE that the patio is FULL of birds.
The colorful and lively birds keep them entertained long enough for us to actually sit down and enjoy our food. We do have to remind them often “no fingers in the cages” though!
But it is really a great place to go with the family or without. (Date night tip- they offer live music on the rooftop Wednesday- Sunday!)
Close to The Perch, we also enjoy San Tan Brewery (Chandler, AZ) . The food is great, the service is great, the beer is great.
The kids really love sharing a pretzel and “dip” and their beer battered fries (because carbs!).
We visit every Christmas season, because of their awesome winter beer selection (it is served with cookies!) and the kids enjoy the tumbleweed tree and other Christmas lights in the area when we are done.
Uncle Bears 
One brewery sticks out as a favorite amongst most of our team, and that is Uncle Bears (Multiple Locations, Valleywide).
Kids eat free on Wednesday and the Gilbert location has pinball games to pass the time away, I mean growing up when we went to a restaurant with pinball games- that was like the JACKPOT.
The restaurant is also dog friendly, should fido want to join. Or, the other dogs there act as entertainment for kids.
