When Reuben’s Brews launched a decade ago, the brewery’s sole focus was crafting beers from the glass backwards. Occupying a small warehouse space in Ballard, the beer was more than enough to keep the tiny team—Adam Robbings and his brother-in-law Mike Pfeiffer—out of trouble. Fast forward to the present, and the brewery now offers 25 rotating taps including its own cider and hard seltzer at its Taproom on 14th Avenue NW. Enjoyably expanding people’s love of beer since 2012, founders Adam and Grace Robbings are proud to announce the next step in the evolution of their brewery: food.
“We decided to open a brewery because we enjoyed creating and sharing our beers, and we loved pouring delight and bringing community together,” says Adam. “Reuben’s Eats is an opportunity to create new memories and deepen relationships, and it’s a chance to strengthen community, now both around the table and at the bar. We’re excited that you can now rely on us to be there to pair our award-winning brews with great food, every day.”
For the past few weeks, visitors to the Ballard tasting room will have noticed a conspicuous addition to the patio: a 16-foot food truck emblazoned with a colorful Reuben’s Eats sign. Inside this kitchen on wheels, the new food team has been working tirelessly to get everything running smoothly, and on Friday, December 9th, it opens to the public with a full menu of mains and sides designed to pair with beers. Some of them even use beer as an ingredient.
Reuben’s Eats is open for dinner service (4 – 8 p.m.) Monday thru Friday, and both lunch and dinner (11 a.m. – 8 p.m.) on Saturdays and Sundays. Beginning in the spring, Robbings says that the food truck will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week and will occasionally feature specials in addition to staple offerings like a bratwurst made with Reuben’s Pilsner, a perfectly crispy fried chicken sandwich, a soft pretzel served with mustard and beer cheese, and doughnut holes accompanied by huckleberry compote and whipped crème fraîche.
Leading this new dining concept are Kirsten Ohlendorf, a Seattle native and former food truck owner with a food and beverage background that spans various roles, and Mark Abrahamsen, a 13-year veteran of Seattle’s restaurant scene. The two met while working at the acclaimed Wallingford restaurant Tilth, and their careers have crossed paths a few other times since.
“I’m an advocate for the Slow Food movement and for general mindfulness as it pertains to our interactions with food, from the field to the table,” says Abrahamsen, who sources most of the Reuben’s Eats ingredients from local growers, producers, and purveyors like Bavarian Meats, Firefly Kimchi, and Sea Wolf Bakery. “We’ve approached recipe development for our food the same way we’ve always approached our beers: unbound by constraints, with an unwavering focus on quality. And while our menu will evolve over time and periodically include specials, we’re especially excited to be a dependable option for great food, every day.”
