The brewpub idea caught fire in the late 1990s, when the long-awaited interest in craft beers among the general public finally appeared. It quickly became clear that the more different beers a brewpub had on tap, the more beer they sold, and the more business they pulled away from establishments with less interesting beer menus.
What also became clear was that the wide beer selection seemed a) to bring with it a less than fantastic menu and 2) create permission for mediocre food among the beer lovers. Although the long-standing association between great hamburgers and bars continues, the food in most brewpubs is just okay. That is certainly true at Lager's.
If you want to watch a game on television, eat a big hamburger, and drink beers better than the ones in your refrigerator, Lager's is a decent place in which to do it. You will be joined by a sizable number of other people going after the same evening's entertainment. Enough that finding a place to park either your car or your butt will not be easy.
The beer is the main draw. They have dozens of brews in every style on tap, and they sell so much of it that it's good and fresh. The addition of bottled beers makes the beer menu bigger than the food menu. The latter is mostly about hamburgers, other sandwiches, salads, and a few platters ranging from red beans to fried catfish.
The runaway success of the Bulldog on Magazine Street persuaded owner Herb Dyer to duplicate it. Lager's opened in 1995 as the Metairie manifestation of that brewpub. Since then the outfit has opened another Bulldog and the new Velvet Cactus--a Mexican concept--both in Lakeview. There's also a Bulldog in Baton Rouge now.
Dark wood predominates. Booths and high-top tables--some of them seating a lot of people together--fill all the possible space. The kitchen is open to view. The lineup of beer taps is the most impressive visual. These guys are not kidding around when it comes to beer.
The chicken sandwiches are better than the hamburgers. Everything is so large as to be unfinishable, save for young men in their twenties.
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