These photos were taken Tuesday afternoon when Great Society Cider & Mead officially opened with a ribbon cutting and the presentation of a Certificate of Recognition by the City of Long Beach. With that, the cider and mead began flowing and some very good food started coming from the kitchen.

The event was attended by family, friends, and representatives from the City of Long Beach and the Downtown Long Beach Associates along with what is bound to be the first group of Great Society regulars. Everyone seemed really enjoy experimenting with the various ciders and mead that were available.

Billed as Southern California’s first all cider and mead bar, it is really a very nice gastropub that serves only cider and mead rather than craft beer. They have 20 taps; all dedicated to cider and mead, as well as some that are available from the bottle. For those that really would rather have beer, they do have a limited selection of craft beer available. The cideries and meaderies include Honest Abe, Reverend Nats, Ace and Golden Coast.

As good as the ciders are I would be remiss if I did not mention the food. I could not help but notice the food envy around the room as skewers of shrimp, chicken or steak, plates of hummus and fried naan, and Mexican street corn came through the room. I have a feeling I am going to enjoy exploring the food menu as much as the tap list in the coming years.

Since I am on the topic of food; when I first walked in the door I was greeted by co-founder Otto Radtke and I told him that I could see that there were slight changes that were very noticeable. He agreed and it was obvious they used their soft open to iron out any kinks. One of the kinks was food service.

Someone had told me during the soft open they had had a great experience even if the dining experience wasn’t the best. I had not pressed the issue but apparently the counter service theory was not working out; in retrospect, it was getting a little crowded up front when I was there for the soft-open. Radtke and team saw the problem and addressed it. There are now plenty of servers to take your order and bring it to your table; whether you are seated inside or outside on the dog friendly patio.

Great Society Cider & Mead is located at 601 E. Broadway in Long Beach. Their hours are 4:30 PM to 12:00 AM on Thursday and Friday, 11:30 AM to 12:00 AM Saturdays, 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM Sunday, and 4:30 to 11:00 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday. Cheers!

[Show as slideshow]

1 2 ... 5 ►