Twisted Manzanita Taps El Cajon Boulevard For Tasting Room & Eatery

Santee-based Twisted Manzanita, which opened its first satellite tasting room in Pacific Beach last fall, is expanding and evolving with a new concept, called Twisted Taps, that will land on El Cajon Boulevard this October.

Taking over a former barbecue joint across the boulevard from The Lafayette Hotel, Twisted Taps will be a showcase for their beers as well as a full-fledged restaurant. Brewery investor Sher Cox, business partner of Twisted Manzanita president and CEO Jeff Trevaskis, is leading the new project; Cox tells Eater that they chose to land this first Twisted Taps in a relatively beer-unsaturated neighborhood and hope expand the concept into other craft beer-needy areas in San Diego and beyond.

Location Matters' Mike Spilky, who facilitated the lease, said "Twisted Taps is an extraordinarily exciting addition at a transitional time in this corridor of El Cajon Boulevard. The area is seeing a huge influx of great multi-family residential development that will only help their customer base and with Gilly’s Bar, a great long-standing cocktail lounge next door, the nightlife in this area will be awesome."

The 1,525-square-foot space is being completely remodeled to include an extended patio and a roll-up door that opens into an airy dining room that Cox says will be decorated in a warm color scheme with a rustic and industrial design that includes iron-edged tables, Edison bulbs, and weathered wood. There will be six TVs and a 24-tap bar pouring Manzanita's beers as well as house-brewed beer from Fat Cat Beer Company. Twisted Taps will also serve wine and sake-based cocktails.

A kitchen revamp includes a new smoker that'll house-smoke meats for sandwiches or as toppings for flatbreads baked in their new pizza oven. The lunch and dinner menu, which will incorporate beer into some recipes, also includes elevated takes on pub fare, from nachos and wings to messy fries, plus salads, deviled eggs and housemade jerky.

Cox says that the brewery, which is distributing its beer across the U.S. and internationally, is hoping to double its production capacity; they're also planning on a refresh of the Pacific Beach tasting room which will change the layout of the space..