The term “gastropub” was coined in the late ’90s when the words “gastronomy” and “pub” were combined. Put simply, gastropubs are not your typical pubs. Rather, they are casual bars and eateries, but with quality, highly regarded foods and pours.
Seeing is believing at Batch Gastropub in Delray Beach, where an enjoyable gastropub experience awaits in an industrial, old-fashioned setting.
Owner Kevin Danilo opened the first Batch Gastropub in downtown Miami in 2012. “Our name comes from our ‘batching’ process for infusions, barrel-aged cocktails, house-made sodas and carbonated tap-cocktails,” he says. He expanded to Delray Marketplace during the summer.
What's on the menu
Casual dining is kicked up a notch at Batch where culinary creativity takes precedence. “The cool thing about being modern and serving ‘American’ cuisine is that there are literally zero rules,” Danilo says. Each plate is different from the next. “We can have a table that has a dish with classic Latin influences, next to a dish that’s contemporary Asian, next to a monster burger with our propriety beef blend,” he says. “Who else can serve food like that and not get criticized for a confused concept?”
Plates are as imaginative as they come. The Korean Short Rib Flatbread is topped with house-smoked cheddar, Gochujan barbecue sauce, scallion, peanut and sesame, while the Huntsman Burger features an elk patty, wild mushrooms and arugula with Gruyere cheese.
Classic favorites are taken to the next level, including the Mac Attack gnocchi with Gruyere cheese and “Dorito Dust,” but you can also add in toppings like rosemary fries, roasted corn and fried chicken. For those with heftier appetites, we recommend the Wild Mushroom and Parmesan Risotto with grilled chicken, or the Hatfield Farms Lollipop Pork Chop served with roasted sweet potatoes and roasted garlic cauliflower.
Drink up
Center stage for all to enjoy is the beverage program. “We’re truly a scratch bar, and if you come in before we open you’ll see us juicing pineapples, boiling simple syrup or even batching our house-made tap cocktails,” Danilo says.
Those tap cocktails are worth ordering. After made in small batches, they are put in kegs and carbonated, then connected to a draft system and poured like beer. Each drink has its own individual flair.
Try one of the signatures: the house-made gin and tonic, coined “Tonic #22” because it took 22 attempts to finalize the recipe. The cocktail, which even “gin haters” will love, features hints of citrus, real cinchona bark and lemongrass.
What’s more are the desserts that incorporate spirits. Options range from a cast-iron chocolate chunk cookie with house-brandied cherry and copper point stout chocolate sauce, to a Key lime pie parfait with rum-infused whipped cream, to an apple cobbler topped with a whiskey caramel sauce.
Batch Gastropub, 14813 Lyons Road, Delray Beach/ 561.877.0000 / batchgastropub.com/delray
A "scratch" kitchen concept serving small batches of elevated food and drink.
