Come in off the Swamp Rabbit Trail and the first thing you notice is the wood-fired scratch kitchen, turning out pizzas to pair with beer brewed a few feet away. That combination, house pies and fresh beer in a trailside garden, is the core of what Pangaea does at the edge of Unity Park.
Head brewer Steve Schofield, a former chemical engineer trained at UC Davis, and his wife Emily built the place around bringing people together, which is where the name comes from: the ancient supercontinent, and the notion of pulling a fractured world back together one beer at a time. The taps run a wide range, from lagers and blondes to IPAs, a gose, and a porter, with non-alcoholic kombucha for anyone skipping the beer. Barn doors open the taproom onto a beer garden with games and green space facing the trail, with room for kids and dogs.
Reviewers keep coming back for the pizza and the beer selection and single out the friendly service, and trivia nights and stand-up comedy fill out the week. It makes an easy stop after a walk or ride on the trail, and a natural spot for gathering a group or hosting out-of-town visitors.