By Guest Writer Kingsley Kelley
COMMON BLOCK BREWING | 315 E 5th Street, Medford | Open Daily from 11am – 9pm | FB | IG | Website
When Common Block Brewing first arrived on the scene in Downtown Medford, they handed diners “Mad Lib” postcards to fill in and mail to friends to help them discover this new place. It seemed to work, because that was nine years ago!
A lot has changed since then, including brewing their beers on the premises, the addition of a covered outdoor seating area, and a second location over the hill in Klamath Falls. But what hasn’t changed is the quality of the food, the friendliness of the staff, and the casual vibe that encourages you to connect with people at the next table or across the bar.
Common Block is well suited for business lunches (they open 7 days a week at 11am) or dinner before the show, but my most recent visit was on a Sunday afternoon for an early dinner.
Common Block provides uncommon seating options: inside the historic 1947 Monarch building which once was home to a car dealership, at the inviting bar, or outdoors under the giant tent complete with warming heaters that knock the chill off even the coolest days. There is also another outdoor seating option that overlooks Pear Blossom Park, which is where we landed this time around.
My wife will tell you that I very much like to include our dog, Bo, on outings when possible. Common Block is always very welcoming to dogs in their outdoor seating areas, providing a water bowl and dog-friendly greetings, too.
I have a German-Irish heritage so you won’t be surprised to know that I’m a huge fan of beer and pretzels. Common Block’s pretzel with 5-cheese dip is a great way to start your meal. Add in Browned Brussels Sprouts and a Steep Slope Hazy IPA or Marigold’s Milk Stout, and you won’t be disappointed.
From our seats, we looked across the bar directly into the wood-fired pizza oven, so I could not resist ordering that, while my partner in this outing selected the Porter & Pepper Chili, which includes beans, ground beef and pepper jack topped with cumin sour cream and green onions (Server tip: order this with feta cheese for a delicious option). Both were delicious, and a fun variation from our usual favorites the Block Burger and The Cobb Salad.
Inevitably, all of this deliciousness left no room for dessert, but there’s always next time.
A word about the beverages at Common Block. Yes, their beers are terrific, and they offer a multitude of taps with their own brews (10+ options), along with selected other brewery options. Plus, there are regional wines, made-In-Oregon hard ciders, and non-alcoholic options. And their Blocktails Menu is definitely worth exploring (the Brewpub Bloody is an inspiring creation!).
By the way, the happy families who visit Common Block can be seen relaxing and having fun. Perhaps one key for younger family members is the cleverly named “Distraction Plate” made just for kids.
Whether it’s a business lunch, or after hours for a relaxing beer or a game of cornhole, Common Block always puts a smile on my face. I think you will like it, too.
