Liquid Bread Brings the Gastropub Movement to Campbell

The space in downtown Campbell is modest but the plans that Ryan Banderas, Jordan Trigg and John Burke have are anything but.

Liquid Bread Gastropub opened its doors during Oktoberfest and at the end of their first weekend the gastropub partners saw 1,000 people walk through their doors.

“We knew it was a key day for us to be open,” says Banderas. “The reception was better than I could have expected.”

The new restaurant, now occupying the former Cyprus location at 379 E Campbell Ave. offers what he says fine dining in a relaxed setting.

“It’s a non-pretentious, non-white table cloth environment paired with fine brews,” he says.

The restaurant offers up dishes like its fig wraps, celery soup and duck meatballs and pairs these with 20 styles of craft brews.

“All our food and beer is seasonal,” Banderas says. “Our food comes from local farms and the beer selection is constantly changing.”

The partners also aim at hosting monthly events, including meeting the brewers and beer tastings that participants can RSVP to.

“If you’re a foodie and a beer lover, this is the place for you,” Banderas says.

The three partners are all friends from Santa Clara and have been working on an idea for a business involving craft beer for the better part of the last three years. After doing their research and deciding on a gastropub, a location was the next decision to be made.

“I’ve always liked downtown Campbell,” Banderas says. “It has that homey feel to it. It’s my crowd. It’s comfortable.”

The Campbell resident also liked the location because it meant he’d be able to walk to work. But besides that, he says that the number of open-minded beer drinkers in the Orchard City also made it an ideal location for their first offering.

“It was the perfect combination,” he says.

And although Campbell’s first gastropub has only been open for less than two weeks, operators Banderas, Trigg and Burke have big plans for it.

“The South Bay and North Bay are behind the gastropub movement,” Banderas says. “We’re looking to definitely expand wherever there’s a need but Campbell is our flagship. It’s the perfect demographic. We are going to take care of it and do it right. This is the foundation.”

Liquid Bread Gastropub is opened Tuesdays through Thursdays from 2:00 to 11:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

For more information, visit the Liquid Bread Gastropub Facebook page.