Carlsbad’s Green Dragon Tavern has revolutionary feel

Nearly 250 years ago, Boston’s historic Green Dragon Tavern served as a meeting place for men who would become heroes of the American Revolution. Two years ago, Carlsbad’s Green Dragon Tavern & Museum didn’t exist. However, the large Georgian colonial building’s brick façade, white columns, and seemingly endless gables give the impression it’s been standing resolute for centuries, overlooking the 5 freeway at Palomar Airport Road. You know, exactly the spot you’d expect to find an American history museum devoted to the founding of our nation.

I skipped the museum. Instead, I drove around to the north end of the large structure to find the grand entrance to a two-story wood-paneled tavern likewise modeled to resemble something out of a New England architecture tour. While the small tap list wisely focuses on San Diego products, the taverns dinner menu pays homage to Atlantic state treats and British pub fare. In other words, I was hard-pressed to decide between Maryland crab cakes at $19, a Maine lobster roll at $20, and shepherd’s pie at $16.

Well, I might have cheaped out and gone for the shepherd’s pie just to justify that second 22 ounce mug of Alpine Duet, but in truth the bartender sold me on it, calling it one of his favorite dishes. He also recommended the wedge salad, and being that I was near the end of that first big mug of IPA, I grabbed a five-dollar half-order of that too. Seated next to the fireplace, surrounded by old snake-adorned flags reading “Don’t Tread On Me,” I’d gotten to feeling pretty East Coast for a minute — that craft beer was the only thing tying me to San Diego.

What can a guy say about a wedge salad? Here was a one-eighth cut of a head of iceberg lettuce topped by red onion slices, halved grape tomatoes, bacon bits, and blue cheese. The crunchy flavorless leaves both looked and acted like a vessel for the pungent flavors adorning it. With a single small plate, the Green Dragon declared itself completely adequate. Another flagon of beer then!

I can call shepherd’s pie more interesting if only for the fact it’s not a pie, but a beef stew with peas and carrots buried under a pile of mashed potatoes slathered in demi-glace. Actually, pretty tasty. Nothing fancy — nobody should expect fancy in a pub. And nothing exquisite — no one should hold out for that in freeway-adjacent Carlsbad. But it was filling and enjoyable. Comfort food in a comfort venue.

As an experience, the Green Dragon proves as pleasant as it is ambitious. The fact this whole lot is privately owned and built to such effortful grandeur tells me it’s a passion project of sorts, and not one I would expect to find on this coast, let alone North County coastal. As I neared the end of my meal, some friends trickled in to join me for additional rounds of beer, and while the place closed earlier than we might have preferred (just like a British tavern), its spaciousness, top-notch service, and warm atmosphere created the illusion this place has been here for ages.