ArcLight on Tap Promotion at ArcLight Cinemas - La Jolla (UTC), CA

On the last Saturday of every month from 3-6 PM, ArcLight Cinemas will transform the ArcLight patio into a beer garden with local craft beers, small bites, and movie-themed giveaways. In addition to the tastings, attendees can purchase tickets to screenings of the most current anticipated films!

Along with a beer garden, ArcLight on Tap will be serving food samplings of ArcLight Cinema’s Café menu. Dishes include popcorn chicken, pork belly sliders, and more artisan food that is prepared fresh on site. Attendees must be over 21 years old and must provide proper identification to enter the event.

I attended in July for the second of the series (June 24th, July 29th, or August 26th). There's one more event left as of this post but ArcLight Cinemas may opt to extend the promotion past the summer.

Friendly Patrick wants you to enjoy a beer! Between 3-6pm, each flight of 4 local beers was $12 purchased inside at the main bar. A raffle ticket was included with purchase and a winner was drawn every 30 minutes! Note: Must be present to win.

On this visit, the flight of beers included:

• Arrogant Brewing Who You Callin' Wussie Pilsner
• Stone Tangerine Express IPA
• Drew Curtis / Wil Wheaton / Greg Koch - Stone Forking Wheaton w00tstout 4.0
• Stone Delicious IPA

I am a dark beer kind of person so my favorite turned out to be the stout. The tangerine IPA was surprisingly tasty with only a minimal bitterness to it. Overall, I enjoyed the flight selection which was pre-set for the event.

Did I mention the free food yet? On the other side of the patio were snacks from their cafe which included crispy popcorn chicken, vegetarian eggrolls, pork belly sliders, and hummus. They also served samples of their in-house popcorn with either butter or caramel topping. The pork belly silders are generous but the meat isn't as soft as some other places I've eaten. The eggrolls were well fried and other guests were loving the fried chicken. Food comes out in waves so slow down and sip on beer in between bites.

A live dj was playing some jams as guests mingled, sipped and snacked in the patio. I enjoyed sitting outside on the patio tables under the umbrellas chatting with other guests. It wasn't too busy so you may find yourself the lucky winner of movie passes or other prizes. 

I'd never been to the ArcLight Cinema before this event, especially with all the construction going on at UTC. There is a parking lot for the theater right by the Macys parking lot, or you can park and walk through the mall. The construction should be complete in October so it will be much easier to access the movie theater as well as the 24 hour fitness right around the corner. Dennis and I returned at a later date to watch Wonder Woman. When you purchase tickets, you pick your seats ahead of time which makes it less stressful. The rooms themselves weren't too large so it felt a little more intimate and easier to find your chairs. Seats were comfortable enough and we really liked our choice of seats right behind the handicap row (more leg space). At the bar, they informed us that you can't actually bring food inside the movie rooms, only the drinks. Make sure to get your food fill before going into the movie rooms!

Disclaimer: I was invited here and my beer flight was complimentary. I was not otherwise compensated and all opinions stated are my own.