Culaccino Bar, Kitchen: Beer with an Italian sensibility in Burlington

“From a young age, I always loved restaurants. My earliest memory is me and my dad would create menus for Mother’s Day and different family events and kind of execute them.”

Jerod McCrory, owner of Culaccino Bar & Kitchen added: “When I was graduating from university, my father retired from Molson's, and we started doing a little craft brewing consulting together. I fell in love with the whole craft beer scene, and I wanted to bring that to Burlington.”

Located in what was once a bank, Culaccino is a circular restaurant dominated by a massive bar with floor-to-ceiling shelving that takes up about half the space. The focus is on beer and creating a communal atmosphere where people want to sit at the bar. The restaurant has seating for 85, and almost doubles when the patio is open. The old bank vault was gutted to create an intimate wine-tasting room, and there’s also a private lounge that holds about 20.

When the Brant Street restaurant opened eight years ago, Culaccino carried about 60 craft beers but now regularly features around 140. The extensive list is forever changing. Brews are a little heavier and darker in the winter, with fresher, fruitier choices available in the summer. 

“Everyone thinks of wine in Italy, but the beer scene has really taken off. They have a lot of winemakers’ sons who don’t want to follow in their father’s footsteps anymore,” said McCrory, who explained that while a lot of American beers are very hoppy or have very bold flavours, Italian beers are subtle with hints of different flavours like coriander or chestnut that pair really well with foods. “Every beer has its place. If you have a fish dish, maybe a nice light wheat beer, if you have something dark, like a dessert, maybe a stout would go really well with it,” said McCrory, who has his Prud'homme Beer Certification®, which essentially means he’s a beer sommelier.

While Culaccino serves traditional Italian-influenced dishes like handmade pasta and pizza, it’s the fried chicken that’s been their biggest seller since day one and what they've become known for. Small plates are also popular and a great option for sharing and enhancing the communal experience. 

Culaccino sometimes has special beer dinners. Imagine an eight-course meal with eight different beer pairings where a brewmaster from a local brewery will come in to explain each beer while Culaccino’s chef explains the food and why they go well together.

A lot of craft breweries don’t have big delivery systems, which means McCrory travels to meet with brewmasters, see their process, and bring back a case or two. “I’ve driven to Montreal, Kingston, you name it, to get new beers you can’t get anywhere else around here,” he said. “My favourite is when I meet the owner and he has a kid running around in the back, his wife is packaging something, and I think it’s just the best thing. The whole family’s there, and he’s working hard to create products, and I feel good selling those products. In my business, my father’s my right-hand man, and my sister is a server and does more than I could ask for. My brother is full-time in the music business, but I call him up, and he comes in anytime I need him to do dishes, help in the kitchen, or anything I need on short notice. My mother comes by and does flowers. Everyone’s very involved. When I see these small businesses putting all their resources into their love and labour, I’m happy to support them.”