Full disclosure, I am not a beer aficionado. But I do love a good taproom.

I just love the laid-back vibe of a taproom. It’s a place friends can get together, and no one has to get dressed up. You can go at 2 p.m. in the afternoon or at 8 p.m. at night. You can even bring the kids along.

Food Files: Flyway Brewing Co. opens, Graz’n Tables making changes

On a recent Saturday afternoon, a friend and I checked out the Edge District’s new Flyway Brewing Co. 

This Little Rock-based brewing company opened in November in the former High Cotton brewery and taproom, plus the adjoining restaurant space that was once home to Edge Alley. 

When we asked about food offerings, I was thrilled to be handed a full restaurant menu. Many taprooms only offer limited snacks or fare from food trucks.

The restaurant’s menu, curated by Flyway kitchen manager Chadd Carter and Schuyler O’Brien, one of the partners in the brewery and the chef behind City Silo, includes an elevated selection of bar food classics such as chicken wings, soft pretzels, burgers, sliders and even salads.

My recommendation is to order the duck tenders and the pickle plate. Both are shareable appetizers that pair well with an ice-cold beer, and the duck tenders are one of Flyway’s signature items. 

The duck tenders’ recipe originated at the brewery’s first location, in Arkansas. 

Memphis Flyway construction offers rare river’s edge wilderness view

O’Brien said the dish is their spin on a chicken tender, which makes sense when you know that the brewery’s name comes from the Mississippi Flyway, the largest bird migratory route in the Americas.

The fried duck tenders are flavorful and crispy without a hint of gamey-ness. And there’s a reason for that. 

“We use domestic duck breast, so it's not as gamey as wild game,” O’Brien said. “Interesting fact that many don’t know is that it’s illegal for a restaurant to serve wild game.”

Food Files: I Love Pho, Just Love Coffee Cafe, Flyway Brewing tap takeover

For the tenders, whole duck tenderloins are soaked in a buttermilk marinade before being dredged in a seasoned batter. They are then fried to order so they come out hot and crispy.

All of the taproom’s sauces are made in-house from scratch, and the tangy honey mustard sauce that comes with each basket of duck tenders makes for a perfect bite.

My second recommendation? As a counter-balance to the richness of the fried duck, order the pickle plate.

Carter pickles each of the items on the plate himself.

“I use a base pickling liquid and then add flavors for each item,” he said. 

Standouts the last time I ordered this plate (which is actually a small sheet tray) included pickled cauliflower with turmeric, candied pickled jalapenos and dilly green beans. 

Depending on what’s in season, the plate could also include pickled okra, pickled green tomatoes, chow chow or spicy firecracker pickled baby carrots.

Food Files: I Love Pho, Just Love Coffee Cafe, Flyway Brewing tap takeover

The pickle plate is also served with a generous pile of house-made potato chips, seasoned with a dry ranch seasoning blend.

You can’t go wrong with any of the beers on tap. (There are 10 total.) But it’s your first visit to Flyway, I suggest trying the “Bluewing Blueberry Wheat.”

As O’Brien said, “It’s the perfect spring or summer super-crushable beer.”

Flyway Brewing Co. serves lunch and dinner daily. In total, the 10,000-square-foot space includes a restaurant, full-scale production brewery, pub area, arcade, seating areas with TVs, a large patio and a music-and-event venue that hosts comedy nights, sports watch parties and live music.

View Gallery

Flyway Brewing Co., located at 598 Monroe Ave., is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays.