The Deep Dish: Legend Beer’s Halloweeny Hot Dogs and Hot New Menu Items

Pizza Cup is over now, but you might remember Legend Beer's legendary showing, with their pizza and beers at Pizza Fest. We remember our first visit, back in last July when it had just opened, and we've watched it evolve into the perfect place to distract yourself from the fact that you're sitting at the west gate of the Workers’ Stadium. The sprawling space comprises 1,500sqm, a huge patio, eight 1,000-liter fermentors, and eight 2,000-liter fermentors on site. They've also added a bar with taps in the beer garden to meet the outdoor crowds' demands.

It might be a bit tranquil in the daytime, but it gets rip-roaring after nightfall thanks to their German-style brews. Solo drinkers and groups alike can find a spot here – a wooden bar near the fermentors provides many of the single seats, while tall tables and stools in the middle can seat two to four people and the large wooden tables with leather-bound benches provide group seating along the large windows. The decor is robust and revolutionary in style.

They have six beers on tap: Workers' Stadium West Lager (4.5 percent ABV), Party Queen Wheat (5.2 percent ABV), Legend IPA (6.8 percent ABV), William IV German Lager (4.5 percent ABV), Black Silk Temptation (5 percent ABV), and Beatles American Amber Ale (5.2 percent ABV). The prices are not expensive: 300ml is around RMB 29, while 500ml is RMB 45-50, and a flight of six is RMB 188 (300ml each). They also use six beers to make 10 different beer cocktails, each for RMB 38.

As for the food, they have continued to offer a bit of everything. Aside from their popular sausage platter, the chef has added a Texas fried chicken burger (RMB 48) with fries and salad, a California beef sandwich (RMB 68), Macau pork buns (RMB 28), and hot dogs (RMB 39) to the menu. The hot dog is impressive as it is spicy (the chef put bird’s eye chili and pepper in the house-made sausage), stuffed into the house-made buns and topped with mustard and ketchup. Caution while eating: it is piping hot with a slow, lingering burn at the end. If you would like to go extreme, they also have a longer version of it, called the "Hoooooooot Dog" (RMB 98).

For Halloween, they will hold two contests: First: join the drinking contest of eight people to drink as many 600ml bottled beers as possible in 90 seconds. There will be three rounds, and a fourth and final round to determine the winners. Second: join the eating contest of eight people per round to eat as much Hoooooooot Dog as you can in 90 seconds, and a fourth and final round to determine the winners. Awards are a 5L and 2L beer growler, and two bottles. For the less competitive, there will be a special 50-percent-off deal on beers all night long.

We were noticed that another four or five brews will be added to the tap soon. They recently launched the bottled Party Queen Wheat, and Legend IPA, both at RMB 18, which might be the cheapest you can get downtown. If you prefer to grab a beer and drink at home while being a couch potato, or to drink with a group of friends, they also provide different growlers to go (from 1L to 5L). Special pricing is listed above: 1L for RMB 40-55, up to 5L for RMB 218 to 288.

Photos courtesy of Legend Beer, Uni You, Tracy Wang