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For Sam Ghadiri, Laughing Monk’s pilsner was a staple in his fridge well before he acquired the San Francisco-based brewery. Now, he’s expanding Laughing Monk’s Silicon Valley footprint with a recent Los Altos addition and a Campbell location underway.
In March, Laughing Monk took over the Murdoch’s Bar space in State Street Market, offering beers on tap, draft cocktails and made-to-order cocktails. And in late summer, Laughing Monk plans to open its doors at The Pruneyard in the former Rock Bottom Brewery location. The 10,000-square-foot space will offer signature gastropub dishes, brews and other libations.
Ghadiri, president at Bedrock Restaurant Group, has been running Laughing Monk since 2023. A lawyer by trade, he started Sammy G’s Pizzeria in San Jose and bought Faultline Brewing Company in 2019, merging it with Laughing Monk upon acquiring the brand.
He said that he always wanted a Peninsula presence and State Street Market felt like a natural fit. With plenty of food options already available at the food hall, Laughing Monk functions as a bar, offering nine beers, one cider and two cocktails (currently a margarita and a grapefruit spritz) on tap. A variety of wine is also available.
Laughing Monk’s Los Altos cocktail list includes a lychee martini, espresso martini, mezcal Negroni, black Manhattan and an old fashioned. Zero-proof options include a prickly pear spritz, hibiscus tea and lemonade. Cocktails are also available to go, which are popular during the farmers market downtown, Ghadiri noted.
“There’s already so much great built-in programming there: trivia, live music,” he said. “It’s such a great walkable downtown too.”
Meanwhile, Laughing Monk is gearing up for a late summer opening at Campbell’s The Pruneyard. Born and raised in San Jose, Ghadiri said he spent lots of birthdays and weekends at The Pruneyard.
“There’s nostalgia, but also I think The Pruneyard is iconic,” he said. “And so when I heard that there was an opportunity to get in there, we jumped right in.”
Laughing Monk Campbell will be a full-service gastropub with 20 taps and a similar size and vibe of its Sunnyvale outpost. It will have about 160 seats inside and 40 seats outside.
Laughing Monk’s flagship beers, available year-round, are its Holy Ghost Pilsner, Have Mercy Hazy IPA and Sunday Best West Coast IPA. The rest of the tap list changes about every two weeks.
While the menu is chef-driven and varies by location, there are a few staple menu items diners can expect at The Pruneyard, such as chicken wings, fish and chips and shrimp fettuccine. The West of 101 burger is a customer favorite, Ghadiri said, and features an 8-ounce patty, smoked gouda, sharp cheddar, onion rings, bacon and barbecue sauce, topped with a whole fried jalapeno ($24).
One of Ghadiri’s personal favorites is the flat-iron steak, served with garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, carrots, crispy onion rings and choice of whiskey-peppercorn sauce or chimichurri ($34). Laughing Monk Campbell will also have a wood-fired pizza oven.
As for continued expansion after Campbell, no plans are in place, but Ghadiri is definitely open to the idea.
Laughing Monk Brewing, 170 State St., Los Altos; Instagram: @laughingmonkbrewinglosaltos. Open Sunday to Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Happy hour Monday to Friday from 4-6 p.m.
Laughing Monk Brewing, 1875 S. Bascom Ave., Suite 700, Campbell; Instagram: @laughingmonkcampbell. Opening late summer 2026.
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