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Northdown Cafe and Taproom
3244 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, Illinois, 60657-1109
United States
// CLOSED //
Summer 2017: Temporarily closed for renovations.
Monday - Friday: 11am - 2am
Saturday: 9am - 3am
Sunday: 9am - 2am
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Fluffheady:
Reviewed by Fluffheady from Illinois
3.34/5 rDev -21%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.75 | food: 1.5
3.34/5 rDev -21%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.75 | food: 1.5
This place looks and feels like a west coast bar. There's pinball machines and tap handles all over the wall. But it’s just not....right. I want to like it so badly.
Their draft list is super cool, short, and quality over quantity.
As for the food, well, I was embarrassed for them. They charged $22 for a charcuterie plate. There were three meats on the plate. Two of the meats were literally 2 circular slices each of poor quality salami. The cheese was sliced insanely small. I get charcuterie at nearly every place I go. I f***ing love cured meats and cheeses. Not only was this about $8 overpriced, but it SUCKED. The rest of the food we had was pretty sub par. I know this is a beer website, but I was so floored at how bad it was, it had to be included.
I don’t know what to think. It is honestly awkward for me not to like a bar with this good of beer. I’ll probably give it another chance, but it won’t be my only planned destination of the night. **edit - I met several people in Amsterdam who had been to and like Northdown. I’m definitely going to give them another chance.
Aug 05, 2013Their draft list is super cool, short, and quality over quantity.
As for the food, well, I was embarrassed for them. They charged $22 for a charcuterie plate. There were three meats on the plate. Two of the meats were literally 2 circular slices each of poor quality salami. The cheese was sliced insanely small. I get charcuterie at nearly every place I go. I f***ing love cured meats and cheeses. Not only was this about $8 overpriced, but it SUCKED. The rest of the food we had was pretty sub par. I know this is a beer website, but I was so floored at how bad it was, it had to be included.
I don’t know what to think. It is honestly awkward for me not to like a bar with this good of beer. I’ll probably give it another chance, but it won’t be my only planned destination of the night. **edit - I met several people in Amsterdam who had been to and like Northdown. I’m definitely going to give them another chance.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by nickfl from Florida
4.22/5 rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
4.22/5 rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
A reasonably sized beer bar, a bit more of a hipster vibe (especially from the staff the night we were there) than Green Lady down the street. They have food, but we did't try it. The beer selection is excellent, they were having a Perennial tap takeover of sorts the night we were there and we took advantage. Service was good, if a bit unrushed, and the beer quality was superb. Definitely a must stop in Chicago.
Jun 27, 2016Rated by Pedro13 from Illinois
5/5 rDev +18.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
5/5 rDev +18.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
One of the best, great people great selection!
Aug 01, 2015Rated by AndyEdgar from Illinois
3.45/5 rDev -18.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.25 | service: 1 | selection: 5 | food: 3.75
3.45/5 rDev -18.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.25 | service: 1 | selection: 5 | food: 3.75
Worst service in the city, but damn they have great events and quality beers
Jun 12, 2015Reviewed by HealthyOne from Illinois
4.9/5 rDev +15.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
4.9/5 rDev +15.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Relatively smaller tap list by today's standards (12), but packs a serious punch. FFF's, Mikkeller, Surly, Off Color all seem to have a big presence. Always an interesting selection with a lot of beers you don't often see on tap. Bartenders are knowledgeable and friendly without being pretentious. Food has sometimes taken a minute to get but is worth the wait. Love this place!!!
Feb 08, 2015Rated by KrajDoesBeer from Illinois
4/5 rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
4/5 rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
very solid for lakeview... loved that FFF is always on tap
Jan 06, 2015Reviewed by Zombill from Massachusetts
4.56/5 rDev +7.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
4.56/5 rDev +7.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
Checked out this place while visiting Chicago. Very happy with my beer AND food selections. The bartender was sincerely friendly and helpful with any questions I had. Loved the atmosphere and overall presentation of the establishment. If I go back to Chicago I will make sure to stop here again.
Jun 25, 2014Reviewed by GeorgiaBeerGuy from Georgia
5/5 rDev +18.2%
5/5 rDev +18.2%
One of the best experiences I have ever had... Tom and Kate (proprietors) are friendly, and a wealth of knowledge regarding the offerings/pairings/etc. On my last visit, I also happened to sit at the bar with some brewers that were in town for a "beer conference" or something, and shared some beers with 2 brewers from New Belgium and one from 3 Floyd's. An evening I'll not soon forget!
Try the "Pork Frites" and the "Candied Bacon with Stout..." Signature menu items that won't disappoint! And the Northdown Burger was fantastic... And the beer selection is vast. Something for everyone, with a killer selection of draughts.
Jun 01, 2014Try the "Pork Frites" and the "Candied Bacon with Stout..." Signature menu items that won't disappoint! And the Northdown Burger was fantastic... And the beer selection is vast. Something for everyone, with a killer selection of draughts.
Reviewed by j_nees from Washington
4.85/5 rDev +14.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75
4.85/5 rDev +14.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75
This is one of my go-to beer spots in Chicago. Always interesting, unique, and well thought selection. A lot of my current favorite beers are things that I first learned about at Northdown. They don't seem to be married to any styles, but they're obviously big fans of FFF and Mikkeller because there is always something new from one of them around. Plenty of nice surprises here.
Really great burger also. Vegan friendly menu if that's your thing. Always a good 80's movie on the TV above the bar.
Mar 20, 2014Really great burger also. Vegan friendly menu if that's your thing. Always a good 80's movie on the TV above the bar.
Northdown Cafe and Taproom in Chicago, IL
Place rating:
4.23 out of
5 with
52 ratings
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