Northdown Cafe and Taproom

Northdown Cafe and TaproomNorthdown Cafe and Taproom
Northdown Cafe and TaproomNorthdown Cafe and Taproom
Bar, Eatery

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
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.23
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
52
pDev:
5.67%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Fluffheady:
Photo of Fluffheady
Reviewed by Fluffheady from Illinois

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, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of nickfl
Reviewed by nickfl from Florida

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, 2016
 
Rated: 4.09 by Gorf_Minor from Illinois

Jan 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.39 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Jan 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.41 by orangesol from Pennsylvania

Dec 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.36 by muskiesbadgersnbeer from Minnesota

Aug 27, 2015
Photo of Pedro13
Rated by Pedro13 from Illinois

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, 2015
 
Rated: 4.69 by MikeSchieve from Illinois

Jun 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4.32 by Barnoloid from Illinois

Jun 20, 2015
Photo of AndyEdgar
Rated by AndyEdgar from Illinois

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, 2015
 
Rated: 4.41 by Chris-1911 from Illinois

May 10, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by stephensinner from Missouri

Apr 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4.31 by 30MinutesSouth from Indiana

Feb 20, 2015
Photo of HealthyOne
Reviewed by HealthyOne from Illinois

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, 2015
 
Rated: 4.16 by misternebbie from Pennsylvania

Feb 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.94 by beinerso from Utah

Jan 26, 2015
Photo of KrajDoesBeer
Rated by KrajDoesBeer from Illinois

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, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by dexterk1 from Illinois

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.3 by drewone from California

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by chippo33 from Vermont

Nov 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Sparky44 from Illinois

Nov 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Nuggetz from Texas

Nov 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Irishace9 from Illinois

Sep 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by birdsellam from Indiana

Sep 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Robyn from South Carolina

Aug 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.24 by Canada_Dan from Colorado

Jul 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Can_has_beer from Texas

Jul 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by smartassboiler from Illinois

Jul 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by bowzer4birdie from Illinois

Jul 10, 2014
Photo of Zombill
Reviewed by Zombill from Massachusetts

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, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Halfbrother83 from Illinois

Jun 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by cadaugherty from Illinois

Jun 14, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by BrockBoland from Illinois

Jun 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by little_star from Illinois

Jun 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by big789J from Illinois

Jun 03, 2014
Photo of GeorgiaBeerGuy
Reviewed by GeorgiaBeerGuy from Georgia

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, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by thewimperoo from Illinois

Apr 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Jordy777 from Illinois

Apr 07, 2014
Photo of j_nees
Reviewed by j_nees from Washington

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, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by bjlange from Illinois

Feb 27, 2014
Northdown Cafe and Taproom in Chicago, IL
Place rating: 4.23 out of 5 with 52 ratings