Revolution Brewing

Revolution BrewingRevolution Brewing
Revolution BrewingRevolution Brewing
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

2323 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, Illinois, 60647-2924
United States

(773) 227-2739 | map
revbrew.com
BEER STATS
Average:
4.11
Beers:
247
Ratings:
23,319
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.36
Reviews:
139
Ratings:
562
pDev:
9.86%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by TheSevenDuffs:
Photo of TheSevenDuffs
Reviewed by TheSevenDuffs from Canada (ON)

3.85/5  rDev -11.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
Atmosphere is great. Has a somewhat upscale feeling compared to many bars/breweries. Tap list was decent in terms of quality and quantity. Two minor complaints: first there was nothing on cask at 3:00 pm (apparently it was blown already) and there was nothing on tap of the rarer variety. Would have been nice to see something barrel aged on tap given the number of great barrel aged beers that Rev puts out.

Service was quite slow, despite the place not being very busy.

Had some apps and the food was quite good.
Jul 22, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

3.77/5  rDev -13.5%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Came on a Saturday. Extremely busy, but large taproom with excellent selection. Did a brewery tour whihc was fun. Sort of turns into a bar though as it gets busy and a bit rowdy, rather than some other craft beer breweries. I enjoyed the beer selection and the ability to grab a six pack of some of their harder to find beers.
Nov 05, 2023
Photo of GrumpyGas
Reviewed by GrumpyGas from Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Large u-shaped bar is the focal point upon entry, but the to-go counter on the left is easy to find, and the kitchen in back is raised above the main floor to remind you to sustain yourself while drinking all the good stuff.

Room for nearly 30 at the bar and four tops and tables surround it seating another 70 or so. A neat little, more secluded, set of tables overlooking the main floor on the right gives some privacy and a good view of the space.

The beer is, of course, both tried and true, and experimental, as they always have lesser distributed one-offs on tap. I did find it interesting that many of their offerings are sold in cans for in-house consumption, but that just shows how many beers they make. They have 2 tap towers, each with 12 offerings, but there might be a duplicate due to popularity.

Service is top notch. In both visits I have made, one bartender expertly handled the, although not full, busy bar with servers mostly pouring for themselves. Questions answered, suggestions made and appreciated, and my glass was only empty as I departed.

Food is well done neighborhood short order joint-style comfort food.

My only complaint is the one television playing only old Bulls games.

Overall a special place that is a not to be missed stop on any visit to Chicago, and the locals love it.
Nov 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4.48 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Sep 24, 2022
 
Rated: 3.98 by HabaJohnTheReal1 from Illinois

Mar 25, 2022
 
Rated: 4.29 by Buck_Jones from Michigan

Mar 12, 2022
 
Rated: 4.45 by not2quick from Missouri

Jan 21, 2022
Photo of Pivopijak
Reviewed by Pivopijak from Washington

4.15/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
On the outer part of downtown. A good brick facade, on a busy street. Good open interior with good amount of wood. Their beers are mainly quite good, with an occasional mediocre brew. Favorites of the 3 tried, are the Oktoberfest and Anti-Hero IPA.
Oct 29, 2021
 
Rated: 5 by isellpropane from Ohio

Jan 02, 2021
 
Rated: 4.39 by Archfiend from Illinois

Oct 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.14 by Franko from Pennsylvania

Apr 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4.58 by MJSFS from Florida

Feb 15, 2020
 
Rated: 4.13 by HabaJohn from Illinois

Feb 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4.1 by TomFoolery_x from Illinois

Jan 14, 2020
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
Both spots are good, but this is a review of the taproom. If you're lucky enough to be in town during a Deep Woods release, you will see the best set-up for draft pours you'll ever have, in terms of quality of beer and ease of operations. They do it right. Food at the brewpub is...OK.
Jan 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.18 by JandJMD from Maryland

Nov 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Winston3737 from Michigan

Jun 24, 2019
Photo of PapaGoose03
Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

4.24/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Our group went here to have the Sunday brunch and to try their beers. The pub is located along a busy neighborhood street in a storefront setting among other retail businesses. Street parking is the only choice, and you have to be lucky to find something anywhere close by. The place was very busy, but we arrived at the right time to get the only available table. A custom-carved, wooden bar sits to one side and has seating all around it, and the dining area is the other half of this space. Some tables are in the window space off to one side. It looks like a banquet room is located on the second floor, or perhaps is used for overflow crowds. Our server was right on us, but never gave us the feeling that we need to hurry our visit. The vibe of this place is what I expect a brewpub to be.

We wanted to evaluate their beers, but we also had to drive home after our visit, so a flight of 4 beers shared by two of us is all we chose to drink. I also had a drink of the beer ordered by one of our group, so my evaluation consists of 5 beers. All of them were very good, and are brewed well in excess of their respective styles. We scored them either a 4.0 or a 4.25. The Deth by Currants BA Imperial Oatmeal Stout stood out along with the Pilsener.

Our food was equally as good as the beers, although it is a special brunch menu and not everyday items. It was very well done. If parking wasn't an issue, I'd come back here every time I visit Chicago.
Jun 11, 2019
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

4.26/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
This is like a blend between a classically wood-centric Cheers bar and a casual restaurant. The food and beer menus are both pretty expansive, and the to-go cans are pretty formidable and somewhat rare to boot, especially if you're not from the area. If you don't think you'll get lucky, though, you best get online and order for pickup--you might be surprised what you find!

The bar seems very well trafficked, but cleans up well during slower hours, and the overall fist in the air motif is done well. Service is just fine and I have nothing to complain about the beers. This is a busy ass part of Chicago, though, so using public transit is obviously strongly recommended, especially considering the high octane of some of their brews.

I've returned since my first visit, most recently in the summer of 2022, and only experienced improvement on both the beer and food fronts. Their "regular" and Deep Wood beers are both better than ever, while their food menu continues to innovate and push out quality, creative and diverse grub. My original 4 score is now insufficient.
May 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Dduquette from Maryland

May 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by bschmidt_37 from Illinois

Apr 19, 2019
Photo of slee196
Reviewed by slee196 from Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Went there with a good friend and we both enjoyed the vibe and drinks a lot. Food was decent for a brewery and their selection was pretty impressive too. Great times.
Mar 28, 2019
Photo of Vidblain
Reviewed by Vidblain from Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
I'm a little surprised by how large the Brew Pub space is - quite a few tables, a very long bar area, and possibly an upstairs as well? I didn't explore much - Revolution was my first stop in to Chicago this weekend, so the bathroom and a beer were my first priorities. The food menu impressed me though - we ordered a giant pretzel, cheese curds, and brussel sprouts (call it preparation - I knew I was going to be drinking and eating like shit for a few days straight). Every item of food was well done and tasty. The beers (Freedom of Press, Boss Ryeway, a Keller Pils, and Batch 2000) were all well done, though the only one that really blew me away was Boss Ryeway.

Parking, as with everywhere in Chicago, was a bit of a pain in the ass - but at least rates weren't awful. I believe it was four dollars for two hours. Not awful... not great. Better than I recall paying to park near Trillium in Boston, which is something.

Service was excellent - super friendly and prompt. Tons of staff all over the place. The bill was reasonable - or would have been, if we hadn't taken so much to go! The temptation is there - the number of items available in crowlers and cans is pretty impressive. I took away four 4-packs of Straight Jacket and a glass, while a friend took three 4-packs of Cafe Deth, Straight Jacket, and Deth's Tar. A pretty sweet haul for a regular day at a brewery! Note that cans did seem a bit more expensive at the brewery than at local liquor stores.

Sweet spot with great good. I really liked this place - recommended!
Feb 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.83 by krl2112 from Illinois

Jan 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4.03 by iRun2Beer from Minnesota

Dec 13, 2018
Photo of ChicagoJ
Reviewed by ChicagoJ from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
10/17/18 (Chicago): Visited several times in the past. Excellent decor, inviting long wooden bar and tables for larger groups. Very nice meeting room on the second floor. Mostly local crowd, bartenders provide good service, are knowledgeable about their offerings. Food offerings are excellent. Wide variety of beer styles offered, and extensive to go offerings.

Overall excellent brewpub, consistent with the standards of beer offerings produced by Revolution Brewing.
Nov 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4.41 by Muss42 from Michigan

Oct 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.54 by Micheal_McCann from Illinois

Oct 11, 2018
Photo of BillRoth
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
Stopped by while on business in Chicago. Had time for a quick stop and a bit of Beer Safari. Plenty of tasty beers to try and very good food menu. Enjoyed being in a bar setting and still having so many beers to try... both Revilution and guests. Couple of great one offs as well. Good people and good swag too. Definitely a stop when in Chicago
Jul 08, 2018
 
Rated: 3.93 by JuanAlberto from Texas

Jul 05, 2018
 
Rated: 3.95 by lemmy187 from Missouri

Jun 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.1 by BSEDS from Illinois

Jun 09, 2018
 
Rated: 4.04 by Parkchrisdoug from Indiana

Jun 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.38 by Dactrius from Netherlands Antilles

May 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.28 by aasher from Indiana

May 25, 2018
Photo of West_Chester_Ale_Tester
Reviewed by West_Chester_Ale_Tester from Ohio

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
A must hit, Chicago institution. Solid stable of beers. You've probably had most of them before, but you've gotta have them here. Order your favorite Rev brew, get some duck fat popcorn, and breathe in the Chicago. You'll be glad you did.
May 07, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Dave2234 from Minnesota

May 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4.26 by chrisjws from California

Mar 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.01 by RickyBfromCT from Connecticut

Jan 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4.56 by Jinx989 from Illinois

Jan 17, 2018
Revolution Brewing in Chicago, IL
Brewery rating: 4.11 out of 5 with 23319 ratings