Clark Street Ale House
742 N Clark St
Chicago, Illinois, 60654-3502
United States
(312) 642-9253 | map
clarkstreetalehouse.com
Notes: Monday - Thursday: 4pm - 4am
Friday - Saturday: 4pm - 5am
Sunday: 5pm - 4am
Reviews: 93
| Ratings: 110
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Reviews by nlmartin:
nlmartin from Ohio
4/5 rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
I have been to the Clark Street Ale House on previous vacations. It was at the Clark Street Ale House that I became hooked on Bells Two Hearted Ale. My wife and I stopped by a few times for early evening beers. The place was sparsely populated with customers and many times it was just us. We most likely came in at off hours. The taps consisted of about 30 local beers. Heavy Handed IPA was on cask. The service was fast and friendly. The bartender was knowledgeable about the beers on tap. The beers seemed to be served on the colder side. This is a nice place to stop if you are in the area.
Nov 12, 2006
4/5 rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
I have been to the Clark Street Ale House on previous vacations. It was at the Clark Street Ale House that I became hooked on Bells Two Hearted Ale. My wife and I stopped by a few times for early evening beers. The place was sparsely populated with customers and many times it was just us. We most likely came in at off hours. The taps consisted of about 30 local beers. Heavy Handed IPA was on cask. The service was fast and friendly. The bartender was knowledgeable about the beers on tap. The beers seemed to be served on the colder side. This is a nice place to stop if you are in the area.
Nov 12, 2006
More User Reviews:
ksolekjr from Minnesota
4.53/5 rDev +10.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
Love it
Oct 04, 2017
4.53/5 rDev +10.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
Love it
Oct 04, 2017
Gatch from Rhode Island
4.58/5 rDev +11.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.25
Fantastic patio. Solid selection but average for the users on this website. Can't go wrong though. Plenty of Midwest staples and great European beers. For liquor lovers, the selection is stellar. Especially the whiskey/bourbon/scotch. Recommended for anyone in the area.
Aug 20, 2017
4.58/5 rDev +11.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.25
Fantastic patio. Solid selection but average for the users on this website. Can't go wrong though. Plenty of Midwest staples and great European beers. For liquor lovers, the selection is stellar. Especially the whiskey/bourbon/scotch. Recommended for anyone in the area.
Aug 20, 2017
wapcap from Nebraska
4.5/5 rDev +9.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
This place surprised me. Its a great place, perhaps one of the best in Chicago. Great, carefully sorted craft beer menu. Foods are solid and they source local. Hours are also solid. Should be a destination for a craft beer lover, beginner or nerd level.
Sep 22, 2016
4.5/5 rDev +9.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
This place surprised me. Its a great place, perhaps one of the best in Chicago. Great, carefully sorted craft beer menu. Foods are solid and they source local. Hours are also solid. Should be a destination for a craft beer lover, beginner or nerd level.
Sep 22, 2016
rfgetz from New Jersey
3.9/5 rDev -4.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Jul 05, 2016
3.9/5 rDev -4.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Jul 05, 2016
DMcGirr from Massachusetts
4.21/5 rDev +2.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Definitely a no frills atmosphere. Relaxing place to have a drink with great selection and a friendly and knowledgeable staff. I've spent many an enjoyable night here.
Jan 25, 2016
4.21/5 rDev +2.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Definitely a no frills atmosphere. Relaxing place to have a drink with great selection and a friendly and knowledgeable staff. I've spent many an enjoyable night here.
Jan 25, 2016
jophish17 from Georgia
3.34/5 rDev -18.5%
vibe: 2.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.25
Sep 20, 2015
3.34/5 rDev -18.5%
vibe: 2.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.25
Sep 20, 2015
srletend from Texas
3.71/5 rDev -9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75
Thursday night in July around 9 PM. Walked in and heard the blues (spotify?) station. Great music. Couple of local guys standing at the bar. They bantered back and forth with the staff, but never engaged me. Decent beer list, but not anything special. Beer garden area in the back pretty empty too. I can see the potential in this place, but it wasn't there for me (solo) on that Thursday night...
Jul 26, 2015
3.71/5 rDev -9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75
Thursday night in July around 9 PM. Walked in and heard the blues (spotify?) station. Great music. Couple of local guys standing at the bar. They bantered back and forth with the staff, but never engaged me. Decent beer list, but not anything special. Beer garden area in the back pretty empty too. I can see the potential in this place, but it wasn't there for me (solo) on that Thursday night...
Jul 26, 2015
98green from Michigan
4.3/5 rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Stopped by at 5 on a Sunday. Dark place with classic metal playing quietly. Almost nobody inside, but the outside beer garden might have been. Came for the Zombie dust, left satisfied. 25 handles and $6 pints ($7 snifters for high abv).
Jun 28, 2015
4.3/5 rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Stopped by at 5 on a Sunday. Dark place with classic metal playing quietly. Almost nobody inside, but the outside beer garden might have been. Came for the Zombie dust, left satisfied. 25 handles and $6 pints ($7 snifters for high abv).
Jun 28, 2015
evan35 from North Carolina
3.95/5 rDev -3.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Jan 21, 2015
3.95/5 rDev -3.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Jan 21, 2015
KrajDoesBeer from Illinois
4.47/5 rDev +9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
4 am bar right by my place... so solid and always a New Belgium Sour on
Jan 08, 2015
4.47/5 rDev +9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
4 am bar right by my place... so solid and always a New Belgium Sour on
Jan 08, 2015
deakin from Michigan
3.88/5 rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.5
Jan 05, 2015
3.88/5 rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.5
Jan 05, 2015
TMoney2591 from Illinois
3.8/5 rDev -7.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Stopped in here as part of my nearly-weekly excursions into the Big City. It's a cozy little pub, the kind of place I could see drinking at after a long day of working in the Loop or something, with dark-ish wood lining the place, an L-shaped bar to the left, and small tables spread out around the rest of the area. I was surprised to be greeted by a dog upon entering, but he was well-behaved, and I didn't mind much at all. Things were relatively quiet, so I bellied up to the bar, as per usual, and perused the beer list. The draft list wasn't anything overly impressive, but it was relatively expansive considering the place's appeal (...maybe that's not the right word...how about apparent target audience?), with a supposedly custom-brewed pale ale from Two Brothers and offerings that included Three Floyds, Boulevard, Stone, Sierra Nevada, Two Brothers, Metropolitan, and Southern Tier, among others. Pint glasses seemed to rule the day, but I only partook in the pale ale, so I don't really know if they employ other styles of glassware. The bartender was friendly enough, if a touch aloof, and I didn't really press him as to his knowledge of the beers. (Maybe I should have, if for no other reason than to get more information concerning the pale ale...lord knows Two Brothers probably'd never get back to me...) The prices seemed right in line with the majority of Chicago bars. Overall, this place ain't half bad. I don't think I'd consider it a destination, really, but it's a very nice option if one were to find oneself in the area and desired oneself a drink.
Oct 19, 2012
3.8/5 rDev -7.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Stopped in here as part of my nearly-weekly excursions into the Big City. It's a cozy little pub, the kind of place I could see drinking at after a long day of working in the Loop or something, with dark-ish wood lining the place, an L-shaped bar to the left, and small tables spread out around the rest of the area. I was surprised to be greeted by a dog upon entering, but he was well-behaved, and I didn't mind much at all. Things were relatively quiet, so I bellied up to the bar, as per usual, and perused the beer list. The draft list wasn't anything overly impressive, but it was relatively expansive considering the place's appeal (...maybe that's not the right word...how about apparent target audience?), with a supposedly custom-brewed pale ale from Two Brothers and offerings that included Three Floyds, Boulevard, Stone, Sierra Nevada, Two Brothers, Metropolitan, and Southern Tier, among others. Pint glasses seemed to rule the day, but I only partook in the pale ale, so I don't really know if they employ other styles of glassware. The bartender was friendly enough, if a touch aloof, and I didn't really press him as to his knowledge of the beers. (Maybe I should have, if for no other reason than to get more information concerning the pale ale...lord knows Two Brothers probably'd never get back to me...) The prices seemed right in line with the majority of Chicago bars. Overall, this place ain't half bad. I don't think I'd consider it a destination, really, but it's a very nice option if one were to find oneself in the area and desired oneself a drink.
Oct 19, 2012
SpasticKoala from New York
4.58/5 rDev +11.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
This was definitely a solid place to go. I went during somewhat "off-hours" (a Saturday afternoon) and hung out for a few hours. I was pretty impressed with their beer selection on tap and ended up trying 3 snifters and a sampler of 3-5oz beers. Since it was fairly quiet, I got to chat with the bartender. He was rather knowledgeable about the beers that they serve and gave me some insight on what they were aging and what I should try.
Overall, I'm looking forward to going there again. It sounds like they rotate their selection and I'm looking forward to seeing what else they get.
Sep 29, 2012
4.58/5 rDev +11.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
This was definitely a solid place to go. I went during somewhat "off-hours" (a Saturday afternoon) and hung out for a few hours. I was pretty impressed with their beer selection on tap and ended up trying 3 snifters and a sampler of 3-5oz beers. Since it was fairly quiet, I got to chat with the bartender. He was rather knowledgeable about the beers that they serve and gave me some insight on what they were aging and what I should try.
Overall, I'm looking forward to going there again. It sounds like they rotate their selection and I'm looking forward to seeing what else they get.
Sep 29, 2012
Clark Street Ale House in Chicago, IL
Place rating:
4.1 out of
5 with
110 ratings
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