Headquarters Beercade

Bar

950 W Wolfram St
Chicago, Illinois, 60657-5006
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.92
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
29
pDev:
3.57%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.21 by MarkFrankosek from Illinois

Jul 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.48 by Westyn from Texas

Jul 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.14 by Beerhemoth from Illinois

May 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.21 by Chris-1911 from Illinois

May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by psoriasaurus from Thailand

May 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.13 by tim007007 from Illinois

Apr 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.44 by needMIbeer from Virginia

Mar 24, 2015
Photo of KrajDoesBeer
Rated by KrajDoesBeer from Illinois

4.82/5  rDev +23%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5
this place is great.. love river north one even more
Jan 08, 2015
Photo of Sweffin
Rated by Sweffin from Wisconsin

4.19/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Mostly (entirely?) cans and draft
Dec 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by MaximumYuks from Oregon

Oct 24, 2014
Photo of WestHam973
Rated by WestHam973 from Illinois

3/5  rDev -23.5%
interesting selection of beer and the old WWF on the TV is awesome its just too loud and to full with the look at me crowd
Oct 24, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by OleDixie from Pennsylvania

Sep 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by assman79 from Wisconsin

Sep 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by ZombiesAteMyDog from Indiana

Sep 04, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Robyn from South Carolina

Aug 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Dash_The_Viking from Illinois

Jul 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by alexm1309 from Illinois

Jul 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by dtomes from New York

Jun 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Metllica97 from Illinois

Jun 19, 2014
Photo of BRami127
Reviewed by BRami127 from Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -17.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3
Games galore. Of course, when everything in Free Play, people bring groups to play all day on the same game and not let anyone else play. But onto the beer. They're selection is...ok. Couple of local brews available, but not like going to Hopleaf or Map Room for 100+ beer selection. It's just enough to get you through the ending of your favorite video game (if they have it).
Mar 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by fencedfox from Illinois

Mar 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by RMelyon from Illinois

Mar 19, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Will_Turner from Illinois

Feb 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by ChainChompsky from Illinois

Jan 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by scottwurst from Illinois

Oct 08, 2013
Photo of MasterSki
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)

4.11/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
I've been to Headquarters more than a few times over the last couple of months, but held off until the finished their expansion to write a review.

A - Vibe is somewhat mixed, as the pinball expansion seems very cocktail and spirit focused while the original area is all about beer. Clientele also seems highly varied depending on when I show up; it's not really a place where I'd feel comfortable striking up a conversation with random person about the beer I was drinking. I dig the reruns of classic WWF and American Gladiators, and appreciate that they switch over to hockey and basketball when the games are sufficiently important.

Q - Good serving temperatures, somewhat generic glassware. Had a problem when a line wasn't flushed during switchover and ended up with a bizarre mix of Pipeworks Majestic and Perennial Hopfentea, but the bartender made it right. The video games and pinball appear to be serviced regularly, other than a persistent sticky joystick on the Simpsons.

Sr - It gets loud, so I've occasionally had some miscommunications with servers, but they've always been quickly resolved. I think they are still integrating the POS systems between the two sides, which can be a tad confusing if you've moved from video games to pinball and want to order a drink from a server. Staff are friendly, and the host will order food on Grubhub for you if you ask.

Sl - The draft list is one of the most eclectic in the city; even I haven't heard of half the beers a lot of the time. Lots of tiny local breweries, and almost always a mead or cider for gluten-free folks. Cocktails and spirits selections are quite good as well. Love the focus on cans, as they're much easier to deal with while playing games.

Drinks are about a buck more expensive than you'd expect, but the games are free so the value is actually pretty good in that context. One of my favorite local haunts; wish they'd add some drafts to the pinball side of things and work on integrating the two sides of the bar.
Jun 10, 2013
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.14/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Taking a cue from Barcade in Brooklyn and more locally Emporium in Wicker Park, Headquarters steps into the arena of retro arcade concept bars. Located off Sheffield near the Diversey brown line, the building could have been an auto body shop in a former life, with the rolldown garage door now a pair of glass entrance doors. Inside there is a large central seating area, and the walls are completely flanked with vintage arcade consoles, with a couple table games in the front windows. The ceiling has vintage wooden beams and a cool skylight. Bar is inside on the right side, with two columns on the wall listing their drafts.

Arkanoid and Rampage were the games of choice while drinking a Brickstone APA (recent GABF gold winner) and a Greenbush Dunegräs IPA. Beermenus lists their current drafts, including Dupont Biere de Beloeil, St. Feullien Biere Amite, Green Flash Retro Pale, Dark Horse Raspberry, Stillwater Art of Darkness, and an eclectic mix of others. Bottle/Can highlights included Ten Fidy and BCS, as well as Lagunitas IPA and Uncommon Siamese Twin. Selection was small and tight, handpicked and obviously not chosen by a distributor. A phrase on the wall spelled out in magnetic letters: "No Miller, No Bud, No Bombs, No Energy Drinks", definitely a "beercade".

Sam was the bartender, he knew his beer, offered samples and was quick to chat about a number of things. HQ seems like it fits right in here, or maybe just a little too hip for stodgy Lincoln Park, in the iconoclastic vein of Local Option nearby.
Nov 14, 2012
Headquarters Beercade in Chicago, IL
Place rating: 3.92 out of 5 with 29 ratings