Hansa Brewery

 

 

 

Cool place by the Westside Market if you are in the mood for German style beer or food. Everyone was very friendly, including Bob the brewer/bartender. Nicely done interior, including a couple of tv's at the bar, which were surprisingly showing an important, late season Cubs game. I had couple German ipas which were very well done. Had a great time here, we will return.

 

Small selection, but authentic, German beers, plus a few experimental beers. But the real star is the food. The food menu is not very big but it is all very good. The service can be slow at times, but overall the experience is enjoyable.

For those who care for less obnoxious beers that aren't over the top, these are clean, quality suds that are mostly true to style. If I'm hanging near the West Side Market, this is the brewery I'd choose to walk to.

They have a really nice wooden bartop--tree bark edge included--and a surprisingly wide open space with a full restaurant. The high walls are decorated with old school Bavarian bier haus art, but only sparingly, leaving it mostly clean and uncluttered.

The food menu is traditional German for the most part, and well-made, hitting the spot while pairing well with their beer. As I was trying out a couple of brews, the owner saw that I hadn't gotten any of their award winners yet and gave me two freebies. This ensured I was planted at the bar for a good, long while, because it confirmed that the next beer I was about to order was well worth a full pour. There's a major bonus I don't think a lot of people are aware of, which is that their dessert menu usually has something from Farkas. That was an extremely pleasant surprise, which is an obvious given if you're already familiar with their excellent, old world pastries.

They don't seem to have enough staff at the bar, at least early in the week. It can go untended for stints if there's a decent amount of people in the restaurant, and they appear to host private parties or events regularly. However shy the staff was, they were attentive and knowledgeable when present.

 

The place was pleasantly crowded on an early Saturday afternoon close to the West Side Market.. Excellent selection of German beer styles and cuisine. Bartender/brewmaster was friendly and informative. Lunch special gave a well rounded meal at a reasonable price. Had a very good time.