The Red Barn Restaurant & Brewery

Barely ever heard of this place, but seeing it so many times on the Nearby tab on Untappd and its relative proximity led me to hit the bus from the Des Plaines train station and give the Barn a look-see. Though shaped like a barn on the outside (amidst the usual suburban sprawl of car maintenance joints, miniature hotels, and random strip mall portions, across the street from a former mall that has been turned into something akin to an outdoor mall ... but, then again, none of this really matters, sorry) and featuring a couple decorative farm implements here or there, the general vibe inside is more akin to a nondescript roadside sports bar: plenty of hardwood on the floors, walls, and ceilings; bar signs on the walls; and a healthy assortment of flat screens aiming at just about every viewing angle. A decently-sized patio space sits on one side, but sunlight and fresh air have never been my bag (natch). Bellied at the bar, I started in on the entire range (and some of the guest offerings) via flights, and, gotta say, most are just kinda there. Like, "Yup, these are beers, all right." A couple were a touch below standard, but most just sit on that par bar, nothing in the way of out-of-left-field styles or ingredients - the most interesting offering was an ESB that was darker than most I've encountered. It's almost nostalgic, taking me back to the days of only a handful of local brewpubs serving the same limited ranges that all sorta/kinda came across generally similar. I don't mean that as as much of a knock as it likely comes across, but it's how I feel, baby. The staff are all pretty genial, and I didn't press them on the beers in any way, so. Prices seem pretty solid for the area, food looked to be the usual burger-centric pub fare, and the overall vibe is pretty peaceful around noon on a weekday. Not a bad place, really, but unless you're in the general Randhurst vicinity, I wouldn't go out of my way to fit the Barn into your itinerary.

Just open in Fall of 2018, it was very busy. Loud and buzzing. Many staff, our bartender was nice. A this time they had a dozen guest beers and 2 of their own beers on tap. Food looked good.