Oak Park/Riverside Illinois

Exit Strategy on Madison is a pretty decent stop - the food is great and the beer is good, but not the greatest.

Tied House (Wild Onion) on South Blvd is a good spot for sure. The food is on point, and they have better options than Exit Strategy if you ask me. I believe they have Drago and the variants on tap right now.

Beer Shop is just across the street, and under the train tracks from Tied House. You can bring you own food, and they usually have a pretty decent tap list. They also sell beer to go.

If you like seafood, around the corner from Tied House is Poor Phil's. Excellent seafood, and the best fish tacos I've ever had! Their tap list is OK, but occasionally they'll have some great kegs (VSOJ a few months ago).

I'd stay, away from Oak Park Brewing Co honestly though. I've never had a beer from them that I enjoyed.

Liquor store wise: Binnys in Elmwood Park is your best bet. Most of their customers don't even touch the craft beer aisles, so even the more rare stuff tends to last longer there. Famous Liquors is right next to Exit Strategy, and they get some pretty decent stuff in their. Be wary though, that place LOVES to price gouge.

There is also a Binnys in Riverside on Cermak, but their stuff usually flies off the shelf compared to Elmwood Park

Forest Park Liquors is also on Madison with a decent selection. They tend to price gouge the rare stuff as well though

 

From Riverside, you're 15-20 minutes from most of the SW suburban breweries: 5 Rabbit in Bedford Park (good beer, be forewarned there is NOTHING in that city, it's all warehouses), then from there just 5 minutes down Archer you'll have Imperial Oak, Pollyana, Black Horizon. It all depends on willingness to travel. In Riverside proper, Quincy Street Distillery is kinda fun to go to.

 

Yeah, Quincy Street is cool. You can usually grab a cheap GroupOn for a tasting/tour. White Fence Farm on Harlem is great. It's a shame Riverside Restaurant closed a month ago or that'd be another must.

FlapJack brewery is in Berwyn which isn't far. Riverside is a good area.

 

I'm in La Grange, the best place to go that does singles is Crafted in Mokena, it's a drive but very much worth it. Binny's singles are usually there to gather dust

 

I know you're specifically asking for bottle shops, but if you're a lager fan, I recommend checking out Kinslahger Brewing as well. Its on the Berwyn/Oak Park border.

 

Buckledown is real close and Imperial Oak isn't too terribly far. In addition to the shops mentioned, Archer Liquors gets some decent stuff if you're heading towards midway. Binny's gets rarer stuff, but it goes pretty quickly. Cork and Keg on 31st will have some interesting things from time to time.

And do some poking around for the Hop Stop beer festival in Riverside. It's a real fun time. Not necessarily for whale hunting, but a good excuse to drink beer in the street.