Chicago Itinerary

delilah's in chicago is pretty bomb for whiskey selections. I believe its bring your own food too (?) At least I have done it before....

 

Hop on the red line and hit Goose Clybourn. Pretty nice Binney's right across the street. I like Haymarket.

 

Try Nico Osteria for your nice dinner. Run by same group/guy (Paul Kahan) that does Publican.

 

Here a few recommendations I usually suggest for people that are passing through. Both bars have a great selection and Lone Wolf is not far from Haymarket at all. Piece, the Bristol and the Maproom are all within a mile or so of each other. As for the hipsters you are bound to hit them throughout but each spot is worth checking out.

Bar:
http://www.lonewolftavern.com
http://www.maproom.com


Lunch:
http://www.kumascorner.com
http://www.piecechicago.com

Dinner:
http://www.thebristolchicago.com
http://www.mottstreetchicago.com

 

Fair enough, thought I would throw it out there. Lonewolf might be better if you are looking for 3 Floyds and Rev.

Here's another option. Their beers rotate as soon as a keg runs dry so it will change but its a good spot. http://www.linkstaproom.com

 

No worries, I totally understand looking for things you can not get local. I personally have not been to First Draft but looks pretty solid. Not sure if Goose Island is your jam but there is the new tasting room off of Fulton and Wood.

 

Was just down there with my wife last weekend.

Gage on Michigan Ave was really good. Steaks were great, as was my wife's Moroccan chicken (I ate half of hers as well). Solid tap list too. If you get a chance, some places have Moody Tounge's Churro Baltic Porter which was really good.

 

I'd agree with chicagogooner's recommendations, particularly for Kuma's and Piece. Two of my favorite places in the city, and great beers. Be prepared to wait awhile at Kuma's...they do have two locations now, though.

Another great place is Big Star Taco, which is around the corner (kind of) from Piece. Links Taproom is also right in that area, which usually has good stuff on tap.

 

How about Longman and Eagle? It's a whiskey bar with a pretty good local tap selection and good food. This would be more upscale, I think.
http://www.longmanandeagle.com
I second Delilah's as well for whiskey and beer. No food though.

 

@croush and @tjk135 those are both great recommendations.

Have not been to Bangers and Lace in a while but from what I remember their draft list was solid.

http://bangersandlacebar.com

 

My comment would be that, considering the beer scene here in Chicago, if there is a good tap somewhere, then the beer crowds will find it.

 

One of my favorite dives is in River North and it's called Rossis. Not much in the way of good beer at the bar, but they've got a cooler of stuff to go and will often times have 3 Floyds and other good beers. This is your prototypical beer and a shot kind of place. It's location in the tourist zone makes it's divey-ness extra good.

Closer to Water Tower, Pippens is always our low-key bar of choice. Once again, not much in the way of good beer, but a good local place.

Old Town Alehouse will have some good stuff on tap and is a Chicago institution. You may also get a late-night visit from the Tamale Guy (well one of them anyhow).

 

Hopleaf is definitely worth the trip. It's only about a 30 minute train ride (and short walk) from the Mag Mile, has great food, and a stellar tap list. While a good number of taps are dedicated to Belgian beers and national craft brands, there are plenty of local selections.

 

The Gage is great.

Green Door is definitely a nice dive-y place. Old Town Ale House is also a really fantastic dive, and does always have a few nice beers, but there isn't a lot surrounding it I would recommend.

In the West Loop, if you could get a reservation at Girl & the Goat (pricey-ish, but awesome) and then go across the street to Lone Wolf, you'd be in for a mighty fine night. And Haymarket is right there for even more options.

Two other good options in the Loop would be Monk's and Miller's.

 

If you don't mind cabbing it or jumping on the El my favorite places that are not breweries are Bad Apple and Fountainhead. Bad Apple is within a block of Half Acre and just down the street from Fork and is in the Lincoln Square Neighborhood which is interesting to walk around. Fountainhead is by Damen and Montrose and there is a cool little strip going on there between Damen and Ashland. Fountainhead besides having great beer also has an amazing selection of scotch and whiskey and has a great roof top deck. Typically you can find beers at these places from local brewers like 3 F's, Pipeworks, Spitefull, Solemn Oath, Ten Ninety, Lake Effect, and Marz plus lots of other breweries. Check out Beermenus for beer lists to see what they are serving.
https://www.beermenus.com/places/1904-fountainhead
https://www.beermenus.com/places/1195-the-bad-apple