I will be out in Chicago for Columbus Day and the marathon. We get in Saturday and will probably keep in relatively low key that night. We are staying in an AirBNB about .5 Mile radius from Forbidden Root, On Tour, GI Clybourne. No car. Sunday is the race and we’ll want pizza (is there alcohol at Giordanos?). Monday is touring the city day. Best breweries in that area? Any “it sucks you’ll have to Uber but definitely go here” places? What about food & beer recs? Breweries with food? Or somewhere fancy af that you’d recommend when I need a gin martini and a steak?
Forbidden Root has pretty good food and beer, you won't go wrong hitting them up if you want it all in one spot. On Tour has good beer, and you might be able to get pizza delivered there Saturday night (I recommend you confirm you can bring your own food, most taprooms allow it but I'm not sure about On Tour). If you're looking for more of an adventure, you can head up to Malt Row where you can hit up Begyle, Dovetail and Half Acre - Lincoln all within walking distance. A bit further north via a long walk or short Uber you can go to Empirical, and if you're feeling fancy you can hit up the world's first Michelin starred brewpub Band of Bohemia (more for its food than its beer). Not to mention great beer bars like Bad Apple or The Northman, which features ciders. Finally, I've had good experiences with both the food and beer at Cruz Blanca in the West Loop. Those are just my thoughts, I'm sure others will have plenty to say. Enjoy your stay in our wonderful city!
I'd recommend looking at the below thread, and also posting follow up questions in there so others can see commentary in one place. It does still say Spring 2018, but it's the most recent version we have. https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...icagoland-resource-thread-spring-2018.562877/
Since you are capable of running 26 miles I think you'll find all of our breweries within your range....
if you really want to do Goose Island, you can easily walk to Goose Island Fulton from Forbidden Root (just go south on Wood the whole way). I've never been to Clybourne, so maybe they do it there also(? i dont know) but I know at Fulton you can buy all kinds of fancy vintage Bourbon County bottles to consume on site (can be kinda pricey, but is something special one could do if they so wish). Definitely do Forbidden Root, it's personally my favorite brewery and spot in the city. You can also hit up Links tap room in Wicker Park which usually has a good tap list. I wouldn't recommend Giordano's for pizza. You will be somewhat close to Roots Pizza, which usually also has a decent beer menu. But if you really want to do deep dish, then do Pequod's.
Oh, no, not the pizza debates....I would agree that Giordano's time has come and gone in Chicago. If you want deep dish, I'd do Lou Malnati's for best in town..nothing wrong with Pequods. Roots Pizza is awesome(quad city style pizza), but not deep dish if that is what you are going for. Piece is also top notch if you can do New Haven style pizza with the added benefit of Piece being one the first post GI brewpubs in Chicago still around.
No, I came here for beer topics. I'm staying for pizza debates. I'm a New Englander, so pizza here is eh. We do seafood. But here's the rundown I've gotten: Pequods is the best (from a current Chicago resident); Lou Malnati's is the place to go (from a friend who moved out of Chicago 4-5 years ago); Giordano's is the king of Chicago (El Pres, Barstool Sports). Forbidden Root is too close to where we're staying to skip. And I've heard great things about their beer and food. Grand Central is a place I've been hearing about too. What's the word there? On Tour is another place. I figure we'd probably skip around town Monday for the bulk of the drinking & end up drunkenly crushing a porterhouse somewhere and passing out after a martini.
Pequods is great for the caramelized cheese crust combo on their pan pizza. Lou's is the classic deep dish pizza, just great. Giordano's is ok. Pizza would be a great option to pick up and bring/deliver to Beer Temple, Dovetail, Metropolitan, Revolution, Spiteful, or other BYOF options.
Lou Malnatis is what you want. Pequods is solid but not really representative of true Chicago deep dish. Some people LOVE it and others (like myself) think it's fine but certainly not the best in the city. Almost everyone who tries Lous thinks it's great, so it's a much safer option overall and, in my opinion, the best anyway. GIrodanos is trash, don't go there. You're right to separate those three though, they are the three main styles of Chicago pizza (Lous = classic, Pequods = pan, Girodanos = stuffed). If you absolutely want to try the stuffed style, then hit up Art of Pizza on Ashland. Really though, stick with Lou's, there's quite a few and it's really really good.
Lou Malnati’s son was the PE coach at my high school. Swim team coach too. Good guy. Their pizza is fire no doubt.
If you want Deep Dish, the only wrong choice is Giardano’s. I think deep dish is kinda overrated. But if you haven’t had it, it’s worth it for the experience alone. If you just want solid pizza and not the tourist experience, I think Pauline Gees is the best in the city.
