Chicago taproom advice

get pequods and it will quickly become yourgo-to. sausage, pepperoni, giardiniera. thank me later

their thin crust is also outstanding if the kids prefer that instead.

 

Agreed about the pizza being some of the best, but def. prefer a lot of other Chicago breweries over Piece beers. That's not me saying their beers are bad.....just that they aren't the first thing I think of.

 

Piece has great beer, they just don't have a great variety since they are so small. They only really cycle through about 10 or so beers a year, but all of them are quite tasty for the respective style.

 

Is there a good liquor store close to these two breweries?

 

The Beer Temple

 

I live down the street from Mayne Stage, but I can't speak to their beer selection. Within a mile of Mayne, you've got Uncommon Ground on Devon. It's primarily a farm-to-table restaurant, but there is a small bar area. You won't generally find anything earth-shattering on the beer list, but it's a solid representation of locals and Midwest beers. Just south of Devon on Clark is Norse Bar, which has great drafts, bottles, and cans, and a great staff as well. Or, if you wanted to take a short trip on the red line from Mayne, you're not far from Hopleaf.

 

Weighing in on the pizza. Pequod's Pan > All other "Chicago style" deep dish.

It's thick like Lou's or Gino's east but somehow less heavy. Where as the crust on the bottom bakes up kind of thin on most Chicago style places, this bakes up to be almost french bready. It's not overwhelmingly heavy on cheese, there's enough on there. The crust is really the star though. That caramelized crust really has no equal. It shocks me there aren't many copycats out there.