I'll only have time to hit one or two brewpubs. Which ones should I go to? I'll be staying downtown off Michigan avenue if that helps in any way. Thanks in advance.
Should be plenty of threads with brewpub recs. A quick search came up with this recent thread. Good luck. Favorite Bar/Brewpub In Chicago (City Proper) For Food And Beer
Don't do it; if you've watched/read the news, we're all just getting shot all the time, around here. In all seriousness, it's almost hard to go wrong with the brewpubs in Chicago. I honestly think that you'll be hard pressed to beat Goose Island Clybourn as a brewpub; extensive beer list (a lot available only on tap there), and they've got a menu with some tasty food. Bonus is that right across the street is Lincoln Park's Binny's, which is not only the best Binny's, but also one of the best beer places in the state. They've also got a great tasting room. If you're downtown, you can find a LOT of places with good beer lists; even Hooters is pretty decent! If you can make it, I recommend Au Cheval (amazing burgers and a good beer list).
Local Option, they make killer beer, their tap list is arguably the best in the city, and they have pretty good bar far, it's my favorite spot.
This is my usual response to these threads. Hope this helps: Here is a list of my favorite places in Chicago. I listed them in terms of my preference although everything I listed is fantastic. Not sure if you are staying the night but a frequent tour of mine with friends is - Half acre -> Bad apple/Fountainhead -> Goose island -> Binnys LP -> Piece -> Revolution -> Bed Far from an optimized tour, but really fun and gets us through the city. Beer stores: Binnys Lincoln Park - Biggest selection in Chicago and has an sweet tap room (thats never full for some reason) West Lakeview Liquors - fantastic selection of imports and locals South loop Binnys - not as big as LP, but fatastic selection also has a good taproom, list is just as good but space is not as nice as LP binnys Beer Temple - Everything here is super fresh and it has a great all around selection, I just find it out of the way Breweries/Brewpubs: Half Acre - Just taproom and store but my favorite taproom. Usually pretty chill even when crowded. Piece Brewing - Brewpub with AMAZING pizza and great beer. Love this place. Revolution - Taproom and Brewpub (Great food) Solemn Oath - In napperville, but if you can get there its a cool place with good beer. Goose Island Clybourn- Brewpub (Right next to Binnys LP) Has good food and a large taplist of GI beers. Begyle - Has a new taproom with pretty good beer and is a few blocks from half Acre Bars/Restaurants: Hopleaf - Easily my favorite place in Chicago. Fantastic beer list, both tap and bottle, and great food, especially the muscles and fries. Piece Brewing - Brewpub with AMAZING pizza Maria's Packaged goods - on the south side, but has a great bar and decent bottle shop. Doesn't have food, but immediately next door is a great pot pie place (Pleasant House Bakery) that you can order into the bar. Bad apple - Pretty good tap list with fantastic burgers. Jerry's Sandwiches - Huge taplist AND sandwich list. Close to hopleaf. Foutainhead - Close to half acre. Good tap list and good food although I am never blown away. Other places I have yet to go to but have a great reputation Publican Kumas corner Map room Local Option Haymarket Dryhop
I would say Revolution (Taproom or Brewpub), Half-Acre, and Goose Island Clybourn are the top choices. Haymarket is also quite good and right across the street from Au Cheval, which has a good beer list and amazing burgers. Kuma's Corner is right near Revolution Taproom and also has great burgers. Bad Apple is right near Half-Acre and also has great burgers & beer. If you go to Goose Island Clybourn, then head across the street to Binny's. That Binny's location has one of the best beer selections in the Chicago area and also has a taproom. For beer bars Hopleaf is my #1 choice. Map Room & Local Option are also good choices.
I added a few things if you don't mind. Breweries/Brewpubs: Half Acre - Just taproom and store but my favorite taproom. Usually pretty chill even when crowded. Piece Brewing - Brewpub with AMAZING pizza and great beer. Love this place. Revolution - Taproom and Brewpub (Great food) Solemn Oath - In napperville, but if you can get there its a cool place with good beer. Goose Island Clybourn- Brewpub (Right next to Binnys LP) Has good food and a large taplist of GI beers. Whole Foods Lincoln Park - If you're at Goose and visit Binny's , check out Whole Foods 2 bars on the inside, awesome draft list. seriously. Begyle - Has a new taproom with pretty good beer and is a few blocks from half Acre Lagunitas - Taproom just opened last month. Good beer, good food. Swag store. Haymarket Pub and Brewery - Good beer, good food, closest to you on Michigan Ave. (there is a binny's near haymarket with a nice bottle collection and taproom) Bars/Restaurants: Hopleaf - Easily my favorite place in Chicago. Fantastic beer list, both tap and bottle, and great food, especially the muscles and fries. Piece Brewing - Brewpub with AMAZING pizza Maria's Packaged goods - on the south side, but has a great bar and decent bottle shop. Doesn't have food, but immediately next door is a great pot pie place (Pleasant House Bakery) that you can order into the bar. Simone's - Close to Maria's. Great draft list, great food. Skylark - Great draft list. Tots! (people think the tots are over hyped, they cannot be overhyped) Down the street from Simone's. Bad apple - Pretty good tap list with fantastic burgers. Jerry's Sandwiches - Huge taplist AND sandwich list. Close to hopleaf. Foutainhead - Close to half acre. Good tap list and good food although I am never blown away. Other places I have yet to go to but have a great reputation Publican Kumas corner Map room Local Option Haymarket Dryhop Hot Dougs (until they close in October) edit: no beer, fail on my part.
Even better. I feel like with the frequency of these threads, that one of them should be sticky'd to the top of the great lakes forum.
so happy I tried using search rather than posting my own thread I arrive in Chicago tomorrow at noon, leave Friday at 9am...but am free & clear of responsibility by noon Thursday! Staying at the Marriott Downtown on Miracle Mile, I've been told that I MUST go to the Binny's @ Lincoln Park. Is that accurate?!
Yea great shop for bottles and taproom. If you can't make the trek up there there is another binnys near you in south loop. Smaller site but definitely nice selection.
I just Google Map'd it...doesn't look too bad, only 4 miles. Short cab ride w/ my 12-bottle styro shipper in tow lol oh and it's Marriott Magnificent Mile but you probably knew that. On N. Rush St. Out of these 3: Hopleaf, Haymarket, Map Room, which is the most convenient to my hotel?
Yeah, Binny's Lincoln Park is great. I walked out of there last weekend with Mirror Mirror, Ride The Lion, couple Man O Awe's, BA God Damn Pigeon Porter, lots of Pipeworks, Maine beers, Tilquin and the usual Half Acre beers. That's always my stop whenever I come up from Indianapolis
I feel like I should buy you a beer simply because you were smart enough to use the search fuction... Anyway, ironically, although the furthest away, Hopleaf would be most convenient. Take the Red Line from Grand-State to berwyn. It is a quick walk from there. (Binny's Lincoln Park is also on the Red Line) Map Room's least convenient
You're probably about equidistant from haymarket as you are from hopleaf for how far you'll have to walk to get to either one. But with Hopleaf, you get out of the downtown area and into where Chicago shines. Its neighborhoods. Take a poke up Berwyn ave, admire the housing stock and hit a left at Clark Street and go half a block past Wilson and it'll be on the west side. The NE corner has Wilson Avenue liquors which is actually not a bad place to check out I might add. If you take a right on Clark Street, you'll be at Hamburger Mary's and its Andersonville Brewing, and there'll probably be drag queens serving you or singing or something cos Andersonville is basically a gay neighborhood. For a good dose of Chicago drinking and history; there's Simons which is just due north of Wilson ave. http://www.chibarproject.com/Reviews/Simon's/Simon's.htm
Very cool, thank you! But I'm not walking to either bar lol. They're like 3+ miles each. Über is my friend :-)
