Will be visiting this city for the first time next wed-saturday. The wife will be conferencing so I'm just gonna wonder the city. Eat drink and just relax. Will be staying at omni suites so looking for suggestions mostly within walking distance. Looking for brewpubs...good eats...or anything you suggest checking out really in your city! Thanks in advance!
Eat at Purple Pig (walking distance). Most of the brewpubs are driving distance. I recommend getting an Uber Pool and going up to Corridor. Stop by the Lincoln Park Zoo (free). Forbidden Root is cool too. Both have arguably the best NE IPA's coming out of Chicago.
Welcome to the BA site, swinyeju. Chicago is a popular place to visit and there are tons of threads asking the same thing that you are asking. Here is a link to a search that I did for you of this forum using 'Chicago' in the thread title. There should be a lot of into there. https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/39398165/?q=Chicago&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=9
It looks like you're staying in River North so any breweries will likely require an uber ride/public transportation to get there. Half Acre, Revolution, Corridor, Forbidden Root, and Dovetail would be my recommendations for places to hit. All of those (other than Dovetail) also have food options. For walking distance there are some good places - Monks Pub comes to mind - as a good place with food and an extensive beer list. Use beer menus if you want to find something specific on tap - most places in Chicago are good about keeping the tap list up to date on there. If you're up for a drive there are definitely other restaurants with good tap lists worth driving for. Finally, you are just a short walk from Binnys on Grand Ave. Thats your best bet for picking up beer to go. For sure, peruse some of the past threads and feel free to post any specific questions you might have here!
You need to hook up with @eppCOS. He claims to be here for work, but he's been hitting every beer release around town for like the past 2 weeks and shows no signs of slowing down.
You'll def need to Uber etc to get to the popular spots. A couple spots I like that haven't been mentioned just yet would be Howells and Hood about a 10 min walk south on Michigan(great view!) and Stocks and Blondes for bar in the Loop. But you have plenty of great suggestions and you won't go wrong.
At least one day, I'd recommend this itinerary - Take an Uber (5-10 min ride) to the brewery Forbidden Root. Great Beer. Great Food. From there, it's a lovely 1/2 mile walk down Paulina to Bangers and Lace. Which is my favorite beer bar in the city. After wetting your whistle at Bangers, from here, you have a ton of options, as you're now in Wicker Park, which is a great neighborhood to just walk around in. If it was me, I would walk to Milwaukee Avenue and then go Emporium. It's a Barcade, and they have a solid, and sometimes excellent taplist. Play some pinball or Marvel vs Capcom 2 and have a beer. Then just walk up Milwaukee ave. Maybe stop in Reckless Records or Myopic Books. The people watching can be pretty good too. A scant 5 min walk from emporium, is Links taproom another great beer bar. You can go to their website, and see what they have on draft, and how close it is to kicking in real time. And then, since you're from the Northeast, go to Big Star. Seriously. If you're in this area and don't go to Big Star, you've failed. It's gourmet tacos from Michelin starred chef Paul Kahan. Get at least one Panza. The tap list here is also always solid, but not spectacular. From here, you can call it and go back downtown, or you can continue to explore the neighborhood.
Yeah! Around the corner from Links is Liquor Park, which is a great little bottle shop. Then stroll down Damen to the Map Room. If you're still conscious, you can take a quick uber over to Quenchers and catch some good beer (and quite likely a hard rock show). I live in Bucktown/Wicker Park, and I think it's the best-est. enjoy Chicago!
Hahahahaha...hilarious. I blush. Not every release - getting out when I can, in between teaching, grading, and eating/drinking like a locust. I lost 10 lbs just so I can gain them back here in Chicago. This guy's gonna have a great time from the advice everyone's doling out here. Cheers! See you around...maybe.
If I may piggyback on this thread... I'm going to be out there in a month, staying in Lincoln Park. Was wondering if any nearby beer bars were good for bottle shares? I always like to make new friends by sharing some of my local stuff when I travel. I was eyeing Local Option.
A bar that allows you to bring in your own bottles? Pretty sure that's a strict no-no here in Chicago. I'm not familiar with any. On the other hand, you could come to my place, pretend I've already installed the bar I wish I could have, and we could drink your local stuff.
That isn't entirely accurate. I know of at least two bars that do occasional bottle shares... But i don't think they publicize. I learned when I saw people check in a certain beer on untappd, and then went to order one. Wily, better bet is to post a sampling here of what you might bring, get a bunch of us clamoring to have some, and then flashmob a BYOB place for a BA bash.
Yeah, I didn't really think a place would publicize that they're open for bottle shares. It does help if they serve food, and I always make sure to order something from the bar & tip generously. I'm thinking of bringing a couple bottles with me on the flight --Fundamental Observation, and probably something from Modern Times, like Shrine of the Forsaken Gods. And then maybe whatever fresh IPA I have on hand. Friday, October 13 is the night I'll be free. I'd be down for a BA bash if I don't have to stray too far from where I'm staying.
