Chicago is a beer town from the ground up. The city grew up on neighborhood taverns, it's home to some of the country's best-known craft breweries, and its beer bars pour Belgian and German imports that are hard to find anywhere else in the Midwest. Here's how to drink your way through all three.
The breweries
Most of Chicago's big craft names run taprooms right at the brewery, which is the best way to drink their beer fresh.
- Half Acre in Lincoln Square: one of the breweries that built the city's craft scene. Drink a Daisy Cutter pale ale in the Balmoral taproom and beer garden.
- Revolution Brewing in Avondale: Chicago's biggest independent brewery. Its Anti-Hero IPA is on tap all over town, and the Kedzie taproom sits right at the production brewery.
- Goose Island near Fulton Market: the brewery that made Chicago a beer town. Try a 312 Urban Wheat, or a pour of the barrel-aged Bourbon County Stout.
- Off Color Brewing's Mousetrap on the edge of Lincoln Park: creative, style-bending beers in a quirky taproom. Order the Apex Predator farmhouse ale.
- Hop Butcher for the World in North Center: hazy-IPA specialists whose beer names nod to city lore. The taproom has the freshest cans.
- Marz Community Brewing in Bridgeport: a playful, artsy South Side taproom pouring everything from crisp lagers to wild ales. Try the Jungle Boogie wheat ale.
- Moody Tongue in the South Loop: a Michelin-starred brewery making beers built for food. You can drop into the bar for a Juiced Lychee IPA without booking the tasting menu.
- Middle Brow Bungalow in Logan Square: a brewery-café whose Tuesday-only sourdough tavern pizza is a local favorite.
The beer bars
For imports and deep tap lists, these are the bars beer people point you to.
- Hopleaf in Andersonville: Chicago's essential Belgian beer bar, with dozens of taps, no TVs and a serious kitchen. Get a Belgian draft with mussels and frites.
- The Map Room in Bucktown: a traveler's tavern with maps and globes on every wall, and one of the city's original destination beer bars.
- Monk's Pub in the Loop: a dim, decades-old tavern with a monastery feel, free peanuts and a list of Belgian and Trappist ales. Order a Trappist ale with a burger.
- Resi's Bierstube and Laschet's Inn in North Center: two old-school German taverns a few blocks apart on Irving Park Road. Order a German draft with a brat or schnitzel.
- Sheffield's in Wrigleyville: a long list and one of the prettiest beer gardens in the city, a short walk from the ballpark.
- Sleeping Village in Avondale: part bar, part music venue, with a long list of beer and cider drafts and a good patio.
The corner taverns
Chicago's real drinking culture lives in its old neighborhood taps: cheap beer, no pretense and decades of history. These are the classics.
- Old Town Ale House: a cluttered dive across from Second City since 1958, with a great jukebox and walls of satirical paintings.
- Simon's Tavern in Andersonville: a 1934 Swedish tavern with its original Art Deco bar. Order glögg in winter.
- Chipp Inn in Ukrainian Village: a tiny corner tap on a residential block, dating to 1897.
- Rainbo Club in Wicker Park: the art-and-music-scene dive, complete with its classic photo booth.
- Rossi's Liquors in River North: half liquor store, half bar, and cash only. A surprise among the glossy downtown spots.
- Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar in Bridgeport: an old corner tavern with a liquor store up front and a deep beer list in back.
- Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap in Hyde Park: the University of Chicago's storied hangout since 1948.
Tips
- Taprooms are family-friendly-ish. Many brewery taprooms welcome kids and dogs during the day. Beer bars and taverns generally don't. Check before you bring either.
- Beer gardens are seasonal. Chicago drinks outside the moment it's above 50 degrees, so the gardens fill up fast in spring and early fall.
- Bring cash to the old taverns. Some of the classic corner bars are still cash only.
- You'll be offered Malört. Chicago's famously bitter liqueur shows up in a lot of these bars. Here's how to survive it →
For cocktails instead of beer, see Where to Drink in Chicago. New to the city? ChicagoApartmentBuildings.com is our guide to apartment buildings across Chicago.