The Map Room

7/9/2008 9:15:13 PM, wednesday, july 09, 2008
this place loses major points for the d-baggery that has infected it recently...and that they’re playing into it with bad music and increasingly blah service. But, you can’t argue with their selection. There’s almost always something amazing to be had. Bring the sexy back Map Room, please!

5/29/2008 8:52:04 AM, thursday, may 29, 2008
We went here expecting something amazing and close to perfection and rather it was more of a disappointment. The selection wasn’t awful but the first three beers I tried to order from their list - they were out of and it didn’t leave me with options for many rarities or other stellar brews. The staff was hit or miss - some of the bartenders were down right rude and others were just fine. Small clusters of bar tables made it difficult to get around easily. Perhaps this was just too hyped up before I went - but I wasn’t that impressed by it.

5/25/2008 12:45:24 AM, sunday, may 25, 2008 [ Updated sunday, may 25, 2008 ]
Went here on a tip from a friend. From looking online, I thought Hopleaf would outdo this place. I was very wrong. I completely agree with earlier ratings that talked about the music selection and not blaring it. Good selection on that count. Very diverse group of folks and very friendly. I was in town on business and met a great couple where the girlfriend kept buying me drinks all night. Add in some very attentive bartenders who really knew their brews and a nice selection: Behemoth (in bottle), Old Rasputin, Dreadnaught, Bernardus abt 12, as well as many other Belgian’s on-tap. Not a selection that’s going to provide rare-releases, but I thought it was well above average and easily enough to please one’s palate. I’ve travelled to many a beer bar or pub around the world and, for me, this just stood out as one of my top 5. It really fit my personal style and I got into the vibe of the place. Really a must visit when in town.

5/23/2008 12:42:49 AM, friday, may 23, 2008
Great place to hit when in Chicago. Great selection and good staff. Tap selection was awesome as was the bottle list. Finished up a good night here and started another one the next day. Not a bad cab ride from Michigan ave. either. Well worth it!

5/21/2008 3:15:40 PM, wednesday, may 21, 2008
Very very cool place with a very much welcomed underground laid-back atmosphere (especially after spending a few hours at the aggressively annoying Piece Pizza just a few blocks away). Located in the middle of a residential area this pub is off the tourist and trendy college kids path. Underground alternative rock music at medium volume. Where else have I ever hear One Of These Days from Cop Shot Cop outside my apartment? Never before and probably never again. Eclectic crowd of all ages and styles. My kind of place. I was somewhat disappointed by the tap selection. Given its reputation as the best tap-room in Chicago I expected a bit more. Over 20 taps (which is good) but nothing that you won’t find in many bars in the area (Old Rasputin, Founders’s Red Rye, GI Matilda, Chouffe Houblon, Duchesses de Bourgogne, 3F Alpha Kind and so on). The average quality is high, very high, but the selection sadly felt a bit “common”. Bottle selection is impressive in size (a few hundreads of bottles) but again don’t expect anything off the beaten path. I had myself a pint of North Coast Red Seal Ale and it was in great shape.

5/21/2008 3:14:59 PM, wednesday, may 21, 2008
Great place. Great bartenders. Expected some more oddities on draft but overall some solid choices. FFF Alpha King & Dreadnaught, Saison Dupont, Delirium, Laguinitis IPA. Was hoping for some Founders, rare Goose Island stuff etc. Huge impressive bottle list. Some new Flossmore stuff I had not tried. Great place but wanted some stuff on tap I have not had before like the wonderful Capital Robust Porter

5/17/2008 3:49:35 AM, saturday, may 17, 2008
A classic in Chicago. I love the selection. While there I tried the Flossmoor’s Imperial IPA, their Brown Ale, and some delcious baleywine’s that I cant recall because they were oh so late. Either way, if you are in Chicago, and want to go to a great beer bar, come here. Nice ambiance, and more beers than you can try. By the way, try the Flossmoor’s. Near local to Chicago and fantastic!

5/13/2008 12:06:51 AM, tuesday, may 13, 2008
Gets busy...but is good on the off hours (another place that ive been to 50+ times). Service is good, but runs hot and cold depending on whether they know you or if it is too busy. Beer selection is fantastic...it kind of becomes a let done after youve had 1000+ plus beers or so...as in it become harder to impress...but they do manage to get 1 or 2 taps in a month that are truly impressive even for the seasoned beer geek. Plus they usually have a few unlisted bottles...and no matter what...i know i can get a bottle of girardin black.

5/2/2008 10:10:08 AM, friday, may 02, 2008
This place didn’t blow me away, especially after having seen it on BeerNuts on HDTV... Smaller than expected and kind of long and narrow. Not too much seating aside from the bar, really. Good selection of taps and beer, but almost nothing I hadn’t tried after 1000 ratings unfortunately. One of the bartenders was a surly bastard to my gf, apparently. They had a free pool table too that I proceeded to get my ass kicked at by Crizay. I beat him after about 5 games finally. The table must have been slanted or something. Decent place, overall. Good place to hit if you haven’t had many Midwest beers, I suppose.

4/29/2008 8:22:27 PM, tuesday, april 29, 2008
Small bar but very cozy. Lots of maps and flags in there hence The Map Room. Medium bar and an ample amount of tables around with a free pool table in the back. The selection is decent but a lot less than it was hyped up to be, I really had a hard time finding something exciting maybe it was just an off day but bottles were better than draught. I just expected some hard to find rare beers and there were none.