Flatlanders Restaurant and Brewery

4/22/2008 10:58:07 PM, tuesday, april 22, 2008
Very spartan bar area...no real decor...beers were decent, the stout was actually good...mediocre service, but the waitress was nice...cool patio...part of the restaurant (especially the bathroom) had the heaters on (it was 70 degrees outside) so my visit to the restroom was most unpleasant...

3/24/2008 8:13:32 AM, monday, march 24, 2008
Stopped here on a roundabout trip to drop off some homebrew contest entries. Not quite a strip mall, but one of those village green developments where rustic looking buildings are surrounded by too much parking for any real sense of place. High vaulted ceiling make the place feel cold, decor not directed toward its beers. Beers themselves are decent. Way too far off for me to want to seek it out again.

1/14/2008 10:19:38 AM, monday, january 14, 2008
I stopped in here on a weeknight, and the restaurant was damn near a ghost town (I did not spend any time at the bar, so I cannot speak for that). This was a rather large restaurant with an open, but not too welcoming or enjoyable feel to it. They had several beers on tap, which ranged from slightly below average to about average.. not too much range to ’em. My service was slow and spotty (especially considering that I was about the only one in the dining room).. that could be partially due to the fact that my waiter was training some dude. The food was white tasty. Not bad, but I’d recommend heading up to Mickey Finn’s if you’re making one stop.

7/22/2007 7:13:05 PM, sunday, july 22, 2007
Sat at the bar on a Sunday (after lunch hour). Pretty much had the whole bar area to myself. Service was a little slow (surprising considering there weren’t many people there and I was sitting at the bar). Most of the beers were average to below average. I did enjoy their Grand Crew (ha, that’s how the beer menu spelled Cru!).

1/1/2007 1:44:30 AM, monday, january 01, 2007
Ugly yuppie-suburban location north of Chicago isn’t the worst ever, but not far from it.....inside, the high ceilings, fireplace and Christmas tree do a little bit to dispel the sanitized, mainstream-friendly vision, but precious little....service is prompt and as friendly as she has to be, but no more (perhaps my pony tail, lightly grungy exterior and non-BMW ride generate some wariness?)....my sandwich is barely warm and the fries, adequate at best....the beer, undrinkable to forgettable....the place, formulaic, contrived and unnecessary. If in the area, please do yourself a favor and drive a few miles north to Mickey Finns; it’s no masterpiece, but at least it feels like something built for an eating and drinking audience, not stockholders.

12/11/2006 5:16:52 PM, monday, december 11, 2006 [ Updated saturday, december 16, 2006 ]
This strip-mall located brewpub looks kinda like a school or suburban government building as you approach the entrance, but the interior is vast yet cozy. We sat at the bar which had a homey, "corner bar" feel while the rest of the room held the warm ambiance of a ski lodge (as illinismitty has already mentioned). Acid wash cement under foot while a crazy mix of textures, woods and colors lead up the walls to a cavernous ceiling. A bizarre melange of decor clashes timid sports bar kitsch with Hard Rock Cafe-wannabe memorabilia. (I get the feeling that someone really wanted a hand in decorating this place that really shouldn’t have been allowed to.)

If the phrase "hit or miss" could ever apply to a brewer it would be here. Their standard lineup found beers that were either slightly above or below average, while the specials were either top-notch or total crap. We got to sample 80 Shilling off the fermenter so that was a real treat. Can’t wait to sit down with a full pint or three. We seemed to get treated like kings and for no other reason than a little beer banter. Staff was adept and friendly, managers/owners were accomodating and bar patrons were well-behaved and down-to-earth. Add to that the price of a 6-sample flight was $4 while pints were $2 a piece and it’s a sure-bet that we shall return.

2/15/2006 9:29:16 PM, wednesday, february 15, 2006 [ Updated wednesday, february 15, 2006 ]
I used to go to Flatlanders regularly and stopped going for more than one year after sampling some bad, infected beers. This past weekend, I went back to Flatlanders after a friend had recommended that I try out Flatlander’s excellent dopplebock. Coming back to Flatlanders was like visiting an old friend. My favorite table near the fireplace was waiting for me. The service and menu offerings were excellent as always – my favorite crab cake and the BBQ baby back ribs prepared in a BBQ beer sauce are still on the menu. I sampled their Abe’s Honest Ale (my favorite Flatlander’s beer), Locomotive stout, Prairie wheat, Harvest amber ale, and Dopplebock. All the beers were fresh and good, but the seasonal dopplebock was particularly special. Contrary to the opinions below, Flatlander’s is a very good brewpub with an attractive food and beer menu. To really rock, I suggest that Flatlander’s consider the following: (a) introduce a brewmaster specialty beer menu that changes weekly or biweekly and include bourbon barrel/oak-aged beers and other giant beers like imperial IPAs, Russian imperial stouts, etc.; (b) change the house beer offerings completely every season; and (c) sponsor more beer-related events (e.g., a brewmaster’s dinner) and advertise these events like hell so that everybody knows about them.

12/9/2005 3:20:27 PM, friday, december 09, 2005
Separate bar area from the restaurant. High celings, like a ski lodge.Nice building with an semi-sophisticated menu. Someone sunk a lot of money into this place. However, I think that they forgot that you need also have a good beer or two on tap. Substandard brews in my opinion. I was very disappointed. Do not waste your time. Mickey Finns is up the road and a tad better

11/26/2005 11:40:50 PM, saturday, november 26, 2005 [ Updated tuesday, july 18, 2006 ]
If I knew nothing about beer or brewpubs, this place would be OK. Good, it is spacious and they make their own beer. Bad, I found all of the samples I tried (6-7) to be substandard. I found no reason to go back.

7/18/2005 10:09:05 AM, monday, july 18, 2005
Beautiful patio, and we had it mostly to ourselves since we were the only ones man enough to drink beer at 11:00 a.m. in this ritzy northwest burb of Chicago. Pretty much, it’s $1 a sample, and it comes in a little cutesy trendy glass. Overall, I’m glad we made the stop, but I don’t know if we’ll ever return because the beer was pretty poor. The only one I’d order again was their pale ale.