Latest reviews from Downers Grove

“A few out of the ordinary singles at decent prices, the incense is a little irritating but not too bad.“

rev.black.dog 4 days ago

“Great lager recommendation from Vin! Large space in the southern burbs. Decent parking. Plenty of seating both in and outside. Table service. This is a lager shop; no ales in sight, but they do have a good variety in the lagersphere. No flights, most beers are avail as 0.3L, 0.5L and 1L pours. Some cans to go as well. Decent service. All beers were on point for style. Food truck available.“

bytemesis 734 days ago

“12/6/21 Not as big a selection as some other stores but customer service is fabulous. Held some Vintage Ale for me.“

Headbanger 885 days ago

“This is just one block from my house. Luckily for me, they don't do a lot of brews. Focused on European style lagers. And you can easily tell the difference between their Pilsener style and their standard Lager. Nice brewery tucked into the former Perma-Seal offices. They've put up plenty of outdoor seating for COVID, and now have a big tent left from their Oktoberfest event. Indoor seating was nice, too. Food at the establishment is basically a big soft pretzel with cheese sauce & mustard, but they have menus fro delivery from nearby restaurants. Owners have a family history of brewing in Poland. Staff is friendly and happy to be serving beer under these trying times.“

DrnkMcDermott 1295 days ago

“Brand new brewery that opened Summer 2020, within walking distance of downtown Downers Grove IL. During Covid-19 they set up several tents out in front and the crowds came. The brewery is using old European recipes the make his tasty traditional Pilsner and lagers at first. I had 3 beers and all were to style. Friendly staff and owner. Go early.“

BlackBeerPG 1358 days ago

“I tap room bottle shop in downtown Downers Grove, IL., with nice selection and a hardworking bartender/server. The Stouts we had we liked. Will try to visit more often.“

BlackBeerPG 1656 days ago

“Mainly a bottle shop, but with a bar and taps. Owner Eric truly knows his stuff about beer. A huge selection of local beers, plus select far-flung brewers like Epic and Maui. Locally you can find Energy City, Afterthought, and Imperial Oak (with whom they've done a collab or two). Open floor plan, family friendly, with just one small screen to attract attention. Just off the Metra BNSF Main Street station, adding to downtown Downers new reputation as a beer nirvana.“

DrnkMcDermott 1812 days ago

“Visited 9/23/18. Hip place, clean, well lit. Our bartender was friendly and knew about the beers. I didn't try any of the food items they had, but we enjoyed our experience and the beer was pretty tasty.“

drowland 2055 days ago

“Participation is weak as of late, but nice spot for brew club meetings. Overall decent layout, friendly vibes, good service & brews, but tough parking. My "go to" DG area taproom.“

tmoreau 2106 days ago

“This is part of Ballydoyle Downers Grove, but a room with a separate entrance, and no cover charge when a band is playing Ballydoyle. Specializes in barrel-aged beers and liquors, and the cocktails made from them. Beer list is small, but there's always something rare and barrel-aged, though also a Stella for your other guests. A limited food menu of appetizers and one or two steak entrees. Wonderful intimate space in a normally crowded Irish bar. Heck, this whole block of downtown Downers is becoming its own little beer and nightlife district.“

DrnkMcDermott 2260 days ago

“Dropped in for the first time this week, because they hosted the only tapping of Surly 11, and still had it on tap. Now 22 beer taps, with more bottles, and regular updates on beermenus.com. It’s still a noisy sports bar with giant screens showing the baseball games, but they also now have a decent beer list. I will have to try to come back and sample the food, but it’s a spinoff of the local Roundheads Pizza restaurant on the south end of Downers Grove.“

DrnkMcDermott 2514 days ago

“The industrial chic look of seeming all further out Chicagoland surburban taprooms. Not that that is bad but I can’t always keep straight which one was what due to the similar looks. Food truck and snacks. Beers decent, staff nice.“

rubbishystuff 2665 days ago

“Huge industrial looking space overlooking their brewery, in a business park. Lots of tanks, so apparently they will be flooding the local market soon (canning starts this summer they say). Nice friendly staff, but hit or miss on who can answer beer/brewery related questions. Garage doors that can open up to let fresh air in on a nice day. Nice vibe throughout the whole place, but beer was just so-so. Unless it gets better, I wouldn’t see going back“

ck1 2923 days ago

“Spacious place in an industrial area. They have some rule where you can only order a certain amount of beer but you can easily circumvent it. Fairly good service though one of the bartenders insisted upon playing incessant 80s cock rock. Beers are pretty decent. Small snack menu.“

crossovert 2964 days ago

“Big space for a beginning brewery tap room. Clean and bright, parking a little short on spaces. Staff is friendly“

BlackBeerPG 2986 days ago

“Good atmosphere of historic downtown Downers Grove Illinois. Staff is friendly and the same service staff, for the most part, meaning employees that are loyal. Beer tasting for Mug members is a plus that many of our friends take advantage of. Different rooms, one for meetings, make this a good place to a club to meet. Food better than average, and unique. Parking sometimes tricky. Known for their own yearly beers, I look forward to the seasonal ales , I even wish they had more. Food pair well with whats on tap.“

BlackBeerPG 3113 days ago

“NOW CLOSED This place has just opened, and the guy behind the bar was put there while waiting for the regular bartender, so this is all a constructive criticism. Angelo Caputo’s took over this and a few other closed Dominick’s stores in the Chicago suburbs, and all have sitdown eating, but this is the first of what I was told to be more "Bar Angelo’s" in the chain. Bar area is nicely dressed up, striving to match the upscale Mariano’s that are also expanding here. The usual background music of Frankie-Perry-Tony-Dino pumped throughout the store. Taps are all in the "craft" sector, if you count Rebel IPA and Angry Orchard, but local names are also well represented. The menu only listed the beer brands on tap, so the guy sent to work bar did not known what the Urban Legend tap held, but the Church Street was marked, so I had that. Server could not find a "Church Street" glass, so I got it in a shaker (and I told him him a bit about glassware for each style). Glassware is currently chilled in the bottle cooler, more in keeping with serving wine. But I think as they get more familiar with beer service, that should change (having to compete with Standard Market down the street might make them keep their ante current, too). Server was at least interested in the beer, and was pleased when I pointed out the beers on tap brewed locally. He also showed me the menu, with pizzas, sandwiches and entrees from their deli, though food service won’t start for a few more days. Meanwhile, their packaged beer cooler had retail bottles of a few other locals like Metropolitan and Finch’s, and of course Goose. It’s up to customer demand to increase their representation. This is a new concept for an established grocer, so there are bugs to work out, but I expect they will manage. Note: Angelo Caputo’s is different from the "Angelo’s Fresh Markets" in this area which also has a place rating here.“

DrnkMcDermott 3594 days ago

“Visited yesterday as I was in the area. Didn’t expect much, but they had a very nice selection including singles. Same Binny’s feel and service as the others. Location is not the best and may be easy to miss unless you know it is there.“

HarvesterOfSorrow 4294 days ago

“Visited on Pawola22 recommendation. Nice place in an upscale suburb of Chicago. Good food at a reasonable price. Service was fast! Took a piss and drank less then half a beer and our food was ready, would have actually liked to have had time for a whole beer before food, but whatever. Beer was equally as good. Recommended if on that side of the cities.“

Atom 4395 days ago

“Your basic sports bar, dont head here if you are looking for any specialty craft beers, there are plenty of other spots in the area. Food was quick and what you would expect, same with service, great spot to watch a game though, TONS of TV"S.“

MiamiRedhawk 4483 days ago

“This place has really turned it around since previous reviews, I have had the following beers there in the last month. King Henry, Hopslam, Oaked arrogant bastard, stone sublimely self righteous, and if you go on the weekend, the chef has some great specials. We were there friday and had lobster stuffed skate wing(SP?) and it was delicious. And pork belly sliders to start. Crazy good. Worth going to and im here 4 times a week.“

MiamiRedhawk 4483 days ago

“Just across the cemetery from Emmett’s, and across the street from Ballydoyle and Another Round. This wine shop has been in the location for a while, but when I stopped in for their FW XV special, the owner said he wanted to bring in beer fans, too. Now have 6 taps, and a varied cooler of sixpacks. Clearly getting supplied by Windy City, with their beers most prominent. I’m not sure whether they serve bottles yet, as the cooler beers are meant for purchase. Vibe is still of a wine bar, but it means there’s an outdoor seating area where you can sit at wine barrels. Food service is cheese and other small bites to go with wine tastings. That leads to the only drawback; the smell from small kitchen in the main room. But they are pushing the beers, now, and we may some more exclusive tappings in the future.“

DrnkMcDermott 4513 days ago

“Visted here with the Folty family on Dec. 27, 2011. About a half dozen house taps, a couple guest taps. Had a couple of nice brews, and flights were available. Good food as well. Solid spot!“

BVery 4515 days ago

“Met up with BVery here on December 27, 2011 for dinner and drinks. The place seemed very nice and location was downtown DG, though we did get stopped by the Metra 3 times before crossing the tracks on Main. They have a nice selection of in house brews and a few guest taps as well. Prices were very reasonable and service wasn’t bad, but the waiter was a little pushy in trying to get us to order more quickly though it was a Tuesday night and not terribly busy. Had flights so total bonus!“

HarvesterOfSorrow 4516 days ago

“Shopped there when it was Sams.. ordered once and had an order cancelled due to TABC being dicks .. . good selection .. even had a brew made just for the store .. . a decent place ...decent pricing and shipping..“

SudsMcDuff 4615 days ago

“Has a sports bar design, and has enough T.V.’s to go around for sure. wait-staff is friendly and Bartenders are knowledgeable. Food selection is pretty good and the kitchen prepares fairly quick with accuracy. Just like a sportsbar, you can’t hear yourself talk on a busy night but a good crowd seems to always be there. Have everything from your bar standard American National Brews, to local brews and seasonal. Altogether a great place to hang out and throw back a few, while watching the game.“

RWH79 4899 days ago

“Typical large store setup with overhead lights and many aisles. Selection very good with lots of Belgians, US craft, and other European beers. Helpful beer guys who seemed fairly knowledgeable. Prices average. Decent Binny’s but not quite to the level of the South Loop or Glen Ellyn stores.“

Rando7 4913 days ago

“Was there for a band (Enter the Haggis) and had dinner before. Food was okay, bot not as good as some of the other Irish themed places in the Southwest suburbs. The bar area is too small to support a stage and was very cramped. The website had us confused about when the show started and when we arrived a sign on the door announced yet another start time. Annoying. The Aurora location is a better place to see a band.“

dragonlady1010 4943 days ago

“Kind of an upscale feel to this place. The beer is very well made and runs the gamut of styles, from lagers, to stouts, to pale ales and so on. Food is decent as well. Beer is fresh.“

NobleSquirrel 5022 days ago

“I stopped at this place after dinner on a Saturday night. There was a band called the Neverly Brothers getting ready to play. Because of this it cost me $5 to get in the door and I had to wear some stupid paper bracelet. I normally would have walked away from this silliness, but I was there with a bunch of people. The place was filling up fast, but somehow my party managed to secure a few seats at the end of the bar. The bartender was prompt and cute to boot. It doesn’t hurt to have your beer served by a pretty face. Ballydoyle has the usual selection of beers that you would expect to find at an Irish pub. There was Guinness, Boddington’s, Hoegaerten, Beamish, etc. I started out with a Boddington’s, which was served at a good temperature and in the proper glass. After I finished that off, I tried a Beamish, which I had never had before. It was very good and I would drink it again if I were to encounter it. Unfortunately I have really fallen in love with local microbrews, so I am not as excited about these imports. We didn’t eat anything so I cannot comment on the food. Once the band started playing things got loud and the crowd continued to fill the place. It was a nice atmosphere and a good place to enjoy a few beers. The noise made it hard to carry on a conversation though. Overall, my experience at Ballydoyle was enjoyable. I might stop in again if I were in the area, but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to go there, because it is pretty far from where I live.“

don_zouras 5114 days ago

“I have been to the other Emmett’s locations, so I decided to give this one a try. The beer selection was the same as the other locations. I was only planning to have lunch and a quick beer, so I went with the one that I knew I liked. The McCarthy Red was good as usual. My wife tried the seasonal which was a Beligian Wit. It had a nice citrus hint and the flavor went well with food. I have found that the "high end" entrees at the other locations have been disappointing to me, so I decided to keep it on the simpler side. The salmon sandwich was pretty good. It had a nice grilled flavor and the fish was still moist. My wife had the spinach and strawberry salad, which she said was good. The atmosphere in this Emmett’s was similar to the other locations with lots of dark wood. The number of TV’s was less than obnoxious also. It was about noon on a Friday of the July 4th weekend, so the place was pretty dead. This made for a nice quiet dining experience for our visit, but I don’t know what it would be like on a busy Saturday night. Overall this place is acceptable, but I am still underwhelmed by the beer selection. When considering the driving distance, I would have done better to go somewhere else.“

don_zouras 5115 days ago

“This Binny’s might have the largest selection of beer out of all of them. A large wall of imports, and two long isles of crraft beer. Prices are usual. Great selection though.“

monkeychugg55 5117 days ago

“Large warehouse type store with real nice shelving and displays. Wide selection of beers. Not the best selection in chicagoland but still pretty impressive. No singles rack which hurts in IMO. Good store if in area. Pretty much your standard Binny’s.“

msante79 5138 days ago

“With few options in the Chicago suburbs, it’s hard to knock this place. They usually have 8+ original brews on tap, they are consistent, I wouldn’t say great, not bad though. They need to get a little more creative though, all very standard (i.e. basic pale, basic stout, etc). The bar area is pretty damn nice, good TVs for sporting events. The food pricing is ridiculous, i.e. 9 bucks for some crap American style pretzels. It could be a lot better, but compared to going to Flingers and Chackhkies, it’s worthwhile.“

donttreadonme 5165 days ago

“Not a real beer destination, but you do get a decent amount of options beyond total swill. Food is not bad with your typical american takes on Irish comfort food and other pub grub all executed above average. They have a lot of events and live music making it pretty lively. Nice atmosphere and good service when I’ve gone.“

kseecs16 5329 days ago

“This should fall under the category of a fake Irish pub for the yuppie crowd, but they’ve put so much attention into the details that it really doesn’t matter. Great ambiance. A separate bar with a live stage and a full music calendar, plus three dining rooms. 20 taps with the usual BMC and Irish beers, but NO Killian’s, thank you. Then some unusual seasonals, including German beers, all in proper glassware. Across the street from Emmett’s making downtown Downers a halfway decent destination (there’s also a wine bar nearby, too with 2Bros and Kwak on tap).“

DrnkMcDermott 5611 days ago

“more of a resturant that serves beer then the other way around, though that was all i expected. service was excellent on a saturday afternoon, food was slightly above average and beer was just about dead on average. it was worth a stop in and though i wouldnt necessarily recommend it, it wasnt a total loss. simiilar overall fare and feel to the ram, and i think id rather hang out there.“

satan165 5725 days ago

“(Rated at Sam’s Wines, before Binny’s bought out the chain) I’ve been coming here enough times, maybe I should comment about it. Does look like a big warehouse club. Selections are more varied than others would claim they did get plenty of Oberon in right as Bell’s announced it was coming back to Chicago. Also some Meantimes and Mikkellers, a good-sized Belgian section and an ever-changing selection of cheaper foreign beers to help with your ticking. Currently they have a loose bottle rack at $9.99 for 6, but at least it’s not loose MGD’s mostly American micros. Staff picks for beer are displayed alongside the wine picks as you enter. Downtown stores still have this beat as far as selection, but I’m still always able to find something new.“

DrnkMcDermott 5750 days ago

“used to work right down the street from this place. Food was decent for a bar. Not to bad on the quality for the beer they brew, never tried them all due to them having other beers I knew that would be better. Decent place, but downers grove can get annoying. It’s like barbies play land make ship come to life.“

rednapx3 5751 days ago

“Mediocre service and mediocre beers...cool little suburb though...“

Walt 5869 days ago

“Good selection but nothing mindblowing...nothing amazing though...if you are in the neighborhood, go but otherwise don’t bother. Biggest cheese selection I have seen in town though...“

Walt 5869 days ago

“A descent selection. Not quite that of their downtown store though. Never really have anybody ask me for help which is fine by me, and I’m sure they would help if I asked/needed but havent crossed that bridge yet.“

Dough77 5947 days ago

“This Sam’s has an even more warehousey feel to it than the others, with beer extending high on metal shelving units. The selection was good, but they were out of a lot of the recent releases that I was looking for (did find some good Cantillon, though). Service was very friendly, and they were willing to hold some beer for me once. Prices were good.“

Ughsmash 5965 days ago

“I visited this location on 12/14/07(rated as Sam’s Wine & Spirits) and was quite impressed with the beer selection. I thought the pricing was a bit high compare to Binny’s (Naperville) about .50 on bombers and 1.00 more on six packs. Had great help when needed and everyone was friendly. Very impressed. Had Brooklyn and SN Harvest which Binny’s says they can not get“

Headbanger 5992 days ago

“Visited for dinner on a Friday evening. A bit loud but not too bad. Felt a bit out of place since everyone was nicely dressed but that wasn’t a problem either. Got the sampler great beers, as usual, but only six of them, five of which were in the sampler, not including the seasonal. My buffalo burger was delicious. Service was prompt and friendly. Great experience.“

gws57 5998 days ago

“I honestly went in with a relatively low expectation. I was really mistaken. I first sampled the Hefe on tap. Wow, this was the best Hefe i’ve ever tried. The waiter was extremely helpful/knowledgeable. The food was definately above average pub fare. If you just want dessert, look no further. The Raspberry Tiramisu was WAY too good. I’ll be a frequent customer!“

Kodos 6065 days ago

“Visited Emmett’s for the first time last week. It’s a clean, nice-looking place. Not too busy for a Friday night. Six of their beers were on tap, with the pale ale being the best. They also had bottles of a couple of other beers, including Lindeman’s Framboise and DH Indian Brown Ale. The food was pretty good along with the service. Will be back!“

troyc 6167 days ago

“I visited this particular Sam’s Wine & Spirits location on 11/12/2006 while visiting a friend in Chicagoland. This store is located right next to The Home Depot and has a huge parking lot in the front. The store is farily large, but probably only half the size of the the main Chicago Sam’s Wine & Spirits! They have tons of wine and a pretty good selection of American micros and craft beers as well as imports. Most of the micros/craft beers are 6-packs/4-packs only unless it comes in a 22 oz or 750 mL bottle. No 12 oz singles are really available unless it is an import or in the "bargain bin". Lots of rare and regional-only stuff available. Overall the store is bright, clean, well stocked, and there are people around to help.“

shigadeyo 6333 days ago

“12/14/07: New beer mgr, Travis, seems to have made an immediate positive impact. There are quite a few new selections from what was a fairly stagnant selection all year plus seemingly more available in singles. New to the store are 3 new Mikkeller brews: X, Black Hole & Santa’s Little Helper. 1/1/07: Went on New Year’s eve around 5pm and the non-cooler American craft beer shelves were quite picked over. I still managed to find some surprises, like Three Floyds Munsterfest, which I didn’t even know existed. The Belgian section was more extensive than my local Binny’s, which is no small feat. I have to imagine that when it’s fully stocked, this is an impressive beer store. I also get the feeling that there’s a pretty decent chance they’ll be doing a cheese, wine or beer tasting when you’re there, so that’s always a bonus. I didn’t even realize how close this place was to my house it will now compete with Binny’s for my business.“

ElGaucho 6339 days ago

“After numerous trips to the Clybourn location, I finally made it over to Downer’s Grove. AMBIANCE: Warehouse style store with an impressive selection of wines and scotches. The cheese selection at this Sam’s is also well chosen. SERVICE: Asked several times if I was in need of help. Sam’s is always top knotch in this regard. SELECTION: The website details this nicely. I appreciated seeing all of the Lees barrel aged harvest ales, a fine selection of lambics, and other Belgians. FOOD: Again, cheese selection is excellent. OVERALL: NIce store, and a better layout than Clybourn.“

Philip 6374 days ago