07/29/09

good food and beer

by chitownbill

have been going to hop leaf for a number of years - their menu is really good and you can't beat their beer selection. as it's become more popular and crowded, seems the staff and bartenders aren't as helpful and friendly anymore though. maybe i just got them on a bad day last week. still recommend though!

• Pros: great food and beer selection
• Cons: too crowded and unhelpful staff/bartenders

11/21/08

Favorite Bar in Chicago

by katrina2s

I was first introduced to the Hopleaf in 2006 and it has been my favorite Chicago bar ever since. The beer selection is perhaps the best in the city and you wont find a single television in the entire place. The focus here is the beer, but the staff is not snobby in the least. They are happy to recommend beers and will even give you samples of the draft beers if you ask nicely. I especially like the Kwak (and not just because of the fancy glass it comes in).

Additionally, this bar holds some great events. For example, the Drinking and Writing Festival. Two drink minimum writing contests, poetry readings, what could be better!

Just get their early if you want a seat. It gets crowded quickly, even upstairs. Also, the restaurant doesn't take reservations, but that's not the end of the world because you can always grab a drink or two while you wait.

• Pros: Beer Selection
• Cons: Crowded

10/02/08

The Most Terrible Bar Ever

by MaxPower11

This place is horrible. Don't go here.

Don't finish this review, just listen to me and don't go here.

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.Good. I'm hoping this review keeps the flakes and loser hipsters away. But for those who love everything about beer, I'll let you in on a little secret. GO HERE. This place is by far the most awesome beer bar in the good ol' US of A. They have stuff on tap that most bars don't even know exists.

A testament to this place:

I went to a bar in LA that is supposed to have the best tap AND bottle selection in the city. Granted, LA is trendy, but beer is coming back in fashion; especially imported beer. Looking over the list of product, I saw one of my favorites: Tripel Karmeliet. So I asked the bartender, "Do you have this beer on tap?" Her response was no less that comical: "On tap? There's no such thing as 'on tap' Karmeliet. It's only sold in the bottle."

"I'm sorry, but I believe you are mistaken", I said " I've had it on tap at another bar." "That's not possible", was her reply, "It says on the label, 'Bottle Conditioned'. That means it ONLY comes in bottles."

Needles to state, if THAT counts for a top beer bar in LA, the most up-to-date and trend-conscious city on Earth, then the Hopleaf is so far above top, it's lapping those on the bottom. Seriously, this place rocks. Every time I go there, I meet interesting people. It's not the best place to meet "beautiful" people, so if you want that, I can recommend other places. But if you want to have some of the best beer ever, with a friend you haven't met, then the Hopleaf is the place for you.

• Pros: Awesome Tap and Bottle Selection
• Cons: Lack of Eye Candy...Even for the "Im not trendy" crowd