Hopleaf Alternatives (tasty food+quality beer = happy times)

My girlfriend and I made an unfortunate choice for dinner last night in our quest to find an adequate substitution for Hopleaf. We decided on Schoolyard Tavern, which I had heard had above average bar food and above average beers on tap.

We both ordered chicken sandwiches (mine a "club;" her's a BBQ). Neither was particularly impressive. We were hoping for an "off-the-grill" sort of flavor for the chicken, which basically tasted like it had come right out of the "100 frozen chicken breasts" bag. Ditto on the fries. At that point, even though the "cookie-in-a-skillet" sundae was tempting, we passed and went up to Scooter's for custard.

Anyway, I know that Hopleaf gets a lot of attention here, but I'm curious where else people go in the city for a really great beer and something on the menu other than standard fare? I know that Piece is a good choice, but when the menu is only pizza (albeit good) that's limiting. And I realize that Hopleaf has it's equal bar-wise in The Map Room, but serving quality food is also a must. I'm loathe to use the word "gastropub," but if others want to call a bar with great food that, then that's fine with me.

Thanks much!

You should try Kuma's Corner. (Scan down toward the bottom of the thread for more relevant posts on the highly-regarded beer and pub food - primarily the burgers - at Kuma's.)

There's been a lot of talk on LTH about Kuma's Corner. I went there for dinner last night and it was quite enjoyable. I, too, needed a substitute for the Hopleaf. I love the mussels and the atmosphere at my favorite Andersonville haunt, but I can't stand the untenable wait and generally rude waitstaff (in the back, not at the bar).

I have found Kuma's to be a great substitution. There are tons of great beers (I had the Abita Turbodog) and the mussels compare quite well. The broth is garlic-y and much spicier than Hopleaf's, but it's equally good, if not (dare I say) better. The mussels are served with a grilled garlic pretzel roll and no fries since the dish is on the appetizer list. I ordered them as my entree with fries (crisp and hand-cut looking) and a salad and they were served with a smile. My dining companion ordered one of the burgers off the large list and was very happy with his choice. The endless "burger list" allows you to order your choice of beef, chicken, veggie or "chicken finger" (?) burger. Salads are fresh and well-dressed. Far better than average bar food. Good restaurant food, even.

What is the catch, you say? Well, there isn't one if you don't mind being pummeled by heavy metal music. This is a bar owned and run by fans of the stuff. That said, everyone is exceedingly pleasant and service is excellent, even when they are slammed. They have a great garden (where the music is non-existent) that's a lovely summer oasis.

Every burger is named after a heavy metal band (a Neurosis burger, anyone?). Very entertaining even if you know the least bit about metal.

I say Kuma's is your place. Report back if you give it a try.

Purplestar

Kuma's Corner
2900 W. Belmont

I love the Hopleaf, but, as Yogi Berra once said, "Nobody goes there anymore ... it's too crowded."

I'll second, or third, or twelveth, or whatever, Kuma's Corner as a good option. Another good option, by me, nice beer list, and maybe slightly more upscale food, is Prairie Moon Café. Regional American food.

Prairie Moon
1502 Sherman Ave., Evanston
(847) 864-832

Anyone know if kids are allowed at Kuma's? Is the vibe there more like, e.g., Mullen's on Southport or more comparable to, say, Skylark? I love Skylark, but I wouldn't take my two little ones there.

Kasia wrote:Anyone know if kids are allowed at Kuma's? Is the vibe there more like, e.g., Mullen's on Southport or more comparable to, say, Skylark? I love Skylark, but I wouldn't take my two little ones there.

The original Kumas thread linked by JiLS above has discussion about this topic.

My two favorite places for beer and food in town are the Hopleaf and Kuma's, but a few other places worth noting that have almost all be discussed in LTH at some point:

Edgewater Lounge (5600 N. Ashland Ave) - This is a fairly modest looking bar from the outside, but they have very good beer selection that typically features a few interesting Rouge beers on tap. They also have a small, but well though out and executed menu of better than average bar food.

Bad Dog Tavern (4535 N Lincoln Ave) - This place has a slightly above average beer list and the food is better than your standard bar fare. Nice outdoor seating area. Also, the Grafton is across the street. The beer selection is you basic Irish bar standards, but their burger (along with Kuma's) is my favorite in town.

Feed the Beast (4300 N Lincoln Ave) - I was a bit skeptical of this place because its location is one that seems to eat up and spit out restaurants on a regular basis, but I was fairly impressed with their beer list. I don't remember the food well though.

Handlebar (2311 W North Ave) - Vegetarian place (if you're into that) with good beer. They also have an excellent outdoor seating area.

Small Bar (2049 West Division and 2956 North Albany) - I have a strong preference for the Small Bar in Logan Square, but I think the beer is better at their Division location. I haven't eaten there recently, but the menu looks OK.

Duke of Perth (2913 N. Clark St) - This is a great place to get Scottish/British beers on tap as well as some pretty good food.

Laschets (2119 West Irving Park Rd) - German restaurant with very good food and beer selection. If you're into German food and beer. Also see Resi's across the street.

Hackney's (733 S. Dearborn) - I work near Hackeny's and eat lunch there often, so I never think of it as a place to get a beer (for that I go to Kasey's). But they do have a very good beer list and food.

Three Floyds (9750 Indiana Parkway, Munster, IN) - This is the pub attached to the Three Floyds Brewery, and if this place was in the city, I would put it up there with Hopleaf and Kuma's for the best combination of quality food and beer. They have a great food menu, their beers are always excellent, and they have a really good list of guest drafts and bottles.

Maple Tree Inn (13301 S. Old Western Ave., Blue Island) - Never actually been here, but by all accounts the beer selection is excellent. It has a cajun menu, and I've heard people speak highly of it.

Also of note, Jerry's Sandwiches (one of the great sandwich places in town) is opening a location on Division near Damen (1938 W Division to be exact). Their web site says it will be more of a sitdown place (as opposed to a sandwich shop) with a more complete menu and their bar will have about 100 craft beers available. Something to look out for.

I would like to recommend The Edgewater, just a few blocks north of Hopleaf, over on Ashland. It's got atmosphere, great beer, and above average food. I'm especially fond of the key lime-marinated cod sandwich, although everything I've had there has been good. The crowd is also a great mix of everybody in the neighborhood and very friendly.

I've actually been at Hopleaf before, wandered down to The Edgewater, and seen some of the people I just saw at Hopleaf, so I'm apparently not the only person who enjoys both.

The Edgewater
5600 N. Ashland
773-878-3343

The Fireside on Ravenswood and Rosehill has a very good beer selection (it is owned by the same people as the Clark Street Ale house), pretty decent food, and a covered patio. Plus, they serve food until 3 AM.

Fireside
5739 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Chicago
773-561-7433

http://www.firesidechicago.com/index.html

The Gage recently opened, and it is definitely good. Part of good bar food is usually good prices, which The Gage doesn't necesarily have. Part of the good bar is usually "neighborhoody" also, and it lacks that being across from Millenium Park, but the beer list is decent, wine list is good, and the menu is quite diverse and quite tasty. I had a duck confit that was very flavorful, and we had some carpaccio that was very good. Definitely worth a visit.

Lux Bar is also pretty good, for upscale bar food. I also thought Hop Haus was decent if you like a burger, although beer list isn't all that impressive. Coopers on Belmont is pretty decent as well.

Man, there are a lot of non-chain places in this town with a good combination of beer and food.

I'd reiterate Resi's and Laschett's, then note Village Tap, Black Rock, and (a place I find filling many roles these days) Uncommon Ground.

On tap at UG: Maredsous, DT, Leffe, Mad Hatter, Anchor Steam, etc. Good beer specials during the week, also.

Also, Sheffield's now has "real" BBQ, and I'm interested to check it out.

Krolls in the South Loop has a nice variety of beers and very good bar food. I've enjoyed the burgers, apps and even the milkshakes there, and the atmosphere has a kind of swanky, hipsterish yet comfortable vibe to it:

http://www.krolls-chicago.com/
1736 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605

Two more places to add to the list:

Silver Palm (768 N Milwaukee Ave) - This is the train car restaurant next to (and affiliated with) the Matchbox. I actually prefer the Silver Palm bar to the Matchbox because you can usually get a seat. They have a good beer selection (although their cocktails are probably the real draw), and a thoughtful menu with interesting interpretations of standard bar food.

Goose Island (1800 North Clybourn and 3535 North Clark St.) - I was just at the Wrigleyville location, and if you can forgive the ass clown Cubs fans and frat boys there during gamedays and in general (it's tough), Goose Island brews some really good beers and serves some better than average bar food. Both locations always have a number of brews available that are not for sale in stores. Yesterday I tried their Saison which was quite good. I strongly prefer the Clybourn location.

I would also second the recommendation of Uncommon Ground (3800 N Clark St) as someplace worth checking out. I was impressed with their beer selection.

Thanks again for everyone for their suggestions. I'll make sure to keep others in mind, but I did go to Kuma's Corner the other day, and it lived up to everyone's recommendation and then some. Great, juicy burger. Super fries. And fantastic beer.

And, as a reference, I also went to Select Cut for the first time this week, which I guess was rated as the 3rd best burger in the Chicagoland area a couple of years ago by the Tribune. It wasn't as good. It was greasier, the bun got soggy, and the flavor wasn't as deep. A good burger, no doubt, but I'd take Kuma's any day of the week.

In other news, it seems that Piece has gone the way of Hopleaf. Last Saturday night at 7:30, they had a bouncer positioned at the door because, "they were at capacity and in order for someone to go in, another person had to come out." What was particularly ridiculous was that they wouldn't even let me go in to put my name on the dining wait list until someone "came out" even though I volunteered to immediately return to wait outside. Granted, I've regularly waited 45 minutes for a table at Piece at crunchtime on the weekend, but this was out of hand. I'm not sure if it was because they were debuting new beers that weekend, the combination of baseball and basketball games on, or just a nice summer Saturday night that made it unreasonably crowded. I just hope it won't remain that way for the rest of the summer

cjkrautk wrote:What was particularly ridiculous was that they wouldn't even let me go in to put my name on the dining wait list until someone "came out" even though I volunteered to immediately return to wait outside.

Sounds like they were hitting their maximum occupancy for fire code. It'd make sense that they wouldn't allow anyone in at that point. (Not sure it makes sense to let it get that out of hand that you approach that point though.)

Sounds like they were hitting their maximum occupancy for fire code. It'd make sense that they wouldn't allow anyone in at that point. (Not sure it makes sense to let it get that out of hand that you approach that point though.)

Well, yeah, I'm sure that was the reason (the guy seemed sorta nervous, like the fire marshall had already dropped by). But the system shoulda been better--they should have put their wait list person at the door.

FYI: went to Hopleaf last night. Arrived at 6:30 (party of 2). Sat down immediately. When we left, it was about 7:30, and surprisingly not packed (i bet a party of 4 could get seated in 15 minutes). And I was very disappointed in my dish: the pork belly--which wasn't described correctly on the menu. It was like thick-cut bacon and came out really crispy...actually, burned on several parts. My girlfriend had a ham sandwich that was delicious. And, of course, the beer and fries were great.