Couple of questions about Naperville and vicinity?

Could you please help me with the following:

1. need a good place for a team (5ppl) dinner on Mon: i thought Bavarian Lodge since at least one of my coworkers and myself into beer but it's closed on Mon (and Tue).
And btw Fabulous Noodles are closed on Mon too...

2. recommendation for a good beer store (or beer pub with decent food) that carries interesting craft beers like Goose Island and/or Three Floyds.

thank you, helena

For the beer, try Binny's off Ogden: http://www.binnys.com/inc/locations/locations.cfm

Close enough to Naperville, I'm a big fan of Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora. Besides being in a very cool restored railroad roundhouse, they have great food, brew their own beers, have a seperate cognac/cigar area and have the Walter Payton Museum.

http://www.walterpaytonsroundhouse.com/

Helena,

For a Pub with decent food I'd try Mullen's Bar and Grill. They are an outpost of the Wrigleyville location. Mullen's is located on the corner of Naperville Rd. and Warrenville Rd. in Lisle. My fiance and I are having a pre-wedding send off party there in September for our friends and family who cannot travel to Connecticut.

Mullen's serves decent food in a comfortable atmosphere. They have separated the building into 5 different rooms. Smoking is allowed around the front bar, but not the back side, then there is a room centered around a very warm fireplace, and an adjoining room for additional non-smoking seating. Then they have two back rooms; one is for private-parties the other has a couple of pool tables and dart boards.

Flip

Full Disclosure: I am not paid by Mullen's, but I am the captain of their pool team, and receive some special treatment on occasion.

Thanks for the info about Mullen's -- I've wondered if it's worth checking out. Unfortunately, that location seems as though it has been cursed for years. If Mullen's is decent, hopefully they can make a go of it.

In downtown Naperville, I'm partial to Quigley's. The food actually is pretty good, especially the burgers -- although they also have pub specialties like fish and chips, shepherd's pie, etc., which also are good. Although I drink Guinness, I think that they have a decent selection of beers on tap.

Beer Store - I second the Binny's at

790 Royal St George
Naperville, Illinois 60563

As for a beer infused restaurant, I would second the Roundhouse, or if you don't mind going to Oswego or Downer's Grove, Emmett's Ale House brews consistently solid to good beers and offers a decent menu. I have not been to the Oswego location but can vouch for the one in Downer's Grove.

Emmett's Ale House - Downer's Grove
5200 Main Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515

Emmett's Ale House Oswego
123 Washington Street
Oswego, IL 60543

America's Brewpub - In Walter Payton's Roundhouse
205 N. Broadway
Aurora, IL 60505

Thank you for recommendations: i ended up reserving Meson Sabika for Mon dinner...
Would like to try several beer pubs recommended above.
Also considering Goose Island - is it worth the trip?

Goose Island is definitely worth a trip, I'd recommedn the Clybourn location, they usually have some interesting stuff on tap on top of the usual suspects.

helena wrote:Also considering Goose Island - is it worth the trip?

If you're willing to drive to Goose Island from Naperville, you should also consider driving to Three Floyds since it really isn't much further. And the beer is a helluva lot better!

FYI, at non-rush-hour times it will take you 50-55 minutes to get to Three Floyds from the Naperville Road interchange of I-88. The Calumet Ave interchange will be closed starting Monday, so if you will be going there after Monday: exit at Torrence Ave from 80-94 (watch closely for exit!), go right/south on Torrence to Glenwood-Lansing Road, then left/east on Glenwood-Lansing Road until it ends at Calumet Ave, turn right, and in a quarter mile or so turn right on Superior and follow it around to the brewpub under the water tower. Otherwise, follow the directions on the website.

i actually thought about driving to Three Floyds; but checking their web site it seems like i tried most of their beers - we always have a case of Dreadnaught at home, but never anything from Goose Island (well, maybe their IPA on draft).

Just my 2 cents, but I wouldn't necessarily drive to either of those places from Naperville.

The last few times that I've been to Goose Island on Clybourn, I was pretty disappointed (I used to live a few blocks from there and go there regularly). The food is really nothing special, and their beer isn't hard to find -- you even can buy it at Osco.

As for Three Floyd's, I've never been there and can't comment on the food or beer, but my inlaws live in Lansing and I know from personal experience that it can take well over an hour to get between that area and Naperville -- even during non-rush hour -- due to heavy traffic on 294S and 80/94. Bottom line -- there is plenty to do and see around Naperville, and you probably don't want to spend your free time sitting in gridlock traffic.

I'm all for not driving far - and thanks to LTH i have a good list of beer pubs, couple of chinese - Fabulous Noodles and Katy Dumpling House, and even a german place with great beer!..

Now the only thing i really need to add to the list is a great mexican - and after reading the forum i'm not sure i want to go to Frontera Grill as i initially planned...

helena wrote:I'm all for not driving far - and thanks to LTH i have a good list of beer pubs, couple of chinese - Fabulous Noodles and Katy Dumpling House, and even a german place with great beer!..

Now the only thing i really need to add to the list is a great mexican - and after reading the forum i'm not sure i want to go to Frontera Grill as i initially planned...

Helena,

For Mexican you could head south to Amanacer Tapatio in Joliet. I've been meaning to go back recently myself.

700 Ruby
Joliet, IL

Flip

Great suggestion Flip!