A guide to the best gastropubs in Chicago. These bars might be casual, but the food is seriously good.
What is a gastropub? A gastropub is a bar that serves high quality food. Chicago has many, and usually people go there to eat, not just to drink. Most neighborhoods have an excellent gastropub or two. A handful are known for having some of the best burgers in Chicago.
Last updated: March 2022
The Best Gastropubs in Chicago:
Table of Contents
We have organized this list of best gastropubs in Chicago by neighborhood.
Andersonville:
Little Bad Wolf
American, Gastropub, Lunch
A pub that serves over a hundred different beers and that is known for its burger. The menu also includes “substantial” salads, tacos, and bao.
Half Acre
Brewery, Gastropub
Technically, Half Acre is in the small neighborhood of Bowmanville which borders Andersonville and Ravenswood. The space on Balmoral Ave is home to a taproom and beer garden that serves casual pub grub like cheese curds, nachos, bratwurst, and burgers. Brunch is available on weekends.
Lady Gregory’s Irish Bar & Restaurant
Gastropub, Irish, American, Lunch
An elegant gastropub serving farm-to-table Irish food like fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie, and curried veggie pot pie. American standards like burgers, mac and cheese, and fried chicken are also served. A “gluten-friendly” menus is available.
Hopleaf
Gastropub, American/Belgian, Lunch
A gastropub serving over 65 beers that is open for lunch and dinner 365 days a year. The menu is Belgian inspired and includes mussels cooked in beer, sausage, loaded pommes frites, and a pork chop served with spaetzle. Like most restaurants in Andersonville, Hopleaf has a patio.
Avondale:
Mother’s Ruin
Gastropub
A new gastropub serving craft cocktails and slushies plus bar food like beer cheese nachos, wings, a spicy chicken sandwich, a vegan falafel burger, a fish sandwich, and a double cheeseburger.
Chief O’Neill’s Pub & Restaurant
Irish, Gastropub
The menu at this gastropub includes Irish classics like corned beef, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, chicken pot pie, meatloaf, and pot roast. Dinner is served nightly an a brunch buffet is offered on Sundays.
Bucktown:
Lotties
Gastropub/Bar
You may recognize Lottie’s from the shows Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med. This classic bar opened in 1934 and serves a large menu feature bar food staples like cheese curds, chicken wings, burgers, pizza, tacos, and sandwiches. Currently, Camp Lotties, a set of seven private heated tents with televisions are open.
Gold Coast:
Luxbar
American, Gastropub, Lunch
A sister restaurant to Gibsons and Hugo’s, Luxbar is a bar with formal appearance, a casual atmosphere, and a large sidewalk patio. The restaurant serves elevated bar food including a selection Gibsons steaks, burgers, and pan pizza. We recommend the Lux Royale Burger and a side of truffle fries. It is one of the more elegant and best gastropubs in Chicago.
Lakeview:
Mordecai
American, Gastropub
Located on the second floor of the Hotel Zachary, Mordecai has views of Wrigley Field. The cuisine is new American and the menu includes entrees like burgers, roast chicken, salmon, and steak frites. Family-style pastas are served on Wednesdays.
Wilde Bar & Restaurant
American, Irish, Gastropub, Lunch, Kid-friendly
A cozy gastropub with fireplaces and shelves filled with books. The large menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, plus entrees like shepherds pie, fish and chips, chicken curry, and meatloaf.
Lincoln Park:
Armitage Ale House
British, Indian, Romantic
A neighborhood pub by Hogsalt Hospitality which also owns Bavette’s, Ciccio Mio, and Gilt Bar in River North. This beautifully decorated restaurant gets its inspiration from a London pub in the 1920s. The menu includes a mix of British classics and Indian food.
Logan Square:
Longman & Eagle
American, Breakfast/Brunch
A restaurant and inn with six guest rooms on the second floor, Longman & Eagle pays homage to the time when bars, inns, and pubs were community centers. The cuisine is modern and inventive. The menu has items such as foie gras stuffed falafel, mushroom and raclette dumplings, a classic fried chicken, and a wild boar sloppy Joe.
Owen & Engine
Gastropub, British
A gastropub serving locally sourced British pub food. You can find classics like a scotch egg, Cornish pasty, bubble and squeak, bangers and mash, and fish and chips on the menu. Their burger is a standout.
Gretel
American, Global, Gastropub
A chic gastropub serving top-notch globally inspired bar food, one of Chicago’s best burgers, and an indulgent macaroni and cheese. Other menu items include French onion soup, pork gyoza, pork belly nachos, ramen, and a prime rib French dip sandwich. It’s a fun mix with something for everyone – and definitely one of the best gastropubs in Chicago. Gretel does not accept reservations.
The Whale
American, Gastropub
A glamorous restaurant from the same owners as The Vig in Old Town that periodically hosts live music. The cuisine is casual American with burgers, fried chicken, and a fried fish sandwich included on the menu.
Revolution Brewing
American, Gastropub
This neighborhood brewpub serves sharable snacks like wings and nachos, sandwiches and burgers, sides, and salads. On weekends they also serve brunch. Plus, you can try 30 different Revolution beers.
Park & Field
American, Gastropub, Kid-friendly
Park & Field is known for their 6,000 square foot patio which has fire pits and bocce courts. When it comes to having fun activities, Park & Field is definitely one of the best gastropubs in Chicago. The indoor space has a vintage sports club theme. On weekends, the restaurant hosts a bottomless boozy brunch for $45 a person. The menu is casual American bar food like chili, pretzels with cheese, buffalo chicken nuggets, burgers, and sandwiches.
The Loop:
The Gage
Gastropub, Lunch
An elevated pub that is open for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner. The Gage serves bar fare like burgers, steaks, and fish and chips. The pub’s location between The Art Institute and Cloud Gate make it a perfect place for lunch during a day of sightseeing.
Old Town:
The Vig
Bar/Gastropub
A stylish sports bar with great cocktails and a large menu of casual American cuisine. It can be crowded on game days and weekends.
Woodie’s Flat
Bar/Gastropub
A sports bar with a menu featuring wings, burgers, and salads.
Pilsen:
Dusek’s Tavern
American, Gastropub
Located in the same building as concert venue Thalia Hall, Dusek’s Tavern serves a balance of pub food and sophisticated new American cuisine. The menu has buffalo chicken wings and oysters, beef tartare and bbq pork rinds. When it comes to entrees they have dishes like a double cheeseburger, pork schnitzel, and a dry aged rib eye. The space is upscale and inviting; it is a fitting place for a date or a pre-concert bite.
Ravenswood:
Half Acre
Brewery, Gastropub
Technically, Half Acre is in the small neighborhood of Bowmanville which borders Andersonville and Ravenswood. The space on Balmoral Ave is home to a taproom and beer garden that serves casual pub grub like cheese curds, nachos, bratwurst, and burgers. Brunch is available on weekends.
Cultivate by Forbidden Root
Gastropub, American
A sister restaurant to Forbidden Root in West Town, Cultivate serves bar snacks, cheese plates, salads, vegetable mains, and larger meat entrees. The atmosphere is low-key but the cuisine is more sophisticated than most brewpubs. The menu has chicken liver mousse, lamb shank cassoulet, and duck confit with dumplings.
The Bad Apple
American, Gastropub, Burgers, Kid-friendly
A relaxed gastropub known for beer and burgers. The menu has fourteen burgers plus starters like fried cheese curds, nachos, and poutine. If burgers aren’t your thing, there are some salads and sandwiches on the menu.
Rogers Park:
R Public House
Gastropub
A neighborhood pub serving burgers, pizza, sandwiches and sharable bar snacks. Dinner is served Tuesdays through Sundays and brunch is available on weekends.
Bulldog Ale House
Lunch, Gastropub
A pub near the Loyola campus serving lunch and dinner daily. The menu covers all the bar food classics: sliders, tacos, wings, pizza, sandwiches, burgers, and more. Forty beers are available on tap.
Roscoe Village:
The Reveler
American, Gastropub, Lunch, Kid-friendly
A family-friendly sports bar with over 60 beers on tap and a menu of casual bar food like wings, nachos, burgers, pizza, and sandwiches. The 100-person patio has flatscreen televisions and is dog friendly.
Commonwealth Tavern
American, Gastropub, Lunch, Kid-friendly
An upscale sports bar and home base for Dallas Cowboys and Notre Dame football and Marquette basketball that serves a large menu of American fare. The menu has lots of bar snacks like wings, nachos, guacamole, cheese curds, and hummus. Beyond snacks, the menu has salads, sandwiches, tacos, and burgers. Lunch is served on weekdays, brunch is available on weekends, and dinner is served nightly. The large kid’s menu will please even the pickiest eaters.
South Loop:
First Draft
Gastropub, Lunch
A gastropub with lots of tvs and 64 beers on tap. Food is served from 11 am until 11 pm. The menu has sharable snacks like pizza bread, pretzel bites, chicken wings, and cheese curds, plus sandwiches and burgers. Brunch is served on weekends and bottomless mimosas are $25 (2-hour limit).
Weather Mark Tavern
American, Gastropub, Kid-friendly
A nautical themed gastropub that is just a short walk from Soldier Field and McCormick Place. The menu has lots of sharable snacks like wings, cheese curds, dips, and pretzel bites plus salads, burgers, sandwiches, and thin crust pizzas.
West Loop:
Bar Siena
Italian, Lunch
Fabio Viviani’s casual Italian gastropub has a menu with a mix of pizzas, pastas, and Italian inspired bar foods. The restaurant serves lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends in addition to dinner nightly. The brunch menu is one of the most man-friendly (hearty) in the city.
Punch Bowl Social
American, Gastropub, Lunch
A 30,000 square foot entertainment complex with a bar and restaurant, this is the place for a fun night out. Punch Bowl Social has bowling, ping pong, karaoke, video games, bocce, and more. It’s open for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner and it stays open and serves food late. The menu has casual bar food like sharable dips, burgers, sandwiches, and tacos.
La Josie
Mexican, Gastropub, Lunch
A family owned Mexican restaurant on Restaurant Row serving classic dishes from Jalisco. You can find favorites like guacamole, chips and salsa, quest fundido, ceviche, tamales, tacos, taco salads, and enchiladas on the menu plus some larger entrees. La Josie was a 2021 Michelin Bib Gourmand Award winner.
West Town:
Forbidden Root
Gastropub, American, Lunch
A botanical brewpub that serves beers like strawberry basil hefeweizen, sparkling rosé ale, and a double IPA called snoochie boochies. The food menu has bar snacks, cheese plates, small plates and larger mains like a pork schnitzel sandwich, duck and dumplings, a reuben, and a mushroom pot pie.
Wicker Park:
Pub Royale
Indian, Gastropub
Pub Royale is a pub serving up Indian food and burgers. The burger is a wonderful take on a classic single patty burger. Other stand out items are the Gobi Manchurian and the Butter Chicken. The bar has 22 beers on tap and a selection of gin and tonics and other cocktails.
Little Victories
Bar/Gastropub
A gastropub along Division Street that has a small menu with items like a classic burger, a fried chicken sandwich, and short rib chili tater tot nachos. Little Victories is lively without being loud or crowded. It’s the type of place that you will find yourself visiting again and again. On weekends they have a small brunch menu.