The Tribes Alehouse

CORKSCREWFISH

Illinois

3.94/5  rDev -10.5%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.75 | $$

Nice little place in a newer strip mall in Mokena.
Beer selection is always quite good,plenty of less common beers,and special tappings on Wednesdays. These tappings can be quite nice,and have included. beers such as CBS,Black Note,Darkness,to name only a few.
The service is quite nice even if the food can often leave something to be desired. The variety and overall selection of the food is great,the quality is unfortunately not there much of the time.
Overall,the place is nice to have available in the SW burbs.I go here often,the beer keeps me coming back.
New Tinley location opened somewhat recently,but I have yet to try it,

05-14-2013 07:32:29 | More by CORKSCREWFISH

dcsoke

Arkansas

3.98/5  rDev -9.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I've been here a few times already and each experience is great, mostly due to the selection of brews and consistency of good service. Downside is that this place is in a remote area in the far southwest suburbs.

A: This place will fool you! The building Tribes is in is a strip mall and there a tanning salon next door, wtf?

Q: Food is amazing, enough said. They have a high quality selection for a bar and it's much larger than the typical brewpub someone would go to. The beer is fresh and from what I can tell they clean out the beer lines from time to time because there isn't the noticeable funk that some places have in their draft selection.

11/1/2012 - Editing the quality to average since my most recent visit to the Mokena location. There were quite a few empty taps, both our burgers were ordered Med but came well done and the burger meat was very salty. I did complain so they could correct the issue going forward. After visiting the new Tinley Park, IL location twice since it opened, it seems as though they took the quality away from the Mokena location and put it in Tinley.

S: The waitstaff here are very attentive, even during peak hours when it's standing room only. Always a smile and quick to get drinks.

S: The menu says it all, they have EVERYTHING. Special tappings each Wednesday and the beer selections change with the seasons to follow the breweries' releases. Food selection is decent too (There's even some vegetarian dishes for those types.)

F: Covered already
V: Warning, can be expensive depending on the type of food and beers ordered. Dinner and drinks can easily run $35-60 a person.

11-01-2012 15:04:15 | More by dcsoke

sleuthdog

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Great little place tucked into the south suburbs of Chicago. Tribes has a nice selection of taps available and seem to update these often. All are priced very well and served in the proper glassware.

Food is better than your average brewpub and selection is, too. Prices for food are on the pricey side to me but hey, you get what you pay for right? I think the food quality is better than average.

Atmosphere is good for a craft beer pub but me being a sports junkie I guess I'd like more sports played and where we can actually hear the game. That's just me being picky, though.

10-13-2012 03:14:21 | More by sleuthdog

BeerOps

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Tribes Mokena is my local go to option for craft beer and good food.

Visited on a Friday night after a long day of work. Located in a strip mall, parking is ample. The place was packed upon arrival and we ordered a few beers at the bar while we waited for a table. After a short wait, we settled in to a table overlooking the dining area. The server promptly greeted us and seeing we already had drinks, offered us water and a few suggestions on the menu.

Tribes has a nice rotating selection of about 40 drafts and always updates regularly on BeerMenus. The choices range from local standouts to hard to find limited and seasonal releases. Glassware is always appropriate to the selection.

We had the mussels, fish and chips, and a burger. All the food was well prepared and very good. Menu choices are far better than the traditional bar food, so bring an appetite. Service was good and we never felt rushed even though the bar was crowded.

I look forward to the new Tinley Park location to open soon. It will be hard to follow the high standards set by the original location.

09-16-2012 21:05:45 | More by BeerOps

jeonseh

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev -8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Went to Tribes for the first time yesterday. I have to say this is quite the gem in the South burbs as it definitely stands out as one of the better beer bars. When you first walk in, the look of it reminds me of an Irish pub meets FFF. What I mean is that it has the big wooden bar and beer paraphernalia all over the walls (including chalk drawings of the logos what they have on top) but instead of it being all traditional beer logo (think Guinness etc.), it's craft beer focused.

The place gets pretty packed as I was there on a Wednesday and around 7, there was a pretty decent wait. The service was pretty good once I got the waiter to realize that I had arrived and meet my wife, which took awhile.

The beer selection was really good here and is what makes this worth the trip. They had fresh Hopslam, a variety of Stone, Founder's RIS, some FFF beers and a few others. They also seem to partner with the breweries to do release nights and promotion nights as well.

The food was solid. We both had burgers which were good and large. They also have poutine as an appetizer (who doesn't love a place with poutine). Dessert we had a piece of chocolate cake as big as your head.

Overall, a nice place and worth stopping by if you're in the area.

01-26-2012 13:25:30 | More by jeonseh

Simmy7000

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

I've been here numerous times and live pretty close. Located near the end of a strip-mall, Tribes is a pretty small sized place. There is a small bar located in the first room when you walk in and off to the left is a dining area with tables.

Atmosphere is fine, some times I have been here it has been pretty quiet. Other times there have been good crowds and some noise. The tvs above the bar give a great opportunity to watch some sports while drinking great beer. I like checking out all the tap handles and beer posters adorning the walls. The Dark Lord vertical, Darkness, and GI BCS variants on the top shelf are also a nice too (should be stored better!).

The selection here is great. A decent amount of craft companies and styles, however it does seem to favor American craft and IPAs. Seems like a good amount of taps are constantly rotating with new/different beers to try which is nice. They also have wine and a bunch of whiskey but I stick to the beer.

What sets Tribes above is some of the special tappings they have had on Wednesdays. They have had everything from Founders Blushing Monk/Devil Dancer to FFF Shark Pants/Zombie Dust to DFH 120 min on tap at different points this summer. They also had a FFF takeover at the beginning of the summer. Its amazing a small place in the south suburbs gets these special events.

I have only eaten basics such as the wings, burger, and chicken sandwich. All of them were tasty, and the tater tots are a nice mix-up from fries all the time.

Pricing for everything seems fair. Standard food prices and standard craft beer prices. Special events are a little more expensive but that is to be expected.

Overall, this is a gem in the south suburbs. The special events really set them apart and make it worth a trip. They are good about keeping their twitter updated with all the events going on. Most worthy of a stop if you are anywhere in the area for a few beers and some food.

08-16-2011 05:32:31 | More by Simmy7000

Treebs

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This was my first time visiting this establishment. I was a little skeptical as it is located in a strip mall which doesn't seem like an ideal location for a craft beer pubhouse. It doesn't help that it's located between a cleaners and a pottery painting store.

Walking in I wasn't impressed really. It was cool seeing all the tap handles, but I wasn't impressed with all the empty boxes and metal tacker signs all over the wall. They definitely went with the quantity over quality factor. The lay-out is also quite odd, but I guess being in a strip mall does limit what you can do.

We sat down to order our beers and the server was very knowledgeable about what was on the menu and even let us know about a few things that weren't on that menu that had just been tapped during middle of the day (the menus are updated daily with a date stamp at the top which is always a plus).

I was very impressed with the menu for being an establishment of this kind. The lay out of the menu was easy to read as well. The beer menu was divided into different style of beer, draft on the front and bottles on the back. The food menu was also laid out nicely. It wasn't that big, but I think it helped because everything we had was delicious. The two appetizers we had were a lager infused cheese dip and thai inspired calamari. Both delicious and I had the whiskey bacon BBQ burger for entree, also great. Fresh cut fries as well. The only knock is that once we got a food out waitress didn't come around that often even though I wanted to get some more beer. The also do flights (very reasonably priced).

Overall I was impressed minus the atmosphere. I wish this place was closer as I would frequent the bar much more often.

08-07-2011 14:44:49 | More by Treebs

IlliniPi

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -13%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Depending on the day of the week, this place has a different crowd/atmosphere to offer. Weekdays can be a smaller, albeit not quieter evening with some open mic entertainment. Weekends tend to get crowded at times, but I don't recall ever waiting an extended time for a seat or server. Tribes has been a common destination for watching bball/baseball/hockey as well, without all the hoopla.

My go-to on the menu has to be any of the beef/bison burgers. I've had a couple of the other sandwiches off the menu as well, and thought all of them were delicious. Food prices were somewhat higher than I expected, though.

Beer selection is constantly being updated (every couple weeks) with some of the newly trending and seasonally released beers. They also offer to-go service on a select number of single bottles and growlers, although there are some cheaper options available at retail stores.

Staff is very knowledgeable and will provide an idea for a brew to try if you're interested.

08-01-2011 07:04:14 | More by IlliniPi

cagocubs

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I've been here several times, accumulated a good feel for this place, and felt I should review it.

Atmosphere: Tribes is a smaller place with a nice cozy atmosphere. There is a long bar that has tvs above it and the many taps in front of you. There are tables in the front part to sit and converse with a party. There is also a larger dining room area where you can get comfortable. Of the times I've been here it was only full to an uncomfortable point once. The music selection is great and at a good volume.

Quality: These guys know beer and whiskey. If you have a question on any of the beers you can be assured they will know the answer. They are active in the craft community and always have a top notch selection of craft beers on tap.

Service: Service is always friendly and helpful. The food is made quick and the beer is served even quicker. The pours are always great.

Food: Seeing as this place is an offspring of a much larger restaurant once upon a time...the good food has carried over. Whether it is an appetizer or meal, the food has always been good.

Value: You pay the appropriate price for what you are getting.

07-30-2011 19:24:23 | More by cagocubs

cubbyswans

Missouri

4.41/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I was visiting Joliet for the weekend, and a friend of mine took me to this place for a few beers.

They have a great tap and bottle list with reasonable prices. Nothing 'rare', but I don't expect anyplace to have 'rare' beer on tap randomly. Usually places that have rare beers on tap announce it and it's gone quickly. The beer menu gives you a brief description of the beer, exactly what size pour your getting, what the ABV is, and how much it costs. This leaves no guess work to ordering the beer for anyone who is wondering what they're getting.

The bartender we had was A+ My friend is quite new to craft beers, and the bartender was able to help him make a few selections, even though the bar was quite busy. Also, he was on top of asking me what I wanted next. I never had an empty glass.

The prices were quite the norm for what I expect for craft beers. $5 for pints of normal craft brews up to $9 for smaller pours of the high powered stuff.

As far as the atmosphere or layout... meh. I walk in, and sit at the bar, and as long as the beer is good, I really don't care too much what the decorations look like. There are abundant TV's for watching sports. I asked the bartender about the '05-'10 Dark Lord Vertical sitting on the wall, and he told me they just belong to an employee, and they're just on display, and not for sale.

I will visit this place again, next time I'm in Joliet and can get out for a beer.

07-07-2011 16:48:09 | More by cubbyswans