Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.94/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

A little gem, off downtown some ways. The bar opens only at 3 pm but has 450 bottle and 16 taps at a long bar. Long list of events was inetresting. Some of these bottles may not move, that is a risk, but are names I cannot find anywhere else in stores from 3 Floyds, Half Acre and Nogne. Do not know how safe I would feel around here late night Reasonable prices.Great neighbourhood bar, but you cannot get a taxi. bartenders are cool, storefront cannot speak Engish or tell you anything reliable about beer.

05-09-2012 21:19:28 | More by northyorksammy

gtk1989

Illinois

4.64/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | $$

A great local bar. Not to pricy. Selection was great, is a bit dark inside but it adds to the atmosphere. There is minimal seating and on a busy night will have trouble. It would be great to have food though there is a local food bakery next door that will deliver right to your seat.

04-30-2013 03:08:33 | More by gtk1989

Etan

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -8.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Went here on a recent Friday night. The place has some character. First you enter a small bottle shop area, followed by the bar, then a dining room, and finally a heated patio. Nicely decorated. A movie from the 70s about a tribe of Amazonian women was being projected on two walls. The only thing I could have done without was the "DJ" playing inordinately loud trance music.

The tap list is moderately-sized but quite nice, with quite a few draft-only offerings from both local and non-local breweries. Not too pricey, either. I did not try any food.

It was a bit crowded, but that's to be expected at a somewhat trendy place on a weekend. I will try to revisit during the week at some point. Overall a good experience.

03-14-2013 17:33:01 | More by Etan

JosephThompson

New Jersey

3.29/5  rDev -25.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | $$

It's a unique place for sure and one in which you should check out if you have the time. Door opens to a smallish bottle shop in which a lady will ask forcefully for your ID. The quality is so-so. Being from Jersey, I've seen many of these labels but they did seem to have more Three Floyd's variety then other places I went to in Chicago.

When you move past the half wall into the bar in back this is where the atmosphere picks up a little bit. Very good tap selection for 10-12 handles. Bottle choices are lengthy, decor and crowd is hipster or hipster wannabe, and there is a patio out back for warm weather.

09-06-2012 14:37:32 | More by JosephThompson

davidpietruszka

Illinois

5/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Hands down one of the best beer bars in Chicago! Frequently rotating taps with lots of goodies from Three Floyds and other Midwestern breweries. Over 400+ bottles available. Excellent cocktails and whiskey selections too.

Get food from Pleasant House right next door (or elsewhere.)

The patio is a perfect place to spend a summer night and free Korean Polish BBQ on Mondays!

Eclectic DJ's spin world music, soul, and electronic music on a nightly basis.

On your way out, grab a 6er of Zombie Dust or Cantillon to go!

05-01-2012 03:33:28 | More by davidpietruszka

aefbjo

Bahamas

4.59/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

For those beer enthusiasts who like the chance to access a great beer (and spirits) selection without some of the annoying factors of certain north-side haunts, this is the place. Friendly atmosphere where a lot of people know each other, kinda like how your "neighborhood bar" used to be, but with better beer. The proprietors' choice of name for the bar isn't PR fluff: there is a real community here. But there's also a consistently solid choice of draft beers, usually with a Three Floyds oddball that you might not have seen before, or a limited Founders, or a Half Acre one-off, etc., just for example. The prices are also quite nice; some places take the liberty of tacking an extra couple bucks onto taps just because they can, but not here. Every night (I believe) there is a DJ, band, video show, art show, or something -- this is where the community is based. Also, it has been mentioned, but come with an empty stomach (unless you're coming late at night). The Pleasant House Bakery next door makes the most delicious savory pies (meat and/or vegetable) I have ever had. Great for drinking with beer on Maria's back patio. They also have rotating daily specials like burgers or whatever. Add to all of this the fact that Maria's Packaged Goods (as is the terminology in Chicago) has a huge (OK, tiny, but huge selection) craft beer bottle shop in front, and you're looking at an establishment in a class of its own.

(I took a point off on service only because cocktails have been hit-or-miss at times; this may have improved. Service is uniformly friendly and prompt.)

04-30-2012 19:28:02 | More by aefbjo

4thoseabout2bock

Illinois

5/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

The best beer list in chicago this week (especially stellar on midwest gems)

surly darkness has re-entered the market and is fabulous
dark, great body with sweetness and complexity
everything I want in an imperial stout

also currently 3 high-octane FFF also on tap -- Blonde Behemoth, which has picked up the CITRA tinge of Arctic Panzer Wolf, also Dreadnaught on tap (also CITRAlicious) and Apocolypse Cow.

Meat Pies available from next door. And the gravy fries.... gurgle yum. (Poutine style with steak chunks, gravy and cheese). They will deliver to you in the bar.

Friendly and knowledgable servers. Great ambiance -- taxidermy and old beer cans. A great "local" with the best selection of local top-tier beers. You can't miss this place. No question Chicago is one of the greatest beer bar/brewpub towns -- and this place still stands out.

Oh wait... and I even forgot to mention the Half Acre Chairman... even more reason to head to the Southside!

Updated June 2012:
still a reliably great list (available on beermenus) and still great pies and scotch eggs next store -- but now also grilled food on the patio on summer mondays and food trucks on saturdays. great community place thats great for both bridgeport and the chicago beer community

11-18-2011 00:17:52 | More by 4thoseabout2bock

Tilley4

Tennessee

4.86/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

One of the most enjoyable experiences at a bar in a while...

What a super bar this is... An anomaly with bottles for sale in the front room... Passed thru to a bar that was loaded with quality brews... FW Union Jack, Double Jack, Nectar Ales Black Xantus, FFF Region Riot and Robert the Bruce were there along with loads of others...

My wife would hate me if I had a bar like this locally... I'd stop here every day and I mean every day...

A terrific little local laid back bar... I wish I had a place like this back home...

11-08-2011 02:35:02 | More by Tilley4

StlHopHead77

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I went to Maria's the weekend of the 23rd while I was in Chicago for the Man U/Chicago Fire game.It was our first stop once in town and we were,unfortunately,too early to visit the bar so I will grade solely on the merit of the retail section.Modest unassuming storefront gave way to one small cooler of macro's and one larger cooler of craft offerings.I was focusing on Three Floyds products(since I can't get them downstate)and I picked up a bomber of Dreadnaught.Arctic Panzer Wolf,Apocalypse Cow,Pride and Joy and Alpha King were also available.Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast and Green Gold,Duvel Tripel Hop,Port Brewing Older Viscosity,Allagash Curieux,Stone RIS and Old Guardian,Saison Du Pont,Brewdog 5AM Saint,Girardin Geuze,Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga,Lost Abbey The Angel's Share,Uerige Doppelsticke and Two Brothers Cane and Ebel were also available between the shelves and cooler.Maria was very nice and overall it was an extremely worthwhile stop.I'll try to hit the bar next time I'm in town.

07-25-2011 16:38:48 | More by StlHopHead77

wschmit

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

My first experience at Maria's left me more impressed than I expected to be. At the forefront of hipsterizing Chicago, I expected to vom when I got here, despite the pretty good beer selection. Needless to say, I did not vom, and actually had fun.

Front of the store is beer/wine/liquor to go, as indicated by the Packaged Goods in the name. The bar's in back, and there was vinyl spinning when we got there. The setting was pretty modern and clean, which worked well with the music--neither too "scene" nor too boring.

As for beers--started off with Owd Engwish, Olde School, and Topless Wych, each at 5 bucks for snifters, I believe. Followed that up with some pale ales that I barely remember--Arctic Panzer Wolf, Finch's, and one more lost to beery haze. Good prices by Chicago standards, and the bartenders were friendly enough. Altogether about 20 beers on tap.

All in all, I had fun--good beer at good prices in a nice place and not as trendy as expected.

05-25-2011 03:39:55 | More by wschmit