Goose Island Wrigleyville

4thoseabout2bock

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -15.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$$

Sheffields and Goose Wrigley are fine beer bar options if you are going to see the Cubs or have another reason you need to be in the area.

Perhaps it is unfair to judge Wrigley by comparing it to Clybourn Goose, but there is really no comparison. The selection is always better (more and more seasonals) at Clybourn (where the more interesting beers are brewed) and the staff is more knowledgable. (The food, which is not a high point at either location, is the same.)

The beer selection is usually 6-8 taps. They lean toward usual Goose offerings (honkers, 312, hexnut, summer/kolsch, maybe an IPA, or other pale ale) and a couple seasonals. The waitstaff get a little glassy eyed if you ask a question about the beers. It feels alot like places in the Rock Bottom chain, or any other corporate type brew pub. The vibe here is appropriately sportsbar, since it is a sports bar, located on a block where many restuarants and other sports bars turnover pretty often. A few stalwarts remain and Goose has survived where several other brewing attempts have failed.

I am glad Wrigley Goose exists, it is a step above the alternatives in the area (although probably on par with Sheffields). Its a fine way to start an afternoon at the ballpark. It has also served as a venue for Chicago Beer Society events, which have all been excellent beerspectacles. Goose Island has done its part in making Chicago a great beer town. And Goose Wrigley is fine for what it is. But, I have to recommend Clybourn over Wrigley as a destination.

The other negative in general about Goose is that even though I respect the role they have played in building up local beer, they now seem to be extracting a pound of flesh for their finer products. $7-8 a snifter for their best beers (i.e. Bourbon County Stout and its ilk). Yes they are good. But that's a really expensive beer.

(I'd rather they take the pound of flesh -- I could stand to lose a few of those.)

08-21-2006 01:16:57 | More by 4thoseabout2bock

Hibernator

Massachusetts

4.04/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | $$

We left the hotel late this morning for Wrigleyville and Goose Island was our destination. The cab pulled up and dropped us off in the middle of some light rainfall. I had planned on pre-gaming here before the Cubs vs. Reds game.

We entered at a good time, before it got too crowded and made our way towards the back bar. This location of Good Island reminded me of many classic brewpubs and similar to Boston Beer Works. The atmosphere is wide open and spacious with plenty of seating, quality craft beer and good bar food.

There was an extensive beer list that included all of the essential information like pricing, bottle/draft, glass volume and glass shape. Some of the drafts available during my visit included 312 Wheat, Green Line, Cubby Blue, Matilda, Wrigleyville White, Daybreak IPA, SPF Kolsch and Dublin Stout. I had a couple of the Dublin Stouts that were really smooth and true to the style. I also had to try to the Matilda on tap as this is rare to find on draft around Boston.

I found this to be a perfect place to have some craft beers before the game with a convenient proximity to Wrigley Field.

05-03-2013 22:27:23 | More by Hibernator

Etan

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Last time I was here I stopped in on a game day, so it was very packed and loud, plenty of bros milling around yelling at each other for no reason.

But even though it was packed, it was pretty easy to get a table. The service was pleasant and fast. The burger I had was decent, but the kitchen is obviously a little more geared toward getting it out fast than Clybourn's, where the food seems slightly better. The tap-list was a pared-down version of Clybourn's. Not bad, but if you're going for the beer and food instead of the location/televisions, I would go to Clybourn instead.

09-02-2012 20:53:05 | More by Etan

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.84/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Very friendly place, and a nice place to walk about in daytime. The girls do not know their beers, and the beers are decent but not cutting edge. A few decent bottles. Prices very reasonable. I came here some hours after the ballgame, but city law prevented me from taking a rarer GI beer I saw with me. Long bar, lots of tables.Be nice if they added a few more guest taps. I understand this place gets very busy game day.Their new IPA was serviceable. Nothing extreme on tap. Worth a visit and not far from Lakeview liquors or Half Acre.

05-09-2012 20:58:33 | More by northyorksammy

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

4/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Instead of going to the Braves-Cubs game yesterday (I thought it was going to get rained out) I spent lunch in Wrigleyville and checked out the Goose Island location there.

The place was just about empty except for a number of customers sitting at the bar, but I am sure it gets crowded closer to game times. (While we were there, a big delivery truck with a Matilda advert painted on the sides parked along the street and about 10 kegs were unloaded.) We sat at a table near the window and were given menus and a May beer list, each inserted in a protective sleeve. The beer menu had a number of “Refreshing,” spring-inspired, white and wheat brews. I was tempted by the Cubby Blue (a blueberry ale) but chickened out and safely opted for Honker’s Ale for my first beer, which was served in a 20-ounce imperial pint (considered a normal “glass” unless, I guess, a 16-ounce pint is requested).

Our waitress was friendly and prompt but I did not ask her about any beer. My friends said the pulled pork sandwich was the best they have ever had and the veggie burger was pretty good. Except for a massive amount of salt, the fries were also pretty choice. My friends also said the in-house root beer was excellent, but I stuck to the real beer.

My second beer was a Green Line, another “Session” beer listed on the menu along with Honker’s Ale and En Passant. Among the other styles were “Hoppy,” “Malty,” “Sour,” and “Belgian.” The menu even listed a gluten-free brew. Near the entrance is a kind of hostess desk where glasses and shirts are sold. Before leaving I bought a “Willi” glass, which the brewery is always recommending as ideal glassware.

Though I did not get the full Wrigleyville experience since it was so early, I will definitely visit that Goose Island location in the future.

05-09-2012 02:29:46 | More by TheQuietMan22

TMoney2591

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Visited this place as part of my buddy's bachelor party: drinks and dinner to start things off with. The house brews were solid as per usual (I especially enjoyed the Uncle Dunkle), and the house grape soda was fantastic. The food (I ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich: nicely hot and spicy without overdoing it) was pretty tasty as well. The waitress was very friendly and seemed to know a thing or two about the beers and the food (even if a couple minor details were mixed up at times). A nice range of drinks, too. The pricing was a lot lower than I expected, honestly: My meal and a couple beers barely cracked the $20 mark, pre-tip. Not bad at all. Overall, I'll definitely be stopping in here again the next time I find myself in Wrigleyville.

09-07-2011 05:16:30 | More by TMoney2591

JivanN

California

3.76/5  rDev -3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Went to GI Wrigleyville to preparty before the Cubs game. I went here after I visited the Clybourn location, and obviously the atmosphere here was different because everyone was in a party mood. Wasnt really impressed by both locations only because I felt like i was in the BJs version of craft beer. Yea the beer heres are better, but if youve gone to other breweries you know what I'm talking about. Not everyone here is a craft beer enthusiast. However, its a great place to hang out with a group of people and you're guaranteed a good time. I might just be indifferent about this place, because where i think GI, i think BCBS and thats it.

08-09-2011 08:13:51 | More by JivanN

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.64/5  rDev -6.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Stopped in here around 1600 on 27 Jun 2011.

Was after an afternoon Cubs game, maybe about 30% full. 35-40 tables or so. A couple giving a nice show a couple of booths down. Brianna was our waitress, she put up with our crap so that was good.

We (EZ, Raul and I) all had a couple of beers waiting out the traffic. The bar environment was some wood, fairly industrial with high ceilings and exposed ductwork. Lots of brick. Bathrooms and a semi private tasting room are upstairs.

Did not have any food so can't comment on it.

07-02-2011 03:26:06 | More by htomsirveaux

DCon

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev -8.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I came to this Brewpub during a Cubs vs. Yankees game and it was a wild time! While I am a huge fan of Goose Island's brews, this was an easy decision in to where to go in Chicago first.

Awesome people, but not my favorite. I'm a Cardinals fan, thru and thru but this didn't keep us from having a good time. The place had the game going on all televisions, almost like a sports bar in here. One of their walls is covered with ivy like Wrigley Field has in the outfield. Very shiny and the usual bar qualities everywhere (full bar, bar backs, servers, etc.). Many brewpubs don't have these attributes.

The quality wasn't the best. The glassware looked as if it was taken from a cooler (frosted glasses) but I asked and they weren't, just clouded from being warm. This definitely changed the beer temperatures but not the experience. Everything else was very nice. The Beer Lists were up to par and were very creative.

Service was not what we expected at all. The bartenders seemed like they HAD to give us our drinks. Not very informative or wanting to educate on what we were about to drink. Almost anytime I asked about the beer, the bartenders seemed "bothered" or weren't in the mood to talk at all. Such a shame with all this good beer!

The selection made up for everything else! They had 8 beers on-tap of their own beers in front of us (plus random taps all across the bar with more Goose Island) and then another 4+ Guest Taps with great selections! They also had some rare Sours (that I wish I tried) that were sold in 650mL bottles but were a bit pricey ($25). Will be back to try these!

The food was also wonderful! Enjoyed both the buffalo wings and Stilton Burger with their home-made chips. Awesome pub food!

We left with a $60 tab (which was quite high I thought). I was picturing more specials since they are owned by AB Inbev now. Oh well, Great time! Will look forward to going to the Goose Island Claybourn BrewPub next time.

06-24-2011 19:54:34 | More by DCon

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

4.14/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Stopped in here recently on the journey to Dark Lord Day. I've been to Wrigleyville countless times since I'm a life long Cubs fan. However I always seem to skip this place. Nice open bar with plenty of seating throughout. Tap beers were mostly GI. Duh. I had the Cubs Blueberry wheat. Rather tasty and refreshing.

The servers were super friendly and chatted us up the entire time we were there. The Cubs were out of of town thankfully so the place was a ghost town. I was told by the server the place is insane busy on game days.

We didn't eat but the menu looked interesting.

Overall a nice place for a GI beer. I will make it a point to stop here next time i'm down for a game.

05-10-2011 23:49:11 | More by beerwolf77