Pretend that you're in 1920s London at Armitage Alehouse

Table Of Content

• How Coronavirus Is Impacting Chicago’s Food Industry
• Follow Eater Chicago online:
• The Ultimate Resy Guide to Chicago Brunch
• Now on Resy: Duck Sel, Eleven City Diner, Tacombi, and More Local Favorites
• The Resy Guide to the Women-Owned Restaurants of Chicago
• Review: Armitage Alehouse is a dreamy escape that deserves better food

Polished antiques sit in every nook and cranny, including a towering metal coffee maker that bounces light across the room. Though packed with guests and servers rushing around, the room maintains an intimate, hushed vibe, with the music just loud enough to hear, yet never overbearing. So why are people electing to wait around in a Chicago winter—or frantically refresh Resy every morning—to eat at Armitage Alehouse? Meanwhile in Avondale, Kim — along with husband and co-chef Johnny Clark — have turned their restaurant Wherewithall in Avondale into a community kitchen five days a week. They’re giving away about 120 free meals each day at 3472 N.

How Coronavirus Is Impacting Chicago’s Food Industry

Armitage Alehouse, the new gastropub from the owners of Au Cheval, is open in Lincoln Park and the menu isn’t orthodox by fusing a dash of Anglo-Indian cuisine with Chicago’s love for chops and burgers. Of course, the only reason you can order Indian food with a gin and tonic at a pub is because the British once occupied India. Not that Armitage Alehouse needs to address this, but it might have shown that it at least considered the charged history. Sticking to the traditional English dishes provides firmer footing, even though I wish the crust on the pike fish and chips ($27) wasn’t so heavy. We are an intimate restaurant and accept reservations for parties of 1-6 guests.

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I was only able to visit by showing up before 5 p.m. And sitting at the bar, where the seats are first come, first served. For the past few weeks, Lincoln Park residents have noticed vehicles parked near the corner of Armitage and Sheffield with the Hogsalt logo, representing the company the owns restaurants including Au Cheval and Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf.

Aye, There's the Pub: Armitage Alehouse Elevates a Classic - Newcity Resto

Aye, There's the Pub: Armitage Alehouse Elevates a Classic.

Posted: Wed, 16 Mar 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The Ultimate Resy Guide to Chicago Brunch

Guinness and Harp headline; black & tans are even listed on the menu. There’s also an espresso martini on the drink list along with a half-dozen signature cocktails. The worst offender is chicken tikka masala ($20), which tastes like limp poached chicken tenders in a barely spiced tomato sauce.

Now on Resy: Duck Sel, Eleven City Diner, Tacombi, and More Local Favorites

Let’s say we’re having a slower night and there’s an opportunity to message guests on the Notify List — we definitely will do that. But we haven’t seen a lot of success with that because guests who don’t get notified by the day make other plans. Fans of savory pies have a selection of six including steak and ale, chicken pot pie, and pheasant and foie gras. The British influence pops up once more with the classic fish and chips.

The beer list includes a few imports, like Fullers ESB Champion Ale ($8), Harp Lager ($7) and Guinness ($7.50). Like every Hogsalt property, the cocktails are precisely prepared and beautifully presented. That’s true if you go for the sleek Vesper ($14) or the fruitier Aviation ($14). The best might be the simply gorgeous East India G&T ($14), which combines Jin Jiji Darjeeling gin with saffron, flower petals and juniper. While the pies are easily the best thing on the pricy menu, they clock in at twice the cost of the phenomenal English pies served at Pleasant House Pub (2119 S. Halsted St.). The bar is nothing compared with the dining room, where elegantly framed portraits line the walls.

A night out at one of these restaurants will never be boring. The opening timeline isn’t concrete, as Sodikoff says the news spot will debut sometime “after the pandemic.” Beyond the name, Sodikoff didn’t share other details, saying he’ll reveal more in due time. My friend and I arrived at about 5 pm on a regular Saturday.

I thought that was just such a nice compliment. Also, you do have to be present to add your name to the waitlist. You can go and enjoy a drink somewhere in the neighborhood until we contact you, but we do need to have a response within 10 minutes once we’ve texted.

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During the pandemic, Hogsalt has opened one venue and closed two. The two closures were Maude’s Liquor Bar off Randolph Restaurant Row in West Loop and California Clipper/C.C. The latter was Hogsalt’s only bar and closed after a dispute with the landlord. It serves steaks and continental American food, while offering patio seating and takeout. I recently visited the Armitage Ale House and it was an absolute delight. The pot pies were the standout dish for me - they were perfectly cooked with a...

We kindly ask that you do not make multiple reservations for more than one group. We accept reservations up to 14 days in advance with each new day becoming available at 9 AM CST on Resy. We recommend creating your Resy profile before reservations are released for your preferred date. Hogsalt runs nine Chicago restaurants (in addition to Small Cheval locations and Aster Hall food court which are joint ventures). It qualified for more than $1 million in federal coronavirus relief funding. I have bad Armitage Ale House for dinner but hadn't tried it for brunch and I was not disappointed!

Was able to score a reservation here for a friends birthday for a table for 4. We had a nut allergy in our group and they... I have been dying to go here since it opened and finally got a reservation on Sunday night. The best part about Armitage Alehouse is the decor.

The skin on the tandoori-style roasted chicken ($25) arrives blackened to the point of tasting of soot. It doesn’t help that the meat rests on a bed of overly chalky dal. Brendan Sodikoff doesn’t create restaurants; he fashions escapes from reality.

We went for lunch when it opened and it quickly filled up. Armitage Alehouse is Hogsalt’s ninth restaurant in the city, following places including Aster Hall, Green Street Smoked Meats and Small Cheval. Resy powers the world’s best restaurants, using technology to imagine the future of hospitality. One of our guests sent us feedback on Resy once and said that what they liked the most during their experience was seeing how much the staff enjoyed being here and were having a good time on the floor, in a professional way of course.

In Lincoln Park, Armitage Alehouse captures the vibe of a London pub with a wood-burning fireplace, a piano player, and select ales and cocktails. You can’t go wrong with the curries, especially the chicken curry. And I would say our wagyu cheeseburger is probably one of our most popular dishes. It’s a pressed burger with American Cheddar cheese served with French fries. It’s pretty simple but the quality of meat elevates the whole thing. I don’t think any of our food is pretentious at all.