I love Pollyanna. Besides having great indoor and outdoor spaces, their variety is great.read more

Stopped by on a Saturday when there was a hosted comedy show…read more I noticed there was multiple seating areas but the comedy show was hosted in their largest room. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the space was converted to accommodate a non- music event (including sofas upfront - which I enjoyed thoroughly). Our server was kind and attentive before, during and after the show and her presence didn't distract from the show either. I was easily able to enjoy my beer while laughing through the sets. My friends were able to enjoy some beers and canned cocktails as well. We all were impressed with the combination of sold out event and service. I would recommend coming by here on any night - especially one with live entertainment.

Riverlands Brewing is a little off the beaten path in St Charles' beer scene. With that, means they…read morehave a good amount of parking, great outdoor patio, and a fun, industrial interior. We stopped in to sample their beers. The favorite choices were the Dukes of Bavaria & Dean Street. I also tried the Painkiller seltzer and thoroughly enjoyed the flavor. We also tried "the stc six" collab beer and loved it! The staff were super friendly, they had a wide variety of beers, and seem like they do fun events often.

Beer good and the environment is nice. However, two issues that seemed random but now have been…read moreconfirmed by recent (2nd) visit... unscrupulous business!!! Their advertised food trucks don't show... so maybe not their fault, but twice I've gone with a group expecting the truck that didn't show and no apology by staff/owner. Then, myself and someone else in my party were not charged for the beers we ordered - in both cases we were charged for beers that were MUCH more than those we ordered! Sounds like an accident, but this happened to me on two visits and to both myself and another couple this visit. This visit: me an extra $2.50 x 2 beers and for my friend $2.50 x 3 beers - again, seems like a simple error (but 4 separate tickets on 2 different visits)... I think not! Not going back. I don't like being taken advantage of.

Visiting friends and we decided to go out brewery hopping in the Aurora & Batavia areas. So glad…read morethat brought us to Sturdy Shelter Brewing. There was a good size crowd there which added to the experience because everyone was enjoying their delicious beers and it was great meeting people. It felt like a community gathering place. It's a big place so it can handle a lot of people without it feeling overly crowded. There was live music on the upstairs level that everyone was enjoying. The beers were fantastic. It's a challenge to decide what beer you want because there is a lot of delicious options. I went with the ESB because it's a great style of beer you can't often find. Others in our group recommend their Hazy IPA. Easily a 5 star rating. Make sure to visit this amazing brewery in Batavia. Russ & Jan Livonia, MI

Checked out this newer brewery in Batavia. It has a lot of room inside, but even that isn't enough…read morefor the large groups, and parties. Sturdy Shelter has a pretty good variety. A good amount of choices, whether it's light or a strong one that will kick ass. They also have a food menu, with basics such as pretzels and snacks. For the most part it's good. It's located in an old building downtown that has a couple levels. The upstairs is often used for private events like parties. If it's not available then it's hard to get a seat anywhere. The seats at the bar fill up, and there's only a few tables. It's about $7 a pint. There's a few of the more stronger ones that cost more though. Best one we had the last time was the 3 Amigos Imperial Stout. Full bodied and thick as a brick too. There's notes of ancho chilis, cacao nibs, cinnamon, and vanilla. Also got something to eat. It's $8 for the Bavarian Pretzel. Helps to absorb the alcohol. They also have chips and salsa among the food options. Got to add it to the list of breweries that seem to be everywhere in this city. It's located on Shumway Avenue in a historic old building full of history. This is a popular place to have private events or whatever.

We were in town visiting friends and the group decided to go out brewery hopping in the Geneva &…read moreSt. Charles area. Entering the brewery on a Friday around 6pm it was busy but not overly crowded. Definitely had the feel of a community brewery that has local regulars there to support it. Taproom was lively and bright. Service was great top notch. The bartenders were knowledgeable about the beers and open to providing recommendations. The beer was the star of the show. A lot of offerings to choose from but I went straight to a cask conditioned porter that was fantastic. You can't find cask conditioned ales in most places. Others in our group had great things to say about the lagers and IPA's. Thanks to Art History Brewing for hosting us. We will be back for a return visit next time we are in town. Cheers, Russ & Jan Livonia, MI

Basically there's a lot of breweries in Geneva. It has tons to choose from including this. Art…read moreHistory Brewing is one of the many hipster ones that have sprung up everywhere. Has beers and games to play. There's lots of cheap specials. An interesting interior. It's located in a strip mall. They still manage to have a great atmosphere in spite of it though. Has quite a bit of games. It's about $7 a pint. Best one of these we had was the Good Night Bamberg. This is a Rauchbier which is rich and toasty. Get half off pints on Mondays. There's not much to eat except $2 bags of almonds and peanuts. Fun filled atmosphere. It's open every night unlike many others. There's a hipster nerdy kind of vibe, and they even have an acoustically controlled and quiet workspace, so it's a great place for both chilling and working.

2nd time here in 2.5 years. We were in the Geneva area and decided to visit St Charles, too. Things…read moreare a little different now (in a good way!). They expanded and added a covered, outdoor patio. The indoor dining area is expanded slightly to have more seating. I ordered the wake and bake pineapple express. The beer was good. It was sour, but still had that beer taste. It wasn't overly sour. I didn't try any food. The bartender was friendly and hustling the whole time we were there. You should stop by. It's an interesting concept being attached to a gas station.

Conveniently located on Lincoln highway without that feeling of being off a loud busy road. The…read morepatio was open so we could enjoy the beautiful weather with the awning and umbrellas giving plenty of shade. Five stars for the beer selection! I had a flight with sours, a Mexican ale & a blonde ale - all were delicious & smooth. The food comes from their partner Urban Counter. Husband had the Maxwell St Polish - really good with caramelized onions. The onion rings were nearly perfect with a light crisp beer batter. Not great menu options for a vegan, I went with the southwest salad. It was okay. I'm sure it would be better for anyone able to have the dressing. Adding meat was also an option. Overall worth the stop & will probably be back to enjoy the beers & patio.

Always friendly service and I love their homemade soups. This month they have an asparagus soup,…read moreand I really enjoyed it. I came in for lunch and went with the half sandwich and soup combo. The chicken salad sandwich comes on a croissant and I have always enjoyed their chicken salad and also tuna salad sandwiches here. The meal is perfect for lunch. When in doubt, always get the Stockholm's Small Batch Root Beer- it's great! My lunch came out quickly and they even have outdoor patio seating too.

My friends and I arrived for an early dinner after spending an unseasonably beautiful day in…read moredowntown Geneva. We sat down immediately and were given menus. We asked to have a small sample of two beers to make sure we'd enjoy one or the other. The sample was appreciated and helped us decide on the Kolsch. For food we went with half Turkey sandwich with Chicken Tortilla Soup, half Reuben Sandwich with Chicken tortilla soup, and a Pub Burger. The food was very good. Our friend was still eating when the server took the other plates away and left the check, never asking if we wanted another drink or dessert etc. A few minutes later the server returned and asked if we were ready to pay the bill and again our friend was still eating to which we pointed out and said no. Approximately 10 minutes after that we were ready to finish up. We were there less than an hour. We put our card in the check wallet and each of us proceeded to use the washroom separately as it was only one stall/bathroom. I was the last one to use the washroom and as I came out my friends were standing near the door with my purse and coat as they were told they needed the table. I understand the place is small and people were waiting but to be rushed out is ridiculous. Especially to be rushed while still eating. The food was great but the lack of allowing us to enjoy the experience left us very disappointed.

They seem closed. I hope they open again soon, since the outdoor spaces looked great! Their…read morewebsite implies they are trying to reopen but everything is shuttered. I had a chance to go more than a year ago and liked their beers. Now I wish I had gone more often.

Checked out this pretty cozy local brewery and distillery in Batavia. Grainology is a terrific use…read moreof an old building in the historic downtown. It adds a certain charm that newer shiny places can't match. Has a pretty good variety in the draft list. The prices are pretty good for being local and making smaller batches of stuff. A lot here to drink. It's both a brewery and distillery, which is an interesting process. This means you can get something with hops, or something less filling and smoother. Has plenty of room inside if there's not some party going on. It's about $6 a pint. A way to be charitable is to pay a few more bucks to get the Ability Amber. This is an amber ale, of which the proceeds benefits Project Mobility, which gives bicycles to disabled children. This has notes of plum and raisin. Has a kitchen but food is limited. There's often a food truck out front where you can get things like chips for $2, lobster rolls, and more. Good place to get locally made beers and liquors. It's closed Mondays. They often have food trucks.

A nice spot to grab a drink on a nice weather day - the outdoor patio is fantastic!…read more The fellas and I grabbed a round of brews here while roaming around downtown Geneva and we had zero complaints. It was really nice out so, naturally, we were at the outdoor bar/patio. What a delightful space: open, airy, ample seating, great staff. The biggest bummer is navigating inside for the bathroom but everything else is top notch. We're fans and will return again!

I'd love to share my full experience at Preservation but alas, there isn't much in the way of food…read moreor drink I can report on. The service however, is a different story. My friend and I arrived around 7:15pm this evening, Tuesday night, a weekday. We were greeted by a hostess in a full winter jacket and completely empty front room. She gave us the option to sit in said empty room or to follow her back to a "cozy heated area." We couldn't decide so we asked her to choose, and she led us down a long, narrow hallway to the back. There were three parties total in the indoor patio--us, another table of 2 and a large party of 8. Their outdoor patio was open, and with a view of it from the cozy room. The outdoor patio was festive with holiday lights, heaters and perhaps 3 people sitting at the bar. Many employees bustled back and forth through the door linking our two spaces. Our waitress brought us two glasses of water and food menus, pointed out the QR code menu on our table and walked away. That was our ONLY interaction with her. We proceeded to then sit for 15 minutes, watching our waitress, along with 3 other employees walk back and forth, attentively serving the large party, cleaning up a recently vacated back booth, chatting with one another and even saw another employee take a moment to vape inside near the POS system. We were ignored. No eye contact, no smile, no acknowledgment. It's as if we were not even there. For a slow Tuesday night, with ample staff, this was unacceptable. It grew so uncomfortable that we gathered our jackets and began to walk out. As we made our way back down the long hallway, the hostess, carrying a tray of waters, thanked us for coming in. Clearly there is a lack of awareness--or attention to detail. In what world would we have been able to order drinks, eat and pay our bill in less than 30 minutes since you seated us? But Finally! Someone noticed us. Too bad it was too little too late. We walked a block down to a different restaurant, and had an amazing time, spending more time & money than originally anticipated at that establishment, as a direct result of the poor hospitality and lack of service received at Preservation. Their loss was the Alchemist's gain.

This place is definitely a "where's Waldo" type of locale. No obvious signage from the street…read more(could have easily walked by) but definitely worth your visit. We came for "national grilled cheese day" and we all ordered the brisket grilled cheese. Other options were chile relleno, elote and a Cuban grilled cheese. The side special was an elote macaroni salad (on the sweet side). If you're hungry, portions are great, very flavorful and fast. Probably less than 10 minutes from walking in the door to getting our food. 4 starts because the ambiance was no frills but the service was excellent. Very friendly and attentive.

My last review was one star because it closed. Food truck is operating as I understand it. And food…read moreis fantastic.