Checked out this local brewery in Normal close to the ISU campus. Fiala Brothers often isn't as crowded as you may think. It may be because the students are at the dive bars and other crap shacks drinking Natty Ice, PBR, and whatever. All cool to be honest. That leaves us with the good stuff. Bad thing is the stuff isn't actually that good. It's better than the mass produced crap beer to be sure. This just isn't that impressive for local craft stuff though. Had a few. It's about $7 a pint. Best one of these we had was the Stay Golden PonyBoy, an IPA. This is an average tasting IPA with not a lot notable. Also there's food. Just basic stuff. It's $3 for Cajun Fries. These help absorb the alcohol so you can drink more, but the fries just taste like the seasoning and not much else to be honest. For sure it's okay for a few beers. It's just not a good place if you want some good ones. The food is pretty much average and not worth coming here just for getting some fries or whatever. read more

Fiala Brothers - The Stay Golden PonyBoy And Cajun Fries - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Just beer. Their Rye IPA and Belgian Blonde were really tasty. Love the music play list they have going tonight. It's a Wednesday and they have 25% of whiskey pours (huge whiskey menu); not sure if every Wednesday? read more

Fiala Brothers - This is their rye ipa - Pretty Fly for a rye guy. - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Had the Tuscan Toastie, a grilled cheese sandwich with some Italian meats. It's solid. Was ready to go fairly quickly after ordering. read more

Fiala Brothers - Tuscan Toastie (half of it). - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

I had a great experience at Fiala Brothers! The food tasted great, and the prices were really good. We got the lunch special for the grilled cheese, which included a drink. Upstairs of the building, there is a couple skee-ball machines, and outdoor seating. The building is very nice and clean. read more

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Very neat environment for a bar! Very confusing for a restaurant. We had never been before and staff were not very helpful and seemed annoyed that we didn't know how to order. You order at a kiosk that we could only find on the 3d floor. Then a staff member came up to the 3rd floor to tell us our food was ready - you then have to go pick up your food on the 2nd floor but if you got drinks then you have to go down to the 1st floor to get your drinks. Was very confusing. Food was okay and affordable but just a very odd process. read more

Food was good and easy to get. I went with my 3yo for lunch and service was friendly and informative. I love the set up of this location either the multiple levels. I came back that same night for a nightcap with my wife, we played skeeball which is one of her favorite games. I live in Phoenix, but this will be a revisited spot for sure. Oh and they have swings on the roof lol read more

Incredible tri-level looking bar that has incredible Street scenes of downtown Street and Ally scenes of downtown normal Bloomington this bar ranks as one of the best summer bars I've ever seen and the best part of is it most issu students are gone for the part so there is plenty of seating and it's more quiet I was really Amazed by the service and just the overall Ambience of this bar in highly recommend people check this out alumni and all especially in the summer read more

We found a sunny Saturday to try Fiala's out for lunch. While we were hoping to try their home brew, we learned they are still in the brewing process so they'll have their own beer available soon. They have a good selection of other beverages to fill the void. We were looking forward to trying their assortment of grilled cheese sandwiches. My husband went with the Italian and I had the Memphis. The pulled pork bbq was a great addition to the flavor of the sandwich. The bread was toasted nicely and not overdone (that cuts up the roof of your mouth!). A consideration before you visit: the sandwich size is on the smaller end, and they currently don't offer sides, so you may find one sandwich won't be enough to fill you up. (This was the case for my husband.) The view from the upstairs deck is great on a nice day. We look forward to stopping another time once they get their own beers flowing. read more

Fiala Brothers - Italian - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

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Decent food. Cool atmosphere. Open air is nice. Huge liquor selection and craft beer. read more

Everything was underwhelming. Ordered a pretzel and it tasted like dough, maybe. It had no flavor. Our sandwiches were meh and the drinks were just ok. The most irritating thing is you walk in and you can order food from a kiosk or by scanning an app but no instructions on where to get your drinks or food once you order. We had no idea to get our drinks at the bar and our food on the second floor! The stools are very uncomfortable. Most likely won't be back. read more

Yes, they have a cool space with craft beer. So does most every other place in town that serves a good variety of beers. Fiala, PLEASE revamp your processes - you are making it HARD for people to spend $ with you! Here's where Fiala stands out - in a bad way: ordering, paying, food preparation/quality, getting food to table. It takes a LOT of unnecessary customer effort and pain to eat, drink and pay here when they can go to another establishment, sit in a chair for easy food/drinks. If you are older, not used to ordering apps, etc., this is prob not the place to make you happy. ORDERING & PAYING Want food? Gotta use and pay on their ordering app either on your smartphone or on their kiosk at the bar. This means you must use a card to pay and can't pay cash for food. Nope, you can't just order from the bartender - who is standing around not busy. Want a drink? NOW, you go to the bartender, order and either run a tab or pay with any method your heart desires including cash. FOOD PREP, QUALITY & DELIVERY TO TABLE Want the Cuban but allergic or hate mustard and want to leave that off? Too bad, no adjustments to ingredients allowed. You can't put a note to hold the mustard on the app. And even crazier, when asking the bartender if they can ask the kitchen to leave off mustard, nope, not possible. After two visits here, I'm guessing I know why. For some crazy reason, it seems ALL their sandwich fillings are premade and packed up into individual sandwich portions. WHY? It's so easy to make a proper grilled cheese! My last order was Portobello grilled cheese, was submitted on the app and literally 72 seconds later, I got the text to come pick it up. So they plop premade filling onto bread and then microgrill it. My sandwich was warm on the outside but nearly refrigerator cold in the middle. One side of my bread was mildly toasty. The other side was soft and buttery with zero toast. And inconsistencies in sandwich sizes is a thing. My friend ordered a plain grilled cheese and it came out much smaller - noticeably tinier pieces of bread were used. Then there is the ridiculous schlep up and down the long stairs to fetch the underwhelming food. A customer IS going to take a bad fall there and, if they are carrying hot soup, potentially get burned and/or hurt someone else. read more

No denying that the new place in uptown Normal is very cool. The construction itself is just short of breadth-taking, especially the balconies at either end of that third floor. A stack of shiny serving tanks and other beer brewing equipment behind the main level bar is quite impressive too. When you factor in the elevator in the middle, you start to really appreciate the money, the engineering as well as the length of time it took to create this place. So after the initial wow factor wears off and we make it here for a second visit, my conscious compels me to highlight a couple things - one, a month or so in and all they have are guest taps firing as their own beer-making has yet to materialize. I'm told it's close, so it sounds like the next week or two will be key. Second, this place takes advantage of the pandemic-encouraged trend toward a faceless, paperless operating model by separating the food from the drink from a purchasing perspective. At Fiala Bros, this not only means 2 distinct transactions, in the case of the food it also means automated ordering ONLY. Do not expect either bartender to take a food order while you order 1 of the 20-plus hand-selected and diverse (see pic) tap beers. Instead, keep your credit card out and either use their scan link code on your phone or hit 1 of the kiosk screens on each floor. As you do so, keep in mind that the kitchen is the only thing on the second floor and that you get a phone notification to come get that food there when it's ready. There are mostly just gourmet grilled cheeses and soups/chili available currently and if you came also hoping for a DP Dough calzone from the sister business next store, that would actually require a separate visit and a 3rd transaction. As referenced, we really enjoyed the tap list and those grill cheese sammies are very tasty, so we look forward to coming back and tasting their beer soon and providing an update. read more

Fiala Brothers - Current tap list - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

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Wonderful staff, nicest I've ever been treated at an establishment. Owners are very kind and selfless. Super affordable drinks and great selection. Highly recommend! read more

Good times on tap! The beer options were delicious, top floor they have a game section and then a roof top deck that overlooks the street. It was a lot of fun and the music was nostalgic with lots of throwbacks. read more

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I went to Fiala Brothers for lunch with family. I really liked the interior design of the interior, very nicely done (see pics). When I saw the sign for $5 Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned's I knew it was a winner. They have a great variety of grilled cheese sandwiches and they were good. I will definitely be back. read more

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We stopped in for a drink on a beautiful fall evening. This place has great potential, but customer service could used work. It was a Tuesday, not very busy. As we walked in, my 60 yo husband and I were carded. No wait staff, so ordered drinks at the bar and carded again. Have to spend at least $25 to run a tab on a card. My 21 yo daughter was carded at the door and then 3 more times. Mixed drinks were very light on alcohol. Beer was ok. The atmosphere was great. Open air first floor and upper deck. Just a lot of carding...... read more

Fiala Brothers - Bar area - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

very small in size in the lower level with 3 total floors . With it being a college town it's very busy and street parking is hit or miss but if you find parking and a seat it's well worth it the front window opens up perfect for people watching not to far from Route 66 so it's a large variety of customers which makes it all the more enjoyable the bartenders are running non stop but service was pleasant and done with a smile read more

Fiala Brothers - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Returned after my previous good impressions with a friend from out of town, and... oh my. Besides the friendly bouncer, everyone working here was shockingly rude and smug. :( read more

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Great brewery to sit at the bar or for a happy hour on the rooftop. First and second floors have full bars and plenty of space. There was plenty of own or local beer options. It's such a chill place to hang out. The service was great and place was clean. read more

Fiala Brothers - Inside 1st floor - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

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This place needs a GM on-site to get some things sorted. First, I tried some of their house beers. Average and will need some work to compete with Destihl, White Oak, and Casper. Their guest tap list is impressive, though. Service...poor. Bartenders seemed more interested in making sure their friends were getting what appeared to be free small pours then attending to guests. And, there was no semblance of them keeping track of which patron's turn it was at the bar. Glassware...uh, our pints were poured in plastic. And even after getting the pre-pour rinse they were dirty evidenced by bubbles on the walls of the glass and immediate loss of head. Lastly, when I worked in the industry, stacking wet glasses upside down on each other and on a drying rack that allows for dripping onto dry glassware below, was a health dept. no-no. read more

Such a fun night out & fun brewery! I got "the fresh market" with the roasted garlic Parmesan bread. The service was quick and loved how you order yourself. read more

Fiala Brothers - "The fresh Market" panini - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

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This place is clean, brand new, beautiful and in a great location. The bartenders were nice and the service was good. I will definitely be back, but there are some reasons for the 4 out of 5. Beef 1: the grilled cheese is affordable yet pretty ohkay. Add a spread like a chipotle mayo or something to moisten the bread a bit. -1/2 star Beef 2: the beer selection was a bit disappointing. 90% maybe more of the beer you can find at Binnys or a grocery store. Bring in at least 2-3 ringer beers that are desirable, yet harder to find and beyond a 3 hour drive. -1/4 star Beef 3: A pet peeve of mine is someone chilling behind the bar that doesn't serve. If someone isn't serving beer don't have them behind the bar, especially when it's busy. -1/4 star All in all great place would recommend! read more

Tried this place today and disappointed/frustrated. Beer was fine but the ordering system is terrible. After getting a beer downstairs, we head up to order food from a screen and I sadly discovered customization is not allowed for some unstated reason. Being that I have a dairy allergy and EVERY sandwich is some form of grilled cheese, there was almost nothing for me to eat other than a sad pretzel or tomato soup. Why I can't get a Cuban or Philly or any other type of sandwich only without cheese like every other place in the world, I don't know. I'll just go to Desthil or literally any other place next time. read more

yummy!! american grilled chees very god. the water i had was perfectly poured over ice, always hydrate! that pretzel man...beer cheese was cheesy and beery perfect! speakin of beer chees, those nachos were bussin bussin The vibes were overall vibin. so 5/5, give it a try! read more

Fiala Brothers - me and my friends think the food and drinks are INCREDIBLY yummy! try for yourself! - Brewpubs Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Vibe is straight . Indoor and outdoor seating with great music and place your order when you're ready at the kiosk... only here visiting for baseball but will definitely be back!!!! Place is also kid friendly too jus wish I had a chance to swing on those swings read more

I can't lie the Mango Monterey Chicken is fire! I was skeptical because I usual can't stand ranch on my food but the blend they have makes it undetectable (at least to me) and the combination of flavors is on point. The biggest downside to this place is the ordering process. First, there are no menus you have to literally look this place up to find a menu. Second, in order to get a drink you have to go down to the bar; I understand that for alcohol but when you want water or any nonalcoholic drink you still have to go down to the bar. Nevertheless, the sandwich and the style of the restaurant make up for the inconvenience of the ordering set up!@ read more

We stopped in for lunch while checking out the town. The staff was friendly and the beers were good. Our kids enjoyed the swings on the 3rd floor patio. It was conveniently located near a Tesla supercharger as an added bonus. read more

This is a brewery first and the beer is wonderful. Milk chocolate stout is spot on. Pilsner has great flavor. Ignore the reviews on food and focus on the beer. Well done Fiala Bros. read more

Great location and neat looking brewery but the beer isn't special at all. I recommend a nice bourbon to sip on instead of the low rated beers. You will thank me.... read more

This was our first visit. We each had a beer and a sandwich, the Grown up grilled cheese and The Cuban. They both were fabulous as were the beers and the service. We sat in the third level and looked at towards Uptown Normal. What a gorgeous view. We look forward to our next visit and highly recommend it for everyone. read more

This place is really awesome ambiance-wise! Wish it had been here back in my ISU days. Pretty good beer selection. They have an interesting selection of sandwiches too. What we've tried is okay but too small to share. read more

Went with some friends and ambiance was great. Delicious grilled cheese paired nicely with the tomato soup

The food was VERY underwhelming and most hit the garbage. The beer cheese was clearly frozen and when "reheated" tasted like a paste. The spear pickle was too hard to chew through so only two spears were stomached. The beers are ok, but I was excited to try the ciders. All that was available was the cherry, and the bartender warned us it was not great. My wife couldn't even finish it. I don't want to sound bitter, but for what we paid, I was expecting better. read more

Good drinks but I ordered 2 drinks closed my tab $14 on receipt but they charged me $25 when looking at my transaction statement

Staff was very friendly and helpful. Food is delicious and beers are great as well. The order process is through kiosks or via smart phone. Atmosphere was casual and fun, making conversation easy. Great place! read more

Caution. Make sure to closely double check your tab bills. I stopped for one beer on bicycle ride yesterday and my beer was $7.00 and I gave $2.00 tip. Checked my bank account today and $25.00 was charged. Be cautious! read more

We were a small (three) group of women searching for an early dinner. 4:45pm, only seating available upstairs. Elevator not working (knee injury making stairs difficult.) Made our way up the stairs. No staff, so have to place order and pay bill (including tip before we can receive food) using our phones. No place on app to order drinks. We were told to go back downstairs to the bar to get anything to drink. Food was unappealing, hard to eat and cold. We will not be returning. read more

My team visited Fiala Brothers today for lunch. Based on other reviews many don't care for the kiosk ordering system, but we really didn't mind it. There was a bartender nearby ready to answer questions or help with the kiosk if needed. This process might get a bit hectic during busy hours, but for lunch it was just fine. Keep in mind if browsing the online menu before you go, the sandwich selection appears to vary depending on the day. I am boring so I got the classic grilled cheese, and it did not disappoint. Plenty of cheese and crusty artisan style bread. 10/10 would order again. The tomato soup was also very good, a bit spicy though, if that is something that concerns anyone. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. read more

Great people working. Always friendly and welcoming. It's new, so everything is beautiful. The have a few outdoor areas to enjoy. Their food is amazing! I would recommend giving it a try! read more

Love the atmosphere, but I'm not using paperless ordering and fetching my own food. I guess I'm old school. I want ordering options and interactions. I'll come back for a beer, but no to eat read more