Ambiance is nice, service is great and the food is very good. Nice place…read moreThey have hundreds of bourbon brands and they make there own beer. They have charcuterie boards of all kinds you can mix and match Fun place to drink and dine!

Went to Hardware in North Aurora and came away with mixed feelings…read more The good: ambiance is great and the drinks were on point. Had the Marilyn saison and a solid dark beer. Bar program is strong. The short rib pot pie was a straight up winner. Rich, comforting, and not trying to be anything other than good food done right. The bone marrow lost me. Cooked well, but buried under too many microgreens and then oddly topped with tortilla chip strips. No smokiness either. It felt more confused than cohesive. Where it really started to miss was the overall approach. A lot of "the chef intends this..." type explanations. It ends up feeling like the food insists upon itself instead of just letting you enjoy it. That's the bigger issue. This place exists in a space where I don't think most people want to meet it. Not casual enough to relax, not refined enough to justify the performance. Bottom line: good drinks, great pot pie, but the experience tries a little too hard.

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.

Checked out this brewery in Yorkville and got some local beers. Fox Republic has been here awhile,…read moreand benefits from being the only such place around it. It pretty much only has beers, but it also has a distillery next to it where you can get that stuff too. Has more of these than expected. There's some pretty cool flavors. Breweries like this are known for their limited hours and selections, but here neither is the case. It's actually got quite a bit to choose from. There's a few pretty interesting and unique flavors, too. A lot of these rotate so it makes people come back. It's about $7 a pint. We had a few of these. Best we had was the Mist Walker, a hazy IPA. This is a pretty strong one. Has a window into Home Run Hot Dogs. It's got a few including veggie dogs that are made Chicago style. Also is known for their stuffed pretzels. They let you bring in stuff. Great place to get locally made beers. It's actually open daily if you can even believe it. They're open longer on weekends.

This place had been on my list to try for awhile and finally made it out to Yorkville. I saw their…read moresour weekend on Facebook so made the trek out. As they had many options I wanted try, I opted for flights. They offer 4 5oz pours for $10. My faves were foxy sour beer nerdz and the case eagle. The Carmel apple was a miss for me. They also offer tequila seltzers and sodas. Friendly service and plenty of seating.

The food here is amazing. I've been a couple times and I cannot stop talking about the pear and…read moreGouda sandwich and the cowboy smashed burger. Everything was baked or fried to crispy perfection. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

Great service. Went for restaurant week and for and extra $10 came with a beer pairing. Food and…read morebeer was pretty good and reasonably priced.

Always a good time when we go. I love the ambiance in this place. It's very European. Sitting…read moreoutside in the summer is a treat and usually has good bands on the weekends. The service is great. The food is delish. I love their Brussel sprouts for an appetizer.

Underwhelming. My…read morewife and I stopped today for lunch prior to seeing a play at the Paramount. First, the table we were given wobbled badly. So we moved to another table and it also wobbled. I propped a folded napkin to steady the table. Our server was friendly and respectful, but slow. We ordered a Fried Brussel Sprouts for an appetizer. They were nice and crispy, but lacked seasoning -- salt, for example -- none! My wife ordered the strip steak. It was loaded with gristle; she had no choice but to leave partly chewed beef on her plate; gross, but necessary. I ordered the fish tacos. There was so much salad on these tacos, it rendered the fish non-existent; literally, I couldn't taste, or even find the fish. We finished with a slice of Creme Brûlée Cheesecake that was amazing!! Delicious! While Two Brother's beer is generally exceptional, and the atmosphere at the Roundhouse is quite interesting, their food sucks. They need a new chef!!

Loved the neighborhood pub vibe of Spartan Ale House. It is a gem of a gathering place and the…read moreowners and staff are super nice. It was my first visit on a chilly Thursday night, but clearly a lot of regular patrons in here. I was there for an after work social and the appetizers I tasted were all delicious. I loved that the chicken wings were plain for dipping and not heavily breaded. Exactly how I prefer mine. If you are a first timer, like I was, be cautious of the one way parking flow. I will be back after "Dry January!"

Drinks were great. Food was meh. Cost vs quality, go somewhere else. Service was good. Ambiance was…read morelike any other gastropub. Would go back to grab drinks and hang out.

We just got to go yesterday from this place. We ordered two chocolate lava cakes and buffalo…read morecauliflower wings. I mean the food was just okay - like the cake was more soufflé ish than cake and the cauliflower wings were partially undercooked and the buffalo sauce could be more. Thought when I went to pick up the food the ambiance seemed nice and fun so not sure if going in person we would eat other things would be nicer. But so far based on my experience - it's been pretty okay! Nothing wow!

Clean and open atmosphere. Service was quick and food was very tasty with a good selectionread more

Absolutely amazing place. This was our first stop on many of the day. We ended up buying a tin…read moretracker and a couple of stickers. Great place! The manager was our bartender and she crushed it.

Love the drinks and love the staff even more. Our bartender, Ryan, went above and beyond. He gave…read moreus a few tastes and asked what we liked and didn't like to find abeer we loved. (They also have spirits, wine and seltzers.) The atmosphere was great with upbeat music and a game on the screen. Definitely recommend giving them a try!

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.

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

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.