Kerbside pickup
Yes
Smylie Brothers Brewing Co. - Evanston in Evanston
Categories
Location on the map
Evanston, Cook County, Illinois, US
Service options
No-contact delivery
Yes
Delivery
Yes
Takeaway
Yes
Dine-in
Yes
Health and safety
Staff required to disinfect surfaces between visits
Yes
Highlights
Fireplace
Yes
Great beer selection
Yes
Great cocktails
Yes
Sport
Yes
Popular for
Lunch
Yes
Dinner
Yes
Solo dining
Yes
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible seating
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Yes
Offerings
Beer
Yes
Cocktails
Yes
Coffee
Yes
Comfort food
Yes
Happy-hour drinks
Yes
Kids' menu
Yes
Wine
Yes
Dining options
Dinner
Yes
Dessert
Yes
Seating
Yes
Amenities
High chairs
Yes
Toilets
Yes
Atmosphere
Casual
Yes
Cosy
Yes
Crowd
Groups
Yes
Tourists
Yes
University students
Yes
Planning
Dinner reservations recommended
Yes
Accepts reservations
Yes
Payments
Debit cards
Yes
Credit cards
Yes
Phone: +1 224-999-7320
Site: http://www.smyliebros.com/
Site: http://www.smyliebros.com/
Opening hours
- Monday:Closed
- Tuesday:Closed
- Wednesday:Closed
- Thursday:4–8PM
- Friday:4–9PM
- Saturday:12–9PM
- Sunday:12–8PM
Smylie Brothers Brewing Co. - Evanston in other cities:
Comments (199)
The food was delicious, and everyone was so nice and friendly!! We will definitely go again. Our boys will love it!!!
Great beer selection and ambience. Feels more like a restaurant than a brewery unless youre seating right at the bar. Everything on the menu looked good!!! And we were happy with everything we ordered.Service was fast, but not personal. Im pretty sure a different person brought out everything each time.It seemed like there was little to no parking except on the street and for a place so big and outside of the city that kinda sucked.
Amazing mussels and strawberry salad! My hotel was just up the street and Im glad I went. The mussles had a perfect amount of butter and garlic and the bread was great for dipping in the butter. The strawberry salad had mango and goat cheese which was a unique combination 8 hadnt had before. Delishious.
This is literally the meal and best service I have had in my life! I cant recommend this place more! They take their covid precautions very seriously and have a truely welcoming staff. The manager (I think) was checking in a took genuine stock in customer feed back. The food was melt in your mouth amazing bbq and expertly crafted beers! 10/10 would recommend
Very nice brewery and restaurant. It is quite large inside, but it is not loud. The craft beer is good and the variety of beer options will allow everyone to find something to enjoy. The food is good as well. They started in 2014, so the operation is working well.
Had probably the (if not one of the) best BBQ brisket in Illinois. Probably the closest to Texas BBQ I have had since living in Texas. Definitely got to try it.
Located near USC.. its a tight spot and packed .. so well worth the wait to get a seat in the house.. but its too good to walk away .. I really love the Corn esquites.lA creamy corn in a cup cousin to the elote street food favorite.i enjoyed the Mutt Dog half red half green god on a lobster roll. Also veggie dog is available soy based .
So I must say our waitress Colby was great absolutely top notch! Restaurant is pretty cute, but that’s about it. The food was lacking flavor! I ordered the bbq flight with Mac n cheese, I don’t know if it was a different cook today but all the meat was very dry and lacked flavor, the Mac tasted like it came out of a box. The baked beans were the only tasty item we ordered unfortunately. I really wanted to like this place with all the good reviews it received but wow was it just not good.
Went to a private party. Food was great. Parking lot next to restaurant. 2 hour max so you have to keep track of the time to feed the meter. Hip place.
We really enjoyed our lunch here on July 4th. We received great service (I believe our servers name was Geoffrey), the beer is fantastic (especially the farmhouse ale), the food was good (but not spectacular). We got two flights and most of the beers were very good (although we didnt like the kolsch at all). We ended up spending more than we intended to, but it was worth it for a fun lunch. I really appreciate the restaurant staying open on the holiday and the workers who worked on the holiday.
Good food and decent beers. Been here a couple times and both experiences were good both food/beer and service. Nice perk they have paid parking right outside their place, not always the case in Evanston. I’d definitely go back here if I’m in the area but I wouldn’t make a special trip to go here. Highly recommend coming here as your last stop after checking out Sketchbook and Temperance brewing.
Beer and food were delicious! Has a cool rustic/industrial vibe and the service was good.
I had a truly terrible experience tonight. After finishing work on campus, I came by Smylie Bros for a drink and food. I was so excited. But when I arrived I asked for a table and was told that they would not give me a table because I was alone. They said I could eat at the bar downstairs or upstairs, but that they could not give me a table. I asked if I could just sit at a small two person table, and they said they could not give me a table because Im alone. This was truly horrible. I understand that they have to make money, I truly do; but whether I am one versus two people shouldnt make a huge difference. It is hard enough to eat alone sometimes, but to be told repeatedly that they could not give me a table specifically because I was by myself was upsetting. I wont ever return here, even though Ive enjoyed it in the past. Even though you need to make money, I encourage this business to consider how they communicate with customers, and whether there is a way to not be so horrible moving forward.
Delicious beers and great brisket/pulled pork. There was a delay in our food due to a mixup with the order, but our server was very apologetic and took care of us right away! A great experience overall and will definitely go again!
Great food, great beers and cocktails, great atmosphere, and great staff.Definitely has a more mature setting than most breweries in Chicago. This makes it ideal for dinner with parents or in-laws, catching up with friends, or a relaxing date night of course.
I absolutely love everything about this restaurant… Besides the wait time but they are in demand. I always get the pulled chicken sandwich with the Texas and Kansas City barbecue. Also all the drinks are amazing. Especially the purple line. I highly recommend dine in for a group of 6 to 10.
We took our son to Smylie Bros for his 19th birthday celebration because it’s his favorite place. We had the most amazing server named Ryan! He went above and beyond, hands down, he asked detailed questions about everyone’s preferences, he remembered everything and made extra effort to take care of our needs. The food and drinks were superb, delicious a d memorable but Ryan is the reason we will be back!!
Excellent beer selection and expert staff to walk guests through their options!
When you sit down at a restaurant and are informed they have a 1 hour dining policy, it feels a bit unwelcoming. The place was almost empty and we had sat down with our family of 5. Food and beer was ok, ribs were tough though wouldnt order again. Probably wont return due to the unwelcome feeling.
I am so happy this restaurant is just down the street from me! Every time I’ve gone I’ve had such an enjoyable experience. And the patio during the warmer months is incredible!!!! They also graciously donated toward a silent auction that benefitted the Evanston community which was so appreciated! Great drinks and food for vegetarians, too! Definitely put this place on your summer hot list!!!!
We ordered a big spread of meats and sides for Super Bowl Sunday for our family and everything was amazing! Super easy curbside pickup. Smylie Brothers catered my husbands 40th birthday some time ago and we’ve ordered family meals before; but we went all out on Super Bowl Sunday trying new sides and it was amazing. It was just what we all needed. The only sad thing is that we don’t have much left over for tomorrow.
Had the barbecue flight last night. The brisket and ribs were outstanding! If you enjoy barbecue I strongly recommend checking out Smylie Brothers Brewering.
Food was great! Their beer selection is really good as well. Also, their charcuterie selection was 👌🏽
Best staff in Evanston. They always accommodate us when we show up and seat us quickly even when busy! The beer list and food can’t be beat. I love bringing family here because everyone always finds something they like.
Great outdoor fine during pandemic. Best brisket sandwich Ive had in a long time (get the sliced...also comes chopped). Perfect fries. Loved the beer chaser with the Bloody Mary. White bean dip with veggies was outstanding.
Server also worked behind the bar which affected the service and our food order was forgotten. Not a great first experience.
Unprofessional, disrespectful, intimidating, confrontational & immature. Thats how I can describe the hosts, bartenders & manager at Smylie Brothers on 7/30/21 because of the way they humiliated our group of 8 while hoping to celebrate our 63 year old coworkers last day at work before his journey into retirement. And this was at 3:30 pm with the place near empty. A couple of them had looks on their faces like they wanted to fight us...and 5 out of 8 of us in the group are grandparents. So we paid for our 1 round of beers, then had a great time at FIVE & DIME on Davis St.
Id have liked to try this place, but dont know that Ill ever get to. Due to the private event menu, attractive photos and great location, I really wanted to hold my sons rehearsal dinner there. I emailed the address designated for private parties (info@....) on May 11th, inquiring about having the rehearsal dinner. When I hadnt heard by July 25th, I called and, when the hostess answered, I asked to speak with someone about a private party. She said they werent booking private events at this time. I said What about an event in December. She replied As I said, we arent booking private events...but I could give you the email for the person who handles those. I told her I had emailed that person two and a half months ago and never heard back, so I guess I had all the information I needed. I should have added then maybe you should remove your special events page and menu from your website.
This is a nice spot with a cute patio. All of the staff were very friendly and made great food and drink recommendations. I really did enjoy their selection of drinks. I highly recommend the Spritz and Giggles cocktail, as well as This Berrys On Fire cocktail. The food portions were a little small, but still flavorful. The smokehouse chicken sandwich and the mac n cheese were fantastic.
Given the pandemic I can forgive a lot, however the price we paid and the quality of food we received its not worth it. First of all the fries were soggy and in a big lump. I guess it’s because they just stuffed it into a drinks cup. It’s so basic and they can’t even get this right. The brisket burger had no flavour and the meat was not tender. The chilli had lots of ingredients but not flavour again! SALT chef. Couldn’t taste any. Side salad was warm/hot?! Go figure... I am happy to pay for good BBQ but this is definitely not one of those places.
Good food, great brew, awesome staff and service!
Weve been here many times and never had any issues, good customer service, good beer and food. However, today is my birthday and we wanted to come in and celebrate with some beer. Due to covid their policy doesnt allow more than four people per table. We called ahead of time and made two separate reservations, each table for four people. When we arrived our server Claire said: I can already see youre a group of eight so we cant serve you. She wouldnt even listen to us, she was just smirking and no matter what we tried to say she would interrupt us and tell us were a group of eight so we had to turn around and go elsewhere. We get it, things during covid can be confusing and every place is managing the best they can. But we did everything by the rules, came all the way from Arlington Heights and our server couldnt care less, had a rude attitude for no reason and because of employees like her place lost potential clients. So we found this place Five and Dime pretty much across the street, they allow a group of six and accommodated us without any problems. They have an awesome rooftop, great modern interior, food and drinks are delicious. Highly recommend if youre coming in larger groups.
One of my favorite breweries. This place has great outdoor seating and a lovely fireplace inside for the winters. Their beer is fresh and tastes amazing. I like to get flights from here. My husband loves the barbecue flight, he says it’s some of the best meats he’s ever had. The salads, fries, barbecue sauces, and Mac and cheese are all delicious.
A great place for food, drinks, and events! Ive eaten here a couple times now scouting the area for an event our company hosted and everything Ive tired has been so good! It was an easy choice to pick Smylie Brothers for our event venue and it couldnt have gone better! Cant thank you all enough for such a great night. Everyone was so nice and really helped me pull together an event with minimal stress during a crazy week. Got so many compliments from everyone about how great the food, drinks, and event space were. Such a cool place - its a must go for sure!
We’ve been wanting to try this place out for a while now. BBQ was very good. There are two sauce choices which were both good I mixed them together. I had the bbq flight which was a good variety and great amount of food. Beers were good too, we will have to come back to try more. Very nice ambiance with exposed rafters and cozy fireplace.
Excellent selection of crafted beers. Burgers are delicious, made of quality ingredients. The place can be sometimes noisy due to the interior open space but overall for casual dinners you cant ever go wrong.
Had a couple different beers here and a variety of apps and pizzas. First thing I noticed was how cool the space is, it was very open and inviting. Next, the menu. Theres a beer on here for just about everyone. I had the pale ale and the american wheat and thought they were great. Finally the service. Rico was an excellent server, had great suggestions for the beers and apps and was quick to bring us everything. Cheers! I hope to come back soon.
This is a nice looking place with good beers, but the food leaves a little to be desired. The IPA was solid and the Agave Wheat was real good. The food, both vegetarian and non-veg were fairly expensive for the portions and quality. I think the fries were the highlight (and Id order them again.) The space is large an varied; its good for groups and couples. The service was great, and they were willing to accommodate our request to move tables due to a chilly draft where we were sitting.Long story short: come for the beer, dont stay for the food.
The food was good and the atmosphere was nice. Its very interesting that they have a brewery right in the building. I am not an alcohol drinker so that doesnt abide to me but looking at the facilities they are doing a good job. I had the hamburger and it was exquisitely spiced correctly and with the with the garnishes it was great.
Its a huge bustling place.The beer selection is awesome. We had white bean dip in appitizers, really good.. The brisket pizza was great with the crust that was not limpy. The brisket burger had chunks of tender, chopped brisket. Bratwurst burger was good too. Above all Rico was the best server ever, knowledgable about the beers and fast with the food :)
All I can say about this place is WOW! We tried the barbecue flight and were not disappointed. Best brisket Ive ever had, hands down. Literally melts in your mouth. The purple line beer is our seasonal favorite. Really cute and cozy atmosphere. Great place overall!
Service was good, fun atmosphere, tasty beer. Appetizers wouldve been better if theyd been hot.
Large comfortable space. Summertime plenty of outdoor seating. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Purple line is award winner. Love the easy drinking Lager. Menu is solid with BBQ options as well as wood fired pizza.
Really disappointed with the way this place has gone downhill. The customer service is atrocious- we were treated SO rudely by the hosts today! After years of coming here with our dog to enjoy the weather outisde on the patio, theyre suddenly not dog friendly anymore and to add insult to injury, the hosts all had to be total jerks about it. That said, the beer is pretty good but the food is really not- especially the barbecue. Unless you like bland and inauthentic. Its cool, we took our $100+ that we would have spent and went elsewhere( Nicks in Wilmette, which is totally dog friendly).
Good food, Staff is very rude, not friendly not professional unfortunately most of them
The brisket was so tender and juicy! Highly recommend
Very good BBQ in the north. Have been spoiled by Memphis BBQ but this place is a close second. All food I tried was excellent. The brisket and pulled pork were very tender with excellent flavor. The Executive burger extremely flavorful and the fries were REALLY good. I would recommend the soft pretzels as an appetizer the beer cheese and mustard were family favorites. The Blood Orange Dunkelweiss went with everything I ate and was smooth and full bodied.I will return next time I am in Evanston.
Foreigners are not welcome!I’m 32 y.o. and got refused to be served beer on Sunday evening as all documents I had on me was Russian driving license (which is accepted everywhere else and has my birthday/age). People on a work visa like me - be aware! - either bring your passport (In my case I only use it for flying) or go somewhere else (Whiskey Thief Tavern is 4 min away and has great beer and food menu)
Nice brewery happy hour has $3 beer
Everything we tried was delicious. The bbq flight (good for 2 people) the BlTP sandwich was awesome. Beers are great too. The place is huge so you dont have that much noise around you. Server are in a good mood and take care if you in a time manner.
This place is awesome! There is always a large selection of different beers by the brewery on tap and the flights/5oz pours are reasonably priced. Great food/BBQ and great atmosphere, with outdoor seating and a large downstairs and a smaller more cozy upstairs (with a fireplace and couches!).
Food was solid as was the service. I had the Reuben which wasnt quite a Reuben for me, but the beef brisket and pizzas are supposedly great. The Spoon cornbread was great, rich and buttery. Beer was good along with the booze served along side it (beer and booze flight). Id go back again.
Good pizza. Great brew. BBQ is good too. The front of the house staff has never really been too helpful, honestly. Ive walked upstairs a few nights when that portion of the restaurant was closed or closing, and felt extremely uncomfortable with the way the staff handled those situations.
Beer was good but food was very expensive for quality. barbeque was average at best. mash potatoes were fantastic though. a must try if you do eat here. chili and pretzel were quite good as well. maybe Ill try pizza next time since that seems to have good reviews. you definitely pay for the atmosphere which is quite nice...
Food was OK, (Margherita pizza needs improvement to be even ok) waitstaff was very cordial and pleasant. Dinner with family was great in a large room.
Food is excellent! Burger is very juicy & flavorful. Quad brownie good, but a little overbaked. Service somewhat slow, but server very pleasant. Difficult to get refills on coffee. Are they rationing it?
Very warm and friendly. Beers are great and my friend, who wanted a cocktail said the mojito was very good too. Didnt have food this time but the ribs I had before were excellent.
Overall, pretty good. I wasnt impressed with the portions. The food was good but not amazing. Good, rustic atmosphere. Nice outdoor seating. A few TVs but not a ton. Im sure their craft beer is good but I didnt get any.
The food is even better than the beer which should say a lot for a brewery. Definitely a great spot to hangout and grab some drinks / dinner.
The food was very good. We had to the Smokehouse Pizza, Italian Sandwich and Vege Sandwich. All were made with fresh ingredients. The beer was also very good. The Mosaic IPA, Zythos Imperial and Bourbon Barrel Belgian were our favorites.
It was delicious. It has a great rustic bare bones look. The menu is short and sweet. It has a a nice beer menu to chose from. Lots of Tvs if you want to catch a game or score while youre enjoying a meal with the family. Cant wait to come back in the summer to check out the outdoor ambiance.
Smylie Brothers has an enormous selection of beer, a wide range of menu options and (in my experience) staff that goes above and beyond. I went with a bunch of women in the middle of the week and they were busy but took the time to give us a brewery tour and even recommend beers to go with our food. They make their own woodruff syrup, which I added to the Berliner Weisse for a combination flavor Ive never tried and truly loved. I recommend the white bean dip, the Cuban pizza (unique!), and the pork belly poutine- those were the favorites of the group. I will absolutely be back and Ill be keeping an eye out for their beer, hoping it makes its way to Colorado soon!
I really wanted to like this place since it has such a great atmosphere and actually has vegan entrees. Its the type of place that you would expect great food from. Unfortunately, the veggie burger was really unappetizing and their quinoa dinner special was literally just a bowl of bland quinoa with a few broccoli bits thrown in. Neither dish was worth the money. Oh, and avoid the Frankenpie - they serve it cold and its just not good at all. Ive given this place two tries and it hasnt won me over. Probably wont be going back.
More like 3.5/5. Giving this place a 4 over a 3 more due to the atmosphere. Had their IPA and I wasnt a fan. Food is decent (not incredible, but solid). Nice outdoor patio too. If Im in Evanston again I would go back, but it isnt worth the trek otherwise.
Great big location for a brewery, the ambiance is excellent. House breed beer variety is good, food is okay we tried few different things including the pizza. More upsacle food with a brewery catering to a upscale crowd of North shore. It works though for where its located, will be tough sell if it was in Chicago zip code.
After years of eating mostly fish and fowl Ive found the occasional beef Ive ordered while eating out to be tough and chewy. I tried the beef brisket at Smylie Brothers and it almost melted in my mouth. Im not sure why but the fries were really good too. Overall I felt my meal was a good value and Ill be sure to return.
Love this place!!! Excellent atmosphere inside before covid, havent been inside since, but the food Is amazing, and all the staff go above and beyond! Would definitely recommend this place for the food, and cant forget the drinks as well :)
Smylie Bros is doing a great job with a take-out specific menu. Tonight, we had ribs and poutine, and the family loved it...especially after a week of home cooked meals. Everything was wrapped perfectly and arrived hot. Highly recommended.
Brought guests from out of town. Ordered smokehouse sampler. Food was tasty but cold. Slaw side was warmer than the served smokehouse meats. Service was poor. Could not get anyones attention to warm up the food or get refills on tea. We were there at 8pm on Saturday. We were going to get dessert and when the raspberry peach pie came out it was not at room temperature it was ice cold. We took the food home to heat up and eat. Once we got staff attention to pay the bill. Bad experience. At one time we asked the host for more ice tea and he blew us off. Note that the place was not full. There were empty tables both inside and out were we were seated. One last note.. mens bathroom was a mess. Por management last night.
Though the place may look great on the outside, their food and beer are poorly made. We had a group function last week in their loft area and several of us, myself included, had food poisoning immediately afterwards and were out of commission for the next few days. I believe that they did not cook the meat on their pizzas long enough, which resulted in us getting sick. If you are looking for craft beer, just go to Temperance or Sketchbook brewery in Evanston instead. Id highly recommend that you dont go here. You will leave disappointed or sick.
Ive been to Smylie Brothers several times and enjoyed good food and friendly, entertaining service, but tonights visit was a disappointment. A friend and I met at Smylies Brothers for her first visit. Although the dinning room held few customers, we were seated near the fireplace next to a table over crowded with several noisy men. Granted, we should have requested alternate seating. There wasnt a reason we should have been led to that area.The young lady serving us was in a hurry - failing to mention the specials, asking to take our plates while we were still eating and continually asking if we were finished.Of course we will return as this restaurant has much to offer, but please request the staff to slow down and enjoy their jobs!
Ive been in the business for 20 years. My fiancé and I are both GMs. I have to say, I wish I didnt like the food as much as I do because the operation is an absolute nightmare. They close the kitchen arbitrarily, they stop taking to go orders because the kitchen is too busy and call last call whenever they feel like. The management team has been rude to my fiancé and I on separate occasions. Overall I hate this place but the barbecue is killer the burgers are great and the pizza is solid. Front of house, get it together. Youre an embarrassment to the business.
Had reservations for 11 for parents 50th anniversary and hoped to be seated outside, though we were told before that outdoor seating was first come, first serve. No problems so far. Arrived and was told that outdoor seating couldnt accommodate more than 8 (tried to explain we had 4 little ones). No problem, we asked to see the manager. Manager explained that outdoor seating couldnt seat more than 10. We felt unwanted and decided not to spend our money here. Too bad because it looked like a cool place. Decidedly un-smiley.
Fantastic place to dine. Service is great and the food is delicious. Love their beer selection. The Bourbon brew is one you have to try while its there.
Amazing tasting BBQ! Excellent service!!! Way too full to try dessert. My husband and I shared the BBQ Flight. They are also military friendly. I will definitely be back.
Went here for our first date 2 years ago, and returned several times when we lived in the area. Two years later, we missed this place and wanted to go back! Nice, cozy location with delicious food, beer, really good select wines, and a welcoming staff. Already looking forward to visiting again.
Beer and food were delicious. Highly recommended
A friend and I went here for some recovery food on a Sunday afternoon and it was everything we wanted. The margarita pizza was delicious as was the bacon mac and cheese. Loved the outdoor eating area and overall vibe of the place.
The beer, food, and service is great at Smylie Brothers. The BBQ has continued to surprise me again and again. Having a local brewery that brews excellent beer and has a great food menu is incredible.
Great staff and good food and drinks. Zeff very accommodating for our after work for drinks gathering of 20+ people to celebrate a co-workers retirement. Ive personally had lunch here many times, and will come back many times more!
Smylie Bros. Is probably one of the best bbq places in Evanston. The food is always tender and juicy. The staff is not only accommodating but very knowledgeable about their brews and other spirits they serve. Try the Purple Line or the (On occasion) the Bourbon Barrel Strong. I would also reccomend going upstairs during the fall and winter, to enjoy their fireplace. You may get too see one of their regulars who walks in with his sweet Whippet. It also doubles as a much quieter atmosphere.A+
Having come from KC, I have a high bar for BBQ... but I can say they got it right with their beef brisket sandwich and KC bbq sauce. You won’t be sorry you ordered it! Finally some good bbq in Chicago!! Enjoy🎉
I cant think of anything negative to say about this place. They have something here for everyone. There is a wide variety of beer and lots of great food. Customer service was excellent. The atmosphere was terrific.
The staff is awful and seem mentally unstable... rude and pushing their personal mask wearing agenda onto the guests. They make the whole experience of going out to eat terrible. Wont be coming back.
Great BBQ food and lots of awesome beers to choose from. Atmosphere is great, burlap wall panels, rustic fireplace and big windows. Pretty quick, too!
My mom and I visit here every time I come to visit. Always great food and staff. Had a pretzel and a couple pale ales today, delicious as expected. Marty, the bartender was wonderful and kind.
Dear people who are considering going here....please stop for a moment and ask yourself if you care about customer service. Bar tenders are very rude and unresponsive like they will literally ignore you and you feel intrusive. Worst place Ive been of recent and I wouldnt recommend plus the beers and food are expensive and mediocre. Horrible. The saving grace is the hostess thank you! But we will never come back here just out of principal for how bad the service was, this is 2018 get it together.
I am an easy going person but this is worst place ever to relax. bartenders are terrible and think they are most powerful people in world when you are just tying to have a relaxed fun night. Don’t ever buy shots for your friends that is a no no from the bartenders. Sit quietly and enjoy your mediocre beer food is what this place is all about
My favorite brewery in Illinois. A great line up of interesting and delicious beers and high quality tasty foods all made in house by talented and friendly folks.
Unbelievably rude. Quite literally the worst service Ive ever received. This went beyond simply being curt or neglectful, the servers went out of their way to ensure my party knew we werent welcome. Luckily it was a celebration and everyone in attendance was in a good mood, so now Smylies is a family and friend punchline - but thats about the extent of positive things I have to say.
Its hard to determine which I like more : the IPA or their farmhouse ale. The IPA has a clean, crisp, malty backbone, cut by an assertive hop bitterness. The farmhouse ale is very complex and refreshing, with fruity and spicy flavors from a Belgian yeast strain.
Food and beer was decent. The service was horrible on my visit. Waitress was rude from the time we sat down. Brought this up to the manager and the manager just said she mustve been tired. Wouldnt go back due to service
Amazing place awesome atmosphere and great music. Im stuffed and cant wait to come back for the bbq and another blood orange dunkelweiss beer. Definitely try the shooter though. Great way to really check out the selections and unique flavors
Mediocre beer, terrible barbecue. Tried a flight of beer, and couldnt tell the difference between the pale, IPA, and wheat. Most were overhopped out of style, which is very apparent on the wheat and stein beers. The barbecue was horrendus. Boiled and falling apart without texture, leaving unrendered hunks of fat in the brisket and pulled pork. This is compounded by a choice of two sauces: tasteless, or icky sweet. Really, all the food items were quite tasteless and lacking salt.
I eat here a lot since I work in the area. I got to say their service is always fantastic and they keep the spot clean all the time. Rates are fair and they serve generous portions.
Ive never done a restaurant review before, but it was so bad that this warrants it. This is truly one of the worst restaurant experiences Ive ever had. This was the groomsman dinner and the food was all cold, the staff was incredibly rude, and the space for the event was nothing like what they described. I cannot stress how terrible this place is. The staff is what makes it so awful.
I dont understand the negative reviews of the beer I consider it the best brewery around, similar to Colorado breweries in their smoothness, bucking the IPA madness that has taken over. Food is mostly a hit but needs more consistently of quality.
Beer was meh...cant review the food as we didnt order any. Nice place though, plenty of room and it wasnt overly loud. Overall just an average brewery.
Worst place Ive ever been to. Staff is uneducated regarding the United States and its territory. I got denied serving because my license was not a United States issued ID when Puerto Rico is clearly United States soil. The other reason they said was because I my ID was in Spanish when it CLEARLY STATED BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH VERSIONS OF EACH FIELD IN THE LICENSE. This place DISGUSTS me, and I definitely do not recommend it for anyone. This is discrimination, never thought this would happen in todays world.
Happened upon the restaurant after a swim meet at Evanston high school. Ordered the beef brisket, ruebin, and soup. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. Glad we stopped in.
This place is great, my first time there and couldnt ask for a better experience. Kylie our waitress was great, food was excellent and beer was excellent as well. I highly recommend this place. I will be returning.
The brisket here is so good. The beer is top notch and the upstairs bar has such a cool vibe.
Beer is good and nice food options.
Good asthetics. Wait staff was attentive. Food was just Ok.
Excellent lunch. The Ruben and Mac and cheese combo was glutinous in the best way possible! Also try the chilli with the smoked brisket.
Dont think Ive had a bad meal here. Great brewpub, really enjoy their fruit beers. Great happy hour prices.
The food is great, a large variety of choices from pizzas to trout, the poutine is excellent and mussels too. Service was fast and friendly.
Great food and beer selection! They have a bunch of their beers on tap and offer flights to sample a bunch of their beers. Also have a great outdoor space.
Excellent local beer and bbq, with outdoor seating. Highly recommend the pulled pork sandwich.
Though most of their beer is just OK, this place has DOPE pizza and a super cool vide. Absolutely worth going there JUST for the pizza.
Smylies is a weekly stop for me. Im not usually a sour beer enthusiast but their purple line beer is great! Hint: catch the half price pizzas and beer past 9.
Food and craft beer is great. Ambiance is so-so and somewhat sterile. Get rid of all those TVs around the place. Too expensive for a family outing.
This place gives wonderful service and enjoyable menu. The best restaurant around town. The food came out quick and the prices are economical. I recommend this place.
Great BBQ and craft beer in an attractive, comfortable setting. We really enjoy this place whenever were in Evanston.
I really love their beer. Food was also great and service was super fast and friendly (albeit I was there at a slow time).
Food was pretty good, ribs a little dry. Sides were very good. Server was attentive and friendly, host was aloof.
Great food. Good service. Good beer. Reasonable prices. One of my favorite Evanston restaurants.
Very fun, even though Im underaged my family had a great time exploring their brews! Also great food to go along with it!!!
This place is pretty awesome. Love the vibe and the food.
Decent BBQ, but nowhere near the very very best. That, however, is not reflected in the prices. Decent atmosphere and location, but you can get better BBQ elsewhere.
Nice food (especially the pulled pork sandwich) and good beers. Foreigners be advised to bring the passport because they usually dont accept non-us documents
The food was absolutly delicious but the beer is even better!! The Bourbon Barrel Belgium is awesome!
Very good food, good wait staff. Good beer and mixed drinks. All around a 5 star experience.
Service was excellent.. Food was liked by the whole group (11 people, kids and adults).. Family friendly atmosphere.. Would recommend
Incredibly beautiful restaurant with a brewery and slow cooked BBQ. They have the most delicious brisket I have tasted.
Service was great, kitchen quick.Chic special & pulled pork excellent. Ribs and Brisket DRY.
Slick place to eat and of course grab a beer. Food here was delicious. Lots of beers as well. Cant lose really.
Great beer, good eats, casual. A bit loud but to be expected for a pub. Yummy Mac and cheese.
Wish I I wouldve known about this place sooner! Great atmosphere!
Absence good service good. Cole slaw the rest OK. Brisket a little dry. Had the pulled pork,brisket and ribs.
Fun Trivia, never a problem with the service or atmosphere, but I have never been impressed by the food or beer here. There is definitely room for improvement
Great beers, best smoked meats in town, great people. 5 stars, every time!
Favourite restaurant in Evanston! Great burgers and sandwiches! Their meat is delicious!
Poor service. Terrible Manhattan. Ordered a shot of Michters and it was watered down. Reuben and fries absolutely fabulous!
Good beer and food. Staff is awesome. Looking forward to becoming a regular.
The beer was tolerable.. nothing noteworthy. The food was horrible and very over priced. This place will ultimately disappoint.
Nice beer selection and delicious food.
They serve big dishes and for fair pricing. helpful employees. They never disappoint.
Great atmosphere, good beer, but pretty average food for the price.
The pizzas were very good, as were the beer selection and appetizers. Definitely try the Pretzel with Beer Cheese!
Great local brewery. Fine selection of beer. I had an event there and the staff couldnt be more helpful
Out of sliced brisket. Out of pulled pork. Out of chicken. Chopped brisket cant be served with sauce on the side. Waitress is mean!
Good food, interesting space, good service.
Good selection of brews and nice atmosphere. Pulled-pork sandwich was a little dry.
Pretty rude. Called several times to make a reservation. No answer. Walked in and was reprimanded.
Great food. Very accommodating. New favorite BBQ place.
Good food, beer, service, and ambience. Barbecue is good, and the Applewood Porter are recommended.
Inventive spins on comfort food but done well, and craft brews from their own ten tanks
Good beer and food.
The food was okay, nothing memorable. What will be memorable was the bad service. Very slow.
Good food. Decent service. Great for lunch. Not a date night place though.
Great ambience. Pizza was tasteless. Bean dip was salty. Service needs improvement.
Good food, good beer, good waiter, safe practices!
Awesome everything! 😁
Love this place has great macaroni and cheese and great beer
Loved their cocktails and atmosphere. A little slow, but the bar helps!
Friendly service, great beer & and more than beer to drink. Nifty interior, worth a visit
Great BBQ, great craft beer, good service, nice atmosphere.
Service was very slow, food was flavorless, over cooked, and dry. Server was disengaged.
Great brewpub! Delicious food and a decent selection of beers.
Best brisket ever.Recommend the brown ale.Friendly service.
Delightful! Great food, great service, and very careful about Covid precautions!
I liked the food and the barbecue sauce was good. Nice atmosphere
Great food and beer. Comfortable environment. Nice staff.
Great place, decent price beers and good looking food.
Mediocre beer, terrible BBQ, but the brunch really is magnificent.
Really nice atmosphere (especially the mezzanine), good beer and food.
Great beer and good atmosphere
Great beer optios. BBQ, sandwishes and pizzas to choose.
Great food & atmosphere. Pulled pork delicious.
This place is truly amazing!!! I highly recommend going here!
Really doing some tasty beers. And you can get 5oz pours so you can try a few.
Really good food. Even better beer. The nicest folks.
Great micro brew and bbq themed bar food
Nice place for group hangout. I have been here 5-6 times and never disappointed.
Food was amazing, service was good. Lively atmosphere
Decent food but slightly over priced for what its worth.
It was a nice establishment. Drinks were pricey though
Good beer, but food is just fair.
The food is absolutely delicious and the service was just as comparable!!
Good beer and pizza. Bbq is pretty decent too.
This is a hidden brewery, where have you been? Awesome beer and great food.
Big, kind of bougie, overpriced (grilled cheese and cup of tomato soup for twelve dollars).
They were closing in an hour and our waiter made sure we knew and rushed the $%@ out of us.
Great beverage selection and delicious food.
I really enjoyed the Lucky 7 IPA.
2/3rds tables empty on a Friday night + a 40 minute wait? Not for this food.
Great sides and main courses and an atmosphere that is upbeat and comfortable
Good food and good beer. Service could be better.
Total reviews rating 4.2
199 Reviews for Smylie Brothers Brewing Co. - Evanston 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-01Terrible service and terrible food. Brisket sandwich came out with a burned bun and I mean black. Told our server and he he brought out a bun. I asked him if we were suppose to make the sandwich at the table. He then gave me the meanest look and took the sandwich.A couple minutes later he brings out the sandwich with a bun right out of the wrapper not toasted and you could tell they just plopped everything off the other sandwich onto this bun. They didn’t bring out fresh fried, just a few (I counted 6) in a little pan.This was our first visit and our last. Too bad we live right down the street, but there are too many other good restaurants. This was a waste of money.
Review №2
2021-06-12Tremendous service - was able to walk in for patio seating. Maria is such a sweet and nice server/waitress with wonderful recommendations. The BBQ is amazing - we got the brisket sandwich, smoked chicken, Mac and cheese sides, chili, warmed pretzel, and beer, and it was all reasonably priced! Also gotta have a beer while you’re there (it’s a brewery after all). We definitely want to come back as the pizzas look SO good, so that’s next to try.
Review №3
2022-07-08We moved to the neighborhood not long ago and heard nothing but great recommendations about this place from neighbors so naturally we had to pay a visit. We originally were planning on sitting on the patio but it looked like rain was approaching so we opted to sit inside at the only two seats at the bar. Best. Decision. Ever. The interior of this place, WOW! The exposed wood, the lighting, the brewing machines front and center. Our bartender Brad was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, and patient with our many questions. The guy really knows his stuff and genuinely loves the beer hes serving. Both his beer recommendations hit the mark and his candor about an item on the dinner menu was commendable. The half chicken and pulled pork sandwich came out so fast that we didnt think it was our food! Both were generous portions with a side and had incredible flavor. The half chicken was so good that we took another one home. But honestly, the best part was the beer. Brad recommended the lager and the wolcott ipa. Beautiful, simple, and clean beers. We sampled a few others but these two are the real winners for us. We didnt plan on walking out with a case of beer but here we also had no idea we would find a gem like this in our new neighborhood. We are looking forward to being regulars here and checking out the patio.
Review №4
2021-09-20Showed up as a group of 6 cyclists on a Sunday mid afternoon. Approximately 8-10 open tables outside. We asked to push 2 tables together and were declined with a strict 4 person limit per table. Fair enough, can we sit 3 and 3 on separate checks and not push the tables together? No. Could we sit 3 and 3 several tables apart? No.But we were welcomed to sit 6 inside during covid. Needless to say, I do not know how the beer or food are because we were declined service. Horrible experience, we will not be back, and neither should you.Adding a second star because we did show up “unannounced” as a group of 6 to an open patio.
Review №5
2020-12-06Smylie Brothers Brewing Company was really cool!! I enjoyed the food, beer, ambience, and good service! Ordered the cheeseburger with a side of Mac and cheese and my friend got the Pulled pork sandwich with fries. The BBQ sauces on the side were great! We loved our food!!! Some of my favorite beers I tried were the Brett Pulver (a Golden Ale fermented in red wine barrels! It is like a Cabernet beer! If you like sours..You will love!), the Farmhouse was delicious(light tasting farmhouse ale), the bock was great(This baby took me to Munich, Oktoberfest!! 👍👍), the Wolcott IPA was my friend’s favorite( If you like hops!! This is your pick at Smylie!), 2019 Belgian Strong was tasty(Tastes like a tripel! This is a hard hitter! 👍🍻). They were all good beers here! Got some take out beers to go also. Got a 4 pack of the purple line and the farmhouse. The purple line was a fruity treat! 😄
Review №6
2020-12-06Stopped for lunch one dreary Sunday after biking north from West Town Chicago. Hungry, cold (in December!), and in the middle of a pandemic doesnt bode well for comfort. Found Smylie Brothers Brewing Company and called asking if they had outdoor seating and a heater. Fortunately for my bike mate and I, they had both! And only 15 minutes later we were sipping our hot coffee on the patio.I ordered a pastrami on a gluten free bun (Udis) with coleslaw. It was fantastic, best pastrami sandwich Ive ever had. The slaw was delicious too!My friend ordered the brisket sandwich with mac and cheese. He said the brisket was perfectly cooked.We ate quickly to fuel ourselves for a fridged ride back south, but enjoyed every bite. Ill be back once the weather and the pandemic turns more favorable!Keep up the good work guys!
Review №7
2019-04-11Great place. I ordered the ginger beer, poutin, and brisket sandwich. The ginger beer was awesome. Poutin was a treat and was really good. That would definitely my go to beer dish. The brisket was good. Not great but good. It was a bit dry. The slaw is not as sweet as I would have liked but still tastes pretty fresh. The sauce there is great though. Service was top notch as well.
Review №8
2019-03-14The service was stellar: very attentive and friendly. The Mac & cheese was a little bland. The crushed apple soup was interesting (its served hot). The sausage pizza was alright as well. Theres an outdoor seating area for the warm months. The inside is really big too. Ill try the BBQ again next time.
Review №9
2019-10-06Good atmosphere, ok food and avarge service.The place itself is a big hall with very nice design, but it can get quite noisy, so a party of more than 6 wont hear one another (we were 14 people).Some of the dishes are better than others, I personally didnt like the fries but liked the ribs. In addition I feel the food was a bit expensive for what we got. The beer was great for me although some of us didnt like it.The service was very slow and not very helpful regarding our situation (party of 14), and in the end they really make us feel like we should leave (I guess the wanted to close the place - but some of us still ate).On another occasion we ordered the the Cheese charcuterie platter which was mostly bread and very little cheese or meat. Also $16 for two shots (???).
Review №10
2019-02-10Service there is good. I cant really the same thing about the food. I ordered a half of chicken and ribs, they were both really dry .I also ordered mac&cheese, coleslaw, &their cornbread pudding. I didnt really enjoy any of these sides. The only thing that was good was the poutine fries. The restaurant itself is beautiful. Anyway, I will not travel 40 minutes again for this food. Im sure all the locals will disagree about my review, but that is just my pallet and opinion about smylie brothers brewery.Im just giving my honest opinion about my take on there food. There are alot of other places that are giving a much better quality &freshness of food than smylie brothers.....