Ordinarily, I’m not a big fan of those franchise bars, especially in a town like Chicago where you’re never far from a pub or lounge with a distinct personality.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been known to pop into a Bennigan’s or TGIFriday’s if I don’t have an alternative. And in a pinch, I’ll waltz into one of the city’s many Bar Louie locations. But generally I prefer a watering hole with a certain character or ambience, not some cookie-cutter bar.
But recently, I happened upon Yard House, part of a national chain that includes bars in San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Waikiki and Kansas City.
Located in The Glen Town Center in Glenview, Yard House is a brew connoisseur’s dream — boasting the world’s largest selection of draft beers.
“I’ve been to a lot of bars, all over,” said Jonathan Tull, 34, of Glenview, who was sipping a pint of Rogue Dead Guy Ale while sitting at the bar before last Sunday’s Bears-Packers game. “Nobody can touch this place. I mean, look at all those beers.”
Tull gestured toward the impressive lineup of taps behind the large horseshoe bar that sits smack dab in the middle of Yard House, a wide-open yet nondescript room with oversized booths, plenty of tables and a continuous stream of Classic Rock blaring from the sound system.
Of course, there were common brews such as Budweiser and Miller Lite. But there was also Belhaven Scottish Ale and Three Floyds Alpha Kings. There was Left Hand Polestar Pilsner and Monty Python’s Holy Grail. There was Young’s Chocolate Stout and SLO Blueberry Ale.
There was Tennent’s, Foster’s, Carlsberg and Smithwick’s.
The list goes on and on (pints are $4-$5.25).
“It’s like this — when you turn 21 and you want to go to a place to drink, you come here,” said Tony Briggs, who has been a manager at Yard House since it opened in 2004. “We’re known for having 130 different beers so you can try something you can’t typically find at a store.”
That’s not to say Yard House is crawling with frat boys chugging beers as some sort of rite of passage. On Friday and Saturday nights, you’ll find single male and female suburbanites mingling, which can lead to an hour wait for a table. And thanks to its daily half-priced happy hour appetizers along with an upscale dinner menu (including roasted turkey pot pie for $12.95 and lobster garlic noodles for $19.95), Yard House also draws businessmen and women unwinding after work and families enjoying an early-evening dinner.
“The idea is that we’re a great restaurant with a great bar,” Briggs explained. “We like to think the bar is an entity that completes the kitchen. The beer is just part of it.”
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The beer is a huge part of it. Yard House also features specialty drinks (including a delicious pomegranate margarita for $8.75), 27 different martinis ($9.25) and 37 choices of red and white wines (from $22 for a Firestone Riesling to $124 for a Far Niente cabernet sauvignon).
But when you see that massive selection of beers — Newcastle, Kirin Ichiban, Bare Knuckle Stout and so on and so on — Yard House is more inviting than your average franchise bar.
“There are plenty of reasons to come here,” said Brian Cullinan, 37, of Deerfield, before taking a sip from his pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. “But No. 1 is the large variety of beers.”
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Yard House
The Glen Tower Center
1880 Tower Drive, Glenview; 847-729-9273, www.yardhouse.com
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Sun.-Thus.; 11:30 a.m. -12:30 a.m. Fri.-Sat.
The buzz: As chain bars go, Yard House is a tad more upscale than Bennigan’s, TGIFriday’s or even Bar Louie. The place features enough beers on tap (130) to appease any hard-core brew drinker. All beers are available in 12-ounce goblets ($6 and up) and 32-ounce “Half Yards” ($11.95 to $14). Yard House also caters to those who’d rather sip martinis (there are 27 variations to choose from at $9.95) or specialty drinks ($7.75-$8.75). For Sunday and Monday night NFL games, pints are just $3.25.
Terry’s tip: Can’t decide which beer to drink? Try the 6-pack sampler of 4-ounce glasses at $6.95. One more thing: Try the “Draft Beer Float” made of Young’s Chocolate Stout and vanilla ice cream ($6.50). It tastes a heck of a lot better than it sounds.
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