Andersonville's Belgian-Beer Institution
Hopleaf on Clark Street has been Andersonville's Belgian beer bar since 1992. The format is unusual for the country: a serious Belgian draft programme — long bar, deep tap list, the kind of bottles that beer-pilgrimage tourists travel for — combined with a kitchen that takes mussels-and-frites at the level the Belgian-beer pairing demands.
The cooking is Belgian pub at restaurant standards: moules-frites in multiple preparations, burgers built correctly, seasonal vegetable plates that are more interesting than the format suggests.
What to Order
Moules-frites in the broth of your choice — the dish the room is built around. The Hopleaf burger for the diner who wants the alternative; seasonal vegetable plates; cheese boards from European producers.
The Beer Programme
The Belgian draft list is one of the country's best — Trappist ales, lambics, sours, the regional Belgian and broader European producers most American beer bars cannot reliably stock. Bartenders will guide.
Best Occasion: Team Dinner
Hopleaf handles a Chicago team dinner reliably. The format provides natural conversation; the dining room and bar together accommodate any party; the price point is honest. Bringing colleagues to a 30-year Andersonville Belgian-beer institution sends an exact message about the city.