Saturday 12th of February 2011 06:40:43 PM

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The numerical reviews are situational. They had about eight beers on tap, most of which were craft, and a few decent bottles. nothing to write home about... except that, in Chicago's Loop and the streets just outside the Loop, there aren't that many places that serve craft beer. And this place does, and is open on weekends -- another bonus. And the food is pretty good, and a little adventurous, and the bar area is beautiful. My server was really friendly, and as attentive as possible given the crowds, and others fill in when they see a need. That being said, my food arrived with my cocktail, and while it was a good drink, it would have been better as a before-dinner drink. The bartenders are skilled. The beer came in appropriate glassware. Local brews are represented -- they had Half Acre's Gossamer on tap, and Goose Island Green Line. Also Dogfish Head Chicory Stout, a Southern Tier brew, and I'm blanking on the others. I'd go back for the food, and to have a drink or two on the weekends or to meet folks for drinks before doing something else.

Saturday 30th of January 2010 09:12:32 PM

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2014: It's a good restaurant and pretty good for beer, geared towards tourists lodging at the many nearby hotels. The beer selection has some good stuff, but it's small overall with a good amount of filler. Seems like that hasn't changed in 4 years, judging by their current list.

Sat, Jan 30th 2010

The Gage is a place i've been ambivalent towards for awhile, their tap selection is lousy, but overall it's a good beer destination considering the "gastropub" food and fairly eclectic bottle selection. To be in the same league with Publican though, they would need to step up the beer selection quite a bit. To me the highlights were Sofie ($25, ridiculous) and Schlenkerla Helles ($12, too pricey) and 2 Hearted on tap. Robert the Bruce, SN Porter, DFH Chicory Stout were the other seasonal taps of note, otherwise, the taps were pretty typical. Scotch and Bourbon on the other hand was off the hook. Rare spendy stuff here that would run you a few benjamins a pour, but rare stuff in the $8-15 range too.

Service was highly professional and seemingly personal, they were able to run down the vegetarian options on the menu with ease. We had 3 dishes, the poutine (awesome), mixed green salad with hazelnuts, cherries and blue cheese, and a side of roasted potatoes with brie. These were all filling and tasty.

The atmosphere was upscale, dark wood, tile floors, modern lighting and shelving behind the bar. Crowd seemed well-to-do and trendy, but not all. A couple strollers were parked by the door, so family-friendly i guess?

Overall a great place for lunch or dinner and a rare scotch if you're on an expense account!

Monday 12th of October 2009 12:10:05 PM

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The Gage is down in the thick of the loop with all the tourists and sightseers. The Gage is very easy to get to from all sorts of public transportation options (Metra, Various Colors of CTA L lines and lots of busses).

The bar is a typical long Chicago "L" shaped bar with about 10 taps. Many of the taps are uninspired, but they did have a few interesting selections during my visit like Sierra Nevada SH Harvest, Harpoon Leviathan and Matilda. The bottle selections provide you with quite a few more interesting options.

I wouldn't necessarily send anyone to The Gage just for beers though. The food was pretty good. I had the Gage Burger and thought it was pretty good. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their entrees much more than me though. Our service was good and I would definitely stop by here again in the future if I am hungry and in the area.