Monday 24th of January 2011 07:28:13 PM

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I have only had the opportunity to visit this location a handful of times. However, I did get to see their first ever Ultimate Beer Bout. It was excellent!

The staff was on point and the food was delicious. Their taps are always rotating and they keep them up to date for the public by using beermenus.com .

The atmosphere is perfect. They do get very crowded on the weekends though, so don't think that you can just mosey up to the bar.

I have always had a great time there.

Monday 20th of September 2010 09:26:22 AM

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I've been meaning to get to this place for awhile, but it's out in the middle of nowhere (please forgive me if you're local). Some reviews seemed a bit shill-y and had me skeptical, especially after finally locating it in a strip mall between a dry cleaners and tanning salon. Deep breath, go inside, hey...it's alright!

Past a small vestibule waiting area, you are in the larger bar room, with a dining area off to the side. On a Sunday afternoon, this room was full of families with kids, but thankfully the bar itself was kid-free. Nice to see them cater to both families and the bar crowd. It was fairly loud, with high open ceilings and stereo at Friday night volume. The bar itself was nice, a few dozen taps on the wall, set into a copper basin, with wood detailing around that. Up above there were assorted beer cases stacked up, 3 flatscreens, and a shelf with branded growlers strangely enough. Lots of beer signs tacked up all over the walls, and some nice colorful chalkboards done by hand.

Beer selection was good, though it leaned heavily toward IPAs and US craft (only imports were Delirium & Guinness). I wanted a stout to go with a few oysters (it was during oysterfest), but sadly Guinness was the only option. FFF was on special, $3 Gumballhead was music to my ears. Beer list was broken down by general styles, with abv, short description, BA/RB rating, and price. There weren't really any bottles worth mentioning, just a handful of macros. I get that the draft beer is the main focus, but it wouldn't hurt to have a few bottles of stuff not on draft, namely imports.

Food was the highlight, oysters and a generous portion of lamb loli-chops, 4 of them with a garlic oil and roasted squash. Guacamole was alright, and the panini was really just a grilled cheese, but also ok. A broad and varied menu covering pub food, cajun, mexican, asian, and a few other random things. Bison burgers looked excellent, i'll have to get one next time.

Overall a good place for fresh drafts and great food, an oasis in the craft beer desert of the southwest suburbs. Worth a stop if you're local or passing through, but ultimately not a major destination.

Wednesday 17th of February 2010 11:00:24 PM

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great place. I am really glad that Niall was able to open this place up. I was pretty sad when Galway Tribes closed but I think it worked out for the better. While smaller this place has more of the local neighborhood pub feel. The beer selection is first rate. Anytime I can go in and have a Furious on tap, that is an A+ in my book. The food is more than adequate and the staff is as courteous and friendly as ever.

Saturday 13th of February 2010 01:24:11 PM

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I have been a regular since they opened in December. They have an impressive 40 tap handles and also a cask. The owner changes the beer menu constantly and seems to find some hard to get brews. They also have a beer school once a month and they host several beer events a month. This month the have a Belgian Beer Brunch on Feb 21st. should be pretty cool. The food is pretty awesome and the prices are very reasonable. If you are looking for a great city bar (Map Room, etc) this is it.

Saturday 6th of February 2010 10:03:39 AM

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Finally the Southern suburbs have a place worth driving out to from any Chicagoland area. 40 taps (at least 35 are great craft beer- 4 Guinness, 1 Lite), 1 Cask. Focus on American craft beers, although there are usually around 5 Belgium styles. Staff is as welcoming as anywhere I've ever been and very knowledgeable about their beer. The place is brand new and immaculate- the bar and taphandles are very impressive- 40 handles in a row of all quality beer (shy of Lite) is a great sight! They have flights of 4 to let you choose a beer fitting your style or just to get a taste of all you would want without over serving yourself. Food menu is well rounded always and the specials are typically worth stopping in over, not to mention the lunch half price plus a buck deal. The Tribes is the closest "good" beer bar to my home and its by far my favorite of all the Chicago craft beer bars I've hit (and I've tried to hit them all whenever I get the chance). Beer enthusiasts should go well out of their way to stop in and try this place out- lookout city- the South Suburbs have a spot as good as anywhere in the whole city!!!

Wednesday 3rd of February 2010 07:22:09 AM

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The Tribes is very quickly becoming my new favorite spot. I would gladly travel vast distances to hang out here.. Good thing it is only 1.6 miles from my front door.

I have been here about 4 or 5 times so far, most recently for lunch and suds. I cannot say enough good things about this place. If you dig craft beer, you need to check it out.

Beer Selection: in a word.. fan-friggin-tastic. There are about 40 taps, not all of them are craft beers (one tap has Miller Lite.. eewwwww). They have the usual regional favorites: Victory, Founders, FFF, and Bells. Their non-regional list is pretty impressive, although I'd love to see some Sierra Nevada on tap. Nice to see a good selection of Double IPAs - FFF Dreadnaugh and Founders Double Trouble to name a couple.

Atmosphere: small but cozy. It has a non-corperate feel to it (a good thing IMO). The area is split into two with the bar and high bar tables on one side and standard tables and chairs in the "dining room". I've seen it get pretty busy in there on a Friday or Saturday night, but I've never seen it nuts-to-butts. The interior decor is nice. I like the chalkboards and all the beer-type paraphernalia about.

Service: The manager, bartender, and servers were all pleasant and helpful. One server we had was clearly outside of her league in describing the beers, but there was no lack of sincerity. I'm sure this will improve as time goes on.

Food: I've only eaten here once. I had the fish and chips. The batter was great (menu claimed it was made with stout), but the fish was "ok" - I'm not a big fan of frozen seafood. My wife had a reuben sandwich, which was very good. The fries at The Tribes can't be beat. I love love love these fries. Crispy on the outside and baked-potato'y on the inside. (great with malt vinegar).

Summary: I love this place. The only thing I would change if given the chance... replace the "dining room" table and chairs with high bar tables and stools. Oh, and a hose from the tappers to my house.. I can't wait to return.

Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 01:01:32 PM

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Since my first visit, this establishment has become my #1 place to chill, meet with old and new friends and enjoy great food and great beer. The food is very good and affordable. The staff and patrons are very friendly and well beer-informed. They have 40 pulls of fresh beer covering a broad spectrum of beer styles and they have an ever-changing list of tapped beer offerings. The atmosphere is that of a cozy traditional Chicago neighborhood tavern... there's always a welcoming crowd.

This is Chicago's Southside Hidden Beer-Drinker's Gem. Definitely a place to check out!

Saturday 2nd of January 2010 11:49:36 AM

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Stopped in here for a quick bite and beer while doing some xmas shopping in the area. Being that this is to be a beer bar I expected a good list. The draft list did not disappoint about 40 on tap with two casks. One for the day was Surly Smoke the other FFF Robert the Bruce. Most drafts were solid minus the usual Guinness.

Food was sandwiches, app's, typical stuff you would find in a pub type setting. I liked there burger line up with the option to get each sandwich in a specific meat type, Chix, Beef, or Bison. App specials and beer specials during lunch hrs. I believe the app specials was half price plus one dollar. I had the Chix wings with hot sauce they were good as I would expect hard to do them wrong. IMO

The service, bartender was a little soft spoken and was hard to hear and he didn't really have any info or input on the beers. If I was not into craft beer a person would be lost looking at that menu and he offered no suggestions. The beer draft list was broken down into categories, Lagers, Pale & IPA, Stouts & Porters, etc. So that was nice if you were looking for a specific style you didn't have to search very hard. Not many bottles at this time but I suspect they will add them in the future since they just opened.

The decor is dark, sterile with a little wood tone going on. The seating area is very small and I can see it getting really crowded in the seating area. The bar is long maybe 20 -25 seats? with few high tables in the bar area as well. The tap handles are on the back wall on a copper sheeting back drop nice and open you can see them all. I personally do not like having a tap box right on top of me at the bar.

Also it is a strip mall and getting in and out will be challenge on that busy corner of 30 and wolf.. but its worth a stop if you in the area and will be a nice addition to the area if you live close by...

cheers!