Friday 4th of June 2010 07:27:47 PM

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Edit 9/10:
Visited the Wabash St. location today and asked about their dispense system for Fullers. Appearance wise, they look like 3 handpumps, but the bartender confirmed they are dispensed with forced CO2 and not actually cask ales. Very misleading, and sad to see this practice still goes on.

Addendum: It should be noted that E&C dispenses through fake beer engines here (Adams St. & Wabash St. locations), which aren't actually cask ales. It's artificial housing around a standard tap, with a lower CO2 level.

More info:
http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/1669904
http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/464296
http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/817456#819468
http://www.cask-ale.co.uk/us/bogus-alert.html

01-31-2010
Marginally better than Kitty O'Sheas, the other lame forgettable chain bar in the Loop.

Inside there was lots of dark wood, wrought iron railings, and stained glass. Carpeted dining area, tiles around the bar. The interior felt very 'by the numbers' and designed to feel "homey" and "British" in a corporate office somewhere. A fake fireplace with some books on it, with framed photos of Charles Prince of Wales. Little jugs of "olde tyme stoute" above the bar, next to the 20 bottles of macros that comprised the bottle selection (minus Goose IPA and Hacker Pschorr).

Taps were the only decent thing about this place, 3 Fullers: ESB, London Pride, London Porter, also Franziskaner, and SA Noble Pils as a seasonal offering. The rest were your typical Harp, Bass, Guinness, etc. Decent Scotch selection, about 12 in all. My London Porter seemed like it had been sitting too long, but I did see one other pint drawn while I was there. Imperial pints were another bump up to the service score, in addition to the sweet girl that was taking care of us. There was an unpleasant funky bleach odor at the bar though.

Food wise we tried the bruschetta, which was passable. Overall there are better places to go in the Loop.

If you're staying downtown, check these places out:
Kaseys, Hackneys, Villains, State & Lake, The Gage, Millers (old school), Binnys South Loop (bar and megastore).

Looking for authentic cask ale near the Loop? Try Clark St. Ale House.
An authentic English/Irish pub in town? Check out Duke of Perth, Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro, or The Globe Pub.

Saturday 14th of July 2007 09:28:20 PM

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A British pub atmosphere luxuried-up and expanded into a restaurant. A nice place to take folks to. I'm a fan because they have Fuller's London Porter, London Pride, and the 1845 Celebration Strong Ale on tap and poured at the proper temperature in Fuller's glasses. Wow.

Outside of that, their tap list is a mix of American, Irish, and British, looking much like a standard Irish pub. The carpeting and fixtures are upscale, and the food is better than in most such places. Pricey, but not for downtown. A mixture of pub grub and American bar food.