First Draft

Stopped in here recently mainly because I was curious what happened to the «old Villains» space. Looks like they stuck a sports bar in it and kept all the draft lines, adding some windows and removing the cheesy rock n’ roll décor. Minor improvements, glad they kept the nice back bar.
Service at the bar was a bit of a hassle. It took almost 20 minutes to get a drink, and half the seats were empty. They were out of the first 2 beers I ordered, then weren’t sure if I could order a beer smaller than a pint just to try it. After seeing a flight of beers on the bar, they remembered they do flights, so i’d have to order 4 beers. I asked for 3 and a dealer’s choice, which turned out to be Founders Project Pam, which was not good. Maybe they were new, i’ll give the frazzled bartender the benefit of the doubt.
Didn’t try the food, but it looks like you average fried pub grub. The beer selection was good, and i’d return another time but my experience didn’t make the greatest first impression. 3.5 stars.

We decided to hit up the First Draft on the way to the Bears game. Since we were staying in River North we decided it would be best to get a few drinks closer to the stadium. It is about 1.5 miles to the stadium but I wanted a good selection of craft beers and this place came up on Unilocal.
It has an expansive list of craft beers that I have not had a chance to sample before so that made me happy and all at a good price.
The food was good, but nothing spectacular as I had a fried chicken sandwich.
If you are in the neighborhood and want good craft beer might as well check this place out.
For more information and pictures check out our site:

Great spot and great food. Been wanting to go here for a while and just got around to it tonight. Atmosphere was good and the beer list was more than anyone could ask for.
There was a slight accident with our pizza (not the restaurants fault) and they made us a brand new one even though most of the other one was fine.
They also have a really good special for when the Blackhawks and bills are playing!

This nice little cozy bar we found off Unilocal!It was our first time to downtown CHI and wanted something walkable (in the snow) from our hotel. Thanks to Unilocal we found this perfect place. Everyone was friendly! OMG their poutine fries r to die for!!! Totally would come back here if I’m ever in town. Btw they have 64+ beers on tap!!!

Visited here recently and we left very disappointed. My husband and I stopped in for a quick bite and a drink. It took about 20 minutes to get our first drink and an appetizer of hummus. Then, we waited almost an hour for our entrees, a sandwich and a salad. No one was really ordering food, and there wasn’t much of a crowd, but all of a sudden four tables worth of food just come pouring out of the kitchen. Including one table that ordered their food maybe ten minutes before their food was delivered.
To top it off, his sandwich was not cooked properly. Our waitress could tell we were disappointed and took it back. She came out abut five minutes later with a totally fresh sandwich. Not sure why it took an hour the first time.
The manager was drinking at the bar. The servers and staff were sipping from Starbucks cups, standing around. And we never got a decent apology.
It was our second time there after a very pleasant first trip. We won’t be back and unfortunately this seems to be the case with several bars in the area: poor service and very overpriced bar food.

Great vibe, super friendly service, a ton of TV screens, and a huge selection of beer!
Food: Tried the chicken wings (Chicago and buffalo sauce, half and half). Decently priced at $ 10 for 10 wings and they were awesome sauce!
Fried Brussels sprouts (only $ 5 for a whole bowl) were decent but I didn’t really understand the hype?! It was just regular Brussel sprouts (which I like so it was still tasty) with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on them. I would try something else next time.
I would definitely be back!

I popped in here after a game at soldier field just based on the Unilocal ratings it got. So, thanks Unilocalers! This is a really fun bar! There are TVs everywhere, and on a Saturday night I didn’t know where to look there were so many games happening at once. A host took our name down for a table which is better than most bars where you have to stake out and fight for a table. While we waited we grabbed a few beers. Bar was a good amount of people, but not people on top of you so it was fun but comfortable. There was a huge beer list to choose from, like several pages, but was surprisingly affordable with lots of beers in the $ 5-​$ 6 range.
Once we were seated, the waitress was super nice. We ended up ordering a few more beers and got the wings and brussel sprouts. The wings were very good, they fry them and grill them I guess so they have a good semi crunchy feel. I’d recommend the Chicago flavor, kind of a sweet bbq. The brussel sprouts were pretty good, but I dunno I thought they were pretty average contrary to popular Unilocal opinion. The waitress suggested Wisconsin spiggetes (spelling?) which are a fried cheese type thing, so you might wanna try that.
I’d definitely recommend this place, especially if you are a sports fan. Friendly staff, cheap, good beer, good food, TVs everywhere :)

Great beer selection here covering just about all pallettes. Chicken wings were good, grilled after they were sauced so they were not soggy. Caesar dressing could use a little more lemon to cut the mayo base.
I sat at the bar, which was the perfect place to watch a Blackhawk game. The bartenders, Amanda and Ashley rocked it, making great beer suggestions. I’ll be back for the Stone Brewing event next week.

Another visit, early Thursday afternoon, when the bar was very lightly patronized. This time my lunch choice was a new item on the menu, cactus chili. Ground beef, corn, and navy beans; the «cactus» part appeared to be not nopalito pads but rolled-​up greenery which might have been taken for green onions, really more a garnish than a flavor element. Mildly seasoned, with the spicery dominated by cumin rather than hot peppers. Pretty tasty; I’d order it again.
Onward to the beer. I sampled six new items, including a flight of four samplers:
— Saugatuck Neapolitan Milk Stout. 5.9%. Opaque dark brown, light head. Minimal nose, mostly bitter chocolate. The taste is bitter chocolate, vanilla, and a definite strawberry note – certainly something I’ve never before encountered in a stout. Creamy nitro mouth feel.
— Three Floyds Lord Rear Admiral ESB. 6.4%. Dark amber, light head. Hoppy aroma. Bittering hop taste, with a sour apricot note; long bitter fade.
— Cahoots Brewing Amen Barleywine. 10%. Cloudy red-​brown, medium head. Light nose with a hint of something fruity. Malt-​forward, bitter-​chocolate and peach notes.
— Thr Bruery Autumn Maple. 10%. Cloudy amber-​bronze, light head. Sweet, spicy nose, with just a touch of… chlorine??? In the style of a pumpkin seasonal, but actually brewed with yams rather than pumpkin among the fermentables. I don’t think that in a blind tasting my first reaction would have been «Ah, yes, yams,» but, knowing they’re there, I did detect (or imagine) a subtle difference from the familiar pumpkin. Sweet pie-​spice taste; I couldn’t detect maple.
— Crazy Mountain Lawyers, Guns and Money Barleywine. 10%. Clear amber, light head. «Cat pee» hop nose. Good balance of sweet malt and bittering hops, with a slight salty note. Less ethanol presence than the ABV figure would suggest.
— Founders Devil Dancer. 12%. A rather pretty red-​amber, with a heavy head fading to «Belgian lace.» Ester and ethanol nose, with a bit of «fruit cocktail.» A solid malt base is nevertheless almost overwhelmed by intense bittering hops. Here too ethanol is not as much of a flavor element as might be expected based on the wine-​level ABV.
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Thanks Unilocal.
Some friends and I headed to Soldier Field to get tickets to the Bears Raiders game. After getting there and seeing the ticket selection 2 of my friends decided to go to the game and me and another friend decided not to spend the extra cash so we grabbed a cab, opened Unilocal and found this sports bar right around the corner. When we walked in it was not crazy busy and we were able to get a table in the center of the bar where we could comfortably see 5 different games.
This place has not only an extensive beer list but a very good whiskey menu as well. I would recommend it if those are your drinks of choice. We stuck to the beer as we were drinking for the long haul. I really like that their menu is broken up by styles and what is popular in the bar at the time. Also the beers are served in specific glasses for the style of beer which will enhance the flavor and experience.
The only food item we tried were the fried cheese curds and they were pretty good. Large curds with a heavy batter but it was suitable for the size of the curds. Decent ranch but not spectacular.
If I end up in Chicago again this would probably be my Sunday sports bar of choice.

I made this place the Last Draft of the night after touring some other beer locations and having earlier dinner with friends. This place in the South Loop has it going on. The draft beer list is quite good. They had some great Bell’s limited edition and some seasonal Oktoberfest beers that were unique. The location is pretty large with lots of seating and tables. The staff are super friendly and efficient. I will be back.

First Draft has become a go-​to of mine in the South Loop (after the gym, after anything at Soldier Field). I’ve been here a bunch of the past couple of months and I can now confirm that the food is pretty good (specifically the Turkey Burger). Also, the service is always good here. I dig it here.

Love this place. Its our after work hang out spot. My friends love to come here because of the large variety of drinks that they have here. I’m more of a foodie and I thought their food here was pretty delicious. So far I’ve tried the first draft burger, the chicken wings, fried pickles and the cheese curds. All delicious! Service was good and they even allowed us to do separate checks for our group of 8. They have specials on Tuesdays for half off chicken wings. Lots of TVs and good comfortable seating. I’m sure we will be back soon.

Between hitting the Art Institute and heading to Northerly Island for a concert, my boyfriend and I had several hours to kill. Normally we’d wander and see where we ended up, but it was pouring outside with no sign of stopping. We ducked under a construction awning and pulled up Unilocal,and First Draft sounded like an excellent place to kill time.
When we arrived, there were only a couple people at the bar and a large table full at the back, so we didn’t feel like we needed to rush at any time to clear the table.
We started with a couple of drinks and poutine — fries, beer gravy, queso, and brisket. The fries were a bit undercooked but the rest of the dish was tasty. We had another drink and chit-​chatted and watched the ten TVs in our vicinity — this would be a great place to watch a game. After another hour or so we decided to put in our dinner order. My boyfriend built his own burger, and I went with the Southern Fried Chicken sandwich, subbing cheddar for American.
Delicious. The chicken was moist, the cheddar melty, and the pickles crisp. The fries were much better this time, though I only ate a few due to my previous poutine gorge and being full from the large sandwich and drinks beforehand.
Customer service at First Draft was great — our server was attentive but wasn’t pushing us to order or move along. On our way, I flagged down a bus boy and asked if he could get us two large trash bags for the rain. He did, and they were a life-​saver until we found ponchos (and, frankly, a boon even after — the poncho/​garbage bag combo ended up being crucial).
If you have time to kill, First Draft is first choice.

I like first draft a lot! It’s a good location and a nice atmosphere. There’s always sports on TV and the people in the bar are usually pretty invested in them, which makes it SO fun to go to.
I’ve gone here and gotten the wings twice, and each time I found them to be disappointing. The flavor wasn’t that exciting and they weren’t great/​crispy enough.
The poutine is super delicious and really enjoyable. Classic poutine with a twist. So yummy.
The best part is definitely the amazing beer selection. The servers and bartenders are well informed on the beer, so you can ask questions about it if you can’t decide form the MANY, frequently rotating options on draft. It’s a lot of fun to pick and try new beers!
The service is good, the servers are friendly, but it’s always busy which means it can be hard to get the attention of your server when you need it.

Numerous reviewers seem to indicate that this place has the best draft list in Chicago. If that’s truly the case then it doesn’t speak well for Chicago, as where I’m from in SE Michigan there are a number of bars with more extensive lists. With that being said, the list here WAS quite solid and the prices were reasonable considering the location. I would not hesitate to drink here again. In fact, I drank here no less than three times during my recent weekend long trip to the Windy City.
The service was always cordial and one late night bartender was extremely friendly. The kind of guy you could easily shoot the shit with all night if things were slow. I dug the décor as well. Kind of like an unpretentious sports bar with lots of hard woods a la a converted prefab Irish pub.
I ordered some lunch one day of the food menu. The «first DRAFT». By the menu description I thought it was going to be some sort of BLT-​like creation with a fried egg and beer cheese and some other over-​indulgent crap on it. As soon as I ordered it the bartender asked how I wanted it cooked. Then it dawned on me I had just ordered a freaking ½ lb burger loaded with everything but the kitchen sink. It was pretty darned tasty but truthfully would have been better suited to the end of the night, too soak up the tail end of a bender, than it would have been as a lunchtime gut bomb. Duly noted for next time.

First Draft’s first impression was a really shitty one, which has made it easy for me to say I’ve also had my last draft there. Well, I would have if the server could have been bothered to serve me.
My group of friends went here on the Fourth of July after our Booze Cruise. I know, I know, drunk obnoxious idiots on a holiday. The worst. I completely agree. However we are in our 30s and have learned a thing or two about booze and sun and day drinking. That being said, we came in waves and sat at different tables. The owner approached me and three of my friends and pointed out that one girl was too drunk and couldn’t be served. I agreed with him, said I’d put her in a cab. We seemed to have a dandy understanding and went about our business. He also mentioned another two friends of mine looked over-​served too, which I brushed off because they hadn’t even had as much to drink as me, yet he saw me as the reasoner.
With McDrunky in the cab, my friends and I joined another table of friends and chatted. The owner comes over to me and says he told me my other friends were suppose to leave, too. Sorry, but I don’t work in your bar, bud. I’m not your bouncer, and don’t think for a second I’m going to be. I sent my drunk friend home because I’m a good friend and she needed to leave. But my other friends were fine. He started raising cane and said they wouldn’t be served. Well no problem there, sir, because no one could get served!
My friends at the table had already ordered food, so I flagged down the server and asked her if I could place an order. With the snottiest attitude she could muster, she responded, «I already took a bunch of orders.» Okayyyyy… congratulations? What the actual hell. I mentioned I got to the table late and would appreciate putting in another order and said I didn’t mind if my food came out later. No silverware, no water, no drinks, and no check back to see if everything was okay later, and I was dying of sodium intake because all of the food was so overly salted it was inedible.
I checked with friends at other tables, and they all agreed their meatballs, pizza, sandwiches and fries were all grossly over-​salted. We took that as a sign were not welcome there, paid our tab, and hit the door.
The South Loop comes up scarce on good bars, and the corner of Clark and Harrison is just as desolate in my opinion.

First Draft was a better experience than it’s First Impression.
Walking up to this bar from the north side you would never spot it walking down Clark Street. Perhaps other locations are like this in the south loop but I haven’t ventured in this area so I can’t really say. All they have is a small flip folding sign on the ground in the front. The front of the building is unassuming and does not stand out amongst the buildings. I would suggest a larger sign with some moving lights or something. This will help draw more attention.
Once I found this sign I was quite nervous. Looking from the outside it did not look like this would be the place where I would want to watch the Triple Crown attempt and game 2 of the WCF.
I will admit I was wrong.
Once inside, I realized that this was a legit sports bar. They had a modern open interior with plenty of televisions for viewing. Bar space and «booths”/tall boy tables are inviting for groups. I didn’t have anything off of the menu but others in my group seemed to be happy with the selection as well as the drink options. Bud light and a round of fireball shots was good for me.
A couple notes for improvement:
The audio for the live sporting events was slightly off and this is something that didn’t ruin the experience but was noticeable. Audio for the horse race started late and the audio to and from commercial breaks during the Hawks game was not smooth. These are things that a sports bar should be good at. But maybe they are not a sports bar on the regular and I have this place completely confused. If they were a regular bar acting as a sports bar then I could understand and I would say the did a decent job.
Service was good but I felt like it could be a little friendlier. It was above average but it took a while for the staff to get involved with us through friendly banter. A shot loosened them up but it only benefits the bar if you get people having a good time and wanting to come back to see familiar faces.

Beer snobs asssemmbllee! Seriously, this is your spot. First Draft has tons of beers on tap that will please any pallet. In addition to all the beer (as if any place could ever need much more than copious amounts of beer), their food was delicious. I went with the meatball sandwich and a side of mac and cheese, while my buddy tried the fried chicken sandwich and fries. Generous portions, tons of flavor, and everything arrived to the table nice and hot. To me, that’s a very underrated aspect of any meal. Get it to me hot, please.
Fun atmosphere, rivers of beer, and excellent food. Job well done, First Draft.

What a fun neighborhood bar. The beer selection of «draft» beer is amazing. I was here in December and enjoyed a couple off their 12 Days of Christmas list. Santa’s Little Helper was a perfect draft to enjoy the ambiance and glacé over the menu. Once my food order came, I switched over to a very refreshing Christmas Ale.
The special of the night was a Meatball Sandwich with a side of Mac-​n-​Cheese. I was in the mood for a burger, but being a fan of MnC I choose the special for my dinner. The sandwich was a fairly typical meatball sandwich. It was five hearty balls on a lightly toasted hoagie bun with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. The sandwich was so filling, I finally had to give up on eating the bun and just pick out the balls with a fork. Very tasty. I normally don’t order a meatball sandwich, but I wouldn’t mind having this one again.
The star of the nightly special was the side of Mac-​n-​Cheese. I knew ahead of time and the waitress told me, they are known for their MnC. Once it was in front of me, it had me with the noodle they use. Skroodles as I call them, the curly spiral spared noodles are my favorite. They were heavily and evenly covered with a cheddar cheese sauce. The noodles were done al dente and served up in a black cast iron dish. This was what I think of when I want Mac-​n-​Cheese.
The staff was attentive and friendly. Which truly gave First Draft the old school, neighborhood feel. If I’m ever in the Printer’s Row neighborhood again, I’m stopping by First Draft for a good cold craft beer.