Howells & Hood

Incredible beer selection & super knowledgeable waitstaff – the flight setup is great, as the beer menu can be a little overwhelming. I was pleasantly surprised by the H&H burger as well – maybe I was just hungrier than I thought, but it was one of the best burgers I’d had in a while.
The place is huge and can get pretty loud when the place is crowded, but they’ve always been able to seat even large groups of us with little – if any – wait.

Good service, good portions, a bit pricey.
The Fish n’ Chips were a little bland. The Chopped Salad was very delicious.

Great beer, average food, but someone got sick.
Date of Visit: 11÷3÷15
Being a bit of a beer fanatic, when a locally-​based colleague mentioned «the largest draft beer selection in Chicago», there wasn’t much more advertising needed. A group of us met up for dinner, drinks, and a welcomed casual atmosphere after long days on the job. We had a wide variety of apps, and various sandwich/​burger dishes. I had the Pastrami Reuben, and while it was a decent version, one of our party got sick within 15 minutes or so of eating his Smoked Brisket sandwich.
While I definitely questioned his selection («Why would you order BRISKET in CHICAGO?», any type of food illness is an automatic 1 star for me.
The 2^nd star is purely for the beer list; told you I was a fanatic.

A typical Michigan Ave restaurant C+ service, B– food, and A– décor. I definitely paid a lot of rent tonight.
Deets? BBQ burger was cooked well but the oversized slice of grilled onion on it watered down all the flavors. Fish n Chips were good, but not amazing. Service was disaffected, but I imagine my server was hardly «in the mood» during a sleepy Sunday night dinner shift. They brag about a huge tap list, but its just a lot of beers readily available in the bottle at Mariano’s and Binny. Maybe 15% of the beers were truly a treat to find on tap. Probably won’t be back.

We didn’t have plans to go anywhere for New Year’s Eve and I didn’t want to go «clubbing». I wanted to witness the «Rising Star» downtown (its the first time for 2015). I saw an email from Chicago NYE events and Howells & Hood had a package deal for NYE that we can RSVP a table and in and out privileges to witness the «Rising Star» count down. So we bought 4 spots for a table and off we went.
We Ubered it as there’s no parking lot and street parking downtown good luck with that.
When we finally got there, I didn’t know what to expect. I was really impressed, how we were treated when we arrived. The greeters were so polite and they made sure we got seat right away. Our server Theresa was very accommodating. We were there later in the evening so she made sure the servers with the appetizers came by our table as often as they could. The atmosphere was laid back and music played in the background wasn’t so loud. There was a mixture of people at this place, young, older, and we even saw a family there as well. The apps were tasty, I really liked the mini BBQ pork sandwiches. We tried a couple of wines which they presented it with a description and allowed one of us to taste it before they poured it into our glasses, fancy.
We were able to step outside to see the Rising Star count down and afterwards we casually walked back to our table. It was a great experience for NYE. We even met with Shawn the manager who was also polite and ask how our evening was. Great Customer Service!
Overall, not bad for a first impression. I’m looking forward to coming back and trying out their dishes as there are a few of them that sounded yummy.

My friend and I stopped by for a drink. And man, oh man, did this place have drinks upon drinks to chose from. The number of beers they have on tap is quite impressive. Service was great too! The interior is sleek and modern. I liked it a lot!

Ambiance was super mellow, quiet, friendly, and generally awesome.
Pulled pork was moist, good helping, and yummy garlic aioli fries. The sandwich had a really good flavor. My husband’s Howell and Hood burger was cooked perfect. He really enjoyed it! My friend Lisa ordered the chili. She liked it and said it was, «delicious but greasy. May result in fiery poops.» Lastly, my friend David ordered the chicken and waffles. That was just ok, and the syrup is not maple syrup but molasses making the dish too sweet.
Get the tots for an appetizer! They were super good and flavorful.
Beer selection was awesome. Order a beer flight and take it from there!
Definitely coming back again to try more beers and yummy food!

Some more reviews from a recent visit, the first two items again from their rotating limited-​availability list. This was, by the way, the first time in two and a half years of dropping in at H&H during my Chicago visits that I have encountered actual beer buffs at the bar; these were two British visitors.
— Olde Town Abbey Brewing Co., Chicago
— Blonde. 6.2% ABV.
Clear gold, medium white head. Sweet malt nose with a bit of fruity (pineapple?) ester. Taste is sweet malt, suggestion of apricot, followed by a peanut-​husk note, with bitterness at the end. Just a hint of ethanol in the taste.
— Greenbush Brewing Co., Sawyer, MI, ICW Vander Mill Cider
— Vanderbush 2015. 10.2%.
Described as a tripel, but atypically brewed with apples as well as malt. Clear brass color, medium white head. Appropriately, a bit of tart apple in the nose. Taste is sweet malt and apple, with bitterness coming only in the fade.
— Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Boonville, CA
— Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout. 6.9%. Served in a tulip glass. Opaque dark brown, fast-​fading cream head. Aged in Wilde Turkey barrels. Raisin nose. Taste is sweet malt, oak, vanilla, bitter chocolate, and a definite bourbon presence. Smooth mouth feel.

This is one of those places I was excited to try from what I had read but didn’t really do it for me. The atmosphere is almost a little cold and the staff sort of robotic and lacking personality. The food was fairly good and has a huge beer selection so they do have that going. Service was slow and unresponsive. Overall I just didn’t like the vibe. It’s worth a try and right off the magmile so by all means stop in form your own opinion but it didn’t leave me wanting to rush back.

Quick service on a Sunday night, even though there’s a few football games on. We got the Grinder sandwich with fries and the Chicken club sandwich with side house salad. The Grinder had a lot of meat, to the point where it felt overloaded, and a bit dry since there wasn’t enough mayo. Flavorful meat, just a bit uneven sandwich. Fries are tasty, thick but not too thick. The Chicken Club is a go-​to standard, lots of flavor, avocado adds some creaminess and takes it to a level above most club sandwiches I’ve had before. The side salad comes with a thin buttermilk ranch, so it brings flavor but keeps the salad healthy. All-​around good experience.

Nice set of beers in a rather unique environment sitting outside by the Tribune tower. Very wide selection (114 beers if heard correctly) with reasonable prices, $ 6 for typical beer.
Did not try the food but looked nice. Fast and very friendly service.
Four stars for the overall experience and the fifth star for the background music: they have understood that nobody really wants to listen to some EDM crap while eating/​drinking… Haven’t probably heard War Pigs ever in a restaurant before but it works sooooo much better!
Would I return? Yeah, absolutely

This place has a lot of selections in terms of liquor. I mean a lot. What I love to do in this place is just order the smaller selections and try 4 or 5 of them. I also love how this place has great out door seating. On a great night outside, there is hardly anything better than sitting on their patio in right at the beginning of the Mag Mile.
I feel like there are not a lot of tourists here. Mainly work people. Whether or not these work people are actually local to Chicago is another thing. Those who do not work in the loop are really missing out on this gem.

Recién llegados a Chicago con muchas horas de sueño desperdiciadas en el avión queríamos ir a un sitio cerca del hotel para cenar algo rico. Nos encontramos con este sitio y en la entrada nos atendieron muy rápidamente con una sonrisa y las cartas preparadas.
Lo que me encantó desde el principio de este sitio es la mezcla de bar de rollo introspectivo, que te da pie a tener una conversación intensa con el «bartender» si lo necesitas y por otro lado, el montón de sofás y booths que hay, perfecto para venir con amigos, familia y disfrutar de una buena cena.
Según nos explicó la camarera de sonrisa permanente, el bar es famoso por las 1001 cervezas que dispone su carta. Las dos que nos pedimos, muy diferentes la una de la otra, muy ricas estaban. ($ 7 cada una) También le pregunté cuales eran las especialidades del lugar y eso nos pedimos, cuatro platos. El mío, Pulled Pork estaba muy rico, con una presentación muy cuidada y una guarnición de patatas riquísimas. En definitiva, un gastrobar meets bar familiar, con una carta abundante, millones cervezas a elegir, una buena relación calidad precio y un servicio excelente.

Any place that has 100 beers on tap is bound to be good. They provide a detailed listing of all beverages that are sure to assist the amateur to the expert.
I had the ny strip and it was great, cooked perfectly and very lean with a touch of fatty flavor. The reduction drizzled over the steak really worked well and wasnt too rich.
A great place to eat, drink, and be merry.

My husband and I were in the area and wanted a drink outside on a summer day. We ended up at Howells & Hood. We were sat almost immediately even though it was pretty packed. I’m knocking it down a couple of stars for the service. It took about 15 minutes to get water and about the same amount of time to get drinks. When they brought our waters they brought one and about 5 minutes later came back with the other, it was odd. When our appetizer came we had to ask for silverware and plates. We ordered the calamari which was sweet and spicy and cooked perfectly so no complaints about that.
We will be back for the gorgeous patio and the relaxed environment, I’m just not sure I’ll be back once winter hits.

3 ½ stars isn’t enough for this place, it was great! We were seated quickly, I asked for a special beer flight and was accommodated without question. Then my husband and I had the tots – EXCEPTIONAL and a must get! We split the Howell and Hood burger which was a good burger, not exceptional, but good. We finished off with bread pudding – I would also recommend this.
This place has very nice décor, quotes all over (which I love), and a very pleasant staff. Additionally they can accommodate large parties easily. They also have a very nice patio.
Give this place a try, I don’t think it’ll disappoint.

High prices but good food. Decent service but missed some key things.
My friends and I stopped in here for dinner when our first choice was too busy (Eataly). We ordered wines and light food. I got the chili, and they got the clam chowder and empanadas. My chili was great. The brisket was moist but the soup had the flavor. It had a nice kick. The chowder was good. Same for the empanadas, but they were very small and only 3. My friends were surprised to see their Australian wine selection. One glass was $ 10 when they could buy the bottle in Australia for less than that – and the wine is not good on top of that!
I like sitting at the community table. Someone never gave us utensils and napkins though and my water never got refilled. They were missing the basics here. I’d recommend going elsewhere if you’re looking at the whole picture.

We stopped in here for a drink and snack on a Saturday afternoon. It’s very convenient that it’s right on Michigan Ave. Almost every table was full when we arrived, but we were able to be seated in the bar area. They have a huge beer list. It was really hard to make a decision because of all the options. We were a little hungry, so we decided to get the cheese plate. It was just alright, nothing special. Our server didn’t seem to be overly friendly. It almost felt like she was trying to rush us. I’d come back for another drink sometime.