Limestone Brewing Company

Good beer, bad food. Spinach artichoke dip like paste, Buffalo chicken sandwich all heat with no flavor, mushy fish with the fish and chips.

Closed now… not surprised.

I’ve never checked out Plainfield in my ripe twenty-​somethin’ years and was super excited when my girlfriend asked me to join her on a cruise down south for a fun-​filled day. We’d decided to spend our afternoon at a local tea shop and follow it with lunch (and a couple brews) at Limestone Brewing Co. The restaurant/​bar looked massive from the outside, and we were impressed at how extremely roomy it was once we entered the building. We sat at the bar for a better atmosphere than the dining area as well as a way to get quick answers to the several questions we knew’d pop up in our brain about the beer they brewed.
Our server, the bartender, was pleasant and brought us our beer flight within a few minutes after ordering. She apologized for having run out of one of the brews and told us what beer she was going to swap it out for instead and what to expect out of the taste. She also gave her opinion about a dish when we asked for her advice which was great, as sometimes it’s a burden when they list off their eight favorite foods and you feel compelled to buy one of ‘em (eh, maybe that’s just me as I swim in guilt at times). Everything seemed to go relatively smoothly throughout our meal, EXCEPT for how it took for-​eh-​vah to get our food and our check. Probably fifteen minutes each, which is a long time when you finish your booze and burger really fast AND when your server (bartender) is standing right in front of you staring out the window. «Excuse me? Can we get our… Okay. Maybe she’ll come back». «Hello? Miss?» Nothing worked until we finally waved her down a little obnoxiously and stated we were ready whenever she was.
I get it. It’s difficult, annoying, awful being a server at times. But when you’re literally standing there, wiping the same stain on the bar over and over again because you’re bored (while your customers are awkwardly waiting for a «good chance» to call you over) it’s not okay in my book… yes, my «book» is very important. And yes, I like to use quotation marks. Sue me.
Overall: good beer, decent bar atmosphere, craptacular service. I’d come back for beer if I happened to be in the area, but I wouldn’t return for the food.

This place would have gotten a much higher rating if the initial service was good. We got there at around 5:00 on a Monday so the place wasn’t busy. We sat down at a table and waited for 10 minutes before we just went to the bar because we were sick of waiting to be greeted. If the greet time took that long how bad would the service be? There were three servers and a busboy who looked at us and then just walked right past which was pretty shitty.
Luckily, Erica, the bartender, hooked it up. She was really nice and attentive and let me try ALL the beers on tap instead of just the 7 in the flight.
We ordered the sampler and then another quesadilla and both were okay. The prices weren’t bad either. I really went there for the beer so let’s get down to business:
First off, there are a ton of craft beer in bottles. They organize the menu really nicely with gravity readings, IBUs, type of beers, and breweries. Excellent. I would have had several that were in bottles if I had already tried the breweries beers… but alas, I went for the sampler.
I ended up trying–
Electric Park Golden Ale
This is definitely a good beer for light beer drinkers who want to try something that doesn’t taste like water.
The Wheatlander
VERY banana-​y and clovey. Yes, I made those words up. So what?
Old Chicago Amber
This is a sweet, malty amber ale, unfiltered, lightly hopped with caramel maltiness. Tastes very similar to an oak aged brew.
Indian Boundary Ale
This is an India Brown Ale — part IPA and part traditional brown ale. It’s got a roasty malt taste that the hops helps to finish off.
Dolomite Oatmeal Stout
A creamy Oatmeal Stout, with coffee-​like roastiness, chocolate notes and a smooth creaminess. Pretty good.
Plow Match IPA
This beer is a little malty for my taste but has a good floral Cascade hoppiness in the finish.
Flying Pig Imperial IPA
This beer is certainly hoppy, but has a lot of malty sweetness to it as well. Similar to Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught but maltier and less citrusy.

How can people give this place one star? it’s totally decent, has a nice beer selection and the food is tasty to quite tasty. It’s a typical bar and grill but I like that they have a few fancier dishes like the gnocchi (which I order everysingletime) in addition to the burgers and fries that most places offer. Stouts are really good — not bitter at all — although I guess the flavors aren’t that complex or whatever. Very drinkable and very high alcohol content — two things that I enjoy in a brew :)

We went there at 8:30 on a Saturday night and the place was packed, so we sat at the bar next to people who had made a reservation the day before, and the reservation was lost.
We were watching a BlackHawks game on TV, they have plenty of TVs.
The food took forever to arrive. The Artichoke dip appetizer and wings were average. We ordered the burger and the roasted chicken vesuvio. The burger was cold, but the fries were ‘burn your mouth’ hot! The chicken breasts were so small it must have come from a dwarf chicken. It was flat out bad and the portion size was a rip off.
The beer was standard microbrewery fare. The amber, stout, and wheat were okay. I will say the IPA tasted like cough medicine.
The strange part of the evening was the band. We arrived at 8:30 and left at 10:30, the entire time the band tuned up their instruments — several times! However, they never played a song the entire time we were there!!!
I won’t be back to eat what they call food, maybe for a beer if I’m dragged there.

We visited here a few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon. It was moderately busy for a Sunday. I tried their Dolomite Oatmeal Stout which was very good. I prefer a heartier drink like a stout or an ale. This was very smooth and had no bitterness. I tried the Filet Sandwich and my husband had the Steak Wrap. Both were very good. The beef on both was very tender and tasted good. Fries and slaw both worked well with the sandwiches. Nothing out of the ordinary but just good food with a good selection of a stout.
I just never understand why people continue to bring their children to places like this. Duh! it’s a bar! Bars are an adult environment.
However, we do plan to visit again soon, whether kids are there or not, lol.

Limestone Brewing is a significant distance from my house, but I finally made the trip on 12-​18-​2010 and spent an afternoon there.
It is located in a suburban strip mall. It is a little tricky to get into the lot, but there is plenty of parking.
As you walk into the place it looks like it is not finished or something. The hostess station is in a very sterile hallway and you cannot see the bar right away. Turn the corner though and it is a large open room with a big circular bar on one end and a bunch of tables on the other. There is also a loft, which I assume is for private parties. As usual for these types of places, there were a ton of TVs. Each of them has football or basketball playing. Would it really kill them to play ANYTHING else?
Oh, and due to the time of year we were assaulted with Xmas music the entire time. Is it really necessary to have that playing in EVERY bar?
So getting to the important part… We settled in at the corner of the bar for some beer. I ordered the sampler of the LBC beers, but found that it only included 7 of the 9 beers on tap. After a little coaxing, the bartender gave me all of the beers when I assured her that I was willing to pay for the pleasure of sampling everything.
Electric Park Gold: not a bad light beer with a corny taste. Drink this fast as it does not taste good after it warms up.
Wheatlander (Hefe): drinkable, light on flavor; drink cold
Old Chicago Amber: bitter and flavorful, but not as malty as I was hoping for.
Indian Boundary (India Brown): nice bitterness, drinkable, but not very «brown» in flavor.
Dolomite (oatmeal stout): great creamy dark flavor. This was one of my favorites.
Pilcher (American Pale Ale): nice and bitter, light on the hops, but true to style.
6450 (red): oddly, except for the color this seemed very similar to Pilcher, but slightly less bitter.
Flying Pig (IIPA): this was a delicious hoppy beer. Another favorite worth having a full serving.
Maple Stout: no sign of maple that I could detect. Not in smell or taste. Not a bad tasting beer if I hadn’t expected maple.
(I am judging it against Tommyknocker maple nut brown; now that is a good maple beer.)
There was also a very respectable selection of guest taps such as Founders, Bells, Southern Tier, Ska, and Dogfish Head.
As usual, every beer was served very cold. I guess it gives me a reason to take my time as I let the beer warm up to reveal the flavor.
We had a little food… The quesadillas with chicken were pretty standard. The beer cheese soup was very tasty. A stuffed bacon cheddar burger served as the main course. It was tasty but a little dry because I made the mistake of ordering medium well.
The service was hot and cold. Sometimes it was hard to even get the bartender to make eye contact, and other times she was very helpful. The place was not busy at all. I would have to go back again to make a fair determination.
Overall I would say that Limestone Brewing Company is a good place to get some good beers. I wasn’t impressed with every beer they make, but I think that there is room for a wide variety of tastes.
The atmosphere is not great. I am not a big fan of the open concrete floored, high ceiling places, but it is not enough to keep me away.
I would definitely go back to LBC if I was in the area, but not sure if it warrants the drive for me.

I’m going back to the one star rating based on our latest visit. The neighbors wanted to get together for dinner, and Limestone was the suggestion as a few of them had not been here yet. We decided to give it another go, as it’s a brew pub and it’s close to home — we so want this place to be better than it’s been.
Anyway, long story short. We had to ask 2x to bring water to the table. The drink order was messed up the first time. When the food arrived, only 8 of the 10 people were served, and the server disappeared for about the next 5 minutes. We had to remind her to bring someone’s soup and that another entrée had not arrrive. She brought the soup about 3 – 4 minutes later, and then finally realized that the one Fish-​n-​chips still was not at the table. She retreated to the kitchen area, and then proceeded to stay there until they cooked the fish — bringing it to the table by the time some of us were finishing our burgers or chicken sandwiches. Really Limestone, haven’t you got this service thing figured out yet?
The ride home with 2 of the other couples was spent talking about how disappointed they were with both the service and quality of food.
To add insult to injury, some band began playing around 8pm with a female singer who was terrible — overly loud to the point that we could no longer hear each other talking. The place was dead for a Thursday night. I’d have rather been able to listen to the college basketball games on TV that listen to that awful band. I can’t us going back.

I didn’t try any of the beer here, which is kind of a shame, but I did try their homemade root beer. It’s not like normal root beer that you would think of, its stronger and has much more flavor. The only root beer I could possibly compare it to is the stuff they make at the Bristol Renaissance Fair.
I also ordered the beer cheese soup and grilled chicken sandwich. My mom ordered their shrimp bisque and portabello mushroom sandwich, along with bruschetta. Everything was fantastic and had great flavor. My mom thought it was SO good she finished everything, where as I did not. I definitely recommend the beer cheese soup, I’m a huge soup fan, and this stuff really hit the spot. Neither the beer or the cheese overpower each other, and they compliment each other very well, not quite what I was expecting. The sandwiches were juicy, and instead of just adding random toppings like (lettuce, tomato, mayo. etc) they had toppings with added pizazz. Example– on my grilled chicken sandwich, they added roasted red peppers and onions.
Also the service was great, his name was Tony, and he was very helpful and accommodating. Even recommended drinks that we might like to try.
Overall, I will def. go there again, and next time, I’m trying the beer.

I normally am not a fan of restaurants in strip malls. But once you walk in– you forget that because it has a great atmosphere. Décor is dark wood, brick walls, and high ceilings. Friendly staff.
Pretty good place– we went there for drinks and had a couple of appetizers (calamari & hummus). Great selection of not only their own brewed beers– but a pretty extensive list of local favorites.
I’d like to go back for dinner.

I wasn’t so sure about this place! First of all I felt like I was in Iowa by the time I arrived. It’s way out there! A designated driver is a must if you plan on sampling the beer here. Luckily for me I need to be bikini ready in a few weeks so I only sampled one. I will say it was one of the best beers I have ever tried. My partner in crime that evening normally whines about microbreweries and he loved his choice as well. I wish I could remember the names. His was similar to a black and tan, and mine was a hoppy IPA with the word pig in the name somewhere?
The real highlight of the evening was the food and service. We sat at the bar and ordered appetizers. The bartender was helpful with suggestions. We split the crab cakes and hummus. I know this sounds crazy, but this was the best hummus I’ve eaten in my entire life! I will drive out there just for that! Crab cakes were good, but average.
They had a live trivia game going on while we were there that looked fun. They also have a HUGE selection of bottled beer as well if you can’t find anything on the draft menu that grabs your attention. Great experience overall. I just wish it wasn’t out in the boonies!

Every restaurant experience isn’t perfect. Sometimes things go wrong. One of the marks of a well run business is how the staff responds when a mistake is made. Limestone Brewing Company, in addition to brewing some very fine beers and ales, and serving some very good food, responded excellently to a mistake in my most recent visit.
Our party of six was made to wait a long time for our food. We were told the kitchen staff missed the order when it came in. The waiter, offered us free appitizers for the inconvenience. Only two of us accepted the offer, but we all appreciated the gesture. Since we were not in a hurry, the delay was annoying, but no big deal. Then, the manager came over to apologize and ask if there was anything he could do for us to «make up for this error». Again, we appreciated the gesture, but we assured him it was no big deal. He thanked us for our patience.
After the meal…3 of us enjoyed the roasted chicken, one the lobster gnocci, one a cajun spiced pasta, and one steak sandwhich, all very good… we were surprised with a desert platter filled with cheese cake and chocolate lava cakes that were superb, on the house.
As the bumper sticker says, «Stuff Happens». When it happened at Limestone, they manned up and made good. I can’t ask for more than that.

The best part about Limestone is that if you don’t want their house beer, they have dozens of other bottled beers to choose from. Their house beer is good, not great. While they provide a wide variety of house brews, they brew them in small quantities and can run out easily. Their house beers are also a little on the bland side.
The food isn’t great by any means, again bland, but not bad. The biggest thing to consider when considering Limestone is that if you’re willing to drive 15 minutes north, you can get far better food and award winning beer at Rock Bottom. And although i enjoyed my Angus burger and sampler flight at Limestone, I was a little miffed that they fell short of the bar that Rock Bottom set.

Despite all the lukewarm reviews (which generally seem to be from the early part of 2010), we headed out anyway. I’d actually give them 3.5 stars if I could.
We started out with a beer sampler. I didn’t think to count how many there were, but I’m guessing at least 8, plus we added one. None of them were bad, some of them were quite tasty, some were just ok.
I had their cheese soup and white bean hummus, both were quite good. Their veggie selections are a bit lacking. There are a couple of things that I imagine could be modified to be veg-​friendly. I think my dining companions were satisfied with their meals as well.
The place is huge, they were not busy while we were there, but it was kind of an odd time — 2 or 3 on a Sunday. Service was good, but a bit slow to bring the check. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, chatty but not annoying.
I’d go back again.

Limestone has a great lunch menu and a nice selection of beer. Their burgers are juicy and they don’t mind swapping vegetables for the fries. When I’m feeling healthy (i.e. don’t want the fries with my cow patty), I ask for a side of green beans. They are sooooo good. We’ve had some work functions here and the staff is always very helpful. I don’t have too many complaints about this place, so I’ll rate it four stars.

I’ll cut it a break because it’s relatively new, but I left there unfulfilled and uninspired. Was there last night and the service was very slow due to our server having to do double duty. Happens, but I would have expected a manager to swing by to check on us because of it. They were hosting a private event later in the evening so maybe their focus was elsewhere.
Had the Chicago Amber and it was OK, but the food was average at best. The quesadilla and buffalo chicken sandwich were pretty basic and the burger was overcooked was nothing special. And the onion ring on top of the burger wasn’t quite the shredded beer fried onions I was expecting.
I’l try it again in hopes of better service and grub. Maybe it was just an off night.

This place is a great spot! Awesome beer, great food, and a lot of space for good times.
I had the F5 to start things off and it was quite tasty! Def a great hoppy IPA.
For an appetizer, we did the loaded nachos, those are easily delicious.
The beer cheese soup is A MUST TRY!
For my entrée I went for the buffalo chicken sandwich. This was a great surprise. Usually the chicken breast is massive and has way too much breading on it. THIS WAS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE! the chicken was a perfect size with a perfectly light breading.
The sandwich as a whole was tasty and I can’t wait to try other menu options. The restaurant/​brewery is a great place to go with friends, family, and whoever enjoys micro-​brews (along with a vast selection of micros from all over). They also have Original Sin which is a crowd pleaser on my end.

This place spent several years trying to get open, so all that anticipation created high hopes, which were let down.
First thing that caught my eye is I thought they advertised having a granite bar either in pictures or text at one point. In any event they have a sizable bar, but it is not granite… which I’m okay with. But I’m not okay with the style of bar. It’s got a large ledge to it that slopes toward you. While I’ve seen this style a few times before, I’d never do it. There’s a long reach to get your food or beverage and the slope of the bar is going to drop everything in your lap instead of on the bar. It’s also not one you can comfortably lean on with it sloping at you.
They only had about 5 beers on tap. First try was their Amber, which was okay, but not the quality I’d expect in an Amber. So I moved on to trying the Oatmeal Stout. The Stout was weak, and my buddy who was with me and loves Stout’s was disappointed as well.
Next I tried a shot of the Wheat beer because I didn’t want to pay for another bad beer. It was not bad, and probably better than the other two but I’m not much into wheat beer. Thank god they server other beers or I’d have been drinking a coke.
I must say they do have a good selection of other people’s beers, but that’s not why I went there. I don’t go to a brewpub to drink beers I can get at the Map Room, Hop Leaf or any other good beer bar. I go for fresh new brews. The sign says brewing company, not beer bar.
They touted that they hired a guy named Bob as their brewmaster, but the brewmaster I talked to said his name was Ken, who was supposed to be their Kitchen Manager… now the light bulb goes on. Ding!!! Now I get why the beer quality is sub par, this guy isn’t a brewer. Also explains why I was highly disappointed in their beers. They advertised on their website that their opening beers would include Belgian Blonde, Doubbel and Trippel. Those are the beers I wanted and was looking forward to. You advertised the Cadillac and gave me the Yugo when I went to buy. Anyhow Ken seemed less than thrilled to be there, which is going to show in the beer quality.
They advertised having a huge 6,000 sq. ft. patio before they opened… not sure what happened to it as nobody in my party could locate it unless it’s out back and there’s a funny way to access it, we couldn’t find it.
The crowd was older than I expected, lots of 40−50+ aged folks. I couldn’t really get into the place. It felt like someone took a banquet hall and tried to turn it into a brewpub, it just didn’t do anything for me. They had a large room with tables in it, much like you’d see at a banquet hall, the room had no character at all to it, it felt like a hotel meeting room.
So then we look at the food… wings, buffalo chicken sandwich, quesadilla’s, nachos, burger… honestly, I can get this stuff at any bar. Maybe if they kicked the dishes up a level I could see but I was expecting more than general bar food. And $ 15.95 for Talapia? Are you kidding me? I can get it for $ 4.99/lb on sale.
We were so disappointed in the food options on the menu that we went somewhere else to eat. I like brewpubs, but this one would have to do a lot to drag me back, after all, you built me up and let me down big.

Hard to rate… Stay away from the beer they brew on premises at Limestone Brewery. It truly is some of the poorest quality brewing I’ve had. On the plus side, their guest taps, which presently include Bell’s Hopslam, Dark Horse Scotty Karate, Green Flash West Coast IPA, and Unibroue Maudite is a great draft beer list. It’s almost like the brewer knew his beer was unacceptable yet knows how good beer is suppost to taste so he brought in some high quality brews.
The décor is ok with dark wood and… you guessed it – Limestone! Bar is a large U-​shape and service was extremely friendly.
I was only sampling beer on my first visit so food will come next time. Yes I’ll return, but I will not be trying anymore Limestone House beers until they drastically improve.