I came here with my boyfriend before a show at SPACE because it seemed like they had a great beer selection and it was within walking distance. Upon sitting down, it seemed like we had made a great choice. So. Many. Beers. However, from there it got kind of dicey. They definitely weren't busy, but not much attention was paid to us. On more than one occasion, we had to flag down someone who was not our bartender to put in a drink order. Prices weren't bad, but I swear almost EVERY time I asked for a beer, I was told they were out of it. When I asked what they would recommend in its place, they would just tell me what type of beer it was and tell me to find other ones on the menu. Not exactly the recommendation I was looking for? I think either updating the menu or even just putting a sticker over a beer that was sold out might be helpful. I want to give this place more stars because they really do seem to have an amazing beer selection, but who knows if they even have half the beers they claim to on any given day? Seems to defeat the purpose. Hopefully I'll be able to check it out again at some point in the future and see if anything has changed.
(2)
Dee W.
As this is right next door to my acupuncturist, I can't believe that it took me this long to come here. As part of my sisters and my girls night out bar crawl, we started here and opted for the flights of beer to get things started off. I couldn't help but try the "Not Your Dad's Rootbear" which was at 10% alcohol which literally tasted so good that it was dangerous. I wanted a scoop of vanilla ice cream to go with it to make my own alcoholic root beer float. Service was friendly and they now serve some bar food which was decent. Our server was fantastic and very helpful. She recommended some great options for us to try after we finished our flights. I'm looking forward to returning here again as it's very clean, well lit for a sports bar, plenty of tvs (we were watching March Madness) and great selection of beers!
(4)
Robyn F.
Great place to watch a game and drink some really good beer. The menu allow you to pick from any countries all over the world. Their on tap menu changes about every week and is an incredible selection. Wonderful staff who is very knowledgeable about your taste. They have a great food menu. I suggest getting the German pretzel it is big and very good. If you don't feel like anything from there menu you can order from anywhere and have them deliver right to your seat.
(5)
Dave V.
I'm limiting this to a 3 star review simply because i don't thin i have experienced it enough to go further. The beer prices here aren't even that bad on a lot of the brews, killer high on a few others. The food looks decent but didn't try any. The atmosphere seemed pretty chill but we were there late on a Sunday night. The service was great, our waitress was very attentive and polite and the place seemed very clean. I'll be back one day to try it out some more and update my review but go check it out for yourself and as always....yelp that shit!
(3)
Mike F.
Fun environment, lots of energy, big range of beers (as the name suggests). The food was prime for me. I had shrimp and onion rings. Both were good, but the shrimp was especially well spiced, well cooked, and a very tasty dipping sauce.
(4)
E P.
The drinks were fine. However, Kate was the rudest, most condescending waitress I've ever encountered. She rolled her eyes at our group as she checked our IDs, rushed us to order without giving us the menu, and looked visibly annoyed when some of us decided to forego the first round of drinks. The venue was almost empty other than us, so it's not like she was rushed between tables. We were here for a friend's birthday, and when we mentioned it's her birthday, she gave a snarky and sarcastic retort under her breath. Needless to say, we left after one round of drinks, put off by the rude service. We won't be coming back. Hopefully, our waitress will learn to treat her customers with at least the minimum standard of respect after reading this review.
(1)
Andrea K.
Really enjoyed this place. It is a good go-to for after work or just to grab a drink with friends anytime. My husband is a beer snob and he thought the beer list was pretty good. I enjoyed a few of the cocktails. We also ordered sandwiches and the hummus platter...both of which were good considering it's basically bar food. I would go back to eat and drink again, nice atmosphere with sports on most of the time. Service was a little bit slow but that's fine because we didn't expect it to be super attentive based on the setting.
(3)
Lil Whoadie T S.
Went there yesterday and a very kind and sweet bartender waited on us, I think her name was chrystal but im not sure if you can help me out to find her name I would love to tell her thanks again( excellent food and service BTW)
(4)
Ninweh Y.
So my brother in law and I were so hungry . We saw world of beer and thought "hey great idea eat and drink" but Not !! The beer is great but , there was little appetizers nothing else . The best part was my brother in law got to tried all the beers for free :) lol
(4)
Bryon P.
This company conspired with a company called Pintley and offered a "stout" beer festival. 6 of us signed up through the internet to join and go to the festival. We printed out our tickets for the festival and went. We arrived finding out that we did not need tickets to get in, and it was just a bar. We inquired as to what kind of deals there were as this was a festival that we singed up to join. Surely they would have specials on stouts and food. The waitress just pointed us to the stouts that were already on the menu. No specials, no nothing. World of Beer and Pintley are practicing very deceptive ways to get you into their bar, in offering what might be a festival and then not having a festival. This is wrong and I will never step foot in another world of beer or join anything Pintley has to offer. My friends and I felt very mislead by their practices. Misleading and corrupt. Bryon Pelzek
(1)
Mark S.
World of Beer is a big box style beer emporium. They offer a ton of different beers on tap and the enormous bar has plenty of seating and is loaded with flat screen after flat screen TV. It's a chain business, kind of like the Woodfield Mall of beer joints, so it misses the charm and substance you enjoy in the independently owned beer bars. With so many beers on tap, they have surprisingly few that I want to drink. The service is either really knowledgable and friendly or sullen and uninterested. Whatever, just drink your beer and watch TV. They've added some more food options on the menu, and they still allow you to bring food in which is nice (not that I did). So why did I come here? They are the only bar in the Chicagoland area that has Sour in the Rye on tap ($12) which is the best sour out there.
(3)
Yuanjia Z.
This is our go to place when we wanted some EtOH and hang outside late at night. They've got great beer selection. Since I'm not really a beer person, I'm ok with this place, but if you are a beer person, I think you'll like this place. It is a bit loud tho, but definitely a good place to hang w/o breaking your bank.
(3)
Lisa D.
If you went to World of Beer prior to January 2014 and were not impressed then go again, trust me. We stopped in "for just a beer" after we had dinner elsewhere because of previous dine in experience. We were delightfully surprised, however, to find WOB had completely redone their menu, so we just had to try a small plate or two. We just sampled some bar snacks which were quite tasty, the mac and cheese which had a nice spicy kick to it and the beer cheese tots, perfect pub food. And that's just it think perfect pub food. This is a place with an incredible beer selection and an ever changing tap list, the perfect spot to sample new, classic, rare, and local beers! Now they have some delicious pub food to go along with it. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable, and the management is attentive. Go in during a slower evening or earlier in the day on the weekend to have a nice chat with your bartender. So seriously, if you tried it when they first opened give them another whirl, and remember it's a bar, not a fine dining establishment, not a club, a bar with great beer and now better grub! And if it's not perfect start a conversation, they are clearly listening to feedback.
(5)
emily h.
I love this bar! Their loyalty club and app make it fun to try a lot of different beers.They have a lot of activities that are fun too. Steal the glass nights, live music, and different tastings. Other reviews suggested bringing food in. I've never seen anyone do this but I've always been happy with the food offered. They have a giant pretzel appetizer that is amazing as well as a good selection of other options. This is one of my favorite bars in Evanston.
(5)
Sharon C.
It was pretty empty when I went on a Wednesday, and the service was very good - she regularly came by to check on us, and she didn't seem upset that we spent about an hour at our table while ordering... one drink each. I had the Aspall something Cyder (basically like apple-y champagne), and it was really delicious!
(4)
Diane L.
I love this bar, but I hate-hate-hate-HATE the service at the bar. My boyfriend and I come here often and we get the same bartender, (lunch, dinner and late night) doesn't matter when, he is so rude. Just now, I want a Ginger Smash from the menu and he responds with a get-out-of-face,"No." So, I can't order it? "No." After the third time asking, he says, "don't have it. Couldn't he just say that from the beginning and be polite about it?
(2)
Tom B.
Never has a title suited an establishment more than this. The World Of Beer has beer that caters to any taste and any price range. When I first started coming here I was not all that adventurous but now that I have become a regular I am fully able to appreciate the product that they put on the market. I will also throw out a shameless plug to their loyalty program. It is a great way to break the ice and have incentive to try as many beers as you can. Every new beer you try, you get a point. At certain levels you get some swag. Can't go wrong! If you are looking to branch out and expand your beer experience, this is the place to do it.
(5)
Meredith C.
This place is pretty solid. It had about 200 beers available. I was a little surprised you can't purchase a standard domestic here, no Bud, Miller etc. Which just seemed strange, not everyone in our party was into trying new beers, but no big deal. Food was pretty good. The appetizers are sizable, unique, and tasty. Dinner menu is only about 8 sandwhiches, no burgers. So I wouldn't go here when you are super hungry. Service was very nice, ambiance is very comfortable. Near many shops, etc. If you're into trying new beers, you will love this place.
(4)
Steve A.
This place is about beer, not food. I sat outside on a lovely evening and tried a Young's Double Chocolate Stout from a bottle. It was excellent. It took a while for my server to show up, but once she did, she was friendly and efficient. I also had one of their enormous pretzels, which was pretty good, although I would have preferred it with a sampling of mustards rather than just one. Although the list of beers may seem overwhelming, they are clearly labelled as to origin and style, and the list is online, so you can plan before you go. If you're into beers, this is a great place to sample them.
(4)
Ari A.
Who doesn't need a bar that has hundreds of beers on the shelf? Can you watch the game? Yep Can you order food? Yep Can you eat take out at the bar? Yep Can you try some local brews? Yep The fan favorite seems to be from the Half Acre Beer Company, with Daisy Cutter being a crowd favorite. And if you're lucky, when you walk in it will be trivia night.
(3)
Christina Y.
The rootbeer flavored beer is most excellent, but that's about it. The food is terrible. The service is terrible. I often have to be drug here kicking and screaming.
(2)
Jennie T.
I like beer, I just get extremely overwhelmed by a large selection of them. Thankfully Kenny is knowledgeable enough about beers to know what I'd like. He ordered me something that I enjoyed. Its name started with Horny Goat... and I forgot the rest. He ordered a more hoppy beer, and I didn't like it at first because I thought it was bitter, but after finishing mine, I was more open to it. World of Beer is amazing because they have a huge selection of beers. I was impressed by the display behind the bar. It almost looked like I could order any beer I want, and they'd have it. I like that. I was also told that it's a BYOF (bring your own food) place, as they only serve beer and nothing else. You can even get delivery here. It's also the perfect place for sports-watching. They have huge TV monitors all around the bar, in almost every nook and corner, and a huge large screen near the back next to the opened windows. Wow. I couldn't think of a more perfect place to watch the last basketball game of the season. Now, it's time for the Blackhawks to win for Chicago. :)
(4)
Janelle F.
I cannot imagine why this bar has only 3 stars at the time that I am writing this review. This is how to navigate the World of Beer: 1. Bring your own food - you can actually do this! So buy a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods, or some Naf-Naf across the street, or go crazy and bring a crockpot full of German sausages for all of your friends to enjoy at your table. This is an amazing perk. 2. Order off the draft menu, which is constantly changing, and has 20+ options, all of which are good quality, exciting beers and ciders. Plus, all beer tastes better out of the tap. (Or so says people who I find to be more experienced than I). I agree the bottle menu is super confusing, unless you're coming in specifically for a "barrel-aged, imported blah blah blah". If you're not looking for something too specific, or if you have an open mind, definitely look at the draft list! 3. If you need a server, smile at one hopefully, and they will usually stop by to take your next drink order. They're not pushy here, so you can just hang out and read art textbooks while your S.O. watches the game, while making two beers last three hours. I enjoy this aspect. I find it to be very helpful to my cheapskate, lightweight ways. I've never had bad service here- even when it's busy, I've seen the servers out on the floors scrambling, and I know they get to me eventually, and they're usually cheerful and upbeat when they do. Love it! When it's not as busy, I've always been able to make my next order easily and efficiently. Everyone here is doing a good job!
(5)
Alexei T.
Most of you might read some of the reviews from over 6 months ago and be turned away from this place, but you will be missing out! The bar has changed much since it opened in Feb 2013, especially their food menu! Most of the food on the menu is amazing and fairly priced. But the best part of WOB, as the name would suggest, is the BEER. They have a great selection of beers from all over the world, and have many "take over" events that bring in special release beers from breweries around the world! If you can make it out to one of the take over events, you won't be disappointing! Also, make sure to sign up to the loyalty program!
(5)
Shane E.
Was expecting more - maybe the build up, so I apologize... Sometimes the build up for something has us wanting or expecting sooo much and then its just normal, so maybe this is more of a '4', but I had to give it a three. Beer selection is great, but I didn't think the service was that good. Especially when we were spending the amount we were spending there. We were having fun but I could tell a couple of the bartenders didn't like it. Maybe its Evanston - and the "north shore" element there, but I felt like we had to "act a certain way". All in all, enjoyable atmosphere and cool setup with music. But again, bartenders, lighten up and have fun - its bartending!
(3)
Catherine N.
I just moved to Evanston and this is a local hang out. I came in on a Sunday Night during a Bears game and it wasn't as busy as I expected. I am not much of a beer drinker.. but when in Rome... I tried the fruit cocktail.. which is a a Hefeweizen topped with a splash of raspberry flavored Lambic and a blueberry Wheat ale. It was actually pretty good! It still had that bitter beer taste.. but better than most. We also ordered the onion rings that came with a horseradish sauce. It was decent. Not a terrible place to hang out.. but I think I need to like beer more if I were to go again. PS. I've heard that you're allowed to bring food from other restaurants inside to eat. It's good to know if you just want to eat Chipotle and have a beer :)
(3)
Tracy L.
My first legal drink was had at this fine establishment. My friend and I braved the second polar vortex just so I could get my birthday drink at midnight. There were only three other customers in the bar. The staff was great. I ordered the root beer beer and the bartender gave me a tasty apple pie liqueur shot to go with it. I also mentioned to Chris, who runs the WOB twitter, that I was sad because the kitchen was closed and I really wanted some chicken tenders, and guess what this man did? He started up the fryer and made me some chicken tenders himself! Great people, great beer. I will be coming back. A lot. Like, verge-of-alcoholism a lot.
(5)
Yanyao N.
I am by no means a beer drinker (cocktails or water FTW!), but try to indulge J once in a while. World of Beer is new to Evanston, and so far it seems the residents are enjoying it. The place was busy on Saturday, though not overly crowded or obnoxious. The 90s music is a nice touch. They have the nicest doorman. I don't remember the last time I was IDed anywhere - it is lovely to feel young again. Thank you, sir! We saddled up to the bar, which is huge, and has purse hooks (bonus points!). I ordered a flight of 4 "shots", which is a nice way to sample a few beers (they have many). The bartender was great, and his suggestion was actually my favorite beer - way to go, bartender dude! We also tried the crazy 10% stout that tastes EXACTLY LIKE ROOT BEER that folks seem to be talking about. Alcoholic root beer floats are now on my horizon. They don't serve food here. I'm not sure if they will later on, but for now, feel free to bring in food (hint: Soulwich across the street is FANTASTIC. Indonesian Ginger BBQ Seitan sandwich. Do it.). Some dude brought in a huge pizza and I wanted to run away with the box.
(4)
John H.
I've been to world of beer a few times, and this is a reflection of my most recent visit. We got here on a Friday night and it was a good level of busy -lots of people but we didn't have trouble finding a table. After a little bit, the band kicked in and they were decent. Beer menu is huge, food menu is sparse, but they let you order food from the surrounding restaurants. I tried to order about 6 different beers and they were out of them all. The waitress was very helpful, but I was still thoroughly disappointed. Friday night at a beer focused place? I ended up settling for her recommendations, and they were alright, but just alright. On top of that, I think we were forgotten about for about 45 minutes, because we were dry for a long time. Overall this is about par for the 2-4 times I've been here. Good beer when it's not out, service is super slow, but they're helpful when at your table. Gave it a 3 because they always seem to be out of the beers I want and the super slow service
(3)
Seth K.
Obvious statement: beer selection here is awesome. More detail: the draft selection constantly rotates, and every time I'm here I find myself saying, "I've always wanted to try this." So, they're doing a great job rotating with excellent options. Tough to find a more varied, quality list than what is here. Note: I especially love the inclusion of nitro IPAs. Those can be tough to find. Also a good, chill spot to watch sports, as they have a bunch of nice TVs. They don't blast music in the background, so you can actually socialize with people comfortably (crazy concept, huh?). Server can be socially awkward, but she was attentive nonetheless. Haven't tried the food, but the people next to us had a giant pretzel that looked good. Overall a really cool place. I will definitely be returning with friends to keep checking out what's new on tap.
(4)
Nick H.
The amount of beers in this location is great, but the amount on tap wasn't very pretty. It's a fun environment for anyone looking to hangout and have beers with friends, but this doesn't beat the tap house. Our waitress was really great though!
(3)
Andy S.
I initially rated WOB a 5 cause I truly had a fun first experience with great service and great people. Alas, in the one or two times I've returned I seem to be experiencing what many others have said - service seems to have gotten much much worse. It's very strange because the experience on my first visit was nothing like the subsequent ones. People seemed to encourage you to try beers, bartenders were flying around and chatting with/entertaining patrons, and displaying their knowledge. Hasn't been the case since. I'm still willing to come back but have taken away a star unfortunately.
(4)
Clare L.
Just what Evanston needed! I attended the soft opening as well and the selection of beer is the best I've seen in a long time. Although I still went with my favorite brews from Colorado and Idaho (they had on tap!), I plan on visiting this place to try out new brews with my friends who live down the block. The staff were clearly very excited to be opening and the service was great. I hope the momentum stays. It was crowded but still comfortable. I was impressed that WOB had such a large group for the soft open on one of the coldest nights of the winter! That's got to be a good sign. I'm looking forward to enjoying this place in the future.
(5)
Tom H.
I stopped in for the soft opening party this evening--the official open is tomorrow night. The bar, though huge, was filled with patrons. At least a couple hundred folks, most looking like Northwestern students, covered the bar--which runs at least a hundred feet along the inside wall. A band played at a small stage on the northern end of the place. The bar is mostly a huge open L-shaped area, with a lot of windows to the street outside. A couple of small "nooks" were tucked into a couple of the corners, relieving the vast openness of the establishment. The draw of World of Beer is the sheer number and variety of brew--mostly microbrews from all over--both on tap and in bottles Wine is also available and they seem to sell cigars, though I doubt you can smoke them on premises. I had looked over the beer menu online before arriving, so I know there are dozens I'd like to try that I've never encountered elsewhere. They seem to encourage beer flights, so you can taste one beer against another. All in all, this seems like a great addition to the Evanston bar scene. Note: there's a doorway on the west side of the place which is locked. It's apparently only for emergency exits, the door you want is on the south side of the building, off Fountain Square.
(4)
Paul P.
I went in with a friend from work looking to continue the day's tasks over food and beer. We didn't realize it was Friday night, and the place was packed. We were able to find a table and the waitress helped us order from their massive beer menu. I mean MASSIVE. The menu we had was just the beers on tap, she didn't even bother to bring out the bottle menu. My friend and I split a cuban and Rueben sandwich, both of which were fantastic. The best Cuban sandwich I've had in a while and a top notch rueben sandwich.
(4)
Sarah R.
This place is A-Okay in my book. I came here for a going away party last week and my party consisted of several beer connoisseurs. This place had something for everyone (hence the name of the place). I ordered the chicken and waffles sandwich and was sadly let down at how lame it was. That's ok, WOB, I'll come back and try something else. The waitstaff was really nice and on top everything. One thing that did bother me was the one of the bartenders. He wouldn't give us ice water unless we bought a drink. Hey buddy, did it ever occur to you that my friend needs the water because she purchased several drinks from you!?!! We were there on a Friday night so it was really busy (it's a few blocks from Northwestern University). They had a really great 3 piece cover band which consisted of an electric cello, an electric violin, and an acoustic/electric guitar. I'll be back especially for that cover band. Lastly, I had the most amazing Black Velvet drink ever. I completely forgot what kind of Cider they used in this drink, but everyone had a taste and loved my drink and we all agreed that it was like drinking Apple Pie with Guinness ice cream. MMMMmmmmm I'm day dreaming about that drink now.....Mmmmm.
(4)
Monica S.
Since the bar food isn't very filling, you can order your food from external locations; for example, my friends threw a birthday party here, where they ordered from Giordano's and Cold Stone Creamery. They also have a stage and spacious standing/sitting area, making WoB a good concert location in downtown Evanston; for instance, the School of Rock organized a successful concert fundraiser one night and could accommodate 50+ people.
(3)
P B.
I know this is a beer place, but I have to be honest. The shrimp taco was the bomb.com ! I'll be back just for the tacos.
(4)
AJ M.
When I heard about this place and its large selection of beer I knew I had to try this place. Parking was a little difficult, that seems to be the case anywhere in this part of evanston. Once I got in i saw many tvs playing all sorts of sports. Got a very large beer menu including over 50 beers on tap and endless suppy of bottles! Infact the beer menu is so large it can be intimidating. So i got a "flight" which is 4 small glasses of beer. This is great because @ yardhouse you cannot choose what comes in your flight. Here you can choose anything on draft! But beware a flight can cost around $14 for what comes out to a sum total of around 12oz. I HIGHLY reccomend the imfamous "Root Beer" Beer. It tastes just like root beer and might be one of my alltime faves!! Will deff come back here and get to the rest of the menu. PS the bathrooms are confusing fyi the devil is the mens bathroom.
(4)
Lesley A.
I frequent World of Beer every Wednesday for US pub trivia, which starts at 7 pm. A lot of patrons participate, and be forewarned, 75% of them work in the sciences from Northwestern University. (We yell out "science!" When there's a science question and we know our Big Bang Theory.) Anyway, WOB has a lot of beer selections. For $10 without tax, I had a stout that tasted like root beer, topped with vanilla ice cream. It was strong and tasty. My significant other at the time likes the monthly beer special on tap, usually for $4.50 a glass. The food though is hit or miss. We had the fried, beer-battered shrimp that my significant other at the time loved and I hated. It's the richest fried shrimp I ever had, and has some flavored mayonnaise for dipping. We also got the bratwurst sandwich that was okay and kind of small. I see a lot of people order the Bavarian pretzel with mustard as an appetizer, but it's so expensive at $8! WOB's ambiance is nice on a weekday. Lots of room at the bar, tall tables, and some booth seating. They also have a few tables outside on nice weather days. In sum, come for the drinks and trivia, but get your food elsewhere.
(3)
Emily D.
They have an unparalleled selection even for non-beer drinkers like myself! Very awesome!
(5)
Kate H.
Excellent bottle beer selection. Pretty good bar food (great giant pretzel). Good set-up for a sports bar/hang out place that offers fingers foods. So...why 2 stars? The service was laughable. I was a server and a bartender in the past so I really understand that service can suffer sometimes for reasons beyond the servers control. That was not the case here. We sat for 20 minutes and were never even acknowledged. It's not because they didn't see us either. I had to ask for menus for a group of servers hundled by the computers. When we did order...we were like we are starving and proceeded to order 3 apps (no meals...just apps). The server goes "You do realize you just ordered a ton of food, right? (smack, smack her gum) Kinda made me feel like shit about it too. Ordered it anyway. The server was just all around rude and ugly to us. I really don't understand why either...truly.
(2)
Rory B.
I gave this place two chances, the first was a couple weeks after they opened, and the second was yesterday afternoon. I'm proud to say, I'm done forever. Both times the service was ultra-disinterested in bringing beer to my friends as they arrived. Both times it took three guesses to get a beer. Do you have X? Sounds great, be right back. ... Nope we just ran out. Do you have Y? Oh sorry, he have a tap take over so no to Y. How about Z? Pretty sure we have that. WHY HAVE A MENU AT ALL?! The things that differentiated the two experiences were our first server's unfortunate choice of antiperspirant or lack thereof. And yesterday the server brought the wrong beer. I suppose you dear reader would ask why I didn't bring either to the attention of the server or management. By the time my beer arrived I'd already decided to never return, and our server disappeared. The extra star is for the possibility that it could be worse. If you like beer and are in Evanston I recommend Prairie Moon.
(2)
Dan N.
I worry about this place. It is a bar in the middle of Evanston with no reasons for families to frequent. Maybe I will be proven wrong. As other posters have said this place is just about Beer, Beer, and more Beer. They have a ton of beer. In essence if you are 21 and believe the whole world revolves around beer this is the place for you. Once you mature a bit you will find it lacking, as in lacking much of anything to do. Pool table - nope. Darts - no. Good bar food - no. jukebox - no. World of Beer is a 1/2 sports bar that nailed the beer, but fails miserably on every other aspect that would make you want to frequent an establishment. P.S. Not for families.
(2)
Sachin M.
We came here before the Michigan northwestern game. It was terrible. The staff was overwhelmed. Our waitress forgot what beer we ordered (mind you it's a beer bar). My beer offered on draft or in bottle was brought in bottle (higher price). We waited 40 minutes for food (appetizers) only to find out the rest of our food would be a full hour. In the end we wasted 1 hour on game day to have one beer and had to leave to find food.
(1)
Lizzy R.
Well, first off, I wish this place had more variety-- Uh, no, lies. They have an entire book of beer. Literally, a book. It's actually a little bit overwhelming. I'm one of the girliest drinkers on the planet and there were almost too many ciders and fruit beers for me to choose from. The first time I came here, I had the St. Louis Premium Framboise, which is this delicious raspberry concoction, although it is $9 a glass. Pretty steep in my book, but I was willing to pay to try it. For my second drink of the night, I had a mixed draught with cider and the same raspberry beer, and again, was willing to shell out the big bucks for it. I tell you, that stuff is like crack. On my second visit, I was less pleased with the place, mostly because our server practically ignored us the entire time we were there. If we asked for anything, it took her a million years to get whatever it was to the table. It wasn't very busy that night, so I'm not sure why a glass of water ought to take 10 minutes. I tried the Not Your Fathers Root Beer, which is way more alcoholic than it sounds, and pretty decent. I'll be back for the selection, but I wish the service had been better and the beer was slightly cheaper.
(3)
CK L.
October 17 I come here on a bimonthly basics. It's a nice little joint and have a great beer selection. I'm definitely a food and drink guy. Therefore, food and drink have to go hand in hand. I know their approach caters beer enthusiasts, but you'll definitely need food that pairs as well. Hence, I must regret not able to give out 5 star, but beer and atmosphere are definitely great!
(4)
George R.
Came here on a Saturday night for drinks with a few people and to watch the playoff games. I have also been here once before. While there is a pretty decent selection of beer, I think this place is way overpriced for what you get. $9 for a tiny beer (maybe like 8-12oz, not sure exactly). This is probably my least favorite bar in Evanston. This place was loud and crowded with awkward seating relative to the TVs. It also took a while to get our check. You can get better deals with a better atmosphere in Chicago.
(2)
Katie M.
I'm a student at Northwestern and I went to WOB last week with a few of my friends. I really liked the overall atmosphere; it was lively and excitable. The service behind the bar was also great, I really liked the bartender Cassie. She was very knowledgeable about the beers (as I am not a huge beer enthusiast) and was very attentive to my friend's needs and questions. Also, since I'm not a big fan of beer, I tried a cider on tap called Crispin. Wow--I loved it, and so did my friends. I would definitely love to come back (I actually am this weekend) and recommend it to anyone, not just NU students. I also hear trivia night is a blast and I am hopefully going to attend that soon.
(5)
Pierce C.
This place has an excellent beer list and decent service. They'll let you try samples of anything from the draft list, which encourages you to branch out from the brews you already know. The atmosphere and ambiance is quite unfortunate though, and this play has wayyy too many TVs. Why do you need 3 TVs next to each other all playing the same game? It's a headache to look at. This place would be amazing with better lighting and decor that had some character and didn't feel like a big chain restaurant. One cool thing about it that adds an extra star is that they'll let you order delivery from local restaurants straight to your table. I wish more bars would do this instead of peddling mediocre food.
(4)
Scott H.
I was quite happy to see a WOB move into my 'hood. Always some top-notch, unique selections on draft and the bottle list is among the best in the area. The vibe is a bit sterile with bright lighting and tight quarters (especially on the weekends when it's definitely a loud college bar through and through), but arrive at a quiet time of day (or weeknight) and you'll find yourself a bit more peace to chat over a craft beer or two. I keep coming back for drafts that aren't widely available or when I don't feel like venturing all the way down to Hopleaf.
(3)
Daphne L.
Oh dear, this wasn't the direction I hoped my update would take. I was so excited about the WOB opening in Evanston, but, after 2 visits I am left unimpressed and underwhelmed. This time I went with my husband, a serious beer lover. He's less impressed than I am. The problem is the service, and it's not rude or unprofessional service, but rather it's disorganized, clueless service. We were there on a Sunday afternoon, and while it was crowded it wasn't slammed. We sat at the bar and were almost immediately approached by one of the 7-9 servers behind the bar, but since we hadn't decided, we said we needed a minute. That turned into about 10 minutes before someone came back to take our order and a credit card for the tab. After we finished that round we wanted to order flights, or "shots" as they call them, to try a few . I ordered two, my husband ordered one. The server who waited on us, who seemed to be either sick, overly tired, or something else, couldn't find my tab in the system. She finally did, and about 15 minutes later we got our drinks. Unfortunately, she didn't bother to tell us which one was which, so we tried to guess, which kind of defeats the purpose of the shot. She disappeared, to where we don't know, but, we didn't see her again. We finished those, and waited for one of the 7-9 servers behind the bar to wait on us. After ANOTHER 15-20 minutes of waiting, someone finally ambled over, but we were done, my husband was beyond annoyed, so I said "you know, we were going to order, but after waiting so long, we'll just take the check." She gave me a sad face, and brought me my bill. I'm not sure our bill was accurate, it seemed low, but, since no one ever came back we paid what was charged to our card and left. Was it crowded in WOB at that time? Yes. Was it so crowded that service should have been that sloppy and slow? Not even close. The servers are nice, without question, but, not..together. All of the staff we saw behind the bar seemed very busy, lots of coming and going, but, I don't know what they were so busy doing. My husband wasn't at all impressed and said he doesn't want to go back until the summer, by which time he hopes they've gotten it together. This place serves beer primarily, wine, which I doubt many people order, and maybe food. I don't get why it's so unorganized, but I'm already over it.
(2)
DC F.
I've been wanting to go to this place for awhile - ever since I saw a Groupon deal a while back. My boyfriend and I decided to stop by on a whim on a weekend night. There were a lot of people there, a large selection of beer, and a live band. Unfortunately, I am only giving this place two stars because I've been to much better bars. The band was mediocre and it was almost too loud to enjoy your time talking to others. This would be a great place if you are just looking to kick-back and listen to the live music. I really enjoyed the beer I ordered, but I think I'll be sticking to some other bars in the future.
(2)
Patrick O.
First time here and will be last! Service beyond slow, food beyond inadequate. Took 20+ minutes for your beer and more then half of the beer on the menu they did not have. Flat bread was something you could make at home - by just melting a pound of shred cheese on it and tossed in the microwave. When asked for plates and silverware - was given paper plates, plastic silver wear, and fast food type paper napkins. TV's are on no volume no music. Even there was a couple making out (not teenagers) by making out like ones.
(1)
Adam C.
Met the wife here after work and started with a couple flight sets to decide what our favorites would be. Our server "Britta" was an absolute beer genius. She knew about every single item on the menu and could speak about how it tastes, how it was brewed and where it was from. She was also very friendly and had a tremendous sense of humor. I think we must have tried about 16 different beers while we were there. We also ordered Jimmy John's and had it delivered to our table in about 6 minutes flat. It was somewhat noisy in WOB, but we had a really fun time there. If you are going for the first time, ask for Britta. She'll take very good care of creating an exciting beer adventure for your table.
(5)
Lee R.
Good atmosphere here. Music isn't too loud or too obnoxious, waitstaff are all awesome and talkative, and the beer selection is out of this world (har har?). I had about five beers: rev anti-hero, Dirty Bastard scotch ale, Breckenridge vanilla porter, St Bernadus abt 12, unibrou terrible, and a few others. One of the killer things they do here is openly offer to let you get a small sample pour to try things out. We actually tried quite a few before deciding yea or nay, but the Abita Purple Haze was a new Abita brew to me so we gave it a shot and it tasted disgusting. We told the bartender we were surprised that she liked it and she checked the keg -- sure enough there was a kink. They got it worked out in just a few minutes and apologized to us for the mishap. As I was drinking through these (some of my favorite beers), I felt something was a little off, and I realized what it was later in the evening after I got home. I don't think they're serving all of these beers at the right temperature. Most of them whose flavors really come out at warmer temps were chilled very cold and had a muted flavor. I'll ask next time I go back if that's what was going on. It's not uncommon for places that have a large draught selection, and I wouldn't put it past a chain place to just not care. Another thing they seem to have up their sleeve is a short-list of recipes for what beers have interesting flavor profiles when mixed together. Will definitely be back many times. Prairie Moon has food but they don't have the selection or service that WOB has. In the summer they're going to open up the walls and have some outdoor seating. Good for the drinkers, bad for the folks who live in high rises downtown!
(4)
Patricia L.
I was looking forward for a chance to try World of Beer, so when the occasion arose last week, I steered a group towards this place. Ambiance: 0 points. This is not place I would take friends for a drink and a good conversation. Cold, impersonal, somewhat loud. Very clean, though. Service: -10. Disorganized, we were forced to pay right away (not a tab at the end of the visit). We ordered a couple of items from their ridiculously short food menu and the price on the menu differed from the price on the receipt (the one on the receipt being higher). Hmm. Only 5 food items and they don't get it right? We had to ask repeatedly for a receipt. Beer menu: 10. Very good. Still, there are some brewers I would have liked to see on the menu, but I am guessing there are distribution deals that prevent that. Food menu: 0. Just a handful of items, they could do better. Ordering from other places for additional charges? No, thanks. Needless to say, I won't be going back.
(1)
David B.
Excellent addition to Evanston for Beer lovers! They have about 50 beers on tap and their bottle list is very impressive. Note, while the bottle list is impressive, they do have limited stock on some items so waitresses will need to do some checking around first before serving them. Environment is really nice and I can see it being absolutely wonderful in the summer. I honestly do wish they had more in the ways of food so I had an excuse to be there frequently.
(4)
Lakin D.
Nathaniel was a great bartender, so accommodating and friendly, he made our night!
(5)
Andrew L.
Hundreds of beers on tap and in bottles. Tastes encouraged. Bringing in food is fine. The wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable. My only regret is that there isn't a WOB out in my hometown of Schaumburg (hint, hint!).
(5)
Kyle A.
Was excited for this place to open, as it's in a great location and the inside looked cool (huge bar, lots of plasma TV's). The truth is, this place has a ton of great beer. And, that's really about it. There isn't much of a food menu except soft pretzels and brats. The bartenders were friendly, but not overly knowledgeable about beer. We went on a Sunday afternoon, so it wasn't too crowded or busy, which we liked. The prices seemed a tad pricey and I didn't notice any drink specials for the day, week, month. The restaurant itself, is quite spacious and has a beautiful wrap-around mahogany bar. Tons of beautiful flat panels line the walls and they play HD content (which is important because how many places do you visit with gorgeous TV's playing standard definition? This seems so insulting because you're being charged $8 for a beer and the bar you're in can't even pony up a couple bucks for HD?) The place smells like a new car, and maybe that's where it loses some of its charm. I like my bars a little beat up with bartenders that have worked there for 10-15 years, and will award me with a buyback every so often. Obviously, this place will never achieve that, as it appeared to be staffed by college students. Overall, if you like good beer and want food, I'd say skip this place. Or, if you like good beer and good pizza, order the pizza delivered here and drink the beer. If you're just out for a stroll in Evanston, and feel like people watching over a Gumball Head or an Allagash White, then this is your place. Definitely no shame in that.
(3)
Aaron S.
Sucks This place is basically a bar without liquor, food or service. I ordered a beer and it took 20 minutes to get it, not to mention It was delivered by a waitress who forgot my order twice. Oh and they didn't have: Domain Dupage Modus Gumball Head Lil Sumptin Good job kids. Go to the Keg right down the street for a better experience all together.
(1)
John K.
The idea of being able to taste beers and ciders before you order them I commend them for. They have an impressive beer selection and a friendly staff. There is a side in me though that always scans for that special something in a restaurant/bar/cafe. What bothers me about this place is that it is just average in terms of its atmosphere. I think my opinions stem from the fact that the establishment is just too big a.k.a on my way to the bathroom that space is just totally bare. When the customer sees that about 1/3 of the restaurant is empty, what would he or she think? Also, leaving the music selection up to the customer is rather haphazard. Perhaps if WOB had a DJ things would be better. To sum things up, I think having too much under utilized space is what turns things off for me
(3)
Ian B.
A lot of beer! Friendly staff, good atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit in kaneston.
(3)
Rich M.
Good selection of beer and a great location. The service needs to be tightened up a bit.
(3)
Brandon L.
I love this place! World of Beer thins out the herd so the places in town that are actually good are not too crowded. Okay beer selection and service that wavers somewhere between clueless and surly. There is really no reason to go here.
(1)
Melanie B.
Finally! A bar in Evanston I like going to! Their selection is HUGE and they have many beers I've never seen anywhere else. Plus, you can bring in outside food. If going on a weekend get there early, as it gets crowded... but I love this place!!!!
(5)
Louis A.
Ill draft a very low quality review, just like the service of this terrible joint. When it says closing time of 1 am and I get denied at 12:20, even though there are many open booths and I am about to buy a pitcher, you deserve nothing less than a quick glance at the dirty glass windows surrounding your venue. Never come here, even if you thirst for dirt poor beer.
(1)
Bill M.
Evanston has needed this for some time. For a good bit, the best drinking establishment in Evanston was the Celtic Knot. Good, to be sure. But not amazing. This place is great. A wonderful selection of drafts that is constantly rotating, plus a very extensive bottle list = a bar that fits downtown Evanston perfectly. Couple that with wonderfully friendly staff and you have a winner.
(4)
Samuel M.
There's no denying that the beer list at WOB is top notch, drawing both local microbreweries and famed foreign imports. However, I like drinking microbrews in neighborhood bars, and this place is sadly devoid of character. It's accessible, but feels a bit like a BWW inside (except without the bad beer and food). Also, if you're at a table, the staff can be highly inattentive. I'm down to come back if friends are here, but if I'm picking a place to drink craft beer, I'm either going to P Moon or hightailing it out of Evanston.
(3)
Bill R.
--First things first, know that this place charges a minimum of 15% tax on top of each beer you order while you are there. This is not disclaimed anywhere on their menu and seems highly unusual to me, and if you tip a dollar per beer, you are in total tip
(1)
Danielle F.
TLDR: Good beer selection, but it's expensive and they have crappy service. You can tell it's a chain, there's no personal service and at least some of the bartenders don't know what the hell they're doing. Not a great experience. My husband and I are both big beer drinkers so we were really excited to come here; we've heard they have an awesome selection of unique craft beers. We came on a Wednesday night for the Goose Island tap takeover, and showed up at 5 pm, about an hour before that was supposed to start. We were greeted almost right away, but it took about 15 minutes for our bartender to come back and ask what we wanted (it wasn't busy at all). I started with the Root Beer something or other, 10% alcohol and tasted exactly like root beer. It was delicious. We noticed that a special Goose Island menu had been handed out to every party except for us. So, my husband flagged down a bartender and after 10-15 minutes, we got one too. We finished our beers and were ready to order another round. There was a girl bartender in front of us, with her back to us, just staring at the taps. I don't know if she was new, high, retarded or what, but after another 10 minutes or so, she turned around and asked if I wanted another. Watching her pour that draught was almost painful...she kept filling the glass with foam, trying to dump the foam out, and then refilling it. About 3 minutes later I had my beer, no idea how much beer was wasted in the process. She took my empty glass and my husband's empty glass, but didn't ask/offer to get him another beer. WTF?!?! He was finally able to flag down another bartender that got him a beer. In the meantime, I noticed that some swag (Goose Island keychains) were being handed out to everybody....well, everybody except for us..... Did I forget deodorant today? Do I look like a child rapist and/or murderer?!??! I don't know. Didn't think so, but we were obviously not getting the primo service here. Paid our $35 for 4 beers and got the eff out. Probably won't be back anytime soon.
(2)
Conrad Z.
The beer selection is good which made the service all the more disappointing. Went in with high hopes, and left knowing I'll never go back because there are better places to go.
(2)
Nicole S.
Was out of almost every cider I wanted. The main redeeming grace was a local beer that tasted exactly like regular root beer. I highly suggest they keep ice cream on hand for floats with that would be heaven.
(4)
Lauren B.
It is a world of beer. Big open space, service was nice and not too rush, came with a big group and they kept separate tabs for us. No complaints, will be back. Good addition to the area.
(4)
Mikhail D.
The %10 abv root beer was fantastic
(4)
Jessie L.
huge selection of beer. great place to hang out. wasn't a huge fan of the live band they had one night though.
(4)
Andrew H.
A chain - as advertised, has a myriad of beers to choose from, both on tap and bottled. They also have the option of flights which are customizable. Average bang for your buck -- a flight of 4 beers in small glasses runs about $8. Tipping is interesting. There is a sign behind the bar that suggests that a service charge is included when you close your bill. The unique aspect of the business is that there is no food menu. Word on the street is that you can order food from nearby and they will bring it to your table(?...) I saw a table with people eating out of a bag of potato chips. Regardless, you don't come here for food. In that sense, it is a definite drawback -- you have to make the effort of a separate trip to WOB. Clean bright atmosphere, many TVs (though only good view if sitting at bar), live band adds different element (though can be very loud if sitting nearby). This is not a place for an intimate conversation over a couple drinks. I had no issue with service. While our waitress did not know the beers like the back of her hand, she was gregarious and honest when telling us she did not know. Overall, a welcome addition to Evanston where mediocre to poor bars still remain open.
(4)
Tom C.
Sold Out of a lot of draft beers, our waitress had HORRID BO, and $8.00 for Guinness ??!?!?!? Oh and you have to pay as you drink, or start individual tabs. We were told we couldn't have one tab for our table. I had to pay for my beer before getting it!
(1)
John K.
I agree with the previous poster who said the beer selection here is good, but the service is laughable. I came here the other day with my lady-friend to drink a beer. We sat at the bar, and there were maybe 10 other patrons in the entire place. I saw at least 3 employees walking around, plus a manager. With this kind of customer-to-server ratio, you'd expect to be greeted promply, with eye-contact and a smile, and then to be asked what you'd like to drink, right? Well that didn't happen. All the servers seemed very preoccupied, and it took a long time to get our orders taken. But here is the CRAZY thing... The servers only SEEMED busy. If you actually WATCHED them (which I did), they were doing NOTHING AT ALL. (They were like Dr. Evil's background henchmen in AUSTIN POWERS who carried things back and forth across the set pointlessly. These guys-- and 1 gal-- just walked the length of the bar or huddled to the side, but they were not doing a thing. They certainly weren't attending to other customers, cleaning up, or prepping orders. They were just waiting around.) My best guess is that these bartenders are used to serving fraternity members whose idea of good service is a "What's up, brah? Another pitcher?" every thirty minutes or so. The bar for service, in downtown Evanston, appears to be very low.
(2)
L. F.
So glad I found this place! The perfect bar to grab drinks in Evanston. Largest selection of beer I've ever seen. They don't have a liquor license so just something to keep in mind of your looking for something other than beer. Good vibe with live music and big crowd (all ages). Highly recommend if looking for a fun place to grab drinks on a Friday or Saturday night.
(4)
Brian R.
World of Beer (WOB) has been great every time I've been there (3 so far). Though, you may have to maneuver around, or wait a little to get a bartender's attention if there are no tables available/no seats at the bar, I feel that this might be the case at a lot of bars. Food & Beverages: WOB, as the name suggests, is a bar that specializes in beer. You'll find a HUGE selection of craft beers, as well as some more common and familiar beers (I dont think budweiser or Miller is anywhere among them for better or for worse). There's a large selection of beers on tap (~20-30 during a season), and an even larger selection of beers in bottles and cans. A lot of beers on tap are from local breweries as well, so its cool that you can try them instead of having to buy a big 6 pack (if you can find them), or visiting the brewery. If you're a little overwhelmed and have no idea what you want to try, you can ask for a sample of a beer you might be interested in, or you can order a flight of beers (4 x 4 oz. beer glasses on a wooden paddle). I think it's a lot of fun seeing a beer that you might never see anywhere else, and just ordering a bottle, or sample of it just to try. For example, I looked through the bottle menu on my last visit and saw that WOB had a lager from Kenya. Curious to see what Kenyan lager might taste like I ordered it. I probably will never order it again, but my friends and I had a pretty good laugh about it. (I don't recommend it...tasted kinda like rice and water mixed together). I DO recommend Small Town Brewery - Not Your Father's Root Beer. Tastes like root beer with a hint of alcohol in it. As far as food goes, WOB has a bring your own food policy, which is great. Service: As mentioned before, if you can't find a table, or a seat at the bar, it may take a little bit of you maneuvering around the bar to find an open space to talk to the bartender, or waiting for a waitress to walk by. Good not great. Standard bar service, I think. Atmosphere: Usually pretty loud, especially as the night goes on. They have live music, or just background music going on. Well-lit in most areas. Just a cool place to hang out and have a drink. Overall, I would suggest visiting WOB if you feel like you adventuring. Prices are just right, the variety of beer is great, service might be a little slow, but I think its all worth it.
(4)
Phil L.
I love this place. It is exactly what it advertises...a world of beer! No food and a decent atmosphere, but who cares. You can get ALL the beers....(when I say ALL, I really just mean you can get a lot of the brews!)
(4)
Kristin B.
I had a great time at World of Beer last night! The beer selection is gigantic, and I tried some new and different things I haven't heard of before (10% ABV root beer!!). The place is very large and it was packed with people but not uncomfortable. I completely forgot our waitress' name, but she was excellent and took her time explaining beers and offering suggestions to our group (as well as splitting up our confusing check, which was very nice of her--and with a smile too). We will definitely be back
(5)
Anna J.
Unreal selection of beers. I mean 50 drafts and a million other bottles of the best beers you will ever have. I had the Abita purple haze, Paulanee Hefe-Weizen, and Founders Dirty Bastard and all were amazing. The key is accepting the reality that you cannot possibly try them all in one visit and just try to work down the list.
(5)
Jen S.
Had a good time on New Year's Eve. Not crazy about the cocktails but liked the beer selection and my bartender with the crazy beard was very knowledgable and helped me pick out new beers to try out.
(4)
Kyle B.
I have gone to world of beer for trivia night since it began. I had hoped that as they became more established the service would improve, but I'm sorry to say it has not. It is not unusual to wait 15-20min for a server to approach your table even when it is not busy. Tonight my group of 3 finally gave up waiting for a server and went to the bar to get drinks. We were at WOB for over 2 hours and not once did a waitress ever stop by our table. I don't think i would continue going here if it wasn't for trivia night.
(1)
Jeffrey T.
4 visits, consistently rude and terrible service! The boss better kick some ass or get kicked!
(1)
Rob F.
Great beer selection. Really should work on improving food. Also would help if it had some other bar staples as darts or pool. Loyalty Club progran is fun.
(3)
Meghan D.
Without a doubt, WOB has a wonderful beer selection and offers patrons the wonderful ability to bring in outside food. I've been here twice and both times the service has been atrocious, the bartenders surly and difficult to flag down. As Bill R. noted earlier in the month, the bartenders definitely charge a 15% tax on top of the price listed on the menu. I tip one dollar per beer in hopes that that the bartender will serve me more promptly when I'm ready for my next beer, but the 45% tip seems utterly unreasonable.
(2)
Nolan S.
Nice ambiance. However, when we ordered the beer that's on special (Goose Island Mild Winter) for $3 as clearly stated on the menu, we were quite surprised to see it priced at $4 on our receipt. When we asked our waitress for the reason behind the discrepancy, she stated "it's $3 if you order the beer to go." When we questioned the waitress about how one can go about ordering "beer to go," and why they're promoting false advertisement she became defensive and rude.
(1)
Joe J.
Huge selection. Unbelievable! Great place to watch sports. Plenty of big screen t.v.s. The game we wanted to watch wasn't currently on and the bartender had no problem getting our game on a t.v when we arrived.
(4)
Britt B.
As beer aficionados my husband and I were excited to try out World of Beer for the first time on a Saturday afternoon. Our visit was one that will not be repeated. The staff was horrible and very inattentive. My husband ordered a beer and it took 15 minutes for him to get it, and it was NOT a busy day. I ordered a taster and waited 20 more minutes for it while watching the bartender chat with her other coworkers at the end of the bar, forgetting my order completely. Its ridiculously expensive and some of the worst service I've ever experienced. Don't waste your time. Go to Prairie Moon.
(1)
Rob G.
Overall, a miserable experience. Like most of downtown Evanston, parking nearby has a two hour limit, and technically this requires actually moving your car as meter feeding can get you a ticket. The atmosphere is stark. We had two different servers during our visit (?) and neither one was attentive or informed. Evanston allowed this "bar" into downtown because they agreed to add a kitchen -- what a joke! Basically, you can get a hot dog with a mustard packet or a stale pretzel. You are encouraged to call local restaurants for delivery with fee -- what a ridiculous business model. All evening we watched delivery vehicles illegally pulling in and out of the accessible spaces as delivery people wandered around the establishment trying to find the person who had placed the order. They have wine on their menu, but they were out of four of the five varieties of red -- the server made five separate trips to the back to discover this. The hand washing water in the bathroom sinks runs ice cold. We were there for the Wednesday Trivia, which was fun, but we'll be moving across the street to a full-service restaurant from now on. Yes, they have 500 beers. Yes, they offer a taste before ordering. If you want anything more than that, go elsewhere.
(1)
Jahara M.
Chill bar with plenty of seating. Went on a Saturday night in July and they had a pretty good 2-man band playing covers, and the beer selection was great. Looks like a great place to watch sporting events and I loved the huge Pretzel they served. Can't give it 5 stars though because it is nothing that special, but it is still a great hangout.
(4)
Samantha M.
The drinks and the atmosphere had always been great but Kate was absolutely the rudest waitress I've ever had at WOB. She demanded a drink order without even handing us a menu. She rolled her eyes after every interaction, even though the venue was basically empty with maybe 7 other customers. She had absolutely no reason to be so rude to us, the largest party in the entire venue. I am extremely disappointed in WOBs service tonight, and it will definitely influence my decision about whether or not I'll be coming here again.
(1)
Jason F.
First...five stars isn't easy... Cool vibe, friendly staff, fast service and a sundry of beers! Lots of TVs, the server asked my bar-mate if he wanted something specific put on to watch. Nice...class act here.
(4)
Stephanie C.
Visited last night with a few friends right before last call. I asked the bartender to recommend something, so she suggested a Belgian ale. The beer was great, albeit a little stronger than I expected. Service was quick and pleasant, but the vibe was slightly weird--a mixture of college students with much older men, many of whom were alone. I'll probably come back because there aren't that many other options for late nights in Evanston, but WOB is not at the top of my list. For a better vibe, head over to Bangers a few blocks west.
(3)
Kennen M.
Yes, they have lots of beer but two of the bottles I ordered they were out of. The space is promising of a great bar experience. The food is what knocked the rating to 2 stars. The menu isn't large and with so few items, the food should have been executed perfectly however that what transpired. The food lack that special something that would make it delicious, let alone good. Without having good food, I felt no reason to stay and keep drinking. Next time we will just go to Bat 17 and ignore this joint all together.
(2)
Elizabeth F.
First of all, this place is called "World of Beer" so people complaining about cocktails...... Why. Anyway, they have a wide beer selection (although sometimes a little overpriced for college students in the area). Our favorite server, Dana, is always smiling and has great beer recommendations. As long as you don't overthink it, this place is great for what it claims to be - a spot to try new beers.
(4)
Allan M.
I still keep forgetting to ask the food question(*sigh*), but I will down the road on a future visit. Also BE ADVISED that they unfortunately charge sales tax on top of whatever price(s) you see for beers here. That's a disappointment to me, as I greatly prefer taxes to be included in beer prices. I'll be nice and not deduct them a star over this, since I've had good service here for the most part.
(4)
Grant S.
The food gets the job done. With over 50 beers on draft (and many more in bottle), very kind staff and a willingness to accommodate your game day viewing needs on their numerous TV's, I think I've found a new place to watch games!
(4)
Caitlin B.
Updating my review after a really great experience here last Friday. I made a reservation via yelp for 25 on Thursday (totally last-minute), and they were extremely nice and accommodating. I got a phone call to confirm within an hour, and did not mind that we would primarily be drinking- I was organizing a mixer event for international students after their orientation program, and I wasn't sure how many would get food. Some of the students arrived before me, and they were promptly and politely showed to the private roped-off area that was reserved for us. We had our own dedicated waitress who was friendly and very fast, considering we definitely had way more than 25 people there. Thanks for accommodating our loud, last-minute group, WoB! We'll definitely be back.
(5)
David O.
Went here on a Sunday afternoon to get away from the typical "blue collar" sports crowds. Fail. Hawks sweaters on either side of me. Beers were good and I enjoyed the shrimp tacos but the conceit level in Evanston seems to be inescapable. I made a comment to the bartendess that I never order the same beer twice, who turns to a female customer who works nearby and says "right". Yeah, I'm at a bar with a gazillion beer choices, WTF do you expect?!? Note to self, Evanston snootiness is worse than blue collar fake attitudes (sometimes).
(3)
Nicole P.
My friend Rebecca and I went to world of beer last night and were so surprised at how busy they were when we walked in! Then we found out it was trivia night, but we got very lucky and tucked yourself away at two open bar seats. We were promptly greeted by Joseph (bartender) who refused our bartender all night. He was very helpful and really quick on the draw to serve us, along with all the other bartenders who were ready to help. We had the turkey club sandwich which was good with the tater tots. Yummy. Next time we come, I wanna try their goat cheese appetizer. Will be back.
(5)
Tanya V.
I'm a sucker. I joined the $15 loyalty club and got the T-shirt. But it's worth it because it's fun to go to this downtown Evanston all-in-one place for crazy, random beers and bar food. There's always a mix of people here, usually trivia or live music, and of course, lots of TVs and bartenders. Everyone is nice and I will definitely be back with the ladies to score some more badges for trying new beers!
(4)
Oliver W.
Great selection of beers! They probably carry the random beers from your corner of the world. Food options are scarce and only ok. Ambiance is also nothing special. But it's a fine place for some happy hour drinking
(3)
Matt S.
This may come as a surprise, but World of Beer is a perfect place for beer lovers. There is a lot to choose from so be adventurous with your choices. The food menu is small and the quality is alright. Definitely not the best place to come if you're looking for a dining experience. Stick with beer and you'll have a blast.
(3)
Jane W.
It feels a bit weird writing this review, because (hate if you want), I don't like beer. I've been here a couple times - the first time reaffirmed the fact that I do not enjoy drinking beer. The second time was yesterday, and I decided to try one of their mixed drinks. I ended up ordering an amaretto sour, and it was really good. Sour, sweet, and could not taste a hint of alcohol. Yum. Service was not super amazing, but attentive enough. There was a live band playing, and there's nothing quite like watching tipsy people (attempt to) sing along. The environment is lively, friendly, and fun. Definitely worth a visit.
(4)
karen l.
Huge selection of beer, nice bartenders and cool old school music without feeling douchie
(5)
Courtney K.
Whatever you do, try the alcoholic rootbeer. Yes, its 9$ a glass but so delicious and so worth it! This is one of my favorite drinks and I still have dreams about it. This is a great place to watch sports games with a group, the tables are large and the appetizers are decent too. Not a big beer drinker, but my friends raved about the selection!
(4)
Mark T.
On a recent visit to Chicago I was looking forward to hitting this location. I had been watching the WOB Appand checking out their draft and bottle list for a couple of weeks leading up to it. I was also eager to get my favorite pizza. We were greeted and seated quickly. I was excited to try some local beers I cannot get in other locations, but I was particularly hungry. I was disappointed to see that there was no pizza on the menu. That's okay, I will try the Cuban sandwich. The server returned after a lengthy time away and said they didn't have that and were going to be taking it off the menu. I ordered the shrimp tacos and again she left for a lengthy time, only to return saying they were out of those. How about the sliders? Another delay and no, out of that too. I was frustrated and at this point wondered what they DID have. We finally ordered tater tots and they did have those. The drinks were fine, but again a little slow in arriving. One good thing was while my phone was dying the server offered to charge my phone. Another thing that was exciting, even though not applicable to me, is the future tapping of Founders CBS - about two weeks away from my visit. I would return to this location because the selection was more local and interesting than the other Chicago location. The frustration was mainly the food situation and slow service - but it may have just been an off night.
(3)
Tian Y.
Things that stuck out to me and my friends on our first visit: + friendly service... moderately efficient + enough TVs for good vantage points everywhere +lighting that struck a good balance (as in not too dark to see things so yay) -/+ "for a place called WORLD of BEER, this is all they have?" - to be fair, it was a couple of pages worth that covered a good range of taste profiles/alcohol content/type, but I think he expected hundreds and hundreds lol -Jarred-tasting salsa, bagged-tasting chips, tiny portion, $5. WHY. Seems like most of their food is overpriced for the portion -I would NOT take your chances with mixed drinks here. 2 manhattans that were literally the worst things I've ever had in my life. Doused in grenadine and drowned in lime juice, diluted with water... and STILL unbearable. (I did have one of the beer-cocktail things on the menu insert and it was decent!) Overall... decent. Probably helps if you like beer. My Evanston choice of social lubricant definitely still comes from Ward Eight though. 3.5 stars.
(3)
S R.
This is a beer only review. Incredible selection and reasonably priced (for the selected beers). I am not aware of a larger selection in city (including Binney's). The electronic menu makes it easy to find your way through the very long list of bottles. You can search by style, color, region, etc. Very cool. Food; one can do better in a few other local restaurants, but not in another Evanston bar on game day.
(5)
Meghan S.
Hit up this location for a couple beers and dinner before a concert. Ended up having the hockey game on which made it even better! The servers were friendly and helpful for beer selections. The only thing that was disappointing was the lack of menu for a bar and grill only a couple sandwiches and a bunch of appetizers. Either way get the pretzel its huge and the beer cheese sauce was awesome!
(3)
Robert B.
I just went here last night. I was exhausted as I was heading to my hotel a block away, but saw this place through my car window and knew I needed to visit! I was greeted by a couple of very polite and knowledgeable servers. They really knew their beers! I started with a Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier that was excellent and then moved on to a Clown Shoes Clementine White beer, which was also excellent. I would have drunk a lot more but needed to get up early in the morning. I also ate a chicken chipotle sandwich that was very tasty. I really liked this place and would definitely return!
(5)
Zhuozhen L.
This is specifically for service and the beer. Come here for beer! Especially draught. I'm not usually a fan of bottled because, well, you can buy that anywhere else. -1 because when I asked for a specific beer they were out. But in a way it's understandable considering they apparently change the selection every day? The beer were all reasonably priced, would definitely come back again. And apparently you can bring your own food? Awesome (: Glad to know they are not a stickler about that sort of stuff. Def recommend, esp when they boast having over 200s worth of selection of beer!
(4)
michael w.
Crystal ship beer and ginger smash craft cocktail are my two current faves. I swallowed wrong and got some of the ginger down my windpipe which was not a pleasant experience, but it did remind me that I am very much alive ;) First time I saw this place I was walking by on a weekend at night and it was downright raucous cacophony, but during a nice summer day, it can be extremely pleasant sitting outside. The black and tan onion rings seem to be a go to for most. I wanted to try the slaw but they were out, so had the cold bean salad instead, it was wonderful. Shared the club sandwich, it was acceptable but nothing to separate it from the heard of others. Prices are to be expected six and up for beers, the craft cocktails are obviously more. The location is what is so convenient about WOB, a great place to meet up and catch up.
(4)
Mad E.
If you enjoy beer, this is a good place to go. They have a huge selection and carry a lot of good local beers. The waiters all seem to be trained in understanding the beers they carry. They don't have a lot of food options, but it beer is your jam, this is the place to be.
(5)
Peter P.
I think some reviewers here are overthinking things. The place is called World of Beer. Adjust your expectations. You come here for beer. And they definitely have beer. The draft selection changes DAILY. They print a new menu every day. The bottle selections change every season (I assume that means every 3-4 months). I'm not going to review the beer because this is Yelp, not RateBeer.com (an actual website). Service was fast and friendly so no complaints there. There was a band playing and the only table we could get was right in front of the speakers so we were concerned about having our eardrums blown. However, our fears were unfounded. The volume was at a surprisingly comfortable volume and we were able to converse without shouting (which was nice). I will definitely be returning to WOB next time I'm in Evanston as I give it an enthusiastic (perhaps the beer helped with that) 4 stars.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Late Night Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Music : Live Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Wed, Fri, Sat Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Caroline J.
I came here with my boyfriend before a show at SPACE because it seemed like they had a great beer selection and it was within walking distance. Upon sitting down, it seemed like we had made a great choice. So. Many. Beers. However, from there it got kind of dicey. They definitely weren't busy, but not much attention was paid to us. On more than one occasion, we had to flag down someone who was not our bartender to put in a drink order. Prices weren't bad, but I swear almost EVERY time I asked for a beer, I was told they were out of it. When I asked what they would recommend in its place, they would just tell me what type of beer it was and tell me to find other ones on the menu. Not exactly the recommendation I was looking for? I think either updating the menu or even just putting a sticker over a beer that was sold out might be helpful. I want to give this place more stars because they really do seem to have an amazing beer selection, but who knows if they even have half the beers they claim to on any given day? Seems to defeat the purpose. Hopefully I'll be able to check it out again at some point in the future and see if anything has changed.
(2)Dee W.
As this is right next door to my acupuncturist, I can't believe that it took me this long to come here. As part of my sisters and my girls night out bar crawl, we started here and opted for the flights of beer to get things started off. I couldn't help but try the "Not Your Dad's Rootbear" which was at 10% alcohol which literally tasted so good that it was dangerous. I wanted a scoop of vanilla ice cream to go with it to make my own alcoholic root beer float. Service was friendly and they now serve some bar food which was decent. Our server was fantastic and very helpful. She recommended some great options for us to try after we finished our flights. I'm looking forward to returning here again as it's very clean, well lit for a sports bar, plenty of tvs (we were watching March Madness) and great selection of beers!
(4)Robyn F.
Great place to watch a game and drink some really good beer. The menu allow you to pick from any countries all over the world. Their on tap menu changes about every week and is an incredible selection. Wonderful staff who is very knowledgeable about your taste. They have a great food menu. I suggest getting the German pretzel it is big and very good. If you don't feel like anything from there menu you can order from anywhere and have them deliver right to your seat.
(5)Dave V.
I'm limiting this to a 3 star review simply because i don't thin i have experienced it enough to go further. The beer prices here aren't even that bad on a lot of the brews, killer high on a few others. The food looks decent but didn't try any. The atmosphere seemed pretty chill but we were there late on a Sunday night. The service was great, our waitress was very attentive and polite and the place seemed very clean. I'll be back one day to try it out some more and update my review but go check it out for yourself and as always....yelp that shit!
(3)Mike F.
Fun environment, lots of energy, big range of beers (as the name suggests). The food was prime for me. I had shrimp and onion rings. Both were good, but the shrimp was especially well spiced, well cooked, and a very tasty dipping sauce.
(4)E P.
The drinks were fine. However, Kate was the rudest, most condescending waitress I've ever encountered. She rolled her eyes at our group as she checked our IDs, rushed us to order without giving us the menu, and looked visibly annoyed when some of us decided to forego the first round of drinks. The venue was almost empty other than us, so it's not like she was rushed between tables. We were here for a friend's birthday, and when we mentioned it's her birthday, she gave a snarky and sarcastic retort under her breath. Needless to say, we left after one round of drinks, put off by the rude service. We won't be coming back. Hopefully, our waitress will learn to treat her customers with at least the minimum standard of respect after reading this review.
(1)Andrea K.
Really enjoyed this place. It is a good go-to for after work or just to grab a drink with friends anytime. My husband is a beer snob and he thought the beer list was pretty good. I enjoyed a few of the cocktails. We also ordered sandwiches and the hummus platter...both of which were good considering it's basically bar food. I would go back to eat and drink again, nice atmosphere with sports on most of the time. Service was a little bit slow but that's fine because we didn't expect it to be super attentive based on the setting.
(3)Lil Whoadie T S.
Went there yesterday and a very kind and sweet bartender waited on us, I think her name was chrystal but im not sure if you can help me out to find her name I would love to tell her thanks again( excellent food and service BTW)
(4)Ninweh Y.
So my brother in law and I were so hungry . We saw world of beer and thought "hey great idea eat and drink" but Not !! The beer is great but , there was little appetizers nothing else . The best part was my brother in law got to tried all the beers for free :) lol
(4)Bryon P.
This company conspired with a company called Pintley and offered a "stout" beer festival. 6 of us signed up through the internet to join and go to the festival. We printed out our tickets for the festival and went. We arrived finding out that we did not need tickets to get in, and it was just a bar. We inquired as to what kind of deals there were as this was a festival that we singed up to join. Surely they would have specials on stouts and food. The waitress just pointed us to the stouts that were already on the menu. No specials, no nothing. World of Beer and Pintley are practicing very deceptive ways to get you into their bar, in offering what might be a festival and then not having a festival. This is wrong and I will never step foot in another world of beer or join anything Pintley has to offer. My friends and I felt very mislead by their practices. Misleading and corrupt. Bryon Pelzek
(1)Mark S.
World of Beer is a big box style beer emporium. They offer a ton of different beers on tap and the enormous bar has plenty of seating and is loaded with flat screen after flat screen TV. It's a chain business, kind of like the Woodfield Mall of beer joints, so it misses the charm and substance you enjoy in the independently owned beer bars. With so many beers on tap, they have surprisingly few that I want to drink. The service is either really knowledgable and friendly or sullen and uninterested. Whatever, just drink your beer and watch TV. They've added some more food options on the menu, and they still allow you to bring food in which is nice (not that I did). So why did I come here? They are the only bar in the Chicagoland area that has Sour in the Rye on tap ($12) which is the best sour out there.
(3)Yuanjia Z.
This is our go to place when we wanted some EtOH and hang outside late at night. They've got great beer selection. Since I'm not really a beer person, I'm ok with this place, but if you are a beer person, I think you'll like this place. It is a bit loud tho, but definitely a good place to hang w/o breaking your bank.
(3)Lisa D.
If you went to World of Beer prior to January 2014 and were not impressed then go again, trust me. We stopped in "for just a beer" after we had dinner elsewhere because of previous dine in experience. We were delightfully surprised, however, to find WOB had completely redone their menu, so we just had to try a small plate or two. We just sampled some bar snacks which were quite tasty, the mac and cheese which had a nice spicy kick to it and the beer cheese tots, perfect pub food. And that's just it think perfect pub food. This is a place with an incredible beer selection and an ever changing tap list, the perfect spot to sample new, classic, rare, and local beers! Now they have some delicious pub food to go along with it. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable, and the management is attentive. Go in during a slower evening or earlier in the day on the weekend to have a nice chat with your bartender. So seriously, if you tried it when they first opened give them another whirl, and remember it's a bar, not a fine dining establishment, not a club, a bar with great beer and now better grub! And if it's not perfect start a conversation, they are clearly listening to feedback.
(5)emily h.
I love this bar! Their loyalty club and app make it fun to try a lot of different beers.They have a lot of activities that are fun too. Steal the glass nights, live music, and different tastings. Other reviews suggested bringing food in. I've never seen anyone do this but I've always been happy with the food offered. They have a giant pretzel appetizer that is amazing as well as a good selection of other options. This is one of my favorite bars in Evanston.
(5)Sharon C.
It was pretty empty when I went on a Wednesday, and the service was very good - she regularly came by to check on us, and she didn't seem upset that we spent about an hour at our table while ordering... one drink each. I had the Aspall something Cyder (basically like apple-y champagne), and it was really delicious!
(4)Diane L.
I love this bar, but I hate-hate-hate-HATE the service at the bar. My boyfriend and I come here often and we get the same bartender, (lunch, dinner and late night) doesn't matter when, he is so rude. Just now, I want a Ginger Smash from the menu and he responds with a get-out-of-face,"No." So, I can't order it? "No." After the third time asking, he says, "don't have it. Couldn't he just say that from the beginning and be polite about it?
(2)Tom B.
Never has a title suited an establishment more than this. The World Of Beer has beer that caters to any taste and any price range. When I first started coming here I was not all that adventurous but now that I have become a regular I am fully able to appreciate the product that they put on the market. I will also throw out a shameless plug to their loyalty program. It is a great way to break the ice and have incentive to try as many beers as you can. Every new beer you try, you get a point. At certain levels you get some swag. Can't go wrong! If you are looking to branch out and expand your beer experience, this is the place to do it.
(5)Meredith C.
This place is pretty solid. It had about 200 beers available. I was a little surprised you can't purchase a standard domestic here, no Bud, Miller etc. Which just seemed strange, not everyone in our party was into trying new beers, but no big deal. Food was pretty good. The appetizers are sizable, unique, and tasty. Dinner menu is only about 8 sandwhiches, no burgers. So I wouldn't go here when you are super hungry. Service was very nice, ambiance is very comfortable. Near many shops, etc. If you're into trying new beers, you will love this place.
(4)Steve A.
This place is about beer, not food. I sat outside on a lovely evening and tried a Young's Double Chocolate Stout from a bottle. It was excellent. It took a while for my server to show up, but once she did, she was friendly and efficient. I also had one of their enormous pretzels, which was pretty good, although I would have preferred it with a sampling of mustards rather than just one. Although the list of beers may seem overwhelming, they are clearly labelled as to origin and style, and the list is online, so you can plan before you go. If you're into beers, this is a great place to sample them.
(4)Ari A.
Who doesn't need a bar that has hundreds of beers on the shelf? Can you watch the game? Yep Can you order food? Yep Can you eat take out at the bar? Yep Can you try some local brews? Yep The fan favorite seems to be from the Half Acre Beer Company, with Daisy Cutter being a crowd favorite. And if you're lucky, when you walk in it will be trivia night.
(3)Christina Y.
The rootbeer flavored beer is most excellent, but that's about it. The food is terrible. The service is terrible. I often have to be drug here kicking and screaming.
(2)Jennie T.
I like beer, I just get extremely overwhelmed by a large selection of them. Thankfully Kenny is knowledgeable enough about beers to know what I'd like. He ordered me something that I enjoyed. Its name started with Horny Goat... and I forgot the rest. He ordered a more hoppy beer, and I didn't like it at first because I thought it was bitter, but after finishing mine, I was more open to it. World of Beer is amazing because they have a huge selection of beers. I was impressed by the display behind the bar. It almost looked like I could order any beer I want, and they'd have it. I like that. I was also told that it's a BYOF (bring your own food) place, as they only serve beer and nothing else. You can even get delivery here. It's also the perfect place for sports-watching. They have huge TV monitors all around the bar, in almost every nook and corner, and a huge large screen near the back next to the opened windows. Wow. I couldn't think of a more perfect place to watch the last basketball game of the season. Now, it's time for the Blackhawks to win for Chicago. :)
(4)Janelle F.
I cannot imagine why this bar has only 3 stars at the time that I am writing this review. This is how to navigate the World of Beer: 1. Bring your own food - you can actually do this! So buy a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods, or some Naf-Naf across the street, or go crazy and bring a crockpot full of German sausages for all of your friends to enjoy at your table. This is an amazing perk. 2. Order off the draft menu, which is constantly changing, and has 20+ options, all of which are good quality, exciting beers and ciders. Plus, all beer tastes better out of the tap. (Or so says people who I find to be more experienced than I). I agree the bottle menu is super confusing, unless you're coming in specifically for a "barrel-aged, imported blah blah blah". If you're not looking for something too specific, or if you have an open mind, definitely look at the draft list! 3. If you need a server, smile at one hopefully, and they will usually stop by to take your next drink order. They're not pushy here, so you can just hang out and read art textbooks while your S.O. watches the game, while making two beers last three hours. I enjoy this aspect. I find it to be very helpful to my cheapskate, lightweight ways. I've never had bad service here- even when it's busy, I've seen the servers out on the floors scrambling, and I know they get to me eventually, and they're usually cheerful and upbeat when they do. Love it! When it's not as busy, I've always been able to make my next order easily and efficiently. Everyone here is doing a good job!
(5)Alexei T.
Most of you might read some of the reviews from over 6 months ago and be turned away from this place, but you will be missing out! The bar has changed much since it opened in Feb 2013, especially their food menu! Most of the food on the menu is amazing and fairly priced. But the best part of WOB, as the name would suggest, is the BEER. They have a great selection of beers from all over the world, and have many "take over" events that bring in special release beers from breweries around the world! If you can make it out to one of the take over events, you won't be disappointing! Also, make sure to sign up to the loyalty program!
(5)Shane E.
Was expecting more - maybe the build up, so I apologize... Sometimes the build up for something has us wanting or expecting sooo much and then its just normal, so maybe this is more of a '4', but I had to give it a three. Beer selection is great, but I didn't think the service was that good. Especially when we were spending the amount we were spending there. We were having fun but I could tell a couple of the bartenders didn't like it. Maybe its Evanston - and the "north shore" element there, but I felt like we had to "act a certain way". All in all, enjoyable atmosphere and cool setup with music. But again, bartenders, lighten up and have fun - its bartending!
(3)Catherine N.
I just moved to Evanston and this is a local hang out. I came in on a Sunday Night during a Bears game and it wasn't as busy as I expected. I am not much of a beer drinker.. but when in Rome... I tried the fruit cocktail.. which is a a Hefeweizen topped with a splash of raspberry flavored Lambic and a blueberry Wheat ale. It was actually pretty good! It still had that bitter beer taste.. but better than most. We also ordered the onion rings that came with a horseradish sauce. It was decent. Not a terrible place to hang out.. but I think I need to like beer more if I were to go again. PS. I've heard that you're allowed to bring food from other restaurants inside to eat. It's good to know if you just want to eat Chipotle and have a beer :)
(3)Tracy L.
My first legal drink was had at this fine establishment. My friend and I braved the second polar vortex just so I could get my birthday drink at midnight. There were only three other customers in the bar. The staff was great. I ordered the root beer beer and the bartender gave me a tasty apple pie liqueur shot to go with it. I also mentioned to Chris, who runs the WOB twitter, that I was sad because the kitchen was closed and I really wanted some chicken tenders, and guess what this man did? He started up the fryer and made me some chicken tenders himself! Great people, great beer. I will be coming back. A lot. Like, verge-of-alcoholism a lot.
(5)Yanyao N.
I am by no means a beer drinker (cocktails or water FTW!), but try to indulge J once in a while. World of Beer is new to Evanston, and so far it seems the residents are enjoying it. The place was busy on Saturday, though not overly crowded or obnoxious. The 90s music is a nice touch. They have the nicest doorman. I don't remember the last time I was IDed anywhere - it is lovely to feel young again. Thank you, sir! We saddled up to the bar, which is huge, and has purse hooks (bonus points!). I ordered a flight of 4 "shots", which is a nice way to sample a few beers (they have many). The bartender was great, and his suggestion was actually my favorite beer - way to go, bartender dude! We also tried the crazy 10% stout that tastes EXACTLY LIKE ROOT BEER that folks seem to be talking about. Alcoholic root beer floats are now on my horizon. They don't serve food here. I'm not sure if they will later on, but for now, feel free to bring in food (hint: Soulwich across the street is FANTASTIC. Indonesian Ginger BBQ Seitan sandwich. Do it.). Some dude brought in a huge pizza and I wanted to run away with the box.
(4)John H.
I've been to world of beer a few times, and this is a reflection of my most recent visit. We got here on a Friday night and it was a good level of busy -lots of people but we didn't have trouble finding a table. After a little bit, the band kicked in and they were decent. Beer menu is huge, food menu is sparse, but they let you order food from the surrounding restaurants. I tried to order about 6 different beers and they were out of them all. The waitress was very helpful, but I was still thoroughly disappointed. Friday night at a beer focused place? I ended up settling for her recommendations, and they were alright, but just alright. On top of that, I think we were forgotten about for about 45 minutes, because we were dry for a long time. Overall this is about par for the 2-4 times I've been here. Good beer when it's not out, service is super slow, but they're helpful when at your table. Gave it a 3 because they always seem to be out of the beers I want and the super slow service
(3)Seth K.
Obvious statement: beer selection here is awesome. More detail: the draft selection constantly rotates, and every time I'm here I find myself saying, "I've always wanted to try this." So, they're doing a great job rotating with excellent options. Tough to find a more varied, quality list than what is here. Note: I especially love the inclusion of nitro IPAs. Those can be tough to find. Also a good, chill spot to watch sports, as they have a bunch of nice TVs. They don't blast music in the background, so you can actually socialize with people comfortably (crazy concept, huh?). Server can be socially awkward, but she was attentive nonetheless. Haven't tried the food, but the people next to us had a giant pretzel that looked good. Overall a really cool place. I will definitely be returning with friends to keep checking out what's new on tap.
(4)Nick H.
The amount of beers in this location is great, but the amount on tap wasn't very pretty. It's a fun environment for anyone looking to hangout and have beers with friends, but this doesn't beat the tap house. Our waitress was really great though!
(3)Andy S.
I initially rated WOB a 5 cause I truly had a fun first experience with great service and great people. Alas, in the one or two times I've returned I seem to be experiencing what many others have said - service seems to have gotten much much worse. It's very strange because the experience on my first visit was nothing like the subsequent ones. People seemed to encourage you to try beers, bartenders were flying around and chatting with/entertaining patrons, and displaying their knowledge. Hasn't been the case since. I'm still willing to come back but have taken away a star unfortunately.
(4)Clare L.
Just what Evanston needed! I attended the soft opening as well and the selection of beer is the best I've seen in a long time. Although I still went with my favorite brews from Colorado and Idaho (they had on tap!), I plan on visiting this place to try out new brews with my friends who live down the block. The staff were clearly very excited to be opening and the service was great. I hope the momentum stays. It was crowded but still comfortable. I was impressed that WOB had such a large group for the soft open on one of the coldest nights of the winter! That's got to be a good sign. I'm looking forward to enjoying this place in the future.
(5)Tom H.
I stopped in for the soft opening party this evening--the official open is tomorrow night. The bar, though huge, was filled with patrons. At least a couple hundred folks, most looking like Northwestern students, covered the bar--which runs at least a hundred feet along the inside wall. A band played at a small stage on the northern end of the place. The bar is mostly a huge open L-shaped area, with a lot of windows to the street outside. A couple of small "nooks" were tucked into a couple of the corners, relieving the vast openness of the establishment. The draw of World of Beer is the sheer number and variety of brew--mostly microbrews from all over--both on tap and in bottles Wine is also available and they seem to sell cigars, though I doubt you can smoke them on premises. I had looked over the beer menu online before arriving, so I know there are dozens I'd like to try that I've never encountered elsewhere. They seem to encourage beer flights, so you can taste one beer against another. All in all, this seems like a great addition to the Evanston bar scene. Note: there's a doorway on the west side of the place which is locked. It's apparently only for emergency exits, the door you want is on the south side of the building, off Fountain Square.
(4)Paul P.
I went in with a friend from work looking to continue the day's tasks over food and beer. We didn't realize it was Friday night, and the place was packed. We were able to find a table and the waitress helped us order from their massive beer menu. I mean MASSIVE. The menu we had was just the beers on tap, she didn't even bother to bring out the bottle menu. My friend and I split a cuban and Rueben sandwich, both of which were fantastic. The best Cuban sandwich I've had in a while and a top notch rueben sandwich.
(4)Sarah R.
This place is A-Okay in my book. I came here for a going away party last week and my party consisted of several beer connoisseurs. This place had something for everyone (hence the name of the place). I ordered the chicken and waffles sandwich and was sadly let down at how lame it was. That's ok, WOB, I'll come back and try something else. The waitstaff was really nice and on top everything. One thing that did bother me was the one of the bartenders. He wouldn't give us ice water unless we bought a drink. Hey buddy, did it ever occur to you that my friend needs the water because she purchased several drinks from you!?!! We were there on a Friday night so it was really busy (it's a few blocks from Northwestern University). They had a really great 3 piece cover band which consisted of an electric cello, an electric violin, and an acoustic/electric guitar. I'll be back especially for that cover band. Lastly, I had the most amazing Black Velvet drink ever. I completely forgot what kind of Cider they used in this drink, but everyone had a taste and loved my drink and we all agreed that it was like drinking Apple Pie with Guinness ice cream. MMMMmmmmm I'm day dreaming about that drink now.....Mmmmm.
(4)Monica S.
Since the bar food isn't very filling, you can order your food from external locations; for example, my friends threw a birthday party here, where they ordered from Giordano's and Cold Stone Creamery. They also have a stage and spacious standing/sitting area, making WoB a good concert location in downtown Evanston; for instance, the School of Rock organized a successful concert fundraiser one night and could accommodate 50+ people.
(3)P B.
I know this is a beer place, but I have to be honest. The shrimp taco was the bomb.com ! I'll be back just for the tacos.
(4)AJ M.
When I heard about this place and its large selection of beer I knew I had to try this place. Parking was a little difficult, that seems to be the case anywhere in this part of evanston. Once I got in i saw many tvs playing all sorts of sports. Got a very large beer menu including over 50 beers on tap and endless suppy of bottles! Infact the beer menu is so large it can be intimidating. So i got a "flight" which is 4 small glasses of beer. This is great because @ yardhouse you cannot choose what comes in your flight. Here you can choose anything on draft! But beware a flight can cost around $14 for what comes out to a sum total of around 12oz. I HIGHLY reccomend the imfamous "Root Beer" Beer. It tastes just like root beer and might be one of my alltime faves!! Will deff come back here and get to the rest of the menu. PS the bathrooms are confusing fyi the devil is the mens bathroom.
(4)Lesley A.
I frequent World of Beer every Wednesday for US pub trivia, which starts at 7 pm. A lot of patrons participate, and be forewarned, 75% of them work in the sciences from Northwestern University. (We yell out "science!" When there's a science question and we know our Big Bang Theory.) Anyway, WOB has a lot of beer selections. For $10 without tax, I had a stout that tasted like root beer, topped with vanilla ice cream. It was strong and tasty. My significant other at the time likes the monthly beer special on tap, usually for $4.50 a glass. The food though is hit or miss. We had the fried, beer-battered shrimp that my significant other at the time loved and I hated. It's the richest fried shrimp I ever had, and has some flavored mayonnaise for dipping. We also got the bratwurst sandwich that was okay and kind of small. I see a lot of people order the Bavarian pretzel with mustard as an appetizer, but it's so expensive at $8! WOB's ambiance is nice on a weekday. Lots of room at the bar, tall tables, and some booth seating. They also have a few tables outside on nice weather days. In sum, come for the drinks and trivia, but get your food elsewhere.
(3)Emily D.
They have an unparalleled selection even for non-beer drinkers like myself! Very awesome!
(5)Kate H.
Excellent bottle beer selection. Pretty good bar food (great giant pretzel). Good set-up for a sports bar/hang out place that offers fingers foods. So...why 2 stars? The service was laughable. I was a server and a bartender in the past so I really understand that service can suffer sometimes for reasons beyond the servers control. That was not the case here. We sat for 20 minutes and were never even acknowledged. It's not because they didn't see us either. I had to ask for menus for a group of servers hundled by the computers. When we did order...we were like we are starving and proceeded to order 3 apps (no meals...just apps). The server goes "You do realize you just ordered a ton of food, right? (smack, smack her gum) Kinda made me feel like shit about it too. Ordered it anyway. The server was just all around rude and ugly to us. I really don't understand why either...truly.
(2)Rory B.
I gave this place two chances, the first was a couple weeks after they opened, and the second was yesterday afternoon. I'm proud to say, I'm done forever. Both times the service was ultra-disinterested in bringing beer to my friends as they arrived. Both times it took three guesses to get a beer. Do you have X? Sounds great, be right back. ... Nope we just ran out. Do you have Y? Oh sorry, he have a tap take over so no to Y. How about Z? Pretty sure we have that. WHY HAVE A MENU AT ALL?! The things that differentiated the two experiences were our first server's unfortunate choice of antiperspirant or lack thereof. And yesterday the server brought the wrong beer. I suppose you dear reader would ask why I didn't bring either to the attention of the server or management. By the time my beer arrived I'd already decided to never return, and our server disappeared. The extra star is for the possibility that it could be worse. If you like beer and are in Evanston I recommend Prairie Moon.
(2)Dan N.
I worry about this place. It is a bar in the middle of Evanston with no reasons for families to frequent. Maybe I will be proven wrong. As other posters have said this place is just about Beer, Beer, and more Beer. They have a ton of beer. In essence if you are 21 and believe the whole world revolves around beer this is the place for you. Once you mature a bit you will find it lacking, as in lacking much of anything to do. Pool table - nope. Darts - no. Good bar food - no. jukebox - no. World of Beer is a 1/2 sports bar that nailed the beer, but fails miserably on every other aspect that would make you want to frequent an establishment. P.S. Not for families.
(2)Sachin M.
We came here before the Michigan northwestern game. It was terrible. The staff was overwhelmed. Our waitress forgot what beer we ordered (mind you it's a beer bar). My beer offered on draft or in bottle was brought in bottle (higher price). We waited 40 minutes for food (appetizers) only to find out the rest of our food would be a full hour. In the end we wasted 1 hour on game day to have one beer and had to leave to find food.
(1)Lizzy R.
Well, first off, I wish this place had more variety-- Uh, no, lies. They have an entire book of beer. Literally, a book. It's actually a little bit overwhelming. I'm one of the girliest drinkers on the planet and there were almost too many ciders and fruit beers for me to choose from. The first time I came here, I had the St. Louis Premium Framboise, which is this delicious raspberry concoction, although it is $9 a glass. Pretty steep in my book, but I was willing to pay to try it. For my second drink of the night, I had a mixed draught with cider and the same raspberry beer, and again, was willing to shell out the big bucks for it. I tell you, that stuff is like crack. On my second visit, I was less pleased with the place, mostly because our server practically ignored us the entire time we were there. If we asked for anything, it took her a million years to get whatever it was to the table. It wasn't very busy that night, so I'm not sure why a glass of water ought to take 10 minutes. I tried the Not Your Fathers Root Beer, which is way more alcoholic than it sounds, and pretty decent. I'll be back for the selection, but I wish the service had been better and the beer was slightly cheaper.
(3)CK L.
October 17 I come here on a bimonthly basics. It's a nice little joint and have a great beer selection. I'm definitely a food and drink guy. Therefore, food and drink have to go hand in hand. I know their approach caters beer enthusiasts, but you'll definitely need food that pairs as well. Hence, I must regret not able to give out 5 star, but beer and atmosphere are definitely great!
(4)George R.
Came here on a Saturday night for drinks with a few people and to watch the playoff games. I have also been here once before. While there is a pretty decent selection of beer, I think this place is way overpriced for what you get. $9 for a tiny beer (maybe like 8-12oz, not sure exactly). This is probably my least favorite bar in Evanston. This place was loud and crowded with awkward seating relative to the TVs. It also took a while to get our check. You can get better deals with a better atmosphere in Chicago.
(2)Katie M.
I'm a student at Northwestern and I went to WOB last week with a few of my friends. I really liked the overall atmosphere; it was lively and excitable. The service behind the bar was also great, I really liked the bartender Cassie. She was very knowledgeable about the beers (as I am not a huge beer enthusiast) and was very attentive to my friend's needs and questions. Also, since I'm not a big fan of beer, I tried a cider on tap called Crispin. Wow--I loved it, and so did my friends. I would definitely love to come back (I actually am this weekend) and recommend it to anyone, not just NU students. I also hear trivia night is a blast and I am hopefully going to attend that soon.
(5)Pierce C.
This place has an excellent beer list and decent service. They'll let you try samples of anything from the draft list, which encourages you to branch out from the brews you already know. The atmosphere and ambiance is quite unfortunate though, and this play has wayyy too many TVs. Why do you need 3 TVs next to each other all playing the same game? It's a headache to look at. This place would be amazing with better lighting and decor that had some character and didn't feel like a big chain restaurant. One cool thing about it that adds an extra star is that they'll let you order delivery from local restaurants straight to your table. I wish more bars would do this instead of peddling mediocre food.
(4)Scott H.
I was quite happy to see a WOB move into my 'hood. Always some top-notch, unique selections on draft and the bottle list is among the best in the area. The vibe is a bit sterile with bright lighting and tight quarters (especially on the weekends when it's definitely a loud college bar through and through), but arrive at a quiet time of day (or weeknight) and you'll find yourself a bit more peace to chat over a craft beer or two. I keep coming back for drafts that aren't widely available or when I don't feel like venturing all the way down to Hopleaf.
(3)Daphne L.
Oh dear, this wasn't the direction I hoped my update would take. I was so excited about the WOB opening in Evanston, but, after 2 visits I am left unimpressed and underwhelmed. This time I went with my husband, a serious beer lover. He's less impressed than I am. The problem is the service, and it's not rude or unprofessional service, but rather it's disorganized, clueless service. We were there on a Sunday afternoon, and while it was crowded it wasn't slammed. We sat at the bar and were almost immediately approached by one of the 7-9 servers behind the bar, but since we hadn't decided, we said we needed a minute. That turned into about 10 minutes before someone came back to take our order and a credit card for the tab. After we finished that round we wanted to order flights, or "shots" as they call them, to try a few . I ordered two, my husband ordered one. The server who waited on us, who seemed to be either sick, overly tired, or something else, couldn't find my tab in the system. She finally did, and about 15 minutes later we got our drinks. Unfortunately, she didn't bother to tell us which one was which, so we tried to guess, which kind of defeats the purpose of the shot. She disappeared, to where we don't know, but, we didn't see her again. We finished those, and waited for one of the 7-9 servers behind the bar to wait on us. After ANOTHER 15-20 minutes of waiting, someone finally ambled over, but we were done, my husband was beyond annoyed, so I said "you know, we were going to order, but after waiting so long, we'll just take the check." She gave me a sad face, and brought me my bill. I'm not sure our bill was accurate, it seemed low, but, since no one ever came back we paid what was charged to our card and left. Was it crowded in WOB at that time? Yes. Was it so crowded that service should have been that sloppy and slow? Not even close. The servers are nice, without question, but, not..together. All of the staff we saw behind the bar seemed very busy, lots of coming and going, but, I don't know what they were so busy doing. My husband wasn't at all impressed and said he doesn't want to go back until the summer, by which time he hopes they've gotten it together. This place serves beer primarily, wine, which I doubt many people order, and maybe food. I don't get why it's so unorganized, but I'm already over it.
(2)DC F.
I've been wanting to go to this place for awhile - ever since I saw a Groupon deal a while back. My boyfriend and I decided to stop by on a whim on a weekend night. There were a lot of people there, a large selection of beer, and a live band. Unfortunately, I am only giving this place two stars because I've been to much better bars. The band was mediocre and it was almost too loud to enjoy your time talking to others. This would be a great place if you are just looking to kick-back and listen to the live music. I really enjoyed the beer I ordered, but I think I'll be sticking to some other bars in the future.
(2)Patrick O.
First time here and will be last! Service beyond slow, food beyond inadequate. Took 20+ minutes for your beer and more then half of the beer on the menu they did not have. Flat bread was something you could make at home - by just melting a pound of shred cheese on it and tossed in the microwave. When asked for plates and silverware - was given paper plates, plastic silver wear, and fast food type paper napkins. TV's are on no volume no music. Even there was a couple making out (not teenagers) by making out like ones.
(1)Adam C.
Met the wife here after work and started with a couple flight sets to decide what our favorites would be. Our server "Britta" was an absolute beer genius. She knew about every single item on the menu and could speak about how it tastes, how it was brewed and where it was from. She was also very friendly and had a tremendous sense of humor. I think we must have tried about 16 different beers while we were there. We also ordered Jimmy John's and had it delivered to our table in about 6 minutes flat. It was somewhat noisy in WOB, but we had a really fun time there. If you are going for the first time, ask for Britta. She'll take very good care of creating an exciting beer adventure for your table.
(5)Lee R.
Good atmosphere here. Music isn't too loud or too obnoxious, waitstaff are all awesome and talkative, and the beer selection is out of this world (har har?). I had about five beers: rev anti-hero, Dirty Bastard scotch ale, Breckenridge vanilla porter, St Bernadus abt 12, unibrou terrible, and a few others. One of the killer things they do here is openly offer to let you get a small sample pour to try things out. We actually tried quite a few before deciding yea or nay, but the Abita Purple Haze was a new Abita brew to me so we gave it a shot and it tasted disgusting. We told the bartender we were surprised that she liked it and she checked the keg -- sure enough there was a kink. They got it worked out in just a few minutes and apologized to us for the mishap. As I was drinking through these (some of my favorite beers), I felt something was a little off, and I realized what it was later in the evening after I got home. I don't think they're serving all of these beers at the right temperature. Most of them whose flavors really come out at warmer temps were chilled very cold and had a muted flavor. I'll ask next time I go back if that's what was going on. It's not uncommon for places that have a large draught selection, and I wouldn't put it past a chain place to just not care. Another thing they seem to have up their sleeve is a short-list of recipes for what beers have interesting flavor profiles when mixed together. Will definitely be back many times. Prairie Moon has food but they don't have the selection or service that WOB has. In the summer they're going to open up the walls and have some outdoor seating. Good for the drinkers, bad for the folks who live in high rises downtown!
(4)Patricia L.
I was looking forward for a chance to try World of Beer, so when the occasion arose last week, I steered a group towards this place. Ambiance: 0 points. This is not place I would take friends for a drink and a good conversation. Cold, impersonal, somewhat loud. Very clean, though. Service: -10. Disorganized, we were forced to pay right away (not a tab at the end of the visit). We ordered a couple of items from their ridiculously short food menu and the price on the menu differed from the price on the receipt (the one on the receipt being higher). Hmm. Only 5 food items and they don't get it right? We had to ask repeatedly for a receipt. Beer menu: 10. Very good. Still, there are some brewers I would have liked to see on the menu, but I am guessing there are distribution deals that prevent that. Food menu: 0. Just a handful of items, they could do better. Ordering from other places for additional charges? No, thanks. Needless to say, I won't be going back.
(1)David B.
Excellent addition to Evanston for Beer lovers! They have about 50 beers on tap and their bottle list is very impressive. Note, while the bottle list is impressive, they do have limited stock on some items so waitresses will need to do some checking around first before serving them. Environment is really nice and I can see it being absolutely wonderful in the summer. I honestly do wish they had more in the ways of food so I had an excuse to be there frequently.
(4)Lakin D.
Nathaniel was a great bartender, so accommodating and friendly, he made our night!
(5)Andrew L.
Hundreds of beers on tap and in bottles. Tastes encouraged. Bringing in food is fine. The wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable. My only regret is that there isn't a WOB out in my hometown of Schaumburg (hint, hint!).
(5)Kyle A.
Was excited for this place to open, as it's in a great location and the inside looked cool (huge bar, lots of plasma TV's). The truth is, this place has a ton of great beer. And, that's really about it. There isn't much of a food menu except soft pretzels and brats. The bartenders were friendly, but not overly knowledgeable about beer. We went on a Sunday afternoon, so it wasn't too crowded or busy, which we liked. The prices seemed a tad pricey and I didn't notice any drink specials for the day, week, month. The restaurant itself, is quite spacious and has a beautiful wrap-around mahogany bar. Tons of beautiful flat panels line the walls and they play HD content (which is important because how many places do you visit with gorgeous TV's playing standard definition? This seems so insulting because you're being charged $8 for a beer and the bar you're in can't even pony up a couple bucks for HD?) The place smells like a new car, and maybe that's where it loses some of its charm. I like my bars a little beat up with bartenders that have worked there for 10-15 years, and will award me with a buyback every so often. Obviously, this place will never achieve that, as it appeared to be staffed by college students. Overall, if you like good beer and want food, I'd say skip this place. Or, if you like good beer and good pizza, order the pizza delivered here and drink the beer. If you're just out for a stroll in Evanston, and feel like people watching over a Gumball Head or an Allagash White, then this is your place. Definitely no shame in that.
(3)Aaron S.
Sucks This place is basically a bar without liquor, food or service. I ordered a beer and it took 20 minutes to get it, not to mention It was delivered by a waitress who forgot my order twice. Oh and they didn't have: Domain Dupage Modus Gumball Head Lil Sumptin Good job kids. Go to the Keg right down the street for a better experience all together.
(1)John K.
The idea of being able to taste beers and ciders before you order them I commend them for. They have an impressive beer selection and a friendly staff. There is a side in me though that always scans for that special something in a restaurant/bar/cafe. What bothers me about this place is that it is just average in terms of its atmosphere. I think my opinions stem from the fact that the establishment is just too big a.k.a on my way to the bathroom that space is just totally bare. When the customer sees that about 1/3 of the restaurant is empty, what would he or she think? Also, leaving the music selection up to the customer is rather haphazard. Perhaps if WOB had a DJ things would be better. To sum things up, I think having too much under utilized space is what turns things off for me
(3)Ian B.
A lot of beer! Friendly staff, good atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit in kaneston.
(3)Rich M.
Good selection of beer and a great location. The service needs to be tightened up a bit.
(3)Brandon L.
I love this place! World of Beer thins out the herd so the places in town that are actually good are not too crowded. Okay beer selection and service that wavers somewhere between clueless and surly. There is really no reason to go here.
(1)Melanie B.
Finally! A bar in Evanston I like going to! Their selection is HUGE and they have many beers I've never seen anywhere else. Plus, you can bring in outside food. If going on a weekend get there early, as it gets crowded... but I love this place!!!!
(5)Louis A.
Ill draft a very low quality review, just like the service of this terrible joint. When it says closing time of 1 am and I get denied at 12:20, even though there are many open booths and I am about to buy a pitcher, you deserve nothing less than a quick glance at the dirty glass windows surrounding your venue. Never come here, even if you thirst for dirt poor beer.
(1)Bill M.
Evanston has needed this for some time. For a good bit, the best drinking establishment in Evanston was the Celtic Knot. Good, to be sure. But not amazing. This place is great. A wonderful selection of drafts that is constantly rotating, plus a very extensive bottle list = a bar that fits downtown Evanston perfectly. Couple that with wonderfully friendly staff and you have a winner.
(4)Samuel M.
There's no denying that the beer list at WOB is top notch, drawing both local microbreweries and famed foreign imports. However, I like drinking microbrews in neighborhood bars, and this place is sadly devoid of character. It's accessible, but feels a bit like a BWW inside (except without the bad beer and food). Also, if you're at a table, the staff can be highly inattentive. I'm down to come back if friends are here, but if I'm picking a place to drink craft beer, I'm either going to P Moon or hightailing it out of Evanston.
(3)Bill R.
--First things first, know that this place charges a minimum of 15% tax on top of each beer you order while you are there. This is not disclaimed anywhere on their menu and seems highly unusual to me, and if you tip a dollar per beer, you are in total tip
(1)Danielle F.
TLDR: Good beer selection, but it's expensive and they have crappy service. You can tell it's a chain, there's no personal service and at least some of the bartenders don't know what the hell they're doing. Not a great experience. My husband and I are both big beer drinkers so we were really excited to come here; we've heard they have an awesome selection of unique craft beers. We came on a Wednesday night for the Goose Island tap takeover, and showed up at 5 pm, about an hour before that was supposed to start. We were greeted almost right away, but it took about 15 minutes for our bartender to come back and ask what we wanted (it wasn't busy at all). I started with the Root Beer something or other, 10% alcohol and tasted exactly like root beer. It was delicious. We noticed that a special Goose Island menu had been handed out to every party except for us. So, my husband flagged down a bartender and after 10-15 minutes, we got one too. We finished our beers and were ready to order another round. There was a girl bartender in front of us, with her back to us, just staring at the taps. I don't know if she was new, high, retarded or what, but after another 10 minutes or so, she turned around and asked if I wanted another. Watching her pour that draught was almost painful...she kept filling the glass with foam, trying to dump the foam out, and then refilling it. About 3 minutes later I had my beer, no idea how much beer was wasted in the process. She took my empty glass and my husband's empty glass, but didn't ask/offer to get him another beer. WTF?!?! He was finally able to flag down another bartender that got him a beer. In the meantime, I noticed that some swag (Goose Island keychains) were being handed out to everybody....well, everybody except for us..... Did I forget deodorant today? Do I look like a child rapist and/or murderer?!??! I don't know. Didn't think so, but we were obviously not getting the primo service here. Paid our $35 for 4 beers and got the eff out. Probably won't be back anytime soon.
(2)Conrad Z.
The beer selection is good which made the service all the more disappointing. Went in with high hopes, and left knowing I'll never go back because there are better places to go.
(2)Nicole S.
Was out of almost every cider I wanted. The main redeeming grace was a local beer that tasted exactly like regular root beer. I highly suggest they keep ice cream on hand for floats with that would be heaven.
(4)Lauren B.
It is a world of beer. Big open space, service was nice and not too rush, came with a big group and they kept separate tabs for us. No complaints, will be back. Good addition to the area.
(4)Mikhail D.
The %10 abv root beer was fantastic
(4)Jessie L.
huge selection of beer. great place to hang out. wasn't a huge fan of the live band they had one night though.
(4)Andrew H.
A chain - as advertised, has a myriad of beers to choose from, both on tap and bottled. They also have the option of flights which are customizable. Average bang for your buck -- a flight of 4 beers in small glasses runs about $8. Tipping is interesting. There is a sign behind the bar that suggests that a service charge is included when you close your bill. The unique aspect of the business is that there is no food menu. Word on the street is that you can order food from nearby and they will bring it to your table(?...) I saw a table with people eating out of a bag of potato chips. Regardless, you don't come here for food. In that sense, it is a definite drawback -- you have to make the effort of a separate trip to WOB. Clean bright atmosphere, many TVs (though only good view if sitting at bar), live band adds different element (though can be very loud if sitting nearby). This is not a place for an intimate conversation over a couple drinks. I had no issue with service. While our waitress did not know the beers like the back of her hand, she was gregarious and honest when telling us she did not know. Overall, a welcome addition to Evanston where mediocre to poor bars still remain open.
(4)Tom C.
Sold Out of a lot of draft beers, our waitress had HORRID BO, and $8.00 for Guinness ??!?!?!? Oh and you have to pay as you drink, or start individual tabs. We were told we couldn't have one tab for our table. I had to pay for my beer before getting it!
(1)John K.
I agree with the previous poster who said the beer selection here is good, but the service is laughable. I came here the other day with my lady-friend to drink a beer. We sat at the bar, and there were maybe 10 other patrons in the entire place. I saw at least 3 employees walking around, plus a manager. With this kind of customer-to-server ratio, you'd expect to be greeted promply, with eye-contact and a smile, and then to be asked what you'd like to drink, right? Well that didn't happen. All the servers seemed very preoccupied, and it took a long time to get our orders taken. But here is the CRAZY thing... The servers only SEEMED busy. If you actually WATCHED them (which I did), they were doing NOTHING AT ALL. (They were like Dr. Evil's background henchmen in AUSTIN POWERS who carried things back and forth across the set pointlessly. These guys-- and 1 gal-- just walked the length of the bar or huddled to the side, but they were not doing a thing. They certainly weren't attending to other customers, cleaning up, or prepping orders. They were just waiting around.) My best guess is that these bartenders are used to serving fraternity members whose idea of good service is a "What's up, brah? Another pitcher?" every thirty minutes or so. The bar for service, in downtown Evanston, appears to be very low.
(2)L. F.
So glad I found this place! The perfect bar to grab drinks in Evanston. Largest selection of beer I've ever seen. They don't have a liquor license so just something to keep in mind of your looking for something other than beer. Good vibe with live music and big crowd (all ages). Highly recommend if looking for a fun place to grab drinks on a Friday or Saturday night.
(4)Brian R.
World of Beer (WOB) has been great every time I've been there (3 so far). Though, you may have to maneuver around, or wait a little to get a bartender's attention if there are no tables available/no seats at the bar, I feel that this might be the case at a lot of bars. Food & Beverages: WOB, as the name suggests, is a bar that specializes in beer. You'll find a HUGE selection of craft beers, as well as some more common and familiar beers (I dont think budweiser or Miller is anywhere among them for better or for worse). There's a large selection of beers on tap (~20-30 during a season), and an even larger selection of beers in bottles and cans. A lot of beers on tap are from local breweries as well, so its cool that you can try them instead of having to buy a big 6 pack (if you can find them), or visiting the brewery. If you're a little overwhelmed and have no idea what you want to try, you can ask for a sample of a beer you might be interested in, or you can order a flight of beers (4 x 4 oz. beer glasses on a wooden paddle). I think it's a lot of fun seeing a beer that you might never see anywhere else, and just ordering a bottle, or sample of it just to try. For example, I looked through the bottle menu on my last visit and saw that WOB had a lager from Kenya. Curious to see what Kenyan lager might taste like I ordered it. I probably will never order it again, but my friends and I had a pretty good laugh about it. (I don't recommend it...tasted kinda like rice and water mixed together). I DO recommend Small Town Brewery - Not Your Father's Root Beer. Tastes like root beer with a hint of alcohol in it. As far as food goes, WOB has a bring your own food policy, which is great. Service: As mentioned before, if you can't find a table, or a seat at the bar, it may take a little bit of you maneuvering around the bar to find an open space to talk to the bartender, or waiting for a waitress to walk by. Good not great. Standard bar service, I think. Atmosphere: Usually pretty loud, especially as the night goes on. They have live music, or just background music going on. Well-lit in most areas. Just a cool place to hang out and have a drink. Overall, I would suggest visiting WOB if you feel like you adventuring. Prices are just right, the variety of beer is great, service might be a little slow, but I think its all worth it.
(4)Phil L.
I love this place. It is exactly what it advertises...a world of beer! No food and a decent atmosphere, but who cares. You can get ALL the beers....(when I say ALL, I really just mean you can get a lot of the brews!)
(4)Kristin B.
I had a great time at World of Beer last night! The beer selection is gigantic, and I tried some new and different things I haven't heard of before (10% ABV root beer!!). The place is very large and it was packed with people but not uncomfortable. I completely forgot our waitress' name, but she was excellent and took her time explaining beers and offering suggestions to our group (as well as splitting up our confusing check, which was very nice of her--and with a smile too). We will definitely be back
(5)Anna J.
Unreal selection of beers. I mean 50 drafts and a million other bottles of the best beers you will ever have. I had the Abita purple haze, Paulanee Hefe-Weizen, and Founders Dirty Bastard and all were amazing. The key is accepting the reality that you cannot possibly try them all in one visit and just try to work down the list.
(5)Jen S.
Had a good time on New Year's Eve. Not crazy about the cocktails but liked the beer selection and my bartender with the crazy beard was very knowledgable and helped me pick out new beers to try out.
(4)Kyle B.
I have gone to world of beer for trivia night since it began. I had hoped that as they became more established the service would improve, but I'm sorry to say it has not. It is not unusual to wait 15-20min for a server to approach your table even when it is not busy. Tonight my group of 3 finally gave up waiting for a server and went to the bar to get drinks. We were at WOB for over 2 hours and not once did a waitress ever stop by our table. I don't think i would continue going here if it wasn't for trivia night.
(1)Jeffrey T.
4 visits, consistently rude and terrible service! The boss better kick some ass or get kicked!
(1)Rob F.
Great beer selection. Really should work on improving food. Also would help if it had some other bar staples as darts or pool. Loyalty Club progran is fun.
(3)Meghan D.
Without a doubt, WOB has a wonderful beer selection and offers patrons the wonderful ability to bring in outside food. I've been here twice and both times the service has been atrocious, the bartenders surly and difficult to flag down. As Bill R. noted earlier in the month, the bartenders definitely charge a 15% tax on top of the price listed on the menu. I tip one dollar per beer in hopes that that the bartender will serve me more promptly when I'm ready for my next beer, but the 45% tip seems utterly unreasonable.
(2)Nolan S.
Nice ambiance. However, when we ordered the beer that's on special (Goose Island Mild Winter) for $3 as clearly stated on the menu, we were quite surprised to see it priced at $4 on our receipt. When we asked our waitress for the reason behind the discrepancy, she stated "it's $3 if you order the beer to go." When we questioned the waitress about how one can go about ordering "beer to go," and why they're promoting false advertisement she became defensive and rude.
(1)Joe J.
Huge selection. Unbelievable! Great place to watch sports. Plenty of big screen t.v.s. The game we wanted to watch wasn't currently on and the bartender had no problem getting our game on a t.v when we arrived.
(4)Britt B.
As beer aficionados my husband and I were excited to try out World of Beer for the first time on a Saturday afternoon. Our visit was one that will not be repeated. The staff was horrible and very inattentive. My husband ordered a beer and it took 15 minutes for him to get it, and it was NOT a busy day. I ordered a taster and waited 20 more minutes for it while watching the bartender chat with her other coworkers at the end of the bar, forgetting my order completely. Its ridiculously expensive and some of the worst service I've ever experienced. Don't waste your time. Go to Prairie Moon.
(1)Rob G.
Overall, a miserable experience. Like most of downtown Evanston, parking nearby has a two hour limit, and technically this requires actually moving your car as meter feeding can get you a ticket. The atmosphere is stark. We had two different servers during our visit (?) and neither one was attentive or informed. Evanston allowed this "bar" into downtown because they agreed to add a kitchen -- what a joke! Basically, you can get a hot dog with a mustard packet or a stale pretzel. You are encouraged to call local restaurants for delivery with fee -- what a ridiculous business model. All evening we watched delivery vehicles illegally pulling in and out of the accessible spaces as delivery people wandered around the establishment trying to find the person who had placed the order. They have wine on their menu, but they were out of four of the five varieties of red -- the server made five separate trips to the back to discover this. The hand washing water in the bathroom sinks runs ice cold. We were there for the Wednesday Trivia, which was fun, but we'll be moving across the street to a full-service restaurant from now on. Yes, they have 500 beers. Yes, they offer a taste before ordering. If you want anything more than that, go elsewhere.
(1)Jahara M.
Chill bar with plenty of seating. Went on a Saturday night in July and they had a pretty good 2-man band playing covers, and the beer selection was great. Looks like a great place to watch sporting events and I loved the huge Pretzel they served. Can't give it 5 stars though because it is nothing that special, but it is still a great hangout.
(4)Samantha M.
The drinks and the atmosphere had always been great but Kate was absolutely the rudest waitress I've ever had at WOB. She demanded a drink order without even handing us a menu. She rolled her eyes after every interaction, even though the venue was basically empty with maybe 7 other customers. She had absolutely no reason to be so rude to us, the largest party in the entire venue. I am extremely disappointed in WOBs service tonight, and it will definitely influence my decision about whether or not I'll be coming here again.
(1)Jason F.
First...five stars isn't easy... Cool vibe, friendly staff, fast service and a sundry of beers! Lots of TVs, the server asked my bar-mate if he wanted something specific put on to watch. Nice...class act here.
(4)Stephanie C.
Visited last night with a few friends right before last call. I asked the bartender to recommend something, so she suggested a Belgian ale. The beer was great, albeit a little stronger than I expected. Service was quick and pleasant, but the vibe was slightly weird--a mixture of college students with much older men, many of whom were alone. I'll probably come back because there aren't that many other options for late nights in Evanston, but WOB is not at the top of my list. For a better vibe, head over to Bangers a few blocks west.
(3)Kennen M.
Yes, they have lots of beer but two of the bottles I ordered they were out of. The space is promising of a great bar experience. The food is what knocked the rating to 2 stars. The menu isn't large and with so few items, the food should have been executed perfectly however that what transpired. The food lack that special something that would make it delicious, let alone good. Without having good food, I felt no reason to stay and keep drinking. Next time we will just go to Bat 17 and ignore this joint all together.
(2)Elizabeth F.
First of all, this place is called "World of Beer" so people complaining about cocktails...... Why. Anyway, they have a wide beer selection (although sometimes a little overpriced for college students in the area). Our favorite server, Dana, is always smiling and has great beer recommendations. As long as you don't overthink it, this place is great for what it claims to be - a spot to try new beers.
(4)Allan M.
I still keep forgetting to ask the food question(*sigh*), but I will down the road on a future visit. Also BE ADVISED that they unfortunately charge sales tax on top of whatever price(s) you see for beers here. That's a disappointment to me, as I greatly prefer taxes to be included in beer prices. I'll be nice and not deduct them a star over this, since I've had good service here for the most part.
(4)Grant S.
The food gets the job done. With over 50 beers on draft (and many more in bottle), very kind staff and a willingness to accommodate your game day viewing needs on their numerous TV's, I think I've found a new place to watch games!
(4)Caitlin B.
Updating my review after a really great experience here last Friday. I made a reservation via yelp for 25 on Thursday (totally last-minute), and they were extremely nice and accommodating. I got a phone call to confirm within an hour, and did not mind that we would primarily be drinking- I was organizing a mixer event for international students after their orientation program, and I wasn't sure how many would get food. Some of the students arrived before me, and they were promptly and politely showed to the private roped-off area that was reserved for us. We had our own dedicated waitress who was friendly and very fast, considering we definitely had way more than 25 people there. Thanks for accommodating our loud, last-minute group, WoB! We'll definitely be back.
(5)David O.
Went here on a Sunday afternoon to get away from the typical "blue collar" sports crowds. Fail. Hawks sweaters on either side of me. Beers were good and I enjoyed the shrimp tacos but the conceit level in Evanston seems to be inescapable. I made a comment to the bartendess that I never order the same beer twice, who turns to a female customer who works nearby and says "right". Yeah, I'm at a bar with a gazillion beer choices, WTF do you expect?!? Note to self, Evanston snootiness is worse than blue collar fake attitudes (sometimes).
(3)Nicole P.
My friend Rebecca and I went to world of beer last night and were so surprised at how busy they were when we walked in! Then we found out it was trivia night, but we got very lucky and tucked yourself away at two open bar seats. We were promptly greeted by Joseph (bartender) who refused our bartender all night. He was very helpful and really quick on the draw to serve us, along with all the other bartenders who were ready to help. We had the turkey club sandwich which was good with the tater tots. Yummy. Next time we come, I wanna try their goat cheese appetizer. Will be back.
(5)Tanya V.
I'm a sucker. I joined the $15 loyalty club and got the T-shirt. But it's worth it because it's fun to go to this downtown Evanston all-in-one place for crazy, random beers and bar food. There's always a mix of people here, usually trivia or live music, and of course, lots of TVs and bartenders. Everyone is nice and I will definitely be back with the ladies to score some more badges for trying new beers!
(4)Oliver W.
Great selection of beers! They probably carry the random beers from your corner of the world. Food options are scarce and only ok. Ambiance is also nothing special. But it's a fine place for some happy hour drinking
(3)Matt S.
This may come as a surprise, but World of Beer is a perfect place for beer lovers. There is a lot to choose from so be adventurous with your choices. The food menu is small and the quality is alright. Definitely not the best place to come if you're looking for a dining experience. Stick with beer and you'll have a blast.
(3)Jane W.
It feels a bit weird writing this review, because (hate if you want), I don't like beer. I've been here a couple times - the first time reaffirmed the fact that I do not enjoy drinking beer. The second time was yesterday, and I decided to try one of their mixed drinks. I ended up ordering an amaretto sour, and it was really good. Sour, sweet, and could not taste a hint of alcohol. Yum. Service was not super amazing, but attentive enough. There was a live band playing, and there's nothing quite like watching tipsy people (attempt to) sing along. The environment is lively, friendly, and fun. Definitely worth a visit.
(4)karen l.
Huge selection of beer, nice bartenders and cool old school music without feeling douchie
(5)Courtney K.
Whatever you do, try the alcoholic rootbeer. Yes, its 9$ a glass but so delicious and so worth it! This is one of my favorite drinks and I still have dreams about it. This is a great place to watch sports games with a group, the tables are large and the appetizers are decent too. Not a big beer drinker, but my friends raved about the selection!
(4)Mark T.
On a recent visit to Chicago I was looking forward to hitting this location. I had been watching the WOB Appand checking out their draft and bottle list for a couple of weeks leading up to it. I was also eager to get my favorite pizza. We were greeted and seated quickly. I was excited to try some local beers I cannot get in other locations, but I was particularly hungry. I was disappointed to see that there was no pizza on the menu. That's okay, I will try the Cuban sandwich. The server returned after a lengthy time away and said they didn't have that and were going to be taking it off the menu. I ordered the shrimp tacos and again she left for a lengthy time, only to return saying they were out of those. How about the sliders? Another delay and no, out of that too. I was frustrated and at this point wondered what they DID have. We finally ordered tater tots and they did have those. The drinks were fine, but again a little slow in arriving. One good thing was while my phone was dying the server offered to charge my phone. Another thing that was exciting, even though not applicable to me, is the future tapping of Founders CBS - about two weeks away from my visit. I would return to this location because the selection was more local and interesting than the other Chicago location. The frustration was mainly the food situation and slow service - but it may have just been an off night.
(3)Tian Y.
Things that stuck out to me and my friends on our first visit: + friendly service... moderately efficient + enough TVs for good vantage points everywhere +lighting that struck a good balance (as in not too dark to see things so yay) -/+ "for a place called WORLD of BEER, this is all they have?" - to be fair, it was a couple of pages worth that covered a good range of taste profiles/alcohol content/type, but I think he expected hundreds and hundreds lol -Jarred-tasting salsa, bagged-tasting chips, tiny portion, $5. WHY. Seems like most of their food is overpriced for the portion -I would NOT take your chances with mixed drinks here. 2 manhattans that were literally the worst things I've ever had in my life. Doused in grenadine and drowned in lime juice, diluted with water... and STILL unbearable. (I did have one of the beer-cocktail things on the menu insert and it was decent!) Overall... decent. Probably helps if you like beer. My Evanston choice of social lubricant definitely still comes from Ward Eight though. 3.5 stars.
(3)S R.
This is a beer only review. Incredible selection and reasonably priced (for the selected beers). I am not aware of a larger selection in city (including Binney's). The electronic menu makes it easy to find your way through the very long list of bottles. You can search by style, color, region, etc. Very cool. Food; one can do better in a few other local restaurants, but not in another Evanston bar on game day.
(5)Meghan S.
Hit up this location for a couple beers and dinner before a concert. Ended up having the hockey game on which made it even better! The servers were friendly and helpful for beer selections. The only thing that was disappointing was the lack of menu for a bar and grill only a couple sandwiches and a bunch of appetizers. Either way get the pretzel its huge and the beer cheese sauce was awesome!
(3)Robert B.
I just went here last night. I was exhausted as I was heading to my hotel a block away, but saw this place through my car window and knew I needed to visit! I was greeted by a couple of very polite and knowledgeable servers. They really knew their beers! I started with a Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier that was excellent and then moved on to a Clown Shoes Clementine White beer, which was also excellent. I would have drunk a lot more but needed to get up early in the morning. I also ate a chicken chipotle sandwich that was very tasty. I really liked this place and would definitely return!
(5)Zhuozhen L.
This is specifically for service and the beer. Come here for beer! Especially draught. I'm not usually a fan of bottled because, well, you can buy that anywhere else. -1 because when I asked for a specific beer they were out. But in a way it's understandable considering they apparently change the selection every day? The beer were all reasonably priced, would definitely come back again. And apparently you can bring your own food? Awesome (: Glad to know they are not a stickler about that sort of stuff. Def recommend, esp when they boast having over 200s worth of selection of beer!
(4)michael w.
Crystal ship beer and ginger smash craft cocktail are my two current faves. I swallowed wrong and got some of the ginger down my windpipe which was not a pleasant experience, but it did remind me that I am very much alive ;) First time I saw this place I was walking by on a weekend at night and it was downright raucous cacophony, but during a nice summer day, it can be extremely pleasant sitting outside. The black and tan onion rings seem to be a go to for most. I wanted to try the slaw but they were out, so had the cold bean salad instead, it was wonderful. Shared the club sandwich, it was acceptable but nothing to separate it from the heard of others. Prices are to be expected six and up for beers, the craft cocktails are obviously more. The location is what is so convenient about WOB, a great place to meet up and catch up.
(4)Mad E.
If you enjoy beer, this is a good place to go. They have a huge selection and carry a lot of good local beers. The waiters all seem to be trained in understanding the beers they carry. They don't have a lot of food options, but it beer is your jam, this is the place to be.
(5)Peter P.
I think some reviewers here are overthinking things. The place is called World of Beer. Adjust your expectations. You come here for beer. And they definitely have beer. The draft selection changes DAILY. They print a new menu every day. The bottle selections change every season (I assume that means every 3-4 months). I'm not going to review the beer because this is Yelp, not RateBeer.com (an actual website). Service was fast and friendly so no complaints there. There was a band playing and the only table we could get was right in front of the speakers so we were concerned about having our eardrums blown. However, our fears were unfounded. The volume was at a surprisingly comfortable volume and we were able to converse without shouting (which was nice). I will definitely be returning to WOB next time I'm in Evanston as I give it an enthusiastic (perhaps the beer helped with that) 4 stars.
(4)