Smylie Bros. Brewing Co. Review

The beer was tolerable.. nothing noteworthy. The food was horrible and very over priced. This place will ultimately disappoint.

Great BBQ, great craft beer, good service, nice atmosphere.

Overall, pretty good. I wasn't impressed with the portions. The food was good but not amazing. Good, rustic atmosphere. Nice outdoor seating. A few TVs but not a ton. I'm sure their craft beer is good but I didn't get any.

Great staff and good food and drinks. Zeff very accommodating for our after work for drinks gathering of 20+ people to celebrate a co-worker's retirement. I've personally had lunch here many times, and will come back many times more!

This is a hidden brewery, where have you been? Awesome beer and great food.

Having come from KC, I have a high bar for BBQ... but I can say they got it right with their beef brisket sandwich and KC bbq sauce. You won t be sorry you ordered it! Finally some good bbq in Chicago!! Enjoy

Friendly service, great beer & and more than beer to drink. Nifty interior, worth a visit

This place gives wonderful service and enjoyable menu. The best restaurant around town. The food came out quick and the prices are economical. I recommend this place.

Food and craft beer is great. Ambiance is so-so and somewhat sterile. Get rid of all those TVs around the place. Too expensive for a family outing.

Beer and food were delicious! Has a cool rustic/industrial vibe and the service was good.

Love it! My family and I go there a lot, not right now obviously, but it s really tasty, and beautiful Interior!

Slick place to eat and of course grab a beer. Food here was delicious. Lots of beers as well. Can't lose really.

We ve been wanting to try this place out for a while now. BBQ was very good. There are two sauce choices which were both good I mixed them together. I had the bbq flight which was a good variety and great amount of food. Beers were good too, we will have to come back to try more. Very nice ambiance with exposed rafters and cozy fireplace.

Amazing place awesome atmosphere and great music. I'm stuffed and can't wait to come back for the bbq and another blood orange dunkelweiss beer. Definitely try the shooter though. Great way to really check out the selections and unique flavors

Love this place has great macaroni and cheese and great beer

This spot is superb and roomy, the meals was yummy and the rates were very affordable. fast, effective service and very affable staff members. Will definitely recommend this restaurant.

Food was great! Their beer selection is really good as well. Also, their charcuterie selection was

I am so happy this restaurant is just down the street from me! Every time I ve gone I ve had such an enjoyable experience. And the patio during the warmer months is incredible!!!! They also graciously donated toward a silent auction that benefitted the Evanston community which was so appreciated! Great drinks and food for vegetarians, too! Definitely put this place on your summer hot list!!!!

Don't think I've had a bad meal here. Great brewpub, really enjoy their fruit beers. Great happy hour prices.

2/3rds tables empty on a Friday night + a 40 minute wait? Not for this food.

The service was stellar: very attentive and friendly. The Mac & cheese was a little bland. The crushed apple soup was interesting (it's served hot). The sausage pizza was alright as well. There's an outdoor seating area for the warm months. The inside is really big too. I'll try the BBQ again next time.

Nice food (especially the pulled pork sandwich) and good beers. Foreigners be advised to bring the passport because they usually don't accept non-us documents

I liked the food and the barbecue sauce was good. Nice atmosphere

Great food. Good service. Good beer. Reasonable prices. One of my favorite Evanston restaurants.

Decent food but slightly over priced for what its worth.

The service is consistently fast, good vibes, helpful employees. I will return again when I am in town.

Excellent local beer and bbq, with outdoor seating. Highly recommend the pulled pork sandwich.

Food is excellent! Burger is very juicy & flavorful. Quad brownie good, but a little overbaked. Service somewhat slow, but server very pleasant. Difficult to get refills on coffee. Are they rationing it?

It was delicious. It has a great rustic bare bones look. The menu is short and sweet. It has a a nice beer menu to chose from. Lots of Tv's if you want to catch a game or score while you're enjoying a meal with the family. Can't wait to come back in the summer to check out the outdoor ambiance.

The pizzas were very good, as were the beer selection and appetizers. Definitely try the Pretzel with Beer Cheese!

We've been here many times and never had any issues, good customer service, good beer and food. However, today is my birthday and we wanted to come in and celebrate with some beer. Due to covid their policy doesn't allow more than four people per table. We called ahead of time and made two separate reservations, each table for four people. When we arrived our server Claire said:" I can already see you're a group of eight so we can't serve you". She wouldn't even listen to us, she was just smirking and no matter what we tried to say she would interrupt us and tell us we're a group of eight so we had to turn around and go elsewhere. We get it, things during covid can be confusing and every place is managing the best they can. But we did everything by the rules, came all the way from Arlington Heights and our server couldn't care less, had a rude attitude for no reason and because of employees like her place lost potential clients. So we found this place Five and Dime pretty much across the street, they allow a group of six and accommodated us without any problems. They have an awesome rooftop, great modern interior, food and drinks are delicious. Highly recommend if you're coming in larger groups.

Foreigners are not welcome!
I m 32 y.o. and got refused to be served beer on Sunday evening as all documents I had on me was Russian driving license (which is accepted everywhere else and has my birthday/age). People on a work visa like me - be aware! - either bring your passport (In my case I only use it for flying) or go somewhere else (Whiskey Thief Tavern is 4 min away and has great beer and food menu)

Really disappointed with the way this place has gone downhill. The customer service is atrocious- we were treated SO rudely by the hosts today! After years of coming here with our dog to enjoy the weather outisde on the patio, they're suddenly not dog friendly anymore and to add insult to injury, the hosts all had to be total jerks about it. That said, the beer is pretty good but the food is really not- especially the barbecue. Unless you like bland and inauthentic. It's cool, we took our $100+ that we would have spent and went elsewhere( Nick's in Wilmette, which is totally dog friendly).

I absolutely love everything about this restaurant Besides the wait time but they are in demand. I always get the pulled chicken sandwich with the Texas and Kansas City barbecue. Also all the drinks are amazing. Especially the purple line. I highly recommend dine in for a group of 6 to 10.

Delightful! Great food, great service, and very careful about Covid precautions!

Great atmosphere, good beer, but pretty average food for the price.

Out of sliced brisket. Out of pulled pork. Out of chicken. Chopped brisket can't be served with sauce on the side. Waitress is mean!

Really doing some tasty beers. And you can get 5oz pours so you can try a few.

Food and beer was decent. The service was horrible on my visit. Waitress was rude from the time we sat down. Brought this up to the manager and the manager just said she must've been tired. Wouldn't go back due to service

Great outdoor fine during pandemic. Best brisket sandwich I've had in a long time (get the sliced...also comes chopped). Perfect fries. Loved the beer chaser with the Bloody Mary. White bean dip with veggies was outstanding.

Good food, beer, service, and ambience. Barbecue is good, and the Applewood Porter are recommended.

Good food and decent beers. Been here a couple times and both experiences were good both food/beer and service. Nice perk they have paid parking right outside their place, not always the case in Evanston. I d definitely go back here if I m in the area but I wouldn t make a special trip to go here. Highly recommend coming here as your last stop after checking out Sketchbook and Temperance brewing.

Stopped for lunch one dreary Sunday after biking north from West Town Chicago. Hungry, cold (in December!), and in the middle of a pandemic doesn't bode well for comfort. Found Smylie Brothers Brewing Company and called asking if they had outdoor seating and a heater. Fortunately for my bike mate and I, they had both! And only 15 minutes later we were sipping our hot coffee on the patio.

I ordered a pastrami on a gluten free bun (Udi's) with coleslaw. It was fantastic, best pastrami sandwich I've ever had. The slaw was delicious too!

My friend ordered the brisket sandwich with mac and cheese. He said the brisket was perfectly cooked.

We ate quickly to fuel ourselves for a fridged ride back south, but enjoyed every bite. I'll be back once the weather and the pandemic turns more favorable!

Keep up the good work guys!

Had probably the (if not one of the) best BBQ brisket in Illinois. Probably the closest to Texas BBQ I have had since living in Texas. Definitely got to try it.

This is a nice looking place with good beers, but the food leaves a little to be desired. The IPA was solid and the Agave Wheat was real good. The food, both vegetarian and non-veg were fairly expensive for the portions and quality. I think the fries were the highlight (and I'd order them again.) The space is large an varied; it's good for groups and couples. The service was great, and they were willing to accommodate our request to move tables due to a chilly draft where we were sitting.

Long story short: come for the beer, don't stay for the food.

The food was absolutly delicious but the beer is even better!! The Bourbon Barrel Belgium is awesome!

The beer, food, and service is great at Smylie Brothers. The BBQ has continued to surprise me again and again. Having a local brewery that brews excellent beer and has a great food menu is incredible.

Wish I I would've known about this place sooner! Great atmosphere!

Smylie Brothers Brewing Company was really cool!! I enjoyed the food, beer, ambience, and good service! Ordered the cheeseburger with a side of Mac and cheese and my friend got the Pulled pork sandwich with fries. The BBQ sauces on the side were great! We loved our food!!! Some of my favorite beers I tried were the Brett Pulver (a Golden Ale fermented in red wine barrels! It is like a Cabernet beer! If you like sours..You will love!), the Farmhouse was delicious(light tasting farmhouse ale), the bock was great(This baby took me to Munich, Oktoberfest!! ), the Wolcott IPA was my friend s favorite( If you like hops!! This is your pick at Smylie!), 2019 Belgian Strong was tasty(Tastes like a tripel! This is a hard hitter! ). They were all good beers here! Got some take out beers to go also. Got a 4 pack of the purple line and the farmhouse. The purple line was a fruity treat!

Food was amazing, service was good. Lively atmosphere

Loved their cocktails and atmosphere. A little slow, but the bar helps!

I eat here a lot since I work in the area. I got to say their service is always fantastic and they keep the spot clean all the time. Rates are fair and they serve generous portions.

Everyone's dish was amazing and the service was great

Mediocre beer, terrible BBQ, but the brunch really is magnificent.

Decent BBQ, but nowhere near the very very best. That, however, is not reflected in the prices. Decent atmosphere and location, but you can get better BBQ elsewhere.

Unbelievably rude. Quite literally the worst service I've ever received. This went beyond simply being curt or neglectful, the servers went out of their way to ensure my party knew we weren't welcome. Luckily it was a celebration and everyone in attendance was in a good mood, so now Smylies is a family and friend punchline - but that's about the extent of positive things I have to say.

Brought guests from out of town. Ordered smokehouse sampler. Food was tasty but cold. Slaw side was warmer than the served smokehouse meats. Service was poor. Could not get anyone's attention to warm up the food or get refills on tea. We were there at 8pm on Saturday. We were going to get dessert and when the raspberry peach pie came out it was not at room temperature it was ice cold. We took the food home to heat up and eat. Once we got staff attention to pay the bill. Bad experience. At one time we asked the host for more ice tea and he blew us off. Note that the place was not full. There were empty tables both inside and out were we were seated. One last note.. men's bathroom was a mess. Por management last night.

I've never done a restaurant review before, but it was so bad that this warrants it. This is truly one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. This was the groomsman dinner and the food was all cold, the staff was incredibly rude, and the space for the event was nothing like what they described. I cannot stress how terrible this place is. The staff is what makes it so awful.

Smylie Bros. Is probably one of the best bbq places in Evanston. The food is always tender and juicy. The staff is not only accommodating but very knowledgeable about their brews and other spirits they serve. Try the Purple Line or the (On occasion) the Bourbon Barrel Strong. I would also reccomend going upstairs during the fall and winter, to enjoy their fireplace. You may get too see one of their regulars who walks in with his sweet Whippet. It also doubles as a much quieter atmosphere.
A+

More like 3.5/5. Giving this place a 4 over a 3 more due to the atmosphere. Had their IPA and I wasn't a fan. Food is decent (not incredible, but solid). Nice outdoor patio too. If I'm in Evanston again I would go back, but it isn't worth the trek otherwise.

Excellent selection of crafted beers. Burgers are delicious, made of quality ingredients. The place can be sometimes noisy due to the interior open space but overall for casual dinners you can't ever go wrong.

Delicious carnitas cake and the beer of flavors is delicious, I highly recommend and would love to return!

Amazing tasting BBQ! Excellent service!!! Way too full to try dessert. My husband and I shared the BBQ Flight. They are also military friendly. I will definitely be back.

Great beer, good eats, casual. A bit loud but to be expected for a pub. Yummy Mac and cheese.

Great sides and main courses and an atmosphere that is upbeat and comfortable

Big, kind of bougie, overpriced (grilled cheese and cup of tomato soup for twelve dollars).

Poor service. Terrible Manhattan. Ordered a shot of Michters and it was watered down. Reuben and fries absolutely fabulous!

Service was very slow, food was flavorless, over cooked, and dry. Server was disengaged.

I am an easy going person but this is worst place ever to relax. bartenders are terrible and think they are most powerful people in world when you are just tying to have a relaxed fun night. Don t ever buy shots for your friends that is a no no from the bartenders. Sit quietly and enjoy your mediocre beer food is what this place is all about