Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery

4.7

52 Reviews

$30 and under

American

Make a booking

2 people

17 Mar 2025

19:00

Booked 9 times today

Great for craft beers
Good for groups
Lively

At Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery, Chicago's first botanic brewery, we brew craft beer inspired by nature. We love barley, water, hops, and yeast, and use those as a base to explore a rich world of wild ingredients.
More than just a brewpub, our restaurant and brewery offers seasonal dishes to highlight our craft beers and elevate your over all experience. Voted #1 Brewpub in America in 2022 and nominated again in 2024!

Additional information

Location
1746 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Phone number
(312) 929-2202
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
American, Brewery, Beer Garden
Hours of Operation
Brunch Sun 12:00–15:00 Dinner Mon–Thu 12:00–22:00 Fri, Sat 12:00–23:00 Sun 15:00–21:00
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Bus- #66 Chicago, #50 Damen, #9 Ashland<br />Train- Blue Line at Division, Green Line at Ashland
Payment Options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa

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Private dining

Offers

Happy Hour at Forbidden Root
Multiple dates available
Mon - Thu - 15:00 - 16:00, 16:00 - 18:00,Fri - 15:00 - 16:00, 16:00 - 17:00
Come and join us for Happy Hour! 50% off all Bar Snacks $10 Forbidden Root House Beer Flights and more... Monday - Thursday 3pm - 6pm Friday 3pm - 5pm

Pick 1 CheeseUS$8.00
Cheese Plate, Candied Nuts, Pickled Onion, Seasonal Jam Rotating Selection – Please ask your server
Any 3 CheesesUS$21.00
Cheese Plate, Candied Nuts, Pickled Onion, Seasonal Jam Rotating Selection – Please ask your server
All 6 CheesesUS$38.00
Cheese Plate, Candied Nuts, Pickled Onion, Seasonal Jam Rotating Selection – Please ask your server

Small Plates

Butternut Squash SoupUS$9.00
Sage, Herb Oil, Brown Butter Solids
Lion’s Mane Mushroom CakesUS$14.00
Rouille, Chow-Chow
FR House SaladUS$12.00
Field Greens, Grapefruit Segments, Hazelnuts, Lemon Vinaigrette, Toasted Rye Crumble
Arugula SaladUS$14.00
Whipped Ricotta, Dried Peaches, Ricotta Salata, Shallot Vinaigrette, Pine Nuts
Kale SaladUS$13.00
Purple Kale, Shaved Fennel, Fresh Herbs, Tahini-Orange Dressing, Puffed Chickpeas, Fried Shallots
Brussels SproutsUS$12.00
Miso Butter, Everything Spice, Slivered Almonds
BurrataUS$14.00
Basil Pesto, Tomato Jam, Pickled Banana Peppers, Parmesan Chips, Focaccia Bread

Mains

Duck & Dumplings US$21.00
Duck Confit, Ricotta Gnocchi, Mirepoix, Duck Jus, Crispy Duck Skin
Milk Brined Pork Schnitzel SandwichUS$17.00
Pickled Beet Mayo, Caraway Slaw, Sesame Bun
FR Burger, US$18.00
Double Smashburger, Giardiniera Mayo, White American Cheese, Onions, B&B Pickles, Butter Bun
Fried Mortadella SandwichUS$17.00
American Cheese, BBQ Chips, B&B Pickles, Dijonnaise, Lettuce, Shokupan
Fried Chicken SandwichUS$16.00
Chicken Thigh, B&B pickle, Special Sauce, Fried Onions, Sesame Bun
Spicy Fried Chicken SandwichUS$17.00
Hot Chicken Thigh, Spicy Mayo, Jalapeño Jam, Fermented Cabbage
Mushroom Pot PieUS$19.00
Wild Mushroom Filled Pastry, Porcini Caramel, Side Salad
Roasted CarrotsUS$15.00
Whole Oven Roasted Carrots, Eggplant Purée, House Chili Crisp, Compressed Cucumbers, Carrot Tops
Ora King SalmonUS$25.00
Sourdough Crust, Carrot Purée, Edamame, Ginger-Garlic Dashi, Pickled Pearl Onion
Pasta MelanzanaUS$20.00
Flour Power Casarecce Pasta, Roasted Eggplant, Spicy Tomato Sauce, Shaved Squash, Stracciatella
Beer Braised Short Rib, US$25.00
Creamy Polenta, Japanese Sweet Potato, Crispy Kale, Sweety Drops, Horseradish

Dessert

Sweet Potato PieUS$9.00
Rum Blend, Sweet Potato Cream, Cinnamon Sugar Crisps
Carlota de LimónUS$9.00
Maria Cookies, Candied Kumquat, Hibiscus, Makrut Lime Leaf
Chocolate Beer Cake,US$9.00
Porter, Coffee, Hazelnut Praline

What 52 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.7Service
4.7Ambience
4.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery delivers "amazing food, drinks and service" with a "great vibe." Highlight dishes include the mushroom pot pie, short rib, and duck gnocchi. Patrons praise the "elevated bar food" and extensive beer selection. The ambiance is "beautiful," and the service consistently earns high marks.

52 Reviews

A
Alyssa
Columbus10 reviews
5.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Service was so sweet and prompt! Good food and unique beer. I had a flight and the chorizo small plate delicious!
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C
Ciara VIP
Chicago5 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Went for the happy hour so my partner and I could each try their FR Flight. It was super good I loved nearly all the beers in the flight as did my partner. We were interested in seeing their brewery in the back and they allowed us to look up close. Service was great ambience was chill as we went around 4:30 on a Wednesday. The short ribs are SO yummy. Recommend those as well as the chorizo small plate. Excellent job.
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G
Gary
Chicago156 reviews
5.0
Dined on 5 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Forbidden Root had a very nice beer selection. We enjoyed the burrata.
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J
Jim VIP
Chicago22 reviews
5.0
Dined on 14 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Lots of great beer choices and the food was really good.
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A
Ashley
Chicago8 reviews
5.0
Dined on 31 January 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had an amazing dinner at Forbidden Root! We were able to share a variety of dishes. Our server was very knowledgeable and personable. It was a 10/10. A Chicago staple for sure!
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J
JEFFREY
Chicago1 review
5.0
Dined on 31 January 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The service was friendly and the bartender was great. The short ribs were really a hit!!
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P
Philip
Chicago8 reviews
5.0
Dined on 5 January 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
One of my favorite spots in Chicago. Beer is great and food even better, burger and schnitzel sandwich never disappoint.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago1 review
5.0
Dined on 1 January 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Hope they do this again next year. It was me and my girlfriend last year. This year we got 6 more people to come with. Will be closer to 15 next year. They all loved it
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C
Carla
Milwaukee5 reviews
5.0
Dined on 29 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fast, efficient service between the waiter and food runners. Good brew selection. The porters were thin and watered down; I was looking for more full body. Settled on a tasty scotch ale. The brussel sprouts were the best I’ve had with an amazing miso butter. The cheese selection was delectable, but the bite size square pieces were annoying to use with the crostini; I would have preferred thin slices to pair with the perfectly toasted crostini. The short rib entree was amazing and would definitely reorder on my next visit.
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F
Frank
Chicago1 review
4.0
Dined on 19 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
we enjoy dining here! we have done small groups & large, but the consistency is always there with food, drinks & service.
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FAQs

Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery is rated 4.7 stars by 52 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

17 Mar 2025

19:00

Booked 9 times today

Google Map for Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery

1746 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Additional information

Phone number
(312) 929-2202
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
American, Brewery, Beer Garden
Hours of Operation
Brunch Sun 12:00–15:00 Dinner Mon–Thu 12:00–22:00 Fri, Sat 12:00–23:00 Sun 15:00–21:00
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Bus- #66 Chicago, #50 Damen, #9 Ashland<br />Train- Blue Line at Division, Green Line at Ashland
Payment Options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa

Featured in

Editor’s choice: 12 favorite restaurants in Chicago

Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery

Make a booking

Additional information

Editor’s choice: 12 favorite restaurants in Chicago

Semi-Private Dining

Full Venue Buyout

Custom inquiry

Happy Hour at Forbidden Root

Bar Snacks

PopcornUS$4.00

House Made Potato ChipsUS$7.00

Trail MixUS$7.00

Beer Cheese and CrackersUS$10.00

Cheese Board

Pick 1 CheeseUS$8.00

Any 3 CheesesUS$21.00

All 6 CheesesUS$38.00

Small Plates

Butternut Squash SoupUS$9.00

Lion’s Mane Mushroom CakesUS$14.00

FR House SaladUS$12.00

Arugula SaladUS$14.00

Kale SaladUS$13.00

Brussels SproutsUS$12.00

BurrataUS$14.00

Mains

Duck & Dumplings US$21.00

Milk Brined Pork Schnitzel SandwichUS$17.00

FR Burger, US$18.00

Fried Mortadella SandwichUS$17.00

Fried Chicken SandwichUS$16.00

Spicy Fried Chicken SandwichUS$17.00

Mushroom Pot PieUS$19.00

Roasted CarrotsUS$15.00

Ora King SalmonUS$25.00

Pasta MelanzanaUS$20.00

Beer Braised Short Rib, US$25.00

Dessert

Sweet Potato PieUS$9.00

Carlota de LimónUS$9.00

Chocolate Beer Cake,US$9.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

How is Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery restaurant rated?

Is Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Additional information

Featured in

Editor’s choice: 12 favorite restaurants in Chicago