Sheffield's Wine & Beer Garden — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Sheffield's is my neighborhood watering hole and I so badly wanted this to be a 5 star review. However, the "smokehouse" moniker should be removed from the description after having their brisket. The beer and wine garden designation is well deserved.

I will say that their beer menu is usually fire. Excellent mix of local favorites like Goose Island (and their Bourbon County barrel aged line) with some Midwest craft beer staples from the likes of Bells and others. They have a full bar so at some point I'll circle back and add some color on the cocktails.

The venue has two indoor areas which have a feel of an Irish pub with a courtyard that's open year round. Heating and ventilation equipment somewhat mar its looks during the summer but patrons are certainly grateful for the extra warmth during the rest of the year. They kept up a plastic sheet which looks pretty disgusting - so I hope that comes down soon. There's a lot of picnic table seating throughout. Sometimes during the summer, seating will spill out onto the street as well.

On our first visit, my wife ordered nachos, which were unimaginative and forgettable. I ordered a brisket, which can only be described as drier than British humor at a funeral in the desert, devoid of juicy tenderness. The BBQ sauce selection was redeeming to an extent though. They came with steak fries which were similarly forgettable.

The second time we visited, our friends ordered chicken wings while my wife ordered a burger - again nothing to write home about. In a vain hope that my last experience was a one off, I tried some of the brisket our table ordered and again found it to be as dry as it was the last time.

What was surprising is that the staff doesn't seem to care about their jobs. One waitress asked if we ordered a set of IPAs, we said no, and she just shrugged and left them at our table anyway. Another waiter seemed to be carrying the team and running around everywhere. Like many places post-pandemic, Sheffield's appears to have a problem with staffing appropriately.

I'm still giving this place 3 stars because, again, the beer menu is fire and I think they'll solve for proper staffing soon. On the day they revamp their BBQ recipes to retain some tenderness and juiciness, I think this place will really will rate higher, but for now, just go here...

I've visited Sheffield's many times in the past and have always had a great experience. It's one of the few bars (especially in this area), that manages to keep the same touch and feel of the early evening as the night progresses. It's also one of the bars in the Chicago Bar Bracket, my attempt to find the best bar in Chicago via an NCAA style bracket of 68 bars.

However, tonight I was not there for the Bracket. I came to Sheffield's courtesy of Lakeshore Beverage for a Schwein Nacht beer dinner hosted by Brooklyn Brewery.

I'll try to keep my review focused on the bar rather than the beer, but let me say that if you ever see Sheffield's having one of these dinners again, sign up ASAP. Chef Victor knows what he's doing. Sheffield's normal menu is great, but this was over the top delicious.

As for the set up, Sheffield's put us up in one of the back bars, turned of the TV, played a different style of music for each course. Really intimate setup, at least in my opinion and a cool change of pace for an already great bar. If you're ever looking to setup an event, I'd definitely recommend Sheffield's.

Also, Chicago native who lived in the South for ~3 years, I can tell you that Chef Victor knows what he's doing with his smoker. Definitely eat smoked meats when you're at Sheffield's. In fact, you should always be eating smoke meats. Life Pro Tip for you there.

Finally, Sheffield's beer selection is amazing. I enjoyed all of the Brooklyn beers that came with the dinner, and the good booze kept on flowing after the dinner as we turned to the bar and order some other beers. Definitely recommend the Madame Rose by Goose Island if you've got the change and like sour beers.

Anyways, I'll probably do another post on Sheffield's when I give it a proper review during normal hours for the Bar Bracket. In the meantime, eat...

Unfortunately I had a poor experience at Sheffield's that deserves to be heard, as there is no one to blame but management.

A colleague of mine planned the trip to Sheffield's for a highly anticipated winter beer release. I told him I'd be watching my kids that night, so I was unsure if I'd be able to go. He kindly called in advance to confirm with management that kids were allowed.

The night of the release, my group had arrived early to secure a table at what was sure to be a crowded venue. I winterized my kids and headed to Sheffield's, where we were stopped at the door. The policy was "no minors". I assured the bouncer that we had called ahead and spoken with a manager for the OK, to which he replied he'd have to go check on it. A few minutes later (while we waited outside in the cold), the bouncer comes back and says that although the manager acknowledges that we were told kids would be allowed, they would still not allow me to enter. They cited the crowd as the reason, as if it was some sort of surprise that this event would be popular. The manager didn't even have the guts to come to the door and tell me himself. And what's more, my colleagues later told me that other kids had been allowed in, adding to my frustration and questions about the enforcement of their policy.

Maybe the manager is not a parent, and so can be forgiven for not understanding how much effort it takes to mobilize two kids in the winter. Regardless, there is no excuse for doing a 180 on a policy when a customer calls in advance to plan ahead for that very thing. If there was some sort of uncertainty, that should have been called out on the phone, and I would have gladly saved myself the trouble and...