Twisted Hippo — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

I have to say, this is the best thing to happen to East Albany Park/Ravenswood Manor area in quite awhile (probably since Angelo's). I've been waiting in anticipation for this place to open and I have to be honest, it was absolutely worth the wait.

When you first walk in, you notice immediately the vivid, striking colours of the wide open interior. Not only is the staff super welcoming and attentive, they make an effort to engage you (should you want to be) and make the experience a memorable one.

However, that's not the most memorable part of Twisted Hippo. It's their beer combinations and concoctions. The beers are combinations of flavours and ingredients that no other brewery in Chicago (to my knowledge) is doing. They're what some might call avant garde, and frankly, I think this works to their advantage. At current, (1/10/19), their menu consists of a fair amount of higher ABV beers. I expect this to change once the seasons change but honestly, I couldn't go wrong with any of the beers I've had there. I'm a large fan of Pinky's Pieces (Candy Bar Ale) and Black Umbrella

The menu has yet to be fully revealed but I have to say, what I have had, has impressed me thoroughly. From the menu on their first soft opening on NYE, to their limited pre-public opening, it's got me hooked. To be quite honest, I think that they've got the BEST fried cheese curds I've tried in Chicago. The batter is crispy and light (think almost tempura-ish) leading to a more "melted" curd. The prices are about what you'd expect, maybe a bit higher, however they do include tip+tax, so it makes it inline with other places. (though the staff deserves additional tips).

All in all, this place is easily going to be my go to neighborhood bar and I couldn't be more excited to support...

Well it's about time I reviewed this place, I only come here every other week!

Well let me start by saying this is one of my favorite breweries to come to when I can't think of any others to go to, or others are all full. A blessing and a curse I suppose, as there's almost always a table open at the expense of being fairly dead sometimes.

As for the beer, they have a list of staple beers that never go away, my favorite being Bee's Sleaze. However, they've recently been stepping up their rotational beer game. There have been a bunch of fun experimental IPAs and Goses lately.

Now the food. I love the burger here. I wouldn't put it in my top three, but it's definitely up there. Simple, but delicious. And the fries are surprisingly crispy and fresh!

They also have the arcade space in back that can be rented out for private parties. Let me tell you how nice that is compared to Burning Bush which closed tonight for a party encompassing the whole space.

Overall, Hippo is consistent: you always know what you're gonna get. It's reliable: I've never tried coming here and been turned away (looking at you, OIB's 2-hour waits). And...

I totally dig the vibe here. Amazing branding of the space, the cans, the menu, even the digital menu is fun!

I'm not a fan of breweries that don't have some kind of dark beer year round. Summertime is horrible for those of us who dislike sours and hops. That said, I had their Kraken's Bramble, a berry gose, and that wasn't too sour. Very refreshing. So no hate on the lack of ambers or darks this season.

Had some food too:

The pretzels were awesome. However the beer cheese was a bit too thin, got messy, but awesome.

The spicy chicken was great, many say that. Proper bite on it too.

Had the pulled pork. Was pretty good too. Not as good tho, as I wasn't sold on the beer battered onion rings, and the sandwich was like 90% about those. The pork portion wasnt great without those. Wouldn't have that one again.

We topped it with the salted caramel cookie skillet thing. That's real darned good, and was topped with ice cream.

Finally, as most mention, tip is included! So before you judge the prices, take 20% off the top of...