Forbidden Root Restaurant and Brewery (Chicago)
Forbidden Root began in 2016 in Chicago’s West Town Neighborhood and has since opened a second location in Chicago and one in Columbus, Ohio. The interior is nice but typical of most breweries in that it had that urban, hip vibe. Lots of open brick and wood. It is small but does not feel small. A large central bar greets you upon entering and the brew facilities are visible at the back of the restaurant. Overall a pleasantly inviting establishment.
They have a nice menu selection and we decided on the Milk Brined Pork Schnitzel Sandwich and the Burger. Both were huge and very delicious. We were both very happy with our meals. I can only assume by the quality of our two selections that the rest of the menu would be equally fabulous.
As for the beer…We sampled several and were happy with all of them. The first was the Panda Party black lager with vanilla and toasted oak (5.5%). Dark, toasty and malty. A good beer but not nearly as full of flavor as the name lead me to believe. Next up, I Thought There Was Going To Be Cartoons DIPA (7.9%). Crazy name but great beer. Yellow and mostly clear in color with a nice head. Lovely creamy beer. The Strawberry Basil Hefeweizen (5.1%) was next. Dense, pale strawberry color with a beautiful strawberry nose. Light, lovely strawberry flavor with just a hint of the basil in the background. You Can’t Cheat at Bingo dry hopped lager (5.6%) was next. Clear, yellow with lots of bubbles. A bit grassy. Very light. Not bad but not my favorite. And then the beers that were the main show for me… Ghost Tropic DIPA (8.2%), hazy, light yellow color with a light creamy mouthfeel and balanced with lemon, orange and pineapple flavors. Then the Single File Mosaic IPA (6.8%) Nice beer with tropical aromas and flavors to match. Nice mouthfeel. Very enjoyable IPA. Last but certainly not least, Neon Pyramid TIPA (10%). At a whopping 10% ABV this one will do you in if allowed. A somewhat darker hazy appearance than the others. This TIPA has a nice candied fruit flavor, reminiscent of Lifesavers. A great quality beer. I was very impressed with all of the beers we sampled.
As brewery experiences go, Forbidden Root was an excellent one. Beers and food both rated very highly for me. Service and atmosphere were top notch as well. This is a brewery that I would easily go back to. In fact we are already planning a visit to the location in Columbus, OH.
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