Bar review | Northdown Cafe and Taproom

2011 Food + Drink

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Select ArticleSpringtime sodasXOCOLongman & EagleRevolution BrewingDestination: Lincoln SquareThe Rabbit HoleThe first of the food trucksHummingbird KitchenChinatown50 unknown barsFive bar perksA private Frontera Fiesta with Rick Bayless.Paradise CantinaCrumbs Bake ShopPublic HouseBeyond cutting edgeThe FlorentineSix spots for housemade pastasTru15 spots to drink coffee nowQuirky coffeehousesFare warsGrahamwichThe whole story of half shellsEat Out Awards 2011 NomineesAsian PlatesDoughnutChef ShiftingGTFish and Oyster first lookArun'sAviary Next TableFood Trucks2011 Eat Out Awards | 22011 Eat Out Awards | 1HoytsRestaurant review | Doughnut VaultNew restaurant: Perennial VirantRestaurant review | Bridge House TavernBodega N. 5 opens below Mercat a la PlanxaRestaurant review | The BedfordScarlet owners bring small-plate Italian bites to Taverna 750Taste of Chicago Preview 2011Restaurant review | Pleasant House BakeryBrunch reviews: Rootstock, Davanti Enoteca, Lulu Belle’s Pancake HouseThe Black SheepRestaurant review | Union Sushi + Barbeque BarChick-Fil-A opensNorthdownCheap ThrillsBar SnacksIce Cream Guide 2011Restaurant review | Roots Handmade PizzaRestaurant review | PorkchopRestaurant review | NoMI KitchenNew bar | Telegraph

Next: Scarlet owners bring small-plate Italian bites to Taverna 750

Northdown

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  Northdown Café & Taproom

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  Northdown Café & Taproom

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  Northdown Café & Taproom

   

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  Northdown Café & Taproom

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Northdown Café & Taproom

Photo: Jason Little

06/20/2011

2011 Food + Drink

Go to:

Select ArticleSpringtime sodasXOCOLongman & EagleRevolution BrewingDestination: Lincoln SquareThe Rabbit HoleThe first of the food trucksHummingbird KitchenChinatown50 unknown barsFive bar perksA private Frontera Fiesta with Rick Bayless.Paradise CantinaCrumbs Bake ShopPublic HouseBeyond cutting edgeThe FlorentineSix spots for housemade pastasTru15 spots to drink coffee nowQuirky coffeehousesFare warsGrahamwichThe whole story of half shellsEat Out Awards 2011 NomineesAsian PlatesDoughnutChef ShiftingGTFish and Oyster first lookArun'sAviary Next TableFood Trucks2011 Eat Out Awards | 22011 Eat Out Awards | 1HoytsRestaurant review | Doughnut VaultNew restaurant: Perennial VirantRestaurant review | Bridge House TavernBodega N. 5 opens below Mercat a la PlanxaRestaurant review | The BedfordScarlet owners bring small-plate Italian bites to Taverna 750Taste of Chicago Preview 2011Restaurant review | Pleasant House BakeryBrunch reviews: Rootstock, Davanti Enoteca, Lulu Belle’s Pancake HouseThe Black SheepRestaurant review | Union Sushi + Barbeque BarChick-Fil-A opensNorthdownCheap ThrillsBar SnacksIce Cream Guide 2011Restaurant review | Roots Handmade PizzaRestaurant review | PorkchopRestaurant review | NoMI KitchenNew bar | Telegraph

Next: Scarlet owners bring small-plate Italian bites to Taverna 750

Let other bars emulate the experience of drinking in Belgium; Northdown has rolled into town to evoke the Midwest. It may not seem this way from the onset—the place doesn’t look particularly Midwestern (it’s generically, pleasantly cozy), and the menu, with its housemade pickles and Growing Power vegetables, suggests not Midwesterness but trendiness. But the heartland is found in the details: the Wisconsin beef in the burger. The Midwestern cheeses that come with the bread. The fact that it’s perfectly normal for you to sit here, drink from the always-evolving craft beer list and eat nothing more than some mashed potatoes with gravy. And the pies. A chicken pot pie with a biscuit crust is nothing you’ll go crazy for, but the cream pies, topped with unsweetened whipped cream and sporting thick, crumbly graham-cracker crusts, are the stuff of Midwestern fantasies. One slice is worth a night at Northdown. The fact that you can precede it with pork fries and follow it with pinball is just a bonus. 3244 N Lincoln Ave (773-697-7578).