July 15, 2013, Update: Black Sheep Bar Garden has changed its name to The
National.
There are massive plans afoot for a Wrigleyville makeover.
Luxury hotels. Video screens. Possibly winning a baseball game.
It’s a lot to take in. So we recommend starting small. Like here: Black Sheep Bier Gaarden, a snug little craft-beer-stuffed patio now open near Wrigley Field.
This was formerly called the Yard, and the new owners are taking a gradual approach to upgrading the place. First thing: a good, clean Bar Rescue–style scrubdown. Second thing: an all-local beer list. Because nothing says fresh start like Stevens Point Brewery’s Nude Beach wheat ale.
They’ve enlisted the help of a former chef from Goose Island to make sure the menu has the requisite amount of poutine (here called Canadian Nachos) and sriracha hot wings. You can’t have a bar without those these days. And there are plans for an expanded menu and new furniture.
Still, it will remain a simple, solid neighborhood beer-and-burger joint. If you need a decent place to watch the Blackhawks game, you’ll do it from one of the wooden booths inside. Order a half-pound cheeseburger while you’re at it.
But the real glory of this place is when you need a post-Cubs-game refuge. The beer garden has a homey feel: its own bar, cold and inexpensive Baderbräu on tap and giant enclosed cabanas.
It’s like Miami. Meets Munich.
There are massive plans afoot for a Wrigleyville makeover.
Luxury hotels. Video screens. Possibly winning a baseball game.
It’s a lot to take in. So we recommend starting small. Like here: Black Sheep Bier Gaarden, a snug little craft-beer-stuffed patio now open near Wrigley Field.
This was formerly called the Yard, and the new owners are taking a gradual approach to upgrading the place. First thing: a good, clean Bar Rescue–style scrubdown. Second thing: an all-local beer list. Because nothing says fresh start like Stevens Point Brewery’s Nude Beach wheat ale.
They’ve enlisted the help of a former chef from Goose Island to make sure the menu has the requisite amount of poutine (here called Canadian Nachos) and sriracha hot wings. You can’t have a bar without those these days. And there are plans for an expanded menu and new furniture.
Still, it will remain a simple, solid neighborhood beer-and-burger joint. If you need a decent place to watch the Blackhawks game, you’ll do it from one of the wooden booths inside. Order a half-pound cheeseburger while you’re at it.
But the real glory of this place is when you need a post-Cubs-game refuge. The beer garden has a homey feel: its own bar, cold and inexpensive Baderbräu on tap and giant enclosed cabanas.
It’s like Miami. Meets Munich.
