The Onion Pub & Brewery
22221 Pepper Rd.
Lake Barrington, IL 60010
I despise Chicago.
I despise Chicago for the traffic, the politics, and the dirty White Sox . . .
I have never had a pleasant traffic experience in Chicago.
Politically speaking, the city is absolutely atrocious. Can anyone say statism?
And as for the White Sox . . . Well, I’m a Detroit Tigers fan, so I have to hate them.
With that said, I will now introduce you to The Onion Pub & Brewery located in Barrington, Illinois, about an hour northwest of downtown Chicago.
As a proud American, I love micro-breweries and I’m willing to go out of my way to visit one.
In this case, I traveled about 40 minutes from my hotel to visit The Onion.
Now, the name of this place certainly peaked my interest . . . Do they serve beer brewed with onion? I can’t imagine that being a good combination.
But actually, the restaurant’s name is a tribute to the original inhabitants of the region, the Potawatomi tribe.
Apparently this area was once covered with wild onions, so the Potawatomi appropriately named it “Che-cau-gua,” which directly translates as “land of the stinking onion.”
You may have noticed that this is clearly where “Chicago” got its name.
As I walked up to The Onion, it was an impressive sight with its giant wooden doors, a mural of foxes drinking beer, and creeping vines and shrubbery.
I felt like I was walking into an exclusive black tie only restaurant.
The landscape was beautiful as well, lush and green with a quiet pond out back.
I walked inside and ordered the Summer Wit, their version of a Belgian wheat that came with a standard slice of lemon.
A nice, light-bodied beer for a hot summer day.
Their menu offered everything from burgers, steak, and a few traditional German dishes such as Jagerschnitzel.
They also make their own barbecue sauce for their ribs and pulled pork sandwiches.
The only downside was their prices.
Perhaps it was because we were close to Chicago and the prices are artificially inflated, or maybe everything is just so bloody expensive in Illinois because of the taxes.
I chose their BBQ pulled pork sandwich that comes smothered in their house made lager BBQ sauce and a bowl French onion soup for my side.
Hey, I couldn’t go to a place called “The Onion” and not order something with onion in it.
As I waited for my food, I took a look around the place.
The inside was as impressive as the outside. Their timber interior gave the feel of a rustic hunting lodge—cozy and relaxing.
My soup arrived and looked just like French onion soup should—bubbly melted cheese on top, the soup a rich, dark color.
It was delicious. Easily the best French onion soup I’ve ever had.
Then my sandwich arrived. The pulled pork was piled high, smothered in BBQ sauce, all on an onion roll.
It was wonderful and I was not disappointed by this meal.
Of course, I wish the prices were a little lower so I could’ve afforded trying another one of their craft beers.
That’s right, this place brews its own beer in the basement of the building. Can we say guaranteed freshness?
It almost made me rethink my dislike for Chicago.
Almost.
Rating: Seriously Thought About Buying the Shirt, but thought that I contributed enough through the prices and up-charges on my meal to justify it.
