Okay, so maybe only a little pretentious, but only during the locust-like swarm of Cubs fans (sorry fans, it's true).
The beer list is incredible. Whether you're into Belgiums, microbrews, wheat beers, lambics...they have something for everyone. They also have the Joseph Sheffield Beer Memorial: a beer club where you drink your way down a list and, when complete, receive a Sheffield's shirt, some pint glasses and a few other "prizes." Unfortunately, I'm at 2+ years on this list because I moved away from the neighborhood. Someday soon, I will complete it, and will celebrate accordingly.
The beer garden is large and maintains a conversation-friendly noise level, despite the close-by brown/red lines.
The bathrooms are nothing special, but always in working order.
They don't serve food, but you can definitely bring in your own, or order in.
Service is better than average, pretty good actually, and the bartenders are very knowledgable about.....you guessed it: beer.
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