Crushed By Giants Brewing Company

"AWESOME PLACE! We had a tight schedule and let the waiter know and he went above and beyond to make sure we were served in a timely manner. SO APPRECIATED! The food was delicious, and I really enjoyed the overall vibe."

"The food here was genuinely good, but unfortunately the overall service experience fell well short of the quality of the kitchen. We visited over Memorial Day weekend and from the moment we walked in, there seemed to be a consistent lack of customer awareness throughout the restaurant. What made it especially noticeable was that the restaurant was not lacking visible staff. Employees were constantly moving throughout the area, working behind the bar, grabbing items nearby, and passing within a few feet of waiting guests. Yet despite that, we stood at the “Please Wait to Be Seated” sign for several minutes without a single acknowledgment. Even a quick “someone will be right with you” would have completely changed the tone of the experience. Once seated, the same pattern continued. Our server was pleasant and helpful whenever she was directly at the table, and the drinks arrived quickly. We ordered an appetizer along with the drinks, but after about 20 minutes there was still no sign of it. During that time, our server passed near our table multiple times, often turned in a different direction, and it was surprisingly difficult to get her attention despite her repeatedly being within a few feet of us. When we finally managed to stop her and ask about the appetizer, it became fairly apparent that the order had likely been forgotten. To her credit, she handled it professionally in the moment and removed it from the bill, which we appreciated. Mistakes happen. The issue, though, was that the forgotten appetizer felt less like an isolated error and more like a direct result of the overall inattentiveness throughout the dining room. What stood out most all evening was that all staff members, not just our server, seemed focused on tasks, movement, and transactions while remaining largely disconnected from the guests around them. At one point our server asked how the meal was while already turning and walking away before we could finish the answer. Moments like that made the service feel procedural rather than genuinely hospitable. Because of that overall experience, we left a lower-than-normal tip. To be clear, that was not because of the forgotten appetizer itself. That mistake was acknowledged and corrected appropriately, and we appreciated the effort to make it right. The reduced tip reflected the overall level of attentiveness throughout the evening and the recurring difficulty in simply getting acknowledgment or receiving basic engagement from staff despite employees frequently being nearby and visible. Good hospitality is not just about delivering food. It is about awareness of your guests and making them feel attended to throughout the meal and this wasn't just our server. It felt systemic. Again, the food itself was very good. I just hope the service eventually rises to the same level as the kitchen, because the restaurant clearly has potential."

"We stopped here on a weekday afternoon, our last in town before an evening flight home. CBG was understandably quiet, but about a dozen people, mostly single guys and couples that also looked like tourists, roosted at tables and the bar. The flight of beer was excellent, many styles represented and every single one was not only fresh (as advertised) but also a great representative of the style. CBG knows what they're doing. We didn't expect the food to be so good -- but it really, REALLY was. Don't sleep on the Reuben egg rolls in my opinion. They were delivered piping hot, decidedly non-greasy (!) and full of flavor. It's so easy for this dish to look good and taste mediocre, but these were great. To manage that in a tourist heavy area at a brewpub shows the level of care CBG obviously puts into what they do. I watched a number of other diners exclaim when served (obviously well put together) dishes, "Oh, wow!" So we weren't alone in being impressed. Definitely recommend a stop here if you're nearby and thirsty (or hungry). We will return next time we're in Chi-town."