The Butcher's Tap

The Southport Corridor is filled with shops, bars and restaurants.  Caitlin and I used to live just off of Southport so we are very familiar with all of the hot spots.  One place we had never frequented was Wheel House.  I'd been there once for a drink but Caitlin had never even been inside.  When we saw that the name had changed to The Butcher's Tap, we were intrigued.  When we saw the menu, we knew we HAD to have dinner there.  So a few Friday nights ago we met a couple of friends there for post-work beers and dinner.

image via

The place is 2 stories, something I did not realize the only other time I'd been there.  We were seated in the upstairs at a a pair of high top tables.  The atmosphere is chill, with dim lighting and a few small televisions around in order to watch sports.  I was pretty impressed with their beer list; they have some of my favorite local breweries.

I had a Greenbush Jadis for my first beer and we ordered the cheese curds.  If you go there, ORDER THE CHEESE CURDS.  Maybe Caitlin and I just love cheese more than the average gal, but these were delicious and the dipping sauces put them over the top.

The Butcher's Tap prides itself on offering local meats and cheeses on everything from the appetizers to the burgers and sandwiches.  Next time we go there, I plan on making former vegetarian, Caitlin, share a meat and cheese board with me.  We all ordered burgers (a veggie one for Caitlin) and we all devoured them.  I had the "Big Al": BACON, PULLED PORK BELLY, CARAMELIZED ONIONS, PICKLED RED ONIONS, JAMESON BBQ...

With my burger I tried the 3 Sheeps Really Cool Waterslide IPA which was also delicious.  Thankfully almost all of their beers are on tap which is impressive/THE BEST.

Caitlin and I would definitely go back there and maybe this time she would try a meat burger...?  I want to try "The Diner" (TWO PERFECT 1/4 PATTIES FLAT & CRISPY, TILLAMOOK CHEDDAR, BACON, ONION) and some of their other beers on tap.  If you're an Ohio State fan, this place will show every game, and I'm sure they probably also show every Chicago sports game as well.

Good for: dinner, date, beers, burgers