Emmett’s Brewing Co. - West Dundee

Had a dinner engagement at Francesca’s across the street and noticed this place...so we stopped in to check it out before dinner. The building is beautiful inside and out. As added enjoyment they had just put up their Christmas decorations which were very attractive and lent the historic dark wood venue a very comforting and classic atmosphere. They had 10 beers on draft...many with a German theme. I sampled 5 of the hoppier ones while my friend sampled the other more malty 5 selections. When all was said an done I found the beers to be quite ordinary. Although not bad...none really stood out for me...my friend felt the same. For me...if any were of note...I would say the Pale Ale, and maybe the Red Ale &/or the Black IPA. I did not get to try the food since I was dining at the nice Italian across the street. I would recommend this place if in the area...but I wouldn’t recommend a special trip...at least not for the beer.

Visited October 2010

Really neat little town along the river. The brewery is right by the water and is an old probably historic building. Inside is all dark wood and looks kind of colonial and uncomfortable but wasnt bad.

Food was pretty good, even if a bit pricey. Beer was OK but there were a lot of things to pick from and they do bottle a few things by the looks of it.

Over all it’s a neat place and they’ll have something for you to try if you stop in.

Their Victory Pale Ale is very good. Beer club member for 4 yrs and well worth it. Special birthday deal and club member appriciation dinner and more. Food is very good but portions could be bigger for price.

I’ve been here a couple times, the ambiance is pretty nice, better than the downers grove location. Your basic emmett’s beers on tap, i like their 1am, very nice, service was good. And food looked good as well. I would return.

This is a bit cozier and nicer place than the Downer’s Grove location with a similar lineup of 4-5 of their standards on tap and a couple of seasonal/special beers. They appear to have a cask, but nothing was on offer when I went in. Food is above average pub food. Emmett’s seems to have a good handle on brewing ambers and pales with nice hop profiles. Selection is the biggest negative.

Use to live just down the street from this place. The specials of the days attracted me to them and their beers were just okay at the time. Now the specials have seemed to dry up, prices on the food menu have skyrocketed, beers are good and the service remains the same, just okay. Growlers here are a bit expensive but the price per pint is only $0.25-0.50 higher than down the street. Victory Pale Ale is by far the best brew here and will probably be the tops for anyone else as well. Food tries to trend toward a fancier cliental but really is just high class bar food for the most part as its just okay. Once a quarter beer tastings are great as you can chat it up with people about beer for a night and get some free beers while comparing theirs to other brewer’s offerings and/or interpretations of the style focused on that evening. A very small outdoor seating is available but only about 6 tables of 4 seats. Ambiance is comfy and there always seems to be a full house. Overall a pretty good place with a normally solid beer offering and decent food but expect to pay a little more.

Great food selection as it relates to Brewpubs. Full menu and high quality. Beers well crafted, but seem to be out of the cask ale often. Sampled the Pale Ale, 1am and Mild British and all excellent. Highly recommend if in the area. Also other beers on tab. Would love for them to somehow do outdoor seating. Would be great to enjoy their beer outside on a summer day

Rating - June 2007. This place caught me off-guard a bit, as it had more of a nice restaurant feel than brewpub feel (which works too). The dining area is warm and welcoming with nice linens and very attentive service. They had 7 beers on tap, which appears to be a lot considering other ratings (and I’m guessing they don’t have 7 on now). The beers are quite solid once you get past the Light and the American Wheat. From recent ratings, I’d call ahead and check on the beer situation.

Like the Onion Pub up in Lake Barrington, Emmett’s in West Dundee has taken a turn for the worse in recent months. Their previous menu, albeit a bit expensive, at least had some interesting fare--Moroccan chicken, pretzel-crusted lamb, cedar plank fish, etc... Upon a recent visit, the menu had been totally overhauled, with all of the more interesting items replaced by pizzas and fajitas and wraps and the like (think a marginally more inventive Chili’s). Not only that, but the seasonal beer selection has dropped substantially with only 1 (if even) to be found at most given times, when in the past there were often 3 or 4. They have been replaced with guest taps of a non-threatening variety: Hoegaarden, Truman Pils, etc... Seems like in their effort to compete with all of the chain eateries popping up around them, they have chosen to emulate them rather than actually differentiate themselves. Kinda lame. But still, the beer that they do produce is quite good. If only the food still reached the same level of quality/creativity.

This is the type of place that we joke that we take the in-laws so that they’ll pay. I’ll be honest, it’s pricey. But, the service has always been flawless, the food top-of-the-line, and the beer strong. The price is the only thing keeping the rating lower. Try the mustard-pretzel lamb. Went on the same tour as GWS (actually for his b-day), and the brew-masters are charasimatic and knowldgeable. Try it. And look for it in Road to Perdition.