5420 N Clark Steet
Chicago, IL, 60640
(773) 961-7358
(773) 961-7358
Strong cocktails, a good selection of craft beers and gastronomic food,
all housed in a young, trendy and inviting space.
all housed in a young, trendy and inviting space.
Located in Andersonville, the second LGBT neighborhood to Boystown in Chicago, The Brixton is dubbed as 'Andersonville's gathering place for creative American fare, libations, and community', - and so it's true.
The main dining room, located on the ground level has tin-pressed high ceiling, incandescent lighting, exposed brick walls and metallic chairs and stools giving it a real industrial feel to the place which compliments the bar, booth and table seating.
Otherwise, lounges are located upstairs with a fireplace and a pool table, with mis-matched furniture and dim lighting, making it the perfect place to hideaway after a long day at the office or a cold winters night.
Summer time? See you in the patio!
Summer time? See you in the patio!
We started off the night with these yummy appetizers;
Poutine - with oxtail, Cheddar curd and gravy,
Pate - Chicken liver, blackberry jam, cornichon and dijon, and
Mussels - with grilled lemon, Anisette, shellfish butter and ciabatta bread.
The Poutine was great, (the oxtail that really made this dish) and the Pate was good, but nothing too much out of the ordinary here.
The Mussels, though, was the highlight of the appetizers.
The Mussels, though, was the highlight of the appetizers.
The mussels displayed an amazing balance in flavors. I particularly loved the combination of the grilled lemon and Anisette. It was quite different at first, but once you let that taste sink in, it was pretty genius. It kept the acidity of the lemon from overpowering the mussels and gave it a refreshing hint and aroma (thanks to the alkalinity from the anisette), allowing other flavors to come though.
Next, for our main course, we had:
Brixton Burger - with applewood bacon, hooks cheddar between a brioche bun served with a house pickle, and
Short Rib Ragout - with white bean, celery root, roasted garlic, topped with crispy kale and a poached egg on grilled ciabatta bread.
The Brixton burger is what this place is apparently known for, so we already know how good it'll be, and it was great.
However, I took the adventurous path and ordered the Ragout, the result? Mind-blowing.
I secretly love and adore crispy kale. So to see my dish covered by it, I was in heaven.
The short rib was so tender that it melted away with the soft poached egg, and the well toasted ciabatta kept a strong foundation for all of this, with the rest of the greens doing their part to add color and balance taste to this dish.
The combined taste was amazing, but don't leave it too long, this dish was meant to be eaten straight away - an obstacle I face on a regular basis as I love taking pictures of food.
The prices aren't so bad as well.
With the appetizers being $9 for the Pate, $12 for the Poutine, and $15 for the mussels, and
the main courses being $13 for the Brixton burger and $20 for the short rib Ragout -
for the service, produce and ambiance, the bill wasn't bad at all.
The combined taste was amazing, but don't leave it too long, this dish was meant to be eaten straight away - an obstacle I face on a regular basis as I love taking pictures of food.
The prices aren't so bad as well.
With the appetizers being $9 for the Pate, $12 for the Poutine, and $15 for the mussels, and
the main courses being $13 for the Brixton burger and $20 for the short rib Ragout -
for the service, produce and ambiance, the bill wasn't bad at all.
..Oh, and of course, the Cocktails! Holy moly were they strong!
We ordered:
Mule skinner blues - Flor de Cana rum, berries, mint, lime, Falernum, ginger beer. ($10)
Guns of Brixton - Sombra mezcal, Luxardo Marischino, green chartruese, lime. ($12)
With catchy names like these, remember, these are not for the faint heart - these bad boys pack a punch and had me smelling like an alcoholic for the rest of the night (I admit, I had the Sid Malicious and the Guns of Brixton, one after another, plus I'm a lightweight but I swear they were potent!).
In saying that, they were really nice cocktails.
For a neighborhood bar, they sure raised the stakes with top shelf spirits and quality ingredients, plus having a good mixologist at helm - The Brixton is definitely here to stay.
In saying that, they were really nice cocktails.
For a neighborhood bar, they sure raised the stakes with top shelf spirits and quality ingredients, plus having a good mixologist at helm - The Brixton is definitely here to stay.
In conclusion, this is a place were you'd want to stumble upon if you're in Andersonville.
It's chill, it's gastronomic and it has great vibes.
For an upscaled neighborhood spot, this place is really something special.
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