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Great Central Brewing Company

4.4 (68 reviews)
ModerateBreweries
Updated over 3 months ago

Great Central Brewing Company Photos

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a man sitting at a table
karina k.

This place just opened and it's a vast space and good bar food and ofc Guiness beer along w other drinks. Modern and high ceilings and there is an area for cookies and desserts and bread and pickled jars of stuff like pickles.and other veges. The Giardiniera w chips and crab and corn dip were good. The oatmeal cookie w apple pieces was $4.47 with tax and was try and not chewy (not my type of oatmeal cookie where I prefer chewy and not crumbly). They close at 11pm and at 10pm is last call for food. They have a nice well lit and warm atmosphere with the huge Guiness harp on top. Lovely to hang out and enjoy times w friends and family.

Andrew P.

Overall vibe here was great, I just really wished they played music because it was sooo loud given the acoustics of the room and people talking. The beers I got were decent, but nothing to go wild about. I do like that they have some other local brewery stuff here which is great if you want options, but it seems like the beer that they do brew here is quite limited to maybe 5 or 6 beers. They don't have any patio seating (we had just come from a brewery down the street with patio seating) so that was a little bummer considering it was a nice warm summer day. The bathrooms are also upstairs and they are two large flights of stairs, so just keep that in mind. They do have an elevator though! I did like the game selection and they have a ping pong table and shuffle board as well which is a nice addition. I would say the lay out and overall decor here isn't much to write about, but I guess I'd still come back if I'm in the area and doing a brewery walk/hop.

Crystal N.

One of the best places in the city if you have a large group! The vibes are very much German beer hall with those huge wooden tables and classic lagers. Their board has a massive selection of their own beers, classic Chicago breweries, and they uniquely feature a Brazilian-Japanese woman own brewery, Japas Cervejaria. Bring your own food!

Michael W.

Some solid beer options to choose from and enjoy. Great space to hang. I saw people working, surfing, reading, playing games, having lunch, all the above. Feel free to bring your own food in because they do not serve any. They also have some board games to take advantage of and plenty of space to spread out and get your game on. My wife and I hung out for a while and played Battleship for the first time in I don't know how long. It was awesome! The only downside honestly, is that the bathrooms are two stories up from the main level! Initially your thought is, what demented person would put a brewery bathroom two flights up from the brewery?! But in reality, the bathrooms are shared by the breweries office space upstairs. They do provide you the choice of stairs or an elevator, so there is that. Bonus: If you are still thirsty, Goose Island tap room is right across the street!

#1: Hopewell Clover Club Raspberry Sour 6.2% #2: Midwest Coast English Sporting Eng Pale Ale 5.3%

Dropped off family at United Center for Tyler Childers concert then made this the first brew stop while we waited for them. My husband's English Pale Ale- what he expected from the pale ale. Enjoyed it. My Raspberry sour was very good. I love a good sour and this one did not disappoint. Large industrial atmosphere. Casual and clean. Great for large groups. Order at the bar. No nonsense. Beer only brewery.

the menu
Jim H.

Great Central Brewing is brewery #216 for me and an interesting one at that. First of all Huge open tap room with lots of tables. It wasn't very busy but I was disappointed to find they had no food on site. I found a spot at the bar and found out that GCB is a contract brewery. So basically they brew all the beers they are serving but brew them for other places. Lots of beers on tap! Unfortunately they don't do any flights so I had to go with half pours instead. This will limit the number of beers I try although I took a Lyft here instead of driving my rental. Seriously glad I did as I'm really not used to driving in traffic any longer. Heck the hotel I'm staying in has a larger population than the town I live in now. I'm already missing home but will console myself with some decent beer I hope. I started out with the GCB Dunkel which was a great example of the style. I first fell in love with the dunkel style when visiting Gordon Biersch's brewery in San Jose back about 1992 or so. Loved it! Anyway, I am always on the hunt for a great dunkel. This one filled the bill. There was no red on the menu but I went with the Oktoberfest next in honor of SWPFTD since I know she would order that one. Yes, another excellent beer. A little malty but not too much and well matched with the style. I would take some of this home if I weren't flying back. This was a quick stop here but I would definitely be happy to stay and try a few more beers. But alas, my 217th brewery nearby is calling my name like a siren calling a lonely sailor... If anyone is a glutton for punishment, please, follow my brewery, and distillery, reviews from across the U.S. and beyond! https://www.yelp.com/collection/-8iscFkpiiCI563-FDfwGg and if anyone is wondering who SWPFTD is you will have to check out my review of Black Market Brewing Co in Temecula, CA to understand. Yes, you will need to read into it a little to get the joke but I have confidence in you!

Jumbo Jenga!!
Miss A.

Super cool concept... these guys brew everything right onsite and can do custom batches if you want to craft your own. I also absolutely LOVE that they have time tested games! Seriously who doesn't enjoy playing Jenga, Monopoly or Dominos with a group of cheery friends? Also the pours are very reasonable and generous. The staff is friendly and want to know your likes and dislikes so they can ensure you find a pint or few you can enjoy:) The community tables are very inviting which does easily promote meeting new people. The restrooms are clean and well maintained (why can't all establishments do this?) with plenty of stalls for when you eventually break the seal lol. I did not see televisions here however so go for the experience and good company, not to watch football. Chee

Menu
Rich C.

Grand Central Brewing is the Grand Central Station of beer tasting. The room is large with 18 foot ceilings, 24 taps, table tennis and shuffleboard. My first expectation is that any brewery that has so many choices can't do them all well. I was surprised to find three lagers on their menu. I tried all three and liked the Cruz Blanca Vamos better than the Helles or the Trust. My wife enjoyed the Hefeweizen. The beer is good but the room is crazy loud. Parking is on the street only. I recommend that you try Grand Central Brewing. You will remember the beer long after your ears stop ringing.

Sarah S.

Thanks to Claudia S. & Mark G. for having their Yelper Takeover here this weekend so I could experience this adorable brewery. It's been open just a couple of months but it's already poppin'! Great Central Brewing Company is a huge space located in what beer makers are trying to coin as the Brewing District of Chicago. All within walking distance are GCBC, Goose Island, Finch, On Tour and All Rise Brewing. It's actually pretty cool because you can finally do a brewery hopping day easily in the city (though Finch is strictly production here). I was at Great Central for a few hours on Saturday and it never got too busy. For the first hour they were opening, my friends and I were the only people there. It's such a huge space and they weren't playing music at first so it just felt kind of eerie. After awhile though, the music started, they unlocked the front door and people started straggling in. Staff is so nice and were even coming to our table to take orders which was awesome! Really friendly and attentive the entire time we were in. BYOF - Bring Your Own Food. No tasters or flights. And they make it a point to say they won't do that because you don't get to really taste the beer in a taster. As a seasoned beer chick, I have to strongly disagree with that sentiment however to each brewery their own. That being said, they do half pints and the pours seems quite generous. So every beer on tap is $6 for a full or $4 for a half. They had 4 of their own brews on tap that were all German styles. Not my favorite genre, however they were pretty strong contenders for best Germans I've had. I hope they continue to expand on their brewing as time goes on. They also had 12 mostly local brews on tap. All the beers from other breweries though are brewed at this facility. They do some contract brewing for these places which you can read all about on their website. Pretty darn cool. So GCBC... Downfalls - Bathroom on the 2nd floor which I imagine posing some issues with people drinking and no flights. Strong Points - Huge, chill space, great staff, fun variety of beers. Overall chill brewery I wouldn't hesitate going to again.

the interior of the restaurant
L O.

Great place, GREAT bartender! Super cool place inside. But please do something about the biting flies inside. I'm leaving because I keep getting bitten. Fly strips probably fix the problem.

Paula B.

Great brewery with lots of open space, perfect area for large group gatherings. Can bring in food from outside places and pair it with many of the house made beers. The house helleslager is the ultimate favorite.

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3 years ago

Half block from Goose Island. Skip the horrible service at the name you know and come support local.

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Nice space, decent selection of local beers. Good pick if you're in the neighborhood.

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3 years ago

Great selection of brews with a shuffleboard table, tvs and lots of bench seating and other games available.

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3 years ago

All around great beer and great atmosphere. Even the beers that arent theres are made by them.

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Ask the Community - Great Central Brewing Company

Is this brewery kid friendly?

Yep, I've seen many infants, quite a few toddlers and even older children playing board games with parents.

Is this brewery dog-friendly?

No. They're also not "growler friendly" either!

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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My husband and I came with our daughter here and we were blown away. The atmosphere is really cool…read more We really loved the vibes and the decor. We both got flight flights and then I had a avocado Caesar salad salad with chicken and my husband had a Smashburger. We ordered my daughter chicken burgers and fries of course lol. Everything was delicious and we would 100% go back.

Came here as it was in walking distance after a nearby wine tasting. What can I say...some weeks…read morecall for an extra libation. I had been wanting to try Industry Ales when it opened and was glad to have had the opportunity to finally check it out! I was slightly thrown off, as the dining tables are at the front of this space, and the bar is all the way at the back. In fact, my friend at first glance thought it was a sit-down dining establishment sans bar seating. We found our way to the bar and posted up at two seats. We were offered menus right away and found the bartender extremely knowledgeable. This was super helpful when facing down an encyclopedia of ales. He offered samples when we explained what we were looking for. That is service above and beyond, especially on a bustling Friday early evening. The brews were tasty, but I couldn't really discern what I was drinking apart to say it was a lighter Belgian Ale. Wine is more in my wheelhouse, but always good to change things up, especially when a person has the opportunity to be guided by an expert. The people seated nearby had ordered the tuna tartare which looked delicious. In fact, all of the menu is globally influenced (think: pizza samosas, pierogis, Korean BBQ) in addition to the classic brewpub favorites. In addition to the Brewpub, this location features the Millroom, a speakeasy-style lounge. I did not have a chance to check that out on this visit. Definitely a cut above the usual sports bar and a place to expand one's knowledge of brews.

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Goose Island Tap Room - Delicious 2018 wheat wine for $15!

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Great Central Brewing Company - breweries - Updated May 2026

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