My wife and I celebrated our anniversary here last night after making reservations on OpenTable. We were warmly greeted by the host who acknowledged our event and seated us in the back overlooking the brew room, very nice. It was my first visit to your restaurant though my wife has been here before with friends. Chad was our server. He pleasantly explained the drink and dining menus and took good care of us all evening. My bride had her favorite drink, The French Martini, and you guys nailed it for her! I was very happy with the 2025 Pils. Dinner was amazing, Skirt steak for her, brisket for me with Yukon potatoes following salads for both of us. The quality and taste of the food was great and makes us want to come back and sample other dishes. We received great service and a nice complimentary glass of champagne (with Ho-Ho's) to finish our celebration. At the end of the evening we received a big surprise when Chad came over with news that we had no bill to pay as my wife's daughter and her husband had secretly called to pay the tab! So thoughtful of them to treat us and to top off a memorable meal and milestone in our lives. read more

Went to Hardware in North Aurora and came away with mixed feelings. The good: ambiance is great and the drinks were on point. Had the Marilyn saison and a solid dark beer. Bar program is strong. The short rib pot pie was a straight up winner. Rich, comforting, and not trying to be anything other than good food done right. The bone marrow lost me. Cooked well, but buried under too many microgreens and then oddly topped with tortilla chip strips. No smokiness either. It felt more confused than cohesive. Where it really started to miss was the overall approach. A lot of "the chef intends this..." type explanations. It ends up feeling like the food insists upon itself instead of just letting you enjoy it. That's the bigger issue. This place exists in a space where I don't think most people want to meet it. Not casual enough to relax, not refined enough to justify the performance. Bottom line: good drinks, great pot pie, but the experience tries a little too hard. read more

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Visited Hardware in North Aurora on Valentine's Day. We chose it because of the strong Google ratings. Reservations were definitely required that evening, but it was not a paid reservation, which was convenient. The location feels a bit tucked away and slightly dim from the outside, but once you enter, there's plenty of parking and the space is large and lively. The ambiance inside is warm and vibrant -- perfect for a special occasion like Valentine's Day. The food was fresh and flavorful. Since it was a busy holiday evening, there were a few small service hiccups. For example, when I requested a side of rice, the waitress initially said it wasn't possible, but after checking, they were able to accommodate it. There were also minor things like missing cutlery that we had to ask for, likely due to how busy it was. The bar menu is extensive -- especially if you enjoy cocktails or hard liquor, this is a great place. Mocktail options were limited, but I still found something I liked. We also asked the waitress to take a few Valentine's photos for us, and she kindly suggested some nice spots around the restaurant, which we appreciated. Overall, it was a lovely Valentine's evening with great ambiance, fresh food, and a lively vibe. read more

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Food and service Food was delicious and the service was great. Very attentive to my needs since was in a wheelchair. Great martini read more

Amazing dinner!! I had the goat curry which was new to the menu. My table mates had skirt steak, chicken roulade and seafood stew. Everyone loved their meals! You must try this restaurant! read more

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Got some great beers and food from this brewery in North Aurora. Hardware is known for a lot more than drinking, and there's plenty of visitors who simply are eating. It for certain isn't a surprise things get pricy. A crap ton of things to choose from. There's a lot of burgers and meaty items, but also salads. Checked out the menu and picked out a few items but we had to look over everything first. It's got tons of beers obviously. There's also crap tons of whiskeys. A lot going on in here. The beers are what we came for though. It's about $8 a pint. That's kind of a lot but not that bad for a microbrewery it seems. Best one of these we had was the Wild Bill Double IPA. This is made with cascade and chinook hops, and has a slightly sweet citrus finish when you mix it all together. It's about $12 or more for the salad entrees. We each got the Quinoa Salad. Certainly a lot came on it. Plenty to have for meals. This has avocados, Brussels sprouts, green chickpeas, onions, strawberries, and walnuts. Meaty for the rest of the food items. There's charcuterie along with fish and other things. Has plenty of great beers or other cocktails along with some great food and eats. It's closed Mondays. This is located on Orchard across from Woodman's. read more

Hardware - Wild Bill Double IPA And Quinoa Salad - Gastropubs Near Me - North Aurora, Illinois

This is my second time visiting Hardware. Food was amazing. Great service. Loved the house made linguini. Must try restaurant. read more

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Visited today for a weekday lunch for the first time and will be doing it again. The menu changed up a little. More sandwiches. My husband had the jammin grilled cheese, and I had the DELICIOUS gyro. This is not your typical Chicago fast food gyro - well seasoned with both lamb and sausage. Freshly made pita. Yum! read more

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We've had several wonderful meals at Hardware. They have menus that are frequently updated with lots of specials based on sustainability and what is in season. We've enjoyed several cocktails including the Tennesee Flyover, the barrel aged Manhattan, and a seasonal cocktail for the holidays. I love a good charcuterie board- and their's is delicious. Lots of outdoor seating when the weather is nice, but also great atmosphere indoors. The service has been excellent every time we've been- and I would highly recommend reservations as it can get busy. We will absolutely be back- and they have other restaurants we want to try as well! read more

My wife and I stopped by this place to have a drink while we waited for our takeout food. Megan the bartender was completely awesome. Megan talked up one of her favorite bourbons from Kentucky which I thought was incredible. read more

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For those who don't know - Hardware is a sustainable pub. They grow so much on their property and use that in all their dishes. You can definitely tell, too. Stopped here for lunch earlier this week and got to enjoy sitting outside in their large patio. Highly recommend the patio for everyone. For entrees - we got the BLT and the Brisket Sandwich. I really enjoyed my BLT and brought half home - it is that large. Most of the ingredients (if not all) were made in house and you can really tell. The side salad with it was delicious - with a mustard vinaigrette. My husband was less impressed with his brisket but still brought half home for leftovers. He did love the smashed potatoes that came with it as a side. He felt the brisket sandwich (at $30) was quite pricy for lunch. I would recommend the place - as I thought the options were substantial and I liked the freshness of the ingredients. read more

First visit was excellent all around. We dined outside. Second visit they seemed low on personnel - we also dined outside. Service on this visit was friendly but spotty. Food was good both times. Will try again. read more

LOVE Hardware! This Gastropub is also a farm to table dining spot. Their specialties are smoked meats as well as having a good whiskey selection. So large it fills up two walls worth! My fiancé and I stopped in for Sunday Brunch. Most people sat outside in either the screened in porch or shaded patio. We decided to dine inside to take in all the cool design elements. Our waiter, Donnie, was great at making recommendations and telling us a bit about the decor. All wood was hand charred to be on theme. We started with the house-made cinnamon roll which had fresh dough cooked when ordered. It tasted more like a sticky bun but I was not mad. For entrees, I got the Avocado & Burrata Toast. This had all fresh ingredients that played off each other in a surprising way. My fiancé had the skillet which he loved!! Pricing was fair to portion sizes, quality, and taste. So happy to have been passing through the area to visit an old favorite of mine! read more

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In an unusual Yelper move, I did NOT do preliminary research on Hardware before dining here. I went in cold to a surprise post engagement dinner for my cousin's fiancee. I was not disappointed at my cousin's choice. When I arrived, I was warmly greeted and seated in a private room - perfect for the size of the party (25 people). I loved the decor. - lots of repurposed materials - which is right up my eco-friendly alley. There were high tables which I like, but slightly challenging for the elderly peeps in my group. Jason, our server, was awesome. He immediately gave my boyfriend and I the rundown on drinks. I started with a smokey old fashioned with Basil Hadyn, which also had a cinnamon stick in it. Highly recommend! The menu had a lot of options. I kept changing my mind! Jason was helpful in giving us some recommendations and telling us about his faves. We settled on the appetizer of Teriyaki bacon served on top of watermelon. It was thick cut and was very tasty. It reminded me a little bit of a Spanish/Filipino cured pork shoulder called Tocino. I ordered the Brisket - delicious, tender, and smoked to perfection. Paired with buttery mashed potatoes, how could you go wrong? My boyfriend had the Fish and Chip. I had a bite of the fish - it tasted fresh and had the perfect amount of breading. At the end, I had a coffee - just a little weak for me - but I am a serious coffee drinker... Overall, I enjoyed my experience. I like the vibe of this place and their mission. If I am ever in this area again, I will definitely put this place on my itinerary! read more

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Celebrated my friend's birthday at Hardware tonight, it's one of her favorites and I can most definitely see why! Staff is so warming and welcoming, the ambiance has such a soft glow! I can't wait to celebrate my birthday there this summer! Delicious all the way around!!!! This place needs to be talked about more!!!!!!! read more

Someone has to tell you about this place because there is absolutely no way you stumble upon it. Ample parking. There is a stop sign at Deerpath and Tanner. I strongly suggest you exit this way or risk an accident. Since most ingredients are grown on the property can you offer a salad with tomatoes? cucumbers? peppers? radishes? carrots? Something other than just lettuce. The tacos were delicious. The pineapple pico was something new for me and I totally enjoyed it. Choice of tortilla type would be nice. Is it still a taco if you remove the ingredients from the tortilla? I had the brisket as my entree. So tender, no knife required. Mashed potatoes ~ yummy. When I commented on the corn relish to our server, he responded that no one likes it. So why not change it? We enjoyed being seated on the patio. We were told they enclose it over winter ~ but I would think it would still be rather uncomfortable. I can't enjoy my meal if I am cold. Highly recommend. read more

5 stars for the great service. Our server was excellent. We sat in the outside, basically, tent. Soooooo cold. You really shouldn't have to keep your coat on while eating dinner. We were with friends, so stayed put. We were a couple of tables away from the fireplace, so we survived. Another couple at a different table asked to be moved because they were freezing. I won't do that again. Seeing the fireplace gave me false security. I asked the server for a recommendation between the Steak & Egg Salad and the Chicken Roulade. She said if it was summer, she would get the salad when all the greens were grown there. She recommended the chicken. The Chicken Roulade is described as: Rolled Chicken breast stuffed with smoked chicken chorizo, sweet & savory cornbread stuffing, honey butter, corn relish, chicken gravy, garden pepper escabeche, micro cilantro . It was okay. I think it was too sweet and, unfortunately, my chicken was dry. Thank goodness I had a drink to wash it down. My husband got the brisket. Which he said was not good. He said he smokes a better brisket than that. Bummer. Our plain starter Green House Salad was good though. The topper was the Spiced Sticky Pudding. Here is the description: Spiced gluten free date cake, Molasses caramel sauce, Rum raisins, Coconut ice cream. I took one bite and was hit with the most bitter, unappealing taste. It was the worst dessert I have had in decades. I assume that they did something bad with the Rum raisins. I had my friend try it and the response was "Eww'. The waitress was kind enough to remove it from our bill. I wanted to like it here. If someone wants to go, I will try it again, but it won't be my choice. read more

Love the great ambiance. I very much enjoyed their charcuterie board and smoke gouda tart salad. My kids absolutely love their BBQ pork sliders. The server made us feel like we were their only customers even though it was busy. We never had to ask for anything else, and they always kept an eye on us. I had a very happy experience and will definitely be back soon. read more

This is a one of a king great local establishment. The drinks were outstanding, the appetizer was amazing. Service was excellent, only down side was the tenderloin was significantly overcooked. The atmosphere is great for couple or social event read more

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First time ever at Hardware, and boy what a treat! Great night so we decided to have dinner on the patio. Charming spot, very clean. Service is impeccable from the host to the servers! Food was unbelievable. Extra fresh (farm to table is amazing), so flavorful and delightful. I had one of the mocktails and it was very refreshing! We shared a charcuterie board as an appetizer (they smoke the meats in house), then my friend had the fish and chips (one of the best I've ever tried) and I got the Bison burger (so good, and cooked perfectly)! Both dishes served with small fried potatoes. Just wow! We were just too full to try dessert. Maybe another time! read more

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What a hidden gem! We were doing a long road trip and came across this restaurant on our way, and this was such a surprisingly amazing find! The food is gastropub vibe, service was 8/10 but I'd say overall experience is a 4.5/5 (-0.5 only because of service). Perfect for small or big groups. Not too noisy. Highly recommend the octopus!! read more

Hardware - Fish and chips Brisket taco - Gastropubs Near Me - North Aurora, Illinois

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Friendly service and what a great place I found by chance while charging my car. Delicious food with everything pretty much being homemade and grown on site. read more

I went to Hardware for my first time this evening and was honestly blown away! The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was great, and the service was also very good as well. We started off our meal with the Baked Goat Cheese and Fried Brussel Sprouts which both were very tasty. I also could not write this review without mentioning the butter that is served with the bread is some of the best butter I've ever consumed in my life so make sure to grab some. For my main dish, I ordered the House Made Ravioli which I very much enjoyed. For dessert, we ordered the Ho Ho's and the Strawberry Shortcake and WOW! Very happy I did not pass up on dessert because both were some of the best desserts I've had. Overall, I am so pleased with my first experience at Hardware and can't wait to come back again! read more

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We've been going to Turf Room and Saddle Room for years (same owners for Hardware) and finally had a chance to have a date night here. Amazing food, amazing drinks, amazing service. Had a Manhattan and the Hardware Sangria to start. Charcuterie board (1 meat/1 cheese) was perfect as a starter. We had the Waygu steak and skirt steak as entrees. All in all, I would definitely go back to Hardware again. Beautiful bar, awesome patio. read more

Hardware - Charcuterie Board - 1 meat/1 cheese, you pick. - Gastropubs Near Me - North Aurora, Illinois

Another great dinner with my Person. We order Le Pig Mac Smoked pork shoulder, hardware sauce, greens, white american cheese, pickles, shaved onions on a brioche bun And short rib pot pie. Both excellent choices read more

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Hardware is incredible! I was so happy to find this place while doing a work visit, and my work guest who lives in the area was going to recommend it, as he and his wife are regulars. Met for lunch on the patio and it's gorgeously shaded, with herb gardens all around, some shaded by strings of hops. My bison burger with five year cheddar was great! I'm a craft beer drinker but was on work travel, so no drinking for me. I love their hop garden and sustainable vibe. I can't wait to return for dinner and to try their beer menu, as well! read more

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First time here. (I've been to The Turf room). Started at the bar with a cocktail. My brother, sister-in-law & I shared 6 appetizers and each had 2 drinks food was amazing! My "Figgin Awesome" cocktail was one of the best cocktails I've ever had. Service was average and outside dining was lovely. read more

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Mind blowing Beef Brisket tacos! Very tasty warm, fresh herbs pickled beets aoli Dressing yum! read more

Hardware - Beef Brisket Tacos (4) - Gastropubs Near Me - North Aurora, Illinois

Excellent food all round and a wonderful experience will be back next visit The beer flight was brilliant and wonderful addition to the evening. read more

We've always dug Hardware, great service and menu, huge fan of the app steamer pot (frankly I could just eat that as a main dish and be completely happy). Very casual relaxed atmosphere. They have quite a monstrous selection of bourbons and whiskeys (the wall-o-booze as we've affectionately come to call it) so take your time and ask questions, they're knowledgeable about them! They're very big on the whole farm to table theme so they source a lot of produce from local growers if it's not grown on premises themselves! The only thing we're not a fan of is when they're done the brunches for say Mother's Day, the food is ok but I swear, the one thing that just turned me off was I asked our server for a spoon once and he came back and told me they didn't have spoons and brought me another fork...thanks genius. read more

Have been here a couple times already and finally have time to review them! Had reservations and was seated very quickly. Server was friendly, helpful and attentive during the dinner. We started off with the speciality drink, which was their punch which was a bourbon based but with floral overtones. It was very light and summery. Very good. Our dinners were the chicken roulade, the brisket and the ravioli. The ravioli was in a creamy garlic sauce, with peas and artichokes. It was topped with a fried kale and had a slice of grilled lemon to squeeze over the dish. The sauce was flavorful, the raviolis had a delicious herb filled cheese and the kale was quite tasty with the lemon and I really dislike kale. My son inhaled his brisket with the mashed potatoes, but didn't eat much of relish. I don't think it was bad, just not his taste. Husband had the chicken roulade, which he said was very moist and flavorful and there were no leftovers. Drink service was great. The outdoor ambience was really peaceful being able to take advantage of the great weather and the plentiful outdoor plants and looking out over the Hops area. The meal was just under $100 for the three of us and we would definitely go back again. read more

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Great food. Great service. Great drinks. Enjoyed the local beer. Pleasant atmosphere!!

This spot lived up to expectations and definitely rivals Turf Room a few streets away. We got a table right next to the attached greenhouse so you know we had to start with the grilled bacon salad which was as fresh as advertised. Cheese plate one of the top 5 I've ever had. In house cocktails were delicious and the selection was immense. I recommend the Luna Lovegood, even for non Harry Potter fans. My fish and chips was absolutely delicious, though a bit steep at $30 I must admit. Can't wait to go back though! read more

Hardware has such a super cool farm-to-table vibe -- you can feel it as soon as you walk in. The atmosphere is rustic but modern, really warm and inviting. We tried the pork tenderloin, and it was absolutely delicious -- cooked perfectly and packed with flavor. The drinks were also really impressive, well-crafted and thoughtfully balanced. Our server was very friendly and made the whole experience even better. Hardware is definitely a place worth checking out if you're looking for amazing food, great drinks, and a welcoming atmosphere. read more

This place has been on my bucket list for years and I am so greatful to have finally come here. We booked reservations here for a birthday and thankfully had no issues and we had a beautiful seat outside, such a beautiful upscale restaurant with 600 whiskeys, other alcoholic assortments. Most of the stuff comes from the farm next door that they grow themselves and there's a greenhouse inside. The food was absolutely incredible! Ordered their tacos as an appetizer! Absolutely incredible! The brown mule was incredible to drink and it's a great recommend since I never had one I then settled for a bison burger as the main course and I've never ate bison in my life but this was incredible and it's unlike anything else. I made room for dessert to try their vegan sticky pudding which had alcohol in it. It was more of an ice cream but that blew me right out of the park to end the night. Really enjoyed my experience here for a great time. The staff was highly intelligent about knowing the menu and explaining menu items. This place was ultimately a great experience and it was unforgettable. Highly recommend this place especially if you don't want to go to Chicago for a great experience. This place is it. I will say some minor things to point out we're the restrooms aren't perfect and the lack of hard Cider and maybe more vegan options on the menu but I would come back in a heartbeat! read more

On a "drop of the hat" we went to Hardware for a late lunch! Left at 1:15 EST, drove to Aurora (CST) and back at 9:00 EST. Long lunch. This scratch made Gastropub makes everything from scratch. Danny, was very informative on the "brewed in house" pours. Can't go wrong with the "Dinner Bell" I split my huge sandwich and real mashed potatoes. It's too much for one person. I'll bet they use a lot of "to go" containers! Oh yeah, don't miss the homemade HoHos. Maybe next trip, I'll stay overnight. read more

Hardware - "Dinner Bell" delightful. - Gastropubs Near Me - North Aurora, Illinois

Shout out to Dani, she's amazing! Absolutely stellar service- knowledgeable, super friendly, tons of patience (with all my questions), perfect timing, outstanding personality.... Food was delicious- carrots and cauliflower fantastic flavors and a glass of wine to compliment the robust flavors. Nice ambiance as well. Will be back! read more

Sour puss For those who love sour drinks, this is the best "Sour Puss". Good amazing, drinks amazing, menu changing time to time, but always good read more

Hardware - Sour puss Amazing, my favorite For those who love sour drinks, this is the one - Gastropubs Near Me - North Aurora, Illinois

This place was amazing. Outside they have gardens where they grow their own produce. I had a beef short rib sandwich with mashed potatoes. I was only able to eat about half of it. It was made with Texas toast and was a bit too much bread. I had a bit of my sister's sticky chicken and it was really delicious, would have been better with some rice. Everyone in our party really enjoyed everything they ordered. read more

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My sister is a Chicago girlie who moved to the suburbs and says this is her favorite place in the Naperville area. As we got seated, a plate that passed by caught my mom's eye, which turned out to be a piece of deep-fried teriyaki bacon on top of a compressed watermelon. It is a savory and sweet combination that made me want to cry tears of happiness. Also inspiring, because this would be a great dish to impress some people with if I wanted to attempt it at home. The House Made Linguine Ragu had an inch-diced carrot in it which honestly, I felt like the carrot was the showstopping flavor in this pasta dish. It added this lovely breather element and airiness to the dish combined with the richness of the duck leg, red wine, and tomatoes. I love that Hardware clearly makes their own rules when it comes to the menu and surprises you with new ideas in common dishes. I want to return to this place in summer to experience it in full bloom with its plant wall on the outside and learn more about how objects are repurposed throughout the restaurant. Last thing, the beer was delicious - I suggest the Soul Shaker Belgian Tripel! read more

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