Hop Leaf

While visiting family in Chicago last weekend, I was introduced by my beer-fanatic uncle to Hop Leaf, a Belgian-influenced bar and restaurant with a mind-boggling array of suds and a respectable kitchen. In addition to the wide assortment of Belgians, Hop Leaf features Belgian-style domestics from a bevy of microbrews, like regionals Two Brothers and Goose Island. But if intense, high-alcohol beers aren’t your thing, there are pages of other choices in the encyclopedic menu. The beer list has extensive tasting notes, too, which makes trying something adventurous less of a gamble. Zaydeh (that’s Yiddish for grandpa) tried the Clausthaler, a non-alcoholic German, and I had a peach lambic. The dinner menu is also vaguely Belgian-inspired and includes mussels and frites, one of my absolute favorite things to eat with beer. The back dining room, where we ate, is good for family dinners (no kids allowed, though), while the front area has more of a pub-like atmosphere, fun for nights out with friends. (5148 N. Clark St., 773-334-9851) —Shoshanna Cohen