Restaurant Review – Hopcat

The Lakeview neighborhood has a veritable cornucopia of exciting restaurants, making it nearly impossible to choose a place to eat. Wandering up Clark St. earlier this week, I happened upon HopCat. The large, colorful stained glass windows are immediately inviting. The promise of over 100 beers on tap didn’t hurt either! I started off with a draft of the Steeped Emperor’s Lemon Saison, by Moody Tongue Brewery. This beer is featured on HopCat’s “Local 30” draft list, a rotating list of local Illinois beers. The beer was light and clean with a hint of lemon; a perfect aperitif. The menu is extensive, so it took me a few minutes to hone in on what I wanted to eat. I settled on the Chicken Salad Wrap. I make a delicious chicken salad (if I do say so myself), so I am a harsh judge of others’. This was an excellent choice. The cold chicken salad was packed with fresh rosemary, grapes, crisp red onions, bacon, and crunchy pecans. Finished off with spinach, the whole thing was packed tightly in a warm wheat wrap. HopCat is known for its “Crack Fries” (named one of the Top 10 French Fries in America by Food Network Magazine). My wrap came with the plain crack fries: beer battered fries sprinkled with black pepper seasoning. They were perfectly seasoned and so tasty. My friend ordered the classic BLT, served with a twist here by adding blue cheese and on rye bread. He was quite pleased. The real star though, was his side of Loaded Crack Fries. A large pile of fries came smothered in bacon, red onion, pickled jalapeños, and warm cheese sauce.  I was immediately jealous and wished I had ordered mine “loaded” as well!

In addition to affordable regular menu prices, HopCat has some great Happy Hour specials. Offered Monday through Friday from 3-6 pm, get $5 off all burgers and pizzas, $1.50 off Local 30 beers and select drafts, and $1.50 off well cocktails and wine. HopCat is open Mondays through Thursdays from 3 pm to midnight, Fridays from 3 pm to 2 am, Saturdays from 10 am to 2 am, and Sundays from 10 am to midnight. Stop in this last week of March to try “The Dip”: porter-braised beef piled high on a French roll, topped with Swiss cheese, blue cheese-black pepper mayo, and haystack onions.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO