Moxee Restaurant & Mad Mouse Brewery

I’ve only gotta take out from this place and the first time I had it I felt like I had died and went to heaven to get some of my grandmother’s cooking lol it’s sooooo good! If I’m ever trying to sprung on calories I’ll order from here! The shrimp and grits is omg I can’t even di scribe how great it is! Just do it! The Mac and Cheese is also bomb! I’ve also tired the gumbo and ribs which wasn’t as great as the shrimp and grits and Mac and cheese. It’s a place I would keep coming back to just to bounce around the menu.

Had the rib and chicken combo and side red beans and rice and garlic mash! Good smoked meat with tasty bbq sauce. Great service and great beer (oval) and not watered down mixed drinks

This place is GREAT! My husbands dad was in town for golf (and Father’s Day) and we wanted a brew pub. We live in bucktown so we have been to the local places there. So I googled «brew pubs Chicago»… And this place surfaced! I am so glad we came here! Great southern food and good beers/​cocktails! We discovered a new part of the city and some amazing food and beer! We will be back for sure!!!

We had both the mouse flight and the 5 rabbits flights, which were great. The guava beer from 5 rabbits and the «hippie» cream ale from mad mouse were my favorite. We got a BBQ plate with the brisket, pickles, and Mac and cheese too. The brisket and the BBQ sauce weren’t the best but the Mac and cheese is fantastic and the pickles are great balance of sweet and sour. Worth the trip.

Good Beer! BAD Food and Service.
The food seemed like it wasn’t made in house and was frozen.

What a year its been living nearby and working around UIC. My coworkers and I have frequented Moxee many times, and it’s all for one thing: Happy Hour
While my first experience left me thinking this was just another BBQ shop, their Happy Hour has certainly made up for any and all doubts in my head.
Between 16:00 and 18:00 on weekdays, they offer pulled pork nachos for $ 3 (+$ 1 for brisket), spinach quesadillas for $ 3, and wells for $ 4. The deal is fantastic as the nachos here are bomb! I would settle just for the pulled pork because that in itself is delicious.
We love it each time we roll in here for some bites and drinks. I’ll stick with HH on this one. And of course, their always complimentary corn bread keeps me coming back.

I am going to echo some of the past reviews and add a couple of my favorite dishes. I find that the place is inviting and it offers outdoor sitting in the warmer Chicago days. I have only been during lunch, which does not get extremely busy and service is not compromised. My favorites are the pulled pork, a combination called three sisters and the gumbo! All side dishes are delicious too and the restaurant is clean. I

I attended a women’s event with a group of about 15 – 20. I arrived at 11 am or so on a Saturday and it was fairly empty. We had brunch, but I was kind of disappointed in the choices. Not so much brunch, but more like lunch. That being said, it’s possible the person that planned the event only chose those options. The owner was very nice and gave us a small history of beer and their brewery. Very interesting and he seems very passionate about it. The food was pretty good. Our server was attending to all of us, but my water cup remained empty for the entire 2 hours I was there and I wasn’t offered any other drinks. I would like to return, hopefully with better service, though.

Came here for dinner with a group of 4. We were seated immediately when we came in but it took the waitress 15 – 20 minutes to come over initially. After a while, she took our drink orders, and I went with the Skylark. It was not bad, I enjoyed it. My boyfriend went with the beer flight of their home brewed beer, and wasn’t too impressed with the selection. They brought cornbread out for each person, which was pretty delicious.
I ordered the shrimp & crawfish po’ boy, and the other orders were the pulled pork sandwich, pulled brisket sandwich and the beef tacos. My po’boy wasn’t bad, and the rice & beans side was pretty decent. Coleslaw was a little watery. The brisket was dry and had bones in it, which I’ve never come across with brisket before. My friend wasn’t impressed with the pulled pork either. Although, they both said the BBQ sauce was pretty good. The mashed potatoes were tasty. My friend liked her beef tacos, and they had a generous portion size.
The service was really slow considering we were one of the first parties in the restaurant at 6:30, and the waitress didn’t really check up on us. It did fill up more throughout our dinner, however.

The cornbread that they bring out as soon as you sit down was amazing. The service was fast extremely fast but I believe it was because of the time of night, not many customers were present. I ordered a half smoked chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and their macaroni and cheese. The potatoes were flavorful but not «thick» enough for my taste. You could taste the smokiness in the chicken but I wish it were left in the smoker a little longer, I prefer my chicken skin a little more «crispy». The only negative aspect was the take away plate I had asked for. I only finished the breast of my half chicken and I asked for a to go plate. When I opened the to go plate a couple hours later, it looked like the chicken was just thrown in there all upside down and not even what I had left over. A chicken wing was missing. Might return, not super thrilled about it.

Great place!
We popped in here randomly, lured by a free drink coupon snagged at the Chirp Radio Record Fair. Though «ah, have one and then go elsewhere.»
Not so fast.
We ended up staying for four (I think) and some delicious food. This place is a real gem, on rapidly gentrifying Maxwell Street. Usually when areas get all fabulous, I worry that boring places will set in, and a sea of genericism (is that a word?) will set in.
Not so Mad Mouse!
Great brewery! Wonderful food! I had the Hippie (though I am not one). .. something. .. beer, which was fantastic. Just ask for the Hippie beer, they’ll know what you want, sadly I don’t remember the exact name of it. Light and refreshing, perfect summer beer. Also sampled a Passionfruit beer which was excellent.
The Butcher and Baker, WHOA MEAT LOVERS! Homemade pastrami, bourbon cured pork belly, Andoullie sausage, some aged cheddar and a big pretzel, with delicious grainy brown mustard. Everything savory, salty MY FAVORITE THINGS!
Dishy, friendly bartenders and brewery guys, we chatted everyone up. What a fun, friendly joint, we will definitely return.
Large, bright restaurant space, and a lively carryout business. Looked kid friendly. For such a meat-​centric restaurant, I did notice several options for our veg friends. And a very accommodating staff, friendly for all.

I wish I lived in Chicago so I could come here every week.
The bartender, one of the owners, was amazing and we had a great conversation.
I had the pulled pork sandwich, and it was phenomenal. The mac n cheese and coleslaw that came with it were equally as good, and I don’t even like coleslaw.

Extraordinarly dissapointing service, decent food though. I got a burger and fries which were a little greasy and I enjoyed that.
I went on a Friday night and it was pretty much empty. My waitress didn’t come to my table until I had been sitting there for 20 minutes and said immediately «I’m sorry, what do you want?» Which was nice of her to apologize even though saying «what do you want?» Made it seem like she felt that we were annoying her and made her apology seem insincere. I felt extremely uncomfortable being there after this happened. I didn’t even want to order a drink because I wanted to just eat and go after how rude my waitress was.
Other than that, the woman who brought our food out (not our waitress) was really nice to me and my date. Our waitress visited us again for a second time and seemed in a better mood to ask if we wanted dessert. I felt too uncomfortable being there and decided to take the check and get some dessert at the Coldstone nearby instead.

Came here for drinks after having dinner with friends. The atmosphere was nice and calm. They had a live band playing on a Friday night. Not the spot to come for a night of dancing but more for a chill night.
They had many beer selections which we enjoyed. We didn’t eat here but the menu looks very promising. We plan to come back for the full dining experience.

We weren’t sure what to expect when we visited today and we were blown away! First and foremost the space was inviting both physically (décor, space usage, etc) and socially (wait staff, brewmaster). Our waiter was extremely kind and attentive! He made our first time experience a joy! The food was yummy! I had the BBQ brisket sandwich with an egg bread bun. It was tender, hearty, and luscious! The vinegar/​mayo/​cumin coleslaw with jalapeño was glorious! I wanted an entire can to take away! The house made BBQ sauce was very tasty, as well. My partner got the pulled combo which had both pulled pork and brisket. He really liked the variety. I had the hand cut fries which were delicious and smokey. Very unique and addicting. My partner had the sweet potato fries and he loved them.
The beers were fantastic! So bold with flavors! Many of the breweries I’ve been to lately have many beers with similar flavors. I appreciate that Mad Mouse had four which were all distinct and extremely flavor full. My favorite was the Weizen Bock: Rich and malty. However, I was shocked to find myself enjoying the IPA (okey proctor). It reminds me of the infamous Vermont IPA: Heady Topper!
We asked about it and the brewmaster actually came and spoke to us since we showed interest. He was delightful, informative, and curious to know what kind of brews we’d want in the future.
All in all, we loved our experience. It was a triple threat of great food, great service and great beer. It made me wish I was a UIC student with local access. Definitely coming back again!

I enjoyed my first visit to Moxee yesterday. My family did as well-​ate here before going to a Bulls game. It’s a good space-​open and while it wasn’t busy when we were there, is likely a good place to go late into the evening.
The menu contains items at every level (appetizers, small plates, big plates, sandwiches, bbq and desserts) that I strongly considered ordering. I had the shrimp and crawfish po-​boy, which was great. Every aspect of the sandwich was good-​crusty bread, cold and crisp diced tomato shredded lettuce and a tangy and spicy remoulade sauce.
My son liked his ribs and sides were really good-​red beans and rice in particular was my favorite, while the sweet and spicy cucumbers were my wife’s favorite and my son, when asked if he liked his mac ‘n cheese, said «…Uh, yeahhh!!!».
I had an Okey Proctor, their house IPA, and it was good-​not too bitter, but a worthy IPA for sure. Service was good-​Manny was the right mix of attentive and personable. Good parking across the street at the self park garage that is only $ 2 for up to 2 ½ hours.

The more I go here the more I love it! Hippie Johnny Cream Ale — tasty and ridiculously drinkable, paired w/​the in house smoked salmon. TO GO: Pecan Pie — heavy not too sweet and tenderloin tips with mashed and broccoli. That dish is tasty and a REAL BARGAIN.
Friendly customers and super good wait/​bar staff!!!

This isn’t the Maxwell Street I remember from my childhood – not a pushcart in sight. This is now the University of Illinois at Chicago neighborhood, though Mad Mouse (and its partner restaurant Moxee) reports that the university is not a major factor in its clientele.
The brewpub occupies the back end of Moxee’s big, open room. Two TVs, dartboard; noisy even with a small Wednesday-​afternoon crowd. Two friendly and informative bartenders, one of whom turned out to be the brewer.
There are only four house beers, two of them gypsy-​brewed at Saugatuck Brewing in Michigan. A flight of all four, at $ 10, consisted of:
— Hippie Johnny Cream Ale. 5.0% ABV. Clear gold, with a light head. Dry and fairly hoppy, with a typical cream ale «meaty» note. Described on the menu as a lawnmower beer; good enough for me, though I left my lawn back in California.
— Schnickerfritz Kolsch. 5.1%; a collaboration with Saugatuck, where phyiscal production took place. Clear amber-​gold, light head. Honeyish sweet malt taste, with only a touch of bittering hops in the fade. Seems a bit short on tartness for a Kolsch.
— Rathmandu. 5.0%; described as an American pale ale. Another one produced at Saugatuck. Light head, dissipating to halo. Light hop nose. Fairly hoppy front against a solid malt base, with a long bitter fade. To my taste probably the best of the four.
— 2015 ReplicAle Illinois Saison. 5.5%. Mad Mouse’s entry in the annual competition in which members of the Illinois Brewers’ Guild produce their own takes on the same recipe. Clear straw color, light head. Dry but fruity taste; peaches are among the fermentables. Also pink peppercorns (which, I learned from the brewer, are, botanically, not actual Southeast Asian peppercorns, but the berry of a Brazilian plant; in any event, they contribute a bit of sting.
Mad Mouse also has an impressive array of guest taps; at the time of my visit, these included:
— Three Floyds Alpha Kong (see review below); Battle Priest; Permanent Funeral;
and Precious Porter
— Two Brothers Atom Smasher
— One-​Trick Pony Spotted Saddle
— Ska Modus Hoperandi
— Revolution Antihero
— Left Hand Milk Stout
— Penrose Deminimus Mandarina
— Half Acre Akari Shogun
— Off-​Color Troublesome Gose
— Oskar Blue’s Mama’s Little Yellow Pils
— Lagunitas Dogtown
— Bell Oarsman.
The only one of the guest taps I tried on my first visit was Three Floyds’ Alpha Kong – a very different proposition from their familiar Alpha King. The brewery describes Alpha Kong as a Belgian sextuple (apparently having skipped right over quintuple). Served in a 10-​ounce tulip glass, at $ 10. Dark copper, with a light head. Fruit and ethanol nose (no wonder, at 13% ABV). Complex palate, fruity esters (pineapple and cherry notes), and ethanol rising well above the threshold of tastability. Delicious, but 10 oz. is about as much as you’d want to handle at one time.
I’ll definitely be back for some of the other guest brews.
Fairly accessible to public transportation; on the 8-​Halsted bus line. In normal times this is an easy connection (about ¾ mile) from the Halsted-​UIC Blue Line station, but at present that’s somewhat disrupted by the rebuilding of the «whirlpool» expressway interchange at Halsted and Congress. About a mile and a quarter from Haymarket on the 8-​Halsted bus.

Place was a little dead on a Tuesday night. We sat at the bar and ordered the shrimp & crawfish poboy and chipotle pork tacos. I loved the poboy and didn’t even want to think about tasting the tacos because the portion was humongous. Fries were crisp tender and seasoned just right, I almost didn’t need ketchup (almost…what’s fries without ketchup!). Free cornbread was a nice touch though I wasn’t a fan of the black pepper flavor.
Not sure why this place isn’t more popular but liked how quiet & laid back it was. Prices were fair, food was fresh & good. I’ll be back for sure!

Yet another one of those times where so had to track down some gumbo. Actually stopped here earlier in the day while waiting for Au Cheval to open for dinner service. I’m a UIC alum, so I like going to all the newer restaurants in the area.
This restaurant is huge and had only like 2 people working lunch. Had to wait for a while to get greeted and seated, but was not too big of a deal. We chillaxed at a small table near the bar. I ordered the gumbo and a cider. We also received some cornbread to nosh on while we waited. The cornbread and gumbo were delicious. The cider, brewed locally, was good too, but had the most awful vomity smell. I got past that though and I’m still alive, so no worries.
Service was slow, but friendly. I wonder what this place is like at dinner time when it is more crowded. I may come back another time just to find out.