You can expect a decent wait to dine at the Hopleaf and the food is not inexpensive, but the fare is always hearty and satisfying and the beer is excellent. (The bar area tends to be quite crowded- in case you’re only going for drinks). Brew suggestions- Kwak (smooth, flavorful and served in a crazily shaped glass) and Maudite (mahogany colored, slightly bitter, clean finish)

I am definitely not a beer expert. Nor am I a beer lover. In fact, I normally dislike beer because of the bitter taste. And never have I ever expected to actually like beer until I went to Hopleaf.

Per GeeBear’s wise recommendations, we went early enough on a Friday evening (6:15p.m.) to get seats. Apparently, once 7p.m. hits, the wait is 2 hours! Upon walking in, the place was already bustling with what appeared to be a TON of regulars. It felt like a hip version of “Cheers,” if anyone remembers the bar centered sitcom from way back when. Sure, they probably didn’t know everyone’s name, but it felt nice to see a bunch of people, completely at home.

The food was amazing. I was thoroughly surprised. The pork cheeks were the best. Superbly braised and tender. Went perfectly with the corn pudding. The garnish was interesting because I had never had celery sliced that way before and although normally I hate celery, the texture was different because of the elongated, oblique cut. I liked it.

BIG fan of the Kwak, a dark Belgian beer – best beer I have ever tasted. I also tried the Framboise (red raspberry flavored) but I wouldn’t have thought it was beer at all! It was almost sparkly, like champagne. It was great!

Definitely go for the food AND the beer!!

I’d love to tell you how great Hopleaf is, but I couldn’t possibly do anything to get the attention of a bartender there.

This place has the best beer list I’ve ever seen! A wide selection on tap and in the bottle, with nothing ordinary in site. It was great to be in a bar/restaurant and not see a single Miller Lite in site.

The place was very crowded and we had to wait about 40 minutes for a table in the dining room. Once we were there it was great – the menu for food is just as amazing as for beer, with a variety of unique items that you can’t find everywhere.

I will definitely be heading back to Hop Leaf:)