Chicago Has The Only Michelin-Starred Brewery In The World

Think of Michelin stars, and traditional fine-dining restaurants often come to mind. Yet the guide awards a wide array of business types, ranging from a Mexico City taqueria to a Taiwanese ice cream shop. Of the many Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.S., one even belongs to a brewery: Chicago's Moody Tongue. Admittedly, the accolade wasn't awarded to a casual taproom, but rather Moody Room's contemporary restaurant concept, where haute cuisine pairs with beers brewed on site.

Succinctly named The Dining Room at Moody Tongue, this eatery serves a refined seasonal tasting menu, featuring innovative dishes like an Australian wagyu paired with beets and kombu, as well as a cucumber, granola, and ice wine vinegar dish. The space occupies a second floor above the taproom, so understandably, you can get a pour of Moody Tongue beers like a Rice Lager, Juiced Lychee IPA, or one of the Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stouts.

Although gastropubs continue to grow in popularity, such a crossover of high-end food and beer is still unusual — even more so for Michelin. Moody Tongue was founded by chef and brewmaster Jared Rouben, who previously worked at both Chicago's large Goose Island brewery as well as New York City's fine-dining restaurant Per Se, which currently holds three Michelin stars. Subsequently, Moody Tongue operates in such often parallel spheres of food and drink, with the company's upscale Moody Tongue Sushi in New York City also recognized by Michelin.

In most aspects, The Moody Tongue Dining Room operates more like a fine-dining restaurant than a brewery. The space contains only 28 spots, accompanied by required reservations. The meal encompasses at least a dozen courses, upheld by attentive service and fine-dining etiquette rules that don't occur at most breweries. Yet while wine has historically been the go-to drink pairing for elevated dining, options like spirits, cocktails, and tea can be suggested by sommeliers, too.

Moody Tongue creatively incorporates beer into such a context, with the served brews created with food offerings in mind. Subsequently, several of Moody Tongue's concepts operate outside of what's typical for a brewery. Per public reception at the Dining Room, customers love the food. "The tasting menu is honestly the first time I've ever experienced a menu where every single item was absolutely perfect," noted a Yelp reviewer.

However, Moody Tongue's beer quality draws split opinions, especially in the context of Chicago's stellar brewery scene. A Reddit user panned the establishment's Pils– a sentiment backed by a score of 81/100 on review site BeerAdvocate. So, while not a Michelin-star restaurant with poor reviews, Moody Tongue's recognition revolves more around its food than brews.