Jackson Avenue Pub in Naperville – Killer Burgers & Malort

Whenever I find myself in Naperville, Jackson Avenue Pub seems to be my go to spot (followed by Quigley’s Irish Pub). The atmosphere is pretty low-key and their food is spot on– especially if you have burgers on your mind.

Atmosphere

The interior of Jackson Avenue Pub isn’t the largest pub out there, but it does provide an ample amount of room, while still remaining personal. There is a lengthy bar, as well as a few handfuls of tables spread throughout.

I tend to always gravitate towards the tables right next to the entrance for the large windows providing a welcome view of the street. We had a pretty aggressive group this night, so we pulled a handful of tables together and took over the front portion (comfortably).

Food & Drinks

Jackson Avenue Pub may have a hearty selection of burgers, but before you decided to eat light tonight, I highly suggest rethinking your strategy and looking at the appetizer menu.
Also, their beer and liquor list is hearty enough to keep everyone satisfied. If beer and burgers are your thing, than this pub is already made for you.

Go with some friends, order a variety, share, enjoy.

Our table was adorned with appetizers in all forms. This is typically bad news for me, because when I go out to eat I don’t seem to know the meaning of self-control. I think I ate two meals worth of appetizers before my entree even came out.. or before I even placed my order, now that I think about. it.

? Hummus and Vegetables
? Fried Pickles
? Pretzel Sticks and Beer Cheese (Made with Mama’s Little Yella Pills)
? Buffalo Chicken Wings

All of these appetizer options are pretty standard– which I happen to adore. When I look at a menu, I want to start with wings or pickles and a refreshing beer. Some places try to think outside of the box so far that nothing even sounds appetizing– I can appreciate that, but sometimes simple is satisfying.

The hummus is a way to remain satisfied, yet feel slightly less guilty and the pretzel sticks were a very welcome offering that you don’t find all that often. Jackson Pub’s style is more of a soft pretzel hoagie with beer cheese; I don’t think I need to further convince you on how delicious this is.

Fried Pickles are.. well.. fried pickles. The chipotle dipping sauce that they comes with is perfectly balanced and I believe I ended up scraping the container clean.

The Buffalo Chicken Wings were a mix of drums and wings, covered in a sauce that had a slight bite (if you are into hot food) and they weren’t skimping out on meat.

Wings are one of my favorite foods– I eat them on almost a weekly basis– and I approve of these.

The main attraction here are their burgers, though. They are 1/2 pounders made up of Angus Beef and come in an assortment of varieties. A few of my favorites are their California, Maui Waui and the Smokey. (You can find the in-depth information on their menu, here)

However, this time around I decided to change it up and try out their Black Bean & Quinoa Vegetarian Patty. If you are craving meat, get a standard beef patty– but if you are a vegetarian or are just looking to treat your tastebuds to something else, commit to this veggie patty. Now that I say all that– if you dig meat, you can still order this and leave satisfied.

After a few beers, I was craving something a little more on the aggressive side. I had already eaten a plateful of fried-pickles and I still craved more. That is precisely why I ordered up the Fried Pickle burger with veggie patty substitute.

Piled high were fried pickles, tomato, cheddar and pepperjack cheese and chipotle aioli sauce. I’m a sucker for anything chipotle and even more of a sucker for aioli– so that somewhat weighed in on why I ordered this burger as well.

The consistency of the patty still retained a sense of firmness and the seasoning was spot on– which made me not regret passing up on the beef at all. The crispiness of the pickles also added another realm of texture that assisted the veggie patty.

On the note of pickles, their sweet/bitterness accompanied by the chipotle flavoring created a harmony in my mouth. The aioli wasn’t spicy (by my standards) but it was full flavored.

Dinner was washed down by Chicago’s famous and despised Jeppson’s Malort (watch me drink it with Lake Michigan water here..). Faces were made, some people cursed at me for ordering them unwanted shots, others had it for their first time and toughed through it.

Jackson Avenue Pub Overview

Whether you live in Naperville, or are just in the area, Jackson Avenue Pub is worth your time and hunger. As I stated before– this is pretty much my go-to restaurant for not only the food, but the atmosphere as well. Now, rally your friends together– get some Malort in you and order way more than you need. You won’t be disappointed.

Jackson Avenue Pub
7 Jackson Ave, Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 904-9400