About Us - Wild Onion Tied House

Our History

The Wild Onion Brewing Company was founded in 1996 with the simple goal of brewing the finest beer available to local beer drinkers. Our original brewery was located two blocks away from our current Lake Barrington Location and was pieced together with used dairy tanks in a small warehouse. As we grew our keg and bottle sales throughout Chicagoland, we began to dream of building a taproom and pub on the site. That dream became reality when the Onion Pub opened it’s doors to the public in 2003.

Our goal is simple: to provide a quality dining and beer-drinking experience in a space that inspires. We brew our ales and lagers in a 11,000 square-foot brewery, cellar and packaging complex. You are guaranteed only the freshest beer. Our foods are created with the same commitment to freshness and quality, using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible.

A Historic Landmark in Oak Park

The Wild Onion Tied House is located in a 100-year old theater building, formerly known as “The Playhouse Theater” that opened in 1913 and designed by prolific Oak Park-based architect E. E. Roberts. A unique feature of the original building was its motorized roof. While the motorized feature has been removed, we have maintained the skylight feature that flood the Tied House with natural light.

Our Green Initiative

The Wild Onion Brewery and the Onion Pub are located on a 20-acre site that was originally used as a gravel quarry during the 1950’s and sixties. When we purchased the property in 2000, the back 2 acres had become a garbage dump, and the entire quarry (11 acres) had been scarred by a failed attempt to create a scuba diving site. The sand and gravel banks were covered in green astroturf with no vegetation, and the lake bottom was littered with a liner covered by tires and concrete. In essence, the site was dead and lifeless, scarred with fifty years of human impact.