Nightshade and Dark's Pandemonium Brewing

This place is really fun and had anime and Japanese film playing all night long. Unique and cool. It was very laid-back. You can get drinks at nightshade or food at “up in smoke.” There are four games you can play or you can just watch movies all night while you drink and eat. Would return anytime. The owner is really nice!

I didn't stay long, I was early for a show at the Genesee. So, I stopped in to grab a beer. I'm not a big ale drinker, more into lagers. But the bartender hooked me up with a great ale. I just wish I remembered the name of it.

Amazing bbq offered in the same building as truly unique and scrumptious beers and cocktails?! And live music?! Sign me up. I’ve been here quite a few times since finding this gem and I recommend visiting frequently for mental health purposes <3

I am not recommending this restaurant to anyone. Service is horrible. Customer service is very bad. They are very rude and have very bad attitude. Table was dirty with residual food on the table and chair. Food was cold and nasty. I have not seen any restaurant like this. They gave us food in very cheap plastic container . In a short time I saw 2 mouse in the restaurant. I am wonder how they are in the business.

I absolutely love this place! It's laid back and chill, making it a fantastic spot to relax with a drink. The staff is exceptional, super friendly, and accommodating. We tried a flight of their 24 testers (I believe that's what it's called, don't quote me on that, haha), and every sip was enjoyable. Plus, the BBQ from the food truck on-site was simply amazing! It's definitely worth a visit.

Cool atmosphere, friendly bartender. Every beer we tried was outstanding! They had an awesome big band on a Sunday Night. Fun times ✌🏻

5+++🌟 🙈🙊🙊 Well, 🤫 it is a very eclectic establishment. It's got three different blended businesses. The liquor, the brewing, and the food! All good! Nightshade and Darks is an establishment that can remind you of some of the small city breweries, some of the ethnic type of breweries, and of course some of the best food around. This is more of what you would see maybe in Chicago! It should be a destination. Unfortunately, Waukegan can't figure out how to promote the city and figures that a casino is going to be the end-all be-all answer. Having a good time, spending your money on food, spending your money on some drinks, and NOT feeding the one arm bandit is going to enhance the city and not the politicians pockets! Awesome place, clean, spacious, plenty of board games, a place of community! Jose Cantu from "Up In Smoke" is the pit master! He knows what he's doing.

Neat brewery with classic Ray Bradbury style atmosphere. Lots of different brews so I did a flight of 6 and all were good. Service by the owner was great. They have lots of seating and a small separate cafe inside to cater your hunger.

Finally made it out here! Wanting to try this brewery for quite a while. Took advantage of a quiet evening by paying them a visit. They had Up In Smoke food truck out. We did not have any food there in this night but from what I heard from all the patrons is "we are missing out". I ordered an IPA. It was so good I cannot recall the name but remember it was #10 on the tv screen. My wife order the spicy tamarind mangodo. This is a one of their margaritas and she enjoyed it to where she who barely never finishes it ordered another one! They also had a dj who played some oldies mix. He was excellent! We left after a few drinks but will revisit for sure as the drinks are wonderful, great seating area indoors and outdoors, and the owner is very fond of what he brews.

Great brewery - fun/unique Ray Bradbury-themed names for each numbered tap. Service is alright, I've only been 2-3 times and the bartenders aren't very chatty/enthusiastic but get the job done. I was there St. Patty's weekend and had an Irish Red ale w/ Earl Grey & Plum - very unique, tasty, not too bergamot-heavy but still present. Really pleasantly surprised to see such a stellar spot in Waukegan. Large space, live music, nerdy vibes (there's a Tardis right when you walk in and when I was there 2 weeks ago had a vampire themed art installation on the windows - including Nosferatu, Lost Boys, Queen of the Damned, Dracula...and the OG Godzilla is continuously on one of the TVs. Fun times.) This is one of the spots I try to hit every time I'm in town. (Will write a separate review for the black/female owned vegan spot a few doors down - "The Raw Juice Bar" - since there are no vegan food options here.)

This place is really fun and had anime and Japanese film playing all night long. Unique and cool. It was very laid-back. You can get drinks at nightshade or food at "up in smoke." There are four games you can play or you can just watch movies all night while you drink and eat. Would return anytime. The owner is really nice!

Combined brewery and distillery. It's one of Waukegan's more unique businesses and good stuff to choose from. Nightshade And Dark's Pandemonium is the brewery, and Oppidan is the distillery, under one roof. Good hometown pride is on display inside. There's tributes to Ray Bradbury and more. After looking for local breweries, we had to come get some of the interesting beers. It has a pretty cool atmosphere with room for performances. There's also board games and trivia. A kind of limited but good variety of beers. It's about $8 a pint. This isn't cheap, but they're apparently make a small batch for a lot of these. An interesting one is A Pleasure To Burn. It's a jalapeño lime ale, which is an actual kind of beer, who knew. This of course has spice. Also as far as food, it doesn't have a lot, but there's almonds. It's $8 a bag. These are big bags though. Almonds also include a jalapeño flavor. They also have food trucks with smoked meats and stuff. Good place for trying some crazy interesting beers. It's pretty good stuff but expensive. They also have food trucks.

Food was cold. Ordered the meat sweat and meet was "cold", contrary to the name "sweat". Imagine BBQ meet served cold. Well, this is what it was. The lady taking the order, did not even provided plates to eat, and when asked for a tray or a plate, the attitude was not acceptable. Definitely, a business that faces customers must have a different approach and serve the customers in a professional and courteous way. Sorry, but this place, with great potential, is "rejecting" customers with their service and attitude. I am not coming back and do not recommend it to anyone.

This was such a great experience from start to finish! No matter who goes with you, there is a drink option for them! They have handcrafted beer, wine and spirits. Plus the bbq --- HEAVENLY. I recommend the platter to try all the different meats and then the nachos. I never thought of putting pepper jelly on nachos but it blew me away. The staff was so nice and helpful. They took time to figure out what you would like best. Casual location with plenty of seats, which we had more time so we could use the game wall. We will be coming back!

First off, this place was freezing and we kept our jackets on the whole time because it just wasn't comfortable. I found this brewery via Facebook events (they don't have a real website) and was excited about how interesting their beers looked. I love unique and strange beers, but I have to admit I was left disappointed with the execution and quality of the beers after trying them. The service was good and you can order any amount you'd like in your flight. Some of the beers we tried included the "I was in Love with You Once" Cherry Limeade Sour (way too sweet for my preference), "A Different Kind of Fool" Black Ale with Vanilla and Natural Root Beer Flavor, "Rosemary's Baby" Blood Orange Rosemary (only gave rosemary, no blood orange), "Toynbee Convector" Citrus Peach Saison (was giving Peach Rings candy), and "Illumination" Mocha Cinnamon Blond Ale featuring Civilized Coffee (SUPER cinnamon). Unfortunately the strong flavors were not supported by a full body, depth, or quality that I expect in a good beer. I would not come back for any of these beers. Thankfully the rotating food provider was Up In Smoke and we had some wonderful brisket and mac & cheese to redeem our visit.

Neat brewery with classic Ray Bradbury style atmosphere. Lots of different brews so I did a flight of 6 and all were good. Service by the owner was great. They have lots of seating and a small separate cafe inside to cater your hunger.

Little did I know until I walked in that this is actually a shared space among the brewery and a distillery! However, I did not try the cocktails... stuck to beer. Lots of places to sit... couches, low tables, high tables. You order at the bar. They had 20 beers on top! I stayed with some tasters, and then enjoyed the blind driver ipa pint! Absolutely delicious! A very smooth IPA for those that don't like the bitter after taste. The last behind the bar also walks around and picks up empty glasses so tip her! She is working hard! Although they don't offer food, they had a food truck outside. I enjoyed cheese curds and truffle fries! I believe you can bring your own snacks in too. The people sitting next to us had cheese, crackers, and pretzels. I would definitely recommend this as a stop before heading to the Genessee Theater... its only a block away!

First time here and We really like this place. The beers are great and the had Up in Smoke Creations bbq serving lunch. There is also Oppidan Spirits sharing the space. We called the night before to make sure our poodle would be welcome and she was made to feel comfortable. Really nice day and I can't see why this place isn't more crowded. We will be back.

Beer was ok. Food was ok. Nothing to rave about. Place had plenty of seating between tables outside right on the street, tables inside and some couches. Tried four of the beers. Rosemarys baby was the best. Interesting good flavor. Others were just ok. Ordered food from the bbq truck. Had nachos and bbq plate with pork and brisket. Nachos were by far the best. Pork and brisket were dry. Mexican street corn was good. Would not go out of my way to return but was in the area and wanted to give it a try.

We have been super impressed with Nightshade and Dark's Pandemonium. They are doing their best to provide an amazing place to socially distance during Covid. They have a large portion of the street blocked off in front of the building with plenty of socially distanced seating. The customers have done a wonderful job following the rules and we have felt safe. They've hosted a variety of bands and food trucks that have been fantastic to enjoy along with their beers and cocktails. The service is friendly and super helpful. They have a large selection of beers and are super patient while you decide which one you'd like to try. If you find one your really enjoy you can take some home in a howler - half the size of a growler. We are looking forward to our next visit!

Met a friend here as it was 1/2 way Milw-Chicago west 'burbs...great place to hang out play games, cards, good tunes mix...wish we had something like this by where I live. Mike is a cool knowledgeable dude, his Beers, Spirits Oppidan Solera small batch whiskey WOW. The dude with the bbq truck: pork, salmon, mashed taters, nuts, all smoked so good. Spent 6 hours here, enjoyed every minute- just wish it was a bit warmer. Bring a sweater. I'll be Bach.

Such a unique cool brewery. Met so many of our close friends here. So many different beers to try. Love seeing some big jazz happen there as well. Such a fun ode to Ray Bradbury!

Stopped by after a recent show at Genessee theater. Great atmosphere, lots of seating with couches and tables. Quick service and knowledgeable staff, I couldn't decide so they offered suggestions and a taster. Large variety and beer was very good!

Love this place. Weekend BBQ, Brewery and a distillery. Food was great. Loved the stout and porter. Really nice vibe.

I think they have only been open since September 2019, so be sure to show your support given the madness of 2020 so that they will stay around for some time to come. It would be a shame to lose such a great brew spot with so many great brew options to choose from. The variety truly was impressive, something for everyone and novel profiles to try. I highly recommend that you do so with either a flight or pint of your choice and then follow up by taking a howler of your new fave home to enjoy. If you like IPA's, next in line is really hard to beat, it's a great pour. And if the Westerlees happen to be playing outside, then you really should go because nothing pairs better with fine craft brew than the sultry sounds of the Westerlees in the air while you are sipping and getting sun therapy. Cheers! We'll be back for more.

It's nice to have a brewery that I can ride my bike to and as a fan of Ray Bradbury, I'm certainly a sucker for the theme. I couldn't be happier that this taproom is not only close by, but also awesome. The owners are fun to chat with, there's Godzilla movies and Ray Bradbury TV playing, and there are frequently food pop-ups on the weekends. They've got a great selection of beers of all types. I'm a sucker for Rosemary's Baby, myself and the also usually have a great guest draft from Black Lung Brewing which is owned by a high school classmate of mine. With drink-in services suspended, Nightshade and Dark has howler pick-ups, so check out their social media for info on that. I can't wait to get back into that tap room one of these days so I can get my Godzilla on.

Only open a few weeks now - it's a nice open area with plenty of room for groups. Nice Friday night relaxed vibe. Only a couple of TVs...neither showing sports, but were tuned to sci-fi - Ray Bradbury on one, Godzilla on the other. Saw people eating hot dogs and chips..may be some other simple cold appetizer available as well Beer selection should satisfy just about anyone's desires (but no hefeweizen...which is my fav). A flight of beers is $2 each, but the special barrel aged beer is $4 for a flight sized. A distillery shares the space - will have to check it out on my next visit. Parking garage nearby, but street parking in the immediate area is free after 5pm. Very easy and short walk to the Genesee theater.

So cool that we have a place like this in Waukegan, and especially fitting to take so much inspiration from Ray Bradbury's work. First time I was in was maybe the beginning of fall last year, for one of the nights they were hosting Jazz Wave. I got a flight, and drank it while a big jazz band played. It was amazing, and the place continued to be every time I returned. I'm not a beer guy in the slightest. But I find most of the brews here to be pretty damn good. I want to try all of them, and so far I'm about halfway there. They obviously rotate recipes out, but I'll take notes on any that I try. Not having the palate for brews, my thoughts range from "yeah, that's a beer" to "now that's a beer." Their notes are pretty descriptive if you're like me, and not in that "wine bottle" sort of way where they use frilly language. Even a beginner could pick up on the notes they point out. And so my point overall: some of the best beer around, in my humble opinion. They invite a food truck pretty regularly, always have good music playing, some old classic movies going on the TVs (which I super appreciate), and host events like live bands or trivia nights. It's not a typical bar experience, and I love them for it. Socially-conscious and community-driven had made all the difference. And that's about all I have to say. Thanks to Mike and Terry for bringing such a gem to Downtown Waukegan.

Great atmosphere, great beer, food vendors bring very good selections. They have a wide variety of beers that would make any beer connoisseur happy. This place is a hidden gem. Can't wait to go back.

Great Brewery in the heart of downtown Waukegan. Every beer on the menu is complex and tasty as hell.

Great relaxing location, up to date with COVID standards, nice selection of beers. Our first time there was great, met with excellent customer service, and informative of the brewery. But on our second visit we were still unsure what to get and due to this uncertainty we were met with not the best customer service . We left very bitter afterwards.

We've been waiting for this brewery to finally open up & join the northern IL / southeast WI scene. We first tried their beers last year at a local beer fest & we're thrilled to say a year later they are not disappointing. If you are looking for a great craft brewery - then venture over to Waukegan (just down the street from the Genesse Theater)!