After spelunking through Illinois Caverns like amateur Indiana Joneses (minus the snakes, thank goodness), we rolled into Hopskeller Brewing Company absolutely famished and slightly dusty. The building? Straight-up cool. Brick, character, and that “you’re about to eat something awesome” vibe. The sign on the wall gave us the rundown: “Order your drink, order your food, find a seat.” Simple. Direct. Like a tavern quest with no side missions.
🎯 Mission accepted.
We hit the bar first—cold beer in hand within minutes. Their brew lineup is legit: house-crafted beauties, fan-favorite domestics, and a full liquor spread for the cocktail crowd. Basically, if you can’t find a drink here, you might be a camel.
Then came the pizza. Oh, the pizza. I went full flavor-commando with the Cut Across Shorty: honey bourbon BBQ sauce, smoked brisket, red onion, banana pepper, mozzarella AND goat cheese, finished with a drizzle of that sweet BBQ nectar. It was brick oven perfection—crispy edges, fresh toppings, and that slight bend at the tip of the slice that says, “I’m not floppy, I’m flexible.” 🍕💪
We posted up upstairs—TVs in every direction like a sports bar kaleidoscope. The wait for food was about an hour, but they warned us, and honestly? We were too busy sipping cold brews and watching games to care. It was like tailgating indoors with better lighting and zero windburn.
Hopskeller nailed the vibe: casual, tasty, and just quirky enough to feel like a local legend in the making. If you’re coming off a cave crawl or just craving a brisket-laced slice of heaven, this spot delivers.
The people are very nice there . The pizza is really good there. I really like the pizza
wood den
Friendly faces, great pizza
Carrie Sinclair
We have now found our most favorite place. Nostalgic, historically beautifully designed, and so much history with aged barn wood & original McKinley bridge metal railing. Wonderful variety of brewed beer, all you can eat wood fire pizza, soup & salad on Wed for only $18. Cocktails, craft beer & pizza all week with a beautiful outside patio. The owner is incredible hospitable, talented & great place to host a party. Live music on Wed & soon weekends. Great prices.
Krissy Basinger
I liked my frozen drink and loved playing the shuffleboard. Not sure if they serve food from this counter but it was giving me the creeps. We played four games of shuffleboard and this mop head was sitting on the counter most of the time. There were lots of young kids working and they appeared to be working very hard but I kind of think this is unacceptable.
ana!
We regularly make the hour drive from Missouri to Illinois here just because of how much we love the pizza here. It’s such a wonderful place and has a very fun atmosphere during all times of the year. It is in a great part of town so it’s fun to explore afterwards!
Corey Sudja
Great pizza,and great atmosphere for drinking. Their shuffle board table is in good condition, the music is usually good, and their mixed drinks and draft selections are great.
Their white Russians are the best of anywhere I've been, and I don't typically like them.
Elizabeth Davis
The food and drinks here are sooooo good! We had the Just What I needed pizza w/o onions, candied bacon bites, pretzels, buffalo chicken bites and stuffed mushrooms. All were delicious. I ordered the salted caramel white Russian and it was amazing! Chill vibe, nice patio space, and friendly staff. Can't wait to go back!
We used pizza passport for half price. Pizzas are great and reasonably priced. All ingredients are fresh. They use excellent meat toppings too. The crust is slightly burnt around the edge, thin crust and not greasy. It was a perfect pizza. We got the Fat Bottom Girl, and garlic bread. They have a great selection of beer too. Casual. Cool place to hang out with friends and families. Highly recommended.
Athela Aleta
Best bar food & drinks at Waterloo hands down! Loved the pretzels with hot honey. Snag a seat at the bar and enjoy the game
Good pizza, great staff, and nice atmosphere. Super cute building.
🍕🦇 Post-Cavern Cravings: Hopskeller Brewing Review 🏛️🍺
After spelunking through Illinois Caverns like amateur Indiana Joneses (minus the snakes, thank goodness), we rolled into Hopskeller Brewing Company absolutely famished and slightly dusty. The building? Straight-up cool. Brick, character, and that “you’re about to eat something awesome” vibe. The sign on the wall gave us the rundown: “Order your drink, order your food, find a seat.” Simple. Direct. Like a tavern quest with no side missions.
🎯 Mission accepted.
We hit the bar first—cold beer in hand within minutes. Their brew lineup is legit: house-crafted beauties, fan-favorite domestics, and a full liquor spread for the cocktail crowd. Basically, if you can’t find a drink here, you might be a camel.
Then came the pizza. Oh, the pizza. I went full flavor-commando with the Cut Across Shorty: honey bourbon BBQ sauce, smoked brisket, red onion, banana pepper, mozzarella AND goat cheese, finished with a drizzle of that sweet BBQ nectar. It was brick oven perfection—crispy edges, fresh toppings, and that slight bend at the tip of the slice that says, “I’m not floppy, I’m flexible.” 🍕💪
We posted up upstairs—TVs in every direction like a sports bar kaleidoscope. The wait for food was about an hour, but they warned us, and honestly? We were too busy sipping cold brews and watching games to care. It was like tailgating indoors with better lighting and zero windburn.
Hopskeller nailed the vibe: casual, tasty, and just quirky enough to feel like a local legend in the making. If you’re coming off a cave crawl or just craving a brisket-laced slice of heaven, this spot delivers.
📸 Cinematic pizza shot below
#HopskellerHero #PostCavePizza #CutAcrossShortyCravings #BeerMeBBQ #BrickOvenBliss #FoodieFuel #SaturdaySliceSessions #CavernsToCrust
The people are very nice there . The pizza is really good there. I really like the pizza
Friendly faces, great pizza
We have now found our most favorite place. Nostalgic, historically beautifully designed, and so much history with aged barn wood & original McKinley bridge metal railing. Wonderful variety of brewed beer, all you can eat wood fire pizza, soup & salad on Wed for only $18. Cocktails, craft beer & pizza all week with a beautiful outside patio. The owner is incredible hospitable, talented & great place to host a party. Live music on Wed & soon weekends. Great prices.
I liked my frozen drink and loved playing the shuffleboard. Not sure if they serve food from this counter but it was giving me the creeps. We played four games of shuffleboard and this mop head was sitting on the counter most of the time. There were lots of young kids working and they appeared to be working very hard but I kind of think this is unacceptable.
We regularly make the hour drive from Missouri to Illinois here just because of how much we love the pizza here. It’s such a wonderful place and has a very fun atmosphere during all times of the year. It is in a great part of town so it’s fun to explore afterwards!
Great pizza,and great atmosphere for drinking. Their shuffle board table is in good condition, the music is usually good, and their mixed drinks and draft selections are great.
Their white Russians are the best of anywhere I've been, and I don't typically like them.
The food and drinks here are sooooo good! We had the Just What I needed pizza w/o onions, candied bacon bites, pretzels, buffalo chicken bites and stuffed mushrooms. All were delicious. I ordered the salted caramel white Russian and it was amazing! Chill vibe, nice patio space, and friendly staff. Can't wait to go back!
Really like the new crust on the pizza
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food and great service!
amazing pizzas and good service 👍
We used pizza passport for half price. Pizzas are great and reasonably priced. All ingredients are fresh. They use excellent meat toppings too. The crust is slightly burnt around the edge, thin crust and not greasy. It was a perfect pizza. We got the Fat Bottom Girl, and garlic bread. They have a great selection of beer too. Casual. Cool place to hang out with friends and families. Highly recommended.
Best bar food & drinks at Waterloo hands down! Loved the pretzels with hot honey. Snag a seat at the bar and enjoy the game
this place is amazing!! great food and drinks!
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