I really enjoy coming here. I had lunch by myself and was totally comfortable. The staff and patrons are all very friendly and engaging. Today I had the burger and fries with a Bloody Mary. read more

Franklin House - Pubs Near Me - Valparaiso, Indiana

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Start the atmosphere was cool it's a old building along the railroad tracks full of history we were excited for that. We walk in and your hit with the smell of cigarettes hanging in the air....yes smoking is allowed inside you can see that by the ashtray on the tables that killed it for me made me come home and take a shower. But we had heard the food was good so we stayed and gave it a try....we both got Burgers and I will say they were Good ...service that was another story they seemed to be short staffed the Poor Bartender was doing it all serving the bar, being the server for the restaurant, delivering the food and bussing the tables and don't get wrong she was taking care of it but it was slow at times. Would we return No due to the cigarette smell it's been over 10 years since we had been in restaurant with smoking read more

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Franklin House in Valparaiso is one of my favorite dive bars to hit up when I'm in town visiting friends. Fun vibes, tasty drinks, and solid food. Karaoke? A total blast. Games? Plenty to bring out your competitive side. Basically, it's the perfect place to pretend you're a singing and a dart champion! read more

Franklin House - Pubs Near Me - Valparaiso, Indiana

Franklin House is a great bar to grab a bite and drink. Their food is consistent and has a variety of options. As about the secret menu for some meals similar to some fast food favorites. read more

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Townie bar that allows smoking indoors. The indoor smoking is kind of neat but can be rough in the winter when all of the smokers are stuck inside. Staff are quick and attentive. Beers are cold. read more

I really like the Franklin house in the summer. I'm just too old to be squished in there with all of those college kids. I already had my time in life to be squished in bars, except I was in West Lafayette when I did that. Now I actually would like to have a seat when I drink a glass of wine. The service is always good at Franklin house and they do their best to get to you when they're not being bombarded by 100,000 other people. The ambience is dive bar chic. I avoid it like the plague while VU is in session, but you'll find me there in the summer occasionally. read more

Great house burger and good selection of beers Best place in northwest Indiana for a good burger read more

This is a great spot for a quick bite and brew! They have a nice drink menu and food menu. We've been here a few times and the bartender, Nick runs the bar and dining room all by himself and is very efficient! Hub had wings and I had a burger and both were good. Tried their beer cheese and it was super tasty! This is a typical bar scene and has some gaming in the back and they allow smoking inside. There is an option to sit outside if you don't like that type of atmosphere. read more

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Great food!! Only ordered the food to go, never been inside to eat. They have the best grilled chicken sandwich (add cheese and bacon). Had this several times now and it's always great! The fries are good too if they are fresh. Couple of times the fries were hard as a rock and I couldn't eat them, but when they are made correctly, they are really good as well. Definitely my go to place to get food from when in that area. read more

The food was absolutely delicious. The environment was fantastic. The service wasn't too bad. I went on a super busy night, so it took a few minutes to even be able to talk to someone because she was busy. read more

the sandwiches are good,the beer is cold.but watch your step walking to the bathroom there is an unmarked step down 6 inches!I sprained my knee and foot.6 days later I am still on crutches.so have a sandwich but watch your step. read more

New Lent Special! Chronic Tardiness. Wait. What day is it? Flour tortilla. Beer battered cod. Red cabbage. Pickled pineapple. Chipotle tartar. Capers. Who doesn't love a fish taco? What a perfect day for one, or a Pineapple Express. No reason whatsoever. Nope. None at all. read more

Franklin House - Today is special - Pubs Near Me - Valparaiso, Indiana

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If you're looking for a dive bar with some good food and drinks, this might be the perfect spot for you. Not very busy throughout the day. But once the weekend evenings come around, this place is jumping. Two bars to order from inside. Sit at the bar or grab a table, booth, or high-top. There is also outside seating which is perfect in the summer. Live music on some weekends I've been there. Bartenders are always nice and accommodating. read more

Decided we'd give this place a try on a Sunday for the bears game and for some lunch.... Walked in and we were hit in the face with the smell of cigarettes.... Looked around and there were those big black ashtrays sitting on the tables..... had to turn around and walk out..... couldn't imagine smelling like that all day to watch a game and have lunch.... No thanks read more

Fun college bar. Great food and cheap beer. They have a lot of live entertainment. I will definitely return.

Absolute best place place around. Cool history that they embrace, best staff who have real personalities, delicious food, welcoming environment and a great outside area. read more

The girl who runs karaoke is mean and rude. She yelled at my friend when the dude called her on stage.

BEST BAR IN NORTHWEST INDIANA. Nice staff, all are welcome, more beers here than anywhere else, live music, game room, karaoke, award winning burgers, all fairly priced. Like duh, go here. read more

Franklin House - Pubs Near Me - Valparaiso, Indiana

Ok. Heard this place has great burgers! They do. Huge juicy on brioche buns. But it's a dive bar with lots of smokers all around. I sat at the main bar. Loud heavy mist and ashtrays on both sides of me. Smokers galore! I guess there's less smokers in back of building? But to sit at a bar and try to enjoy a beer burger experience, forget it. I get the whole dive bar thing but this bar needs to ban smoking. Great burger though. Quickly served. Good service read more

I've been here many times and have had many good experiences. their wings are surprisingly awesome! the burgers are all great! drink specials every day! read more

Lots of young, drunk locals looking for a fight. Food is ordinary and not tasteful. But, price is a single $.

Wow let me start off by saying whoa what the smoker's den have I gotten myself into, does this place come with health insurance or is there an Obama Care kiosk in the backroom? The floors *lets out a drawn out sigh* immaculate, so clean I was tempted to order a house salad, dump it on the floor and get at it. I enter the establishment and to the left, a music stage the size of a bathroom and a karaoke set up so thrown back I could have sworn Jeff Sessions dad had local flyers on where he misplaced it. I draw my eye to the back, dart boards, rambunctious pin ball machines and an air hockey table that lets out enough coolant to make the EPA lift an eyebrow. We venture back around to the bathroom, the western double doors and keg urinals made my back molars grind, but I refrain. The service, boy oh boy the service, these worker bees took an adderall cause that shit was on POINT, *looks at the floor* almost better than the floor. Then I asked for a coke and this bearded unicorn doesn't even charge me, my jaw dropped like a loony toons cartoon. They only charge for alcoholic drinks, what a feature. Now the people, I understand the bar can't control who comes to Franklin House, but god damn I haven't seen this many white people red faced since Mumford Sons new album got 2 out of 5 stars by Rolling Stone. Barbacoa tacos just arrived *takes a bite* damn that's authentic but quietly dry, so I eyed that cholula across the bar and made it happen, *kisses three fingers* perfection. Overall review: You'll see me again read more

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Me and my buddy went for his 21st got some drinks pretty quick and got a bite to eat with it after a few hours, wings were good and crispy def didn't expect the food to be that good, caught me by surprise! read more

Franklin house is what it is. It's a bar for people that want to be there. What the hell does that mean? It means if you like a divish type bar that frequently has bands, good service and moderately priced drinks, then you'll like this place. If you're looking for a bar to listen to some Justin Tumberlake and talk about your new puppy squashing SUV, you probably won't like it. Cons: - It's pretty noisy so a conversation with more than one person can be difficult. - It can get pretty smokey which only sucks if you're a non-smoker. Pros: - Good beer selection. - Good servers/bar tenders. For those of you that associate tattoos and piercings with bad service or bad people, feel free to stay away from here. Better stay away from most of the other bars in northwest indiana as well. Once I invent my time machine, I'll let you know and you can travel back to 1950 when wholesome people walked the streets. read more

Franklin House - Pubs Near Me - Valparaiso, Indiana

This place had decent bar style food and the ambiance is definitely old school bar. Looks like they have live music based upon the stage but we stopped by for lunch so don't know for sure. Service wasn't prompt but she was friendly when she was able to help us. They allow smoking inside which wasn't the best but I will visit this place again sometime. read more

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Incorrect balances, no bartenders during earlier hours - too busy smoking in the parking lot. Note: they kick people out for complaining about not being served a beer for 45 minutes (bartenders not helping others, just simply not present at bar). read more

If you're looking for a dive bar with great food and an incredible beer list, this is the place for you. I had come here quite a while ago with my girlfriend and some friends of ours. We had drinks but our friends did order food. One had wings and one had a burger and they both said the food was very good. More recently, we've gotten burgers to go and they were very good. Even more recently, I took a buddy of mine here for a late dinner and a couple beers. They have some specialty burgers and also the 'build your own burger' option. They also have the 'build your own' option for several other sandwiches. After mulling over the choices, I asked the bartender what she recommended. She recommended the 'House Burger' and assured me that I would not be disappointed. I was a little leery being that the aforementioned burger consists of Swiss cheese, bacon, a fried egg, peanut butter and mayo all on a pretzel bun. Now don't get me wrong, I like everything I listed above, but on a burger? I decided to take her advice and was so glad that I did. My buddy got the same thing and he was impressed also. The flavor combinations worked so well together and the burger was cooked perfectly. The next night, my girlfriend and I came back. She did the 'build a burger' thing and I got the 'House Burger' again just so she could try it. Let me explain something about my girlfriend (who I love dearly). As far as food goes, she can be quite particular when it comes to flavor combinations and textures. Well, she was also impressed by this one and said that it was very good. I like my burgers cooked medium (like they should be) but she prefers hers more well done. Other than hers being a bit underdone for her taste, everything was wonderful. I also enjoyed a couple beers from their expansive list of craft beer. My girlfriend also tried a few sips of my 3 Floyd's Moloko, a delicious milk stout. She is not a beer drinker so I give her lots of credit for trying something new and very different. I know that there are other good 'gourmet' burger places in the area, and I'm not talking about the vastly subpar and overpriced Red Robin, but I think the Franklin House is going to be my go-to place for burgers given their absolute deliciousness and also their close proximity to my abode. read more

This is the solid bar with consistent drinks; they would get another star or two if they would stop bringing live bands/karaoke on the weekends.. read more

went to franklin house this NYE 2023-2024. when we arrived, there was a sign on the door saying they closed at 7 pm for a private party. we checked their instagram and facebook the day of to make sure they were open, and they didn't have any posts. after the 45 min uber from crown point, we saw their sign and had to uber back 45 min immediately after to go somewhere else. you would think a business establishment would at least let their customers know they would be closed on such a big bar night. 0/10!!!! big disappointment on their part. read more

Wings are mushy and weird. The food tastes like college kids took a bunch of freezer food and threw it in their community dryer. Atmosphere is terrible. Dark, smokey, and small. Eyes actually start to burn if you're there long enough. Franklin doesn't attract Valpo's best by any stretch. Great place to get a STD. read more

Chris was a phenomenal tender of the bar last night. Attentive, polite, efficient, and a quality bartender. Not a regular, but he took the time to ensure my friends and I were taken care of. Didn't even complain a lot the shot of water for the preggers. Haha read more

Prepare to burn your clothes afterwards. the smell of smoke is so strong it will burn your eyes and your clothes will smell horrible. The food is from the frozen section of your local grocery. The staff was nice but under staffed, so it takes an hour to get microwaved food and a beer. read more

They've been voted the best burger in Valpo. Though I didn't order one this time around (my first and only burger experience with them ended in it tasting burnt, but I'm not opposed to trying one again), I split wings with my husband, habanero buffalo, and they were good! The wings were meaty and the sauce was incredibly spicy, but flavorful. Their fries are delicious, too. On Tuesday's they have 1/2 off alcohol so our beers were all 1/2 off. The bartender was really friendly and attentive to us. There is smoking in the bar, but while we were there it wasn't smoky. It's a fun place at night to get some drinks and hang out, too. read more

So, we kept hearing how amazing the food was here. As non-smokers after reading reviews we were hesitant about going here. We decided a Monday at noon could not be that bad. The smell when you walk in will saturate your clothes with cigarette smoke. It's whatever. Our bartender was friendly enough and no complaints about service. She deserved a nice tip. I read the hamburgers were the best in the region. Um, no....well done. Hardly any flavor. Definitely don't go here for the burgers. Whoever gives great food reviews has not been to radius, stacks, octave or big time burgers. Typical bar food. For bar food....yes, it's satisfactory. We left with lung cancer and my kids got burgers from Radius which were much better..if you are looking for a bar with smoking and decent bar food....this is your place. read more

Great quick service, however if you do not like smoking, this may not be the place for you. This establishment allows smoking inside.

I called and was told this is a smoking bar. Came in to have a cigar and the bartender/owner told me no cigars and was very rude and dismissive. Will not return. read more

Great burgers and really friendly staff. Really really great burgers and fries. Also a good beer selection. Only issue it's not really family friendly. Think smokey dive bar with great food. But just adults or carry out it's awesome read more

I wanna have Erik Bakrevski's love-child. Btw - get the fucking ramen.... you can thank me later (which is now a Wednesday @3pm staple). Also - this is a smoking establishment.... you delicate flowers bitching that have, obviously, forgotten you still live and northwest Indiana - and, as such, are inhaling more pollutants on the daily than most places in the country.... get over yourself and your sensitivities... who really wants to live to 60+ anyways???? read more

carrie is so rude!! we brought business and is rude for what? we gave her a tip and was rude. and she was rude for her for the rest of the party. we are here for some tots and beer. and yelled at my party read more

Drinks are great, food is great, prices are great...just PLEASE GO NON-SMOKING! I moved back to Valpo from Chicago were you can't smoke anywhere and I hate smelling like an ashtray after leaving here. There's ZERO air movement so on a busy night it can be unbearable. read more