I cannot express how much I love the Local Option. This is far and away the best beer list in Chicago and among the best in the world. That is not an exaggeration, just check out some reviews of it on Ratebeer, etc. The vibe is an interesting one, that is reflective of its beer geek owner and staff. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful if you are overwhelmed by the selection of these strange, exotic, delicious beers. By the way, they also have the best chicken wings I've had in the city of Chicago. read more

Not your average Lincoln Park bar! I'm not a beer drinker so I can't go into any details there, but the food and service here are both great. The beer-battered fries and chicken wings are fantastic. I'd definitely go back for more. Yeah, the staff is somewhat sarcastic and laid back, but that is the point. Especially if you walk around this neighborhood and realize everyone looks like they just popped out of a J. Crew catalog, this place is a great relief. read more

Fried Fish Po'Boys are amazing. While I've never been there my fiancee always has left overs when she went their for lunch with her girlfriends. And I'm always willing to eat the leftovers before she gets a chance to put them in the fridge read more

Beer Stop 5 --- The Local Option was our last beer stop in Chicago, and the best. Great place. I know a few reviews commented that the waitresses are not knowledgeable, but I found that to be false. Everyone knew what they were talking about - but it does help to go in with beer knowledge beforehand. The beer list was great. They had a rare bourbon-barrel stout on tap and a great DIPA as well. We didn't order the food so that was that. Looking at the other tables, the food didn't look that great. I can't wait to come back to Chicago and come here. read more

3.5 Stars Came here for Dinner for Mardis gras since they have a Cajun touch on some of their food. And I must say, not bad. Jumbalaya was a good size, spiced right and tasty. Also had wings that serves as a good appetizer. My friend got the mufaletta which was massive, he enjoyed it. Definitely coming back to try some other foods on the menu. Definitely take some time to check it out. Service is good too. read more

I've never "gone out" here but I've gone for lunch or dinner and beers a ton of times. This place is great. It's low-key, laid back, and the food is incredible. It's a little pricier than your average bar fare but trust me it's worth it. The po' boys are amazing, and the creole mayo is so delicious. There's a jukebox and darts too! I never knew I was a cajun food fan until The Local Option, so definitely give it a shot! read more

Got dragged here on a whim, and I was glad I went! Great beer selection and pretty decent food as well! The bartender was on a Led Zeppelin jag too, which ripped! The artwork is pretty cool, kinda punk, kinda metal, but authentic-feeling. (unlike Bleeding Heart Bakery's cartoonish rendition). I'll be back. read more

Oh, Local Option, why you gotta be in Lincoln Park? I'd be up in your beer menu on the reg if I didn't have to deal with a bunch of shrill Michigan transplants putting their beer snob cap on for the first time swarming around. Its name couldn't be more fitting - it's definitely the local option when in the area and suffers much less from the typical area clientele than other places nearby. Same really sweet, intensely knowledgeable bartender every time I've gone in. Recently, they had about 8 Mikkeller handles, including some single hop gems (still thinking about the Nugget). I paid $9 per beer, which would be excessive if I weren't a sucker for anything that I can't find on the other more selective taps in town. I did have the grossest beer of my life here once upon a time (a Creme Brulee stout), but I take full responsibility as the bartender tried to kindly steer me away from it. I've never had the food but the menu looks to be a step away from the regular bar chow with its cajun flair. Blame Kith and Kin being across the street for my lack of po-boy indulgence, but I'm sure I'll need to sop up some high-gravity goods with more budget-oriented eats one day. read more

Great bartenders! I would recommend this place if you don't like pretentious bars. The manager David is a great guy.

Ratebeer and Beer Advocate have extraordinarily high ratings for this place, so of course I had to check it out. I have to say, like some others I wasn't exactly disappointed it is worth a stop in, the beer selection was excellent and their own brews were above average. However you don't just go to a bar for the beer, atmosphere and company play a huge roll. This place has an OK feeling, low-quality tables in the back with no lighting-kinda cheap; inattentive and unfriendly bar staff. Why is this a trend now in most places? When at a craft beer bar I expect to be able to have an informed and friendly discussion about the beer list among other things. The beer list is on the wall and gives no insight into the styles of each, so if you want to know what this particular beer is, the poor bartender will have to spend his valuable time doing his job. Based purely on beer selection this is a four-star joint. Add the attitude of the staff and it's a three. Not sure how this is the only Chicago beer joint in Ratebeer's top places... read more

The atmosphere might deceive you. From outside it appears to be a local bar catering to the punk rock crowd and all others need keep out. However, our server took us on a beer journey across the world with flavors, smells and notes that made you truly enough beer. While the appearance seems to be harsh stop in because the reception is warm and inviting and one that makes you want to stay a while. Not sure of what to try it's okay just ask for a little help. Be careful you may get more help than you thought but it will be great. I rated it 4 out of 5 because the volume of the music makes it extremely hard to hear. I might just be old. Oh the food btw had the lobster roll and I forgot we were not in Maine. It was delicious and amazing. read more

Love this place. This is my fourth visit. The people that work here are good people that TCB. I've liked everyone we've met here. If you want a rundown of what every beer is then look it up. I have enjoyed the steak tacos, shrimp tacos, jambalaya and po'boy (can't remember which one). My friends and I think the steak tacos are the best. Always the tots. On the negative side is that this place gets expensive pretty quick. read more

This USED to be one of my favorite restaurants until they got new owners and yuppified the place, stripping it of most of its character. They also raised all the prices recently. And limited the scope of the DePaul student discount (boo!) The food is still excellent, though... beer battered french fries, onion tangles, a grilled cheese that nothing can even begin to rival... But i'm still pissed about the first stuff! read more

Yes, yes, yes -- Awesome beers on tap. We had a smashing time and received excellent service from everyone there. We wanted to order food, but the kitchen was already closed (it was after 11 pm.) The owner came over and told us we could order food to the bar, no problem. Cool guy. Cool place. I can't wait to go back and try the food, too. read more

YUM! The food here is amazing. It is on the pricey side, but for bar food - its worth it. Last time I came here, I ordered the crab cake sandwich - what a mouthful! It was fresh and delicious. Next time you visit - order the "hairy eyeball" it's a beer - really potent, but delicious. read more

This place has killer beers. It's not cheap, so be prepared to fork out for the tasty brews, but I have also heard they have PBR which can't cost much but also tastes like diesel fuel...unless you're in Milwaukee. Anyway, they also have great food. The tortilla soup is unique and a great side to try. read more

While I knew the beer selection was good here, I didn't fully expect this. By "this", I mean the vibe at local option. I didn't expect to be in a place that reminded me of bucktown/logan sq as opposed to lincoln park. I had come here to get some dinner and a few beers. The draft selection was really good with a lot of stuff that I would expect only at retail. That isn't to ignore the food. I ordered up a shrimp po boy and got the guac as well. The po boy was really good. They also didn't skimp on the shrimp. I made sure to get onion rings with it as they had been rec'd to me. These onion rings were damn good. The guac was thick and really good as well. The chips that they had weren't normal tortilla chips and were made there. they were a little on the greasy side but they didn't last long anyway. Service was good and it was never hard to get a beer when I wanted. The food was really good as well. This is a real cool spot to come and grab a good beer at read more

This place masquerades as a dive bar, but it's decidedly not - sitting in this place feels like sitting in a tricked out CTA bus. The inside is dark and a little rapey (just like a CTA bus), but they serve a million specialty brews and offer a number of food options that go beyond the peanuts offered by most dive bars. Catfish poboy was filling, but under-seasoned. Jambalaya was tasty, but it had so much more potential. Also, they served it with what was described as cheesy bread, which I thought would be bread baked with cheese in it, but was literally a slice of rye with melted cheese on top. It was extremely literal. Reasonable prices. read more

My group was looking for a place to eat a quick lunch and this was certainly not the correct spot. While the food was good the service was not up to par. We all felt almost bullied and looked down upon by the waiter because we did not order more than one beer apiece. An automatic 20% tip was included which we felt was not deserved. read more

Great Place! If you like beer - this will be your new idea of heaven. I attended an IWISH ALES CLASS here the other night and was pleasantly surprised. 1. SERVICE: This place was very busy yet I never waited for anything The servers get 5 stars for sure! 2. FOOD: Well I have to take 1 star off because the quesadilla had yellow cheese - I prefer the white cheese. Everything else was great - and if you like steak tacos this is your place. 3. ATMOSPHERE: Fun environment and super clean. read more

This place has food? This place has food, that's really really good?! By the looks of this place, I woulda never had known. I came here with some friends to grab a pre-weekend drink. I got hungry, so I ordered some food. Perhaps it was due to having such low expectations, but I really liked this place!! It definitely beats your average bar food. The beer selection is rather extensive... I like bars that give me options. I like bars that make me think more about the decision I am about to make. I have had enough blue moon, 312, and bass to last me a lifetime. The atmosphere is not ideal, or at least for my taste. The entire time I was there I was hoping they would lower the volume of the heavy metal blaring from the speakers above us, so that I could actually catch a few words of what my friends were discussing on the other side of the table. read more

Went for drinks with some friends. I'd actually never heard of it but was pleasantly surprised. Great beer selection...seeing Bells on tap made me smile. Didn't eat but the food looked great. They played pretty fantastic music all night long which is a huge plus when picking a place to go drink for the night. read more

In search of seafood for the night and Yelp had pointed to this place. Lo and behold it wasn't a seafood restaurant but a local bar that did have some seafood options on the menu. We decided to stay. The place had a heavy metal vibe with all the wall decor and music playing but it wasn't bad. The servers helped us with beer selection and they knew their stuff! The food was actually really good too. Had the Swordfish tacos which were tasty! If i'm in the area I may stop back in to try some other stuff but not sure if i'd go out of my way to come. Solid place but nothing that will keep me coming back in a hurry. read more

My boyfriend and his boyfriend absolutely adore this place. Some of the nicest bartenders there. Don't even get me started on the food... WOW!! :) It is beyond some of the best bar food in the area. Get the chicken finger blasters. They are great. Great different vibe for this local neighborhood bar. Try it out. read more

We're in the 'hood a lot and, of the places in that area to eat, Local Option has become our "go-to" place. I never go there for drinks because parking over there is a nightmare. However, I will eat there if I'm in the 'hood and it doesn't disappoint. The menu has food with flavor! Not every thing is deep fried or grilled pub food. It has been seasoned!! So the fish or chicken tacos are nice. The Po-Boy is good (you're not going to mistake it for NOLA good but still...) and the easy menu just goes on. Service is usally pretty good. The wait staff can focus on the bar section a little too long and forget that you're over there. They have even cleaned up the place some, maing it a little less a live than it was before. read more

Had a nice time here, with the windows open there was a lovely breeze. It wasn't too loud and our small party was able to happily chat and have a little book club meeting here. Started with the guacamole, which I actually liked a lot. It wasn't all that oniony (which I really don't like). For dinner I had a grilled cheese (triple decker, super exciting!) that was really satisfying. My choice of a side dish was a big dill pickle which was only really a whole dill pickle (not that big) but it was tasty... read more

I used to frequent The Local Option with classmates while still in school. I haven't been over there in a while, but recommended this spot in my fairly critical review of John's Place, which is just down the street. I've never been to The Local Option on a weekend or at evening, so I can't speak with any authority about its nightlife appeal, but I always enjoyed the food and beer selection here during the afternoons. The staff was always very friendly and accommodating. For a bar kitchen, they really serve up some surprisingly good recipes on American finger favorites, with good product. I think some of their stuff is made fresh, so the prices can be a little high. But mostly, it's reasonable hamburgers, quesadillas, crab cakes, and so on and so forth. Their fries were always really tasty. Lots of beers on tap, some bottles. Good selections. There's a strip of booths and tables in the back of the property, away from the flat-screen televisions and games, which is nice for people who want to be away from the electronic activity. The whole environment is well-kept and relatively clean. Not very complicated. Nice folks, clean business, average bar with better-than-average food. read more

This place is pretty damn cool... I give it 5 stars for being in Lincoln Park but not prissy or pretentious. Tony the owner is usually on hand and really cares about his establishment. He makes sure the beer selection is top notch and something he would like to drink. The staff is all very friendly and also into beer so any questions you have can be answered correctly. If the answers don't make things easier to you the staff is very friendly towards pulling tasters. Booze is a bit expensive but thats because its a beer bar. Its still cheaper than most LP locations. Food is pretty good...I have had the Steak Po' boy, Ahi salad, Grilled Cheese, Quesadilla and Chicken strips...the strips are amazingly good. read more

This place is fantastic! Service is great, beer selection is superb, and the short rib po'boy sandwich is out of this FREAKIN' world! Can't wait to go back. read more

Great draft selection - but it's written on a wall in 'trendy' writing that is difficult to read from afar and only gives the name of the beer, no information about the type. Their staff are really nice and helpful about reviewing the options with you, but it's hard to keep straight what you're looking at since you're essentially waiting for a verbal description (or looking up the names on-line) to figure out what you want to order. The appetizers we ordered were good - quesadillas and the guacamole, but honestly I should've stopped there for food. I think one of my cohorts liked his po boy, but the fish tacos (I got swordfish my other friend got cod) were greasy and just not appealing. So minus two stars for gross tacos and the inconvenience of picking out the beers. read more

Ok. So in the spirit of supporting local breweries, we tried this place out again. It may have been because we came in with motorcycle leathers on, but I felt much more in place here. The staff was open to talking about the beers. The music seemed to fit. And the beers, as always, were good. They have more 3F on tap then anywhere I've seen, other than 3F themselves. read more

I think I'm in love with Local Option. Or at least the concept of a punk rock bar smack in the middle of d-bag Lincoln Park with some of the funniest/friendliest staff around. The owner was awesome and hanging out behind the bar with a Miller High Life chatting up the customers and offering us samples of the bizarre bar list while giving us the lowdown on each one. He even bought us a round and convinced us to delay our plans and stay for an extra hour- I would never have left but then I'd probably have fallen off of my stool. :) Food was good- next time I'll get a little more adventurous but the guacamole and crab quesadillas were delish. ONLY complaint- SO f-ing loud. Like seriously I am used to working in loud bars and screaming but damn! I felt like I was at a Mastodon show at the Aragon. Anyways, super rad spot with an awesome owner and staff. local option I heart you read more

Came here one Monday night with some classmates from grad school. It was early enough that there were plenty of seats available. It didn't seem to get very busy before 11pm. Small, dark, a little loud, casual, metal. But I'm also old. The drink prices seemed high, but this is Chicago, and booze is pricey everywhere. The bartenders weren't super attentive at first, but after tipping on a few drinks, they were a little more interested. There were a ton of unique beers available, a few of which I tried and were excellent. We had some appetizers, which were also tasty, or at least I think they were, considering I was relatively inebriated by the time I ate the fries and . . . whatever else we got. read more

Excellent beer selection. We went specifically for the Zombie Dust on tap. Ended up ordering crab quesadillas whichever were great. Would definitely return. Update: ordered a 2nd round of crab quesadillas and they were great as well. read more

Went on a Sunday when it was packed - apparently out of the ordinary. They had 1 bartender working and she was stretched very thin but handled it great. Beer list is solid and the food looked good too. Went back on a Friday night. Beers were good. If you like their beers and Three Floyds then you will love this place. Had the crab quesadilla's, finger blaster fingers, For The Troops Pulled Pork sandwich and they were all good. Great place to go for some beers and food if you are looking for a laid back night. read more

Every beer known to man. Literally every beer you could ever think of. The best move you can make here is asking the staff what unique beers they have on tap, because they often have beers that are only being served at Local Option! I haven't had the food here yet, but the menu looks great and I'll have to order some the next time I stop in. read more

A gem in Lincoln Park. Beer selection and food make this place a hidden gem. Where else can you get a grouper sandwich in the city of Chicago? Great laid back neighborhood vibe, yet unpretentiously upscale in offerings. You'll love it. read more

Back again , beer list once again outstanding. Got the Avocado Quesadillas they were very delicious. Hummus was also on point. I know I'm a pain in the ass but I wish there was more vegetarian options. Cheers. read more

Drinks: 4.5 Decor: 4 Ambiance: 4.5 Service: 4 Value: 3.5 Very cool atmosphere that seems a little out of place in the neighborhood. Great beer list with good prices though. read more

What's the most important part of going to a bar? Getting a drink, right? This is a difficult thing to accomplish at Local Option. Overcrowded and understaffed means you'll be stuck for a while wedged sideways against the bar trying to get a bartender's attention. If you want dark and edgy, go to Flat Iron or Delilah's. If you want interesting beer, there's dozens of better local options. read more