Seems like every time they add another beer selection to the already wonderful list, the music decibels goes up. I am not sure why their management think that very loud music is okay :( read more

The food should not be this good at a bar! I had Ahi tacos for lunch with tater tots--so good. I noticed a very robust wine list, too with some lovely wines. I will be back often. Thank you! read more

I'm almost thinking that there should be a law that sleazy business guys should not be allowed to go to a bar on their lunch hour and throw back shots with their busty server whose ass they talk about every time she is questionably out of earshot. That's right, the server sat down at the table with them and was taking shots. But what am I thinking? This is America and the Franklin Tap seems to cater to the alpha male businessman who needs to drink both on his lunch break and after work as well. That's my best guess for reason all of the gals are in tiny tank tops and push up bras. But at least they are wearing jeans and miniskirts to balance it out. One might only need to provide pantyhose and orange shorts and we'd be magically transforming the Tap into a Hooters. Anyhow... that's the atmosphere. Food wise I came in for lunch on a weekday, ordered a burger medium-rare, and got medium well. Ordered a cherry coke/pepsi and got diet. Our server was borderline unfriendly... seemed to warm up a little towards the end, but overall seemed to be in a zone. Or maybe in drunk alpha male businessman defensive mode? Understandable, but either way the vibe wasn't warm. Franklin Tap isn't the stupidest or dirtiest sports bar in Chicago by any stretch, and it's not even a hole in the wall. But hole in the walls have character (sometimes), and the Tap needs a serious injection of that to make me ever want to come back. Either that or step up the food a notch... the burger I had was worse than what I could have had at the neighboring McDonald's... and obviously that's not saying much. read more

We went in on a Monday with our Groupon and discovered that mix drinks were half price. Apparently by "mix drinks" they meant "anything with alcohol", because we definitely got Patron Silver shots for $3.50. Monday night buzz. Jenga! The food was really good, though the service was slooooooow. The restaurant itelf almost manages to be cute, but falls just short. It's sort of...gourmet cafeteria feel. However, it appeared to be clean. From what I could tell in the extremely dim lights, anyway. read more

Definitely a Loop bar.... you know; packed on Thursday and Friday from 3pm-9pm... just until all the Walmartian suburbanites realize they need to get back to the other side. However they do have pretty good specials. Example: Wednesday $3 Imports Thursday $2 Blue Moons read more

We end up coming here for lunch all the time since it's just around the corner from the office. I've never been wowed by the food. It's pretty standard burgers, wraps, salads. Nothing to write home about. They can get you in and out pretty quick for lunch. Service is hit or miss--they're either super sweet and attentive or you're sitting there for 15 minutes waiting for someone to take your drink order. The tater tots are a must. read more

Craft beer = me praising the gods that I can actually have a drink. Good food, bodering on great food! Plus, the hot bartendar, Joanna, makes the whole thing worthwhile. If I swung that way, I would be broke by the end of the night because I would give her all my monies. They have an impressive selection of all different types of crafy brews, which I love. Tried the Gubnah IPA last time, and absolutely loved it. Partly because the name, but also because it was super delish! I would recommend to firends for sure! read more

Why is attempting to find a Loop bar like searching for the Holy Grail? Franklin Tap is another place that just has too many wrongs. First off, the place is called Franklin TAP and has a wall full of beer taps, but only three beers on tap. The rest are all served by the bottle from servers that consistently appear not to care about anyone or anything. The food should be avoided. It looks like it was deep fried, frozen, and then deep fried again. There are a good amount of HD TVs and the noise level isn't defeaning, but it still leaves something to be desired. read more

Ugh...do not go here. We often go here for happy hour after work and every time I leave there feeling disappointed. I have never been satisfied with the service; the waitresses will walk right by tables without noticing empty glasses and thirsty patrons. The music is WAY too loud. On one occasion we had to ask the staff to turn down the music just so our party could carry on a conversation; and this was at 4 pm...??? The drinks aren't reasonable, or extraordinary for that matter. I ordered Peach Schnapps with cranberry juice, but was instead brought peach vodka. The food there is OK...nothing to write home about. Oh, and after a certain time you can't get water. You have to buy bottles of water...what a waste. read more

I come here every week or two as work permits. The beer selection is always interesting as it rotates frequently. This is an excellent spot for business venture if you wish to treat them to a local brewery bar on the loop. As far as the staff go they are awesome. If you get a night Cynthia is working you won't be disappointed with her local beer knowledge and her attention to every customer that comes in. As best I can describe, it's like a little piece of a real local Chicago bar available to everyone in the loop. She will leaving you smiling and happy trying some local craft beers while feeling like you fit right in here in Chicago. read more

I've worked in the area for almost 10 years, and this is normally a great spot. It gets crowded for happy hours but they usually have some really good beers on tap and the service is generally above average. However....after my experience last night I will not be going back. Before I go any further, I just want to give a huge shout out to Julia - she is one of the best waitresses on staff, and I would like to give her 5 stars. Now, onto the review. I have never experienced anything like this before: one of the members in our group was over-served, but we were asked as an entire party to leave. It's one thing to have 1 person removed, but to punish the entire group...where do they get off? Julia closes out, we leave a nice fat tip for her fantastic service, and immediately Cynthia and Kayley tell us that 'we're cut off' and give us the 'you're outta here' sign with their hands. I'll admit to one of our group members needing to be be done drinking (which she was), but to ask the entire party to leave is just plain rude. read more

Wanna do happy hour? Sure? Where? I don't care...something close. That about sums up Franklin Tap. It's just a place in the loop to grab a drink. Nothing special about it...although it does get pretty crowded on a Thursday evening. The food is decent..but not a place you go to for their food. Oh...one thing to note is that they have made some huge strides in improving their beer selection. You can find some nicer options from Half Acre, Goose Island, and other breweries. The servers have always been nice here. read more

Good looking waitresses + below average food = 2 stars. I couldn't even move it up to 3 for the waitresses sake. :) Rainy chilly day, I wanted something warm n comfy at the sametime be veg. Menu was typical boring bar food. but the adult grilled cheese n the daily soup ending up being creamy tomatoe. The best soup n sandwich combo that ever existed! The soup was very watery, somewhat bland, n had a crunchy veg at times in there I couldn't even pick up. A root of some sort or celery on a very bad day! Lol. The grilled cheese was horrible whomever came up with Texas toast w/provolone n American cheese with a tomatoe consists of an adult grilled cheese is beyond me?!? In the middle of the cheeses it was still not fully melted(probably due to the fact of the genius thick bread...lol) n on the outside felt like it was under a cold warming station. To all my grilled CH eaters, we all know this needs to be served hot! Besides cute waitresses this place has no reason for me attending again for lunch. read more

whoa, whoa, whoa, some of these reviews are out of line. This place is crowded, sure, but it's because they are located close to were people downtown can go after work, they have great specials, and the staff is great (not to mention easy on the eyes). Why would anybody hold it against a place that takes reservations and upholds said reservation. If anything, it should be the opposite. I would be pissed if a place said they'd reserve a table and then when I got there they were like, "oh yeah... about that... a guy that was just passing by decided to take your table." Um, no. You want a table, call ahead... otherwise just deal with it like you would with the other 3,000 restaurants in Chicago that take reservations and operate in the exact same way. The good: Pretzel Heaven! wow, great and great. All the appetizers are 1/2 off on Thursdays and $2 beer specials. (See why it's packed? $2 for a beer downtown?... I felt like I should have worn a skimask while ordering). Again, the staff was great and very attentive... which is refreshing when you're in a sportbars that is packed to capacity. The not so good: They could have had more beers on tap, but then again the name stems from necessity. You wouldn't want to call it the Franklin Bottle... or Franklin Great Appetizers. All the happy-hour booze-hounds would walk right by it. It was a little loud and a little out of the way for me to visit regularly, but I had a good time. read more

Stopped in after work on a very snowy Friday night. I stupidly thought that the dreary weather would keep the crowds at bay but it seems that slushy streets and the threat of an extra long commute won't deter those trying to get their happy hour on. The place did clear out around 7 er so which leads me to believe that it was mostly an after work place to grab a few drinks before heading home. My friend and I had a few beers and split the Cuban sandwich which was okay and made much better since it's served with a side of tots. I"m happy to come back in but I can only imagine that the bar is even more packed when the weather is less-frightful. read more

I came there with my family (4 people total) and we had a great time. Our server, Rachel, was the main reason we had a great experience. She was helpful, positive, and attentive. She is a great waitress/hostess! We saw her helping serval other tables and still managed to attend to us. The bartender didn't make our cocktails too well.. but She fixed it super quick! Def coming back again! read more

Decided to visit Franklin Tap one Friday during happy hour with my boyfriend, his mom and aunt. Initially it seemed like we picked the perfect spot but that quickly changed. After ordering drinks and appetizers, we never really saw our server again. Our aunt was not pleased with her drink which she expressed to the waitress but she did not do anything to accommodate our party. We wanted to order another round of drinks but couldn't even find our waitress to order them. Multiple times we had to flag down the male server to ask him for our second round and eventually our check. I would have been more understanding if the place was packed but it wasn't. Probably won't return anytime soon. Pro of the trip: Spinach and Artichoke dip was amazeballs!!! read more

We hosted a large corporate happy hour here (40+ people) on Friday, to much success. The Franklin Tap team was proactive in helping us plan food options and get a price point, as well as get the space setup to accommodate the group. During the event, the staff was patient and always around, and were clearly working hard to ensure the needs of the group were met. Personally, I didn't wait more than 5 minutes to be able to place another order when my drink was empty, and the food options were tasty snacks. We'll definitely be coming back here - you should too! read more

I was surprised to see the tappers displayed on the wall of Franklin Tap, but not many beers on tap. And the beers they had were not anything special by any means. Not that I am some sort of beer snob, but I know that when a beer snob orders a Blue Moon by default, there's something wrong. The hummus was tasty, the crowd was laden with suits and business attire. I liked it. :-) Our waitress was super attractive and attentive, which is a bonus-squared. The rest of the finger foods listed on the menu sounded appetizing (the calamari and something else which I can't remember) but I was heading to dinner so I couldn't over-order as I usually do. I plan on trying something when I return for a few more Hours of Happiness. read more

Never got a chance to actually drink here because there was absolutely no service. I walked in, was carded and the servers knew where I was. I made eye contact with two servers sitting near the door chatting (assuming they may come over) after about 15 minutes I gave up and went somewhere else. Absolutely awful. I am on vacation here and just wanted a drink. Went down the road to a tavern. Was not the cutest or the nicest looking place but everyone was friendly and actually served us. read more

My 3 coworkers and I had a very nice lunch here this week. I had fish and chips. Two nice size, crunchy pieces of fish. The malt vinegar was a nice condiment. I did not care of the creamy coleslaw. Fries were good, of course. Service was excellent. Three out of the 4 of us were on expense accounts and the waitress happily split the check as requested, processed 4 different credit cards and delivered the proper receipts to everyone. Nice job. I will return. read more

I think I have a new favorite happy hour Loop bar. Drink specials? Check. Here's the rundown: Monday - all mixed drinks 1/2 price Tuesday - $5 select martinis, silver patron margaritas, silver patron shots Wednesday - $5 wines by the glass, $3 bottles of beer Thursday - $2 pints of Blue Moon, Miller Lite and a "featured selection" (last night was St. Pauli's Girl) Friday - $5 Effen cocktails Food specials? Check. Can we say 1/2 off appetizers after 6 pm provided you order a drink and don't get it to go. The apps are pretty cheap already but with the 1/2 off, they're ridiculously cheap to the point where you pretty much just want to order one of everything. Oh and the food is pretty good. Standard bar fare but I enjoyed everything I ate. Service? Reasonably decent, considering how crowded the place gets. Our server last night was attentive and made sure the drinks kept coming. No complaints here. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is because of how crowded it gets. My group lucked out in that a table opened up right when we got there but there isn't a ton of seating for the most part. Due to the crowdedness, expect a lot of people bumping into you and possible drink spillage. Also, the place only has one bathroom per gender so the lines can pose a problem (I was THIS close to making the female bathroom a unisex one just for me). But all in all, Franklin Tap is a great place to grab some food and drinks after work. I'll definitely be back! read more

My lunch buddy decided to pick this place... 1 mile away from my office! So a nice mile trek through drizzly Chicago, and grabbed a seat to get a nice relaxed lunch in... Lots of TV's, on all sort of different sports channels, so a nice place to catch some games... Ordered up a Cobb Salad (paleo day) and a milk stout. Cobb salad was pretty damn good, surprisingly, for a bar/restaurant! Everything tasted fresh, the bacon was crunchy, the egg was cooked just about right, and the diced chicken was a decently generous portion. Price was city pricing ($12 for a salad?) so not spectacular, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. Milk stout, which I believe was on draft, was tasty. While they took a bit of time to bring it out, the waitress explained that it's due to how they pour, settle, and repour the milk stout to get the right consistency. In all honesty, I didn't know so much goes into pouring a milk stout properly. $6.50 for a glass, which again is about standard pricing. Verdict: It's an okay place to grab a bite and drink. The after 5 drink specials looked nice, but probably a little further than most of my office crew would want to walk. I go out of my way to come here unless I was meeting up with someone who requested it. Bonus: The waitress actually asked if we had our passport cards, which is something they gave local offices to get a BOGO entree. Shame I'm not local enough... but nice of the waitress to check! read more

The service is rarely good, usually mediocre. Food is actually pretty tasty. I think they get by solely based on the lack of competition near the Sears Tower/311 S. Wacker. It's a completely acceptable place to grab a beer for Happy Hour with friends or co-workers. read more

I go here on occasion to hang out with the guys at work. Yes we are computer geeks, but unlike in Rachel M's review, we don't sexually harass the waitresses. Of course, that area is densely populated with professional computer geeks. There really isn't anything too special about this place but it's location. The wait staff is courteous and are attentive yet will leave you alone if need be. One star for proximity to my workplace, one star for competent wait staff, and another for decent drink specials. In the 6-7 times I have been here I have yet to encounter any negative experiences. I have yet to eat here but only because I am not really a bar food kind of guy. read more

Came out here for a Happy Hour that I organized. The place was packed to the rafters, which surprised the heck out of me. Not sure if it was due to a Bears game (rare Thursday night game) or what, but it was rather loud. Now, normally if you are with a large group, Franklin Tap will require one tab. We somehow talked the waitress into keeping multiple tabs. The waitress was super helpful with that. Also, big time thank you for keeping the 4 tables reserved - we would have been in a lot of trouble had we not had our tables, and even bigger thanks for keeping the tables near the door so we can easily find guests. Our waitress was great, she made sure we always had drinks. Major kudos to her! All in, the location is a bit out of the way, but we'll probably do another Happy Hour here sometime in the near future. read more

I thought this place was alright when I went. My co-workers go here all the time but since I don't generally hang out with them I had never been until recently for a going away party. They have a decent beer selection and I thought it was a nice oasis from the generally cr@ppy bar choices in and around the West Loop area. Our server was really nice, hepful, attentive and friendly. She even was cool about the Smithwick(sp?) ladies coming in and buying our whole table a round, which she had to go get but didn't add to her tab. We all got water no problem and refills when necessary. Maybe we we lucked out but I thought the place was decent for sure. A good choice for the area but I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. Unless I was in the West Loop wanted some late night eats and didn't feel like a gyro or heading really far west to Bottom Lounge. Bathrooms are a bit sketchy. I know the place is pretty small but one toliet per gender is not enough. RrL read more

Franklin tap is good place for unwinding after work. We went on a monday night and used the groupon. The food was good (we had chipotle quesadilla, fish and chips, pulled pork sandwiches, sweet potatoes fries) and the service was prompt and attentive. Somehow they mixed up our food order and it took a little longer to get the main dishes but they completely comped our food once they realized it so we have no complaints here. read more

Been here twice more, once for lunch, once after work on a Friday with co-workers. The burgers here are pretty good. Right amount of grease, cooked to order. Service is fast at the bar ... but who wants to eat a burger at a small bar where the barback is washing dishes inches away from your bun, undoubtedly hitting it with spray? No thanks, gross. Eating at a table the next time. Despite concerns from first visit, their scotches are not universally? regularly? always? watered down. Had a Glenlivet and Glenmorangie, colleague had a Glenlivet and a Laphroaig, we were both satisfied. Yes, I know, we were drinking scotch at a tap joint. Sue us. I had a high-ABV brew ... Belgian? Monk something ... as well. Coming here after work can be tough, but in finding no table for 8 people for a good 45 minutes, until someone left, I did discover they do reservations. Good to know for future work-related visits; this place is literally across the street from us, so there will definitely be future visits. Waitress was patient with us as we converted from bar to table ordering. Appetizers (nachos, something else vaguely Mexican) were decent. read more

Location, Location, Location. I don't know if I would go here if it wasn't for where it was placed. Working across the street and a buddy that lives next door, it has been our go to place quite a bit, mainly for the great priced drinks and an occasional appetizer. Been here a couple times for lunch and dinner, but their food is really par with everybody else and nothing really extravagant. Mainly just come here as a great happy hour place. Their board is always stocked and changing with great beer selections, but the only thing really consistent with the place is their daily specials and their ability to always be out of the beer i'm looking to try. Everything else is just a guessing game. Am I going to get an awesome waitress or am I going to get a slow grumpy one. Do I get fresh chips or ones that have been dried out for a couple of days. Somedays you just never know. Some times the place is packed on a Monday and sometimes it's completely did, just luck of the draw sometimes. Haven't really had a terrible experience here, as we still find ways to coming back, but really haven't had a great experience so putting it right in the middle of the road with 3 stars. read more

I went here last Wednesday with a GroupOn offer that expired at the end of March. Apparently everyone waited to use their coupon until the last day because the place was packed. You have to seat yourself, which may prove difficult to keep track of patrons. Despite the wind, my husband and I decided to sit outside. A few minutes after we sat down, the waitress came over with menus and immediately asked us what we wanted to drink. Uh, I've never been here before so how the heck am I supposed to know what you offer? I hate it when they do that! Anyway, Franklin "Tap" is a deception - they have like 4 draft beers, the best being Blue Moon. I guess they felt naming themselves after the display of taps on the wall was clever - I'd rather see the taps in use at the bar! I ended up getting a Ruby Red cocktail - pretty good, but was not sugar-rimmed as described on the menu. It came in a martini glass, and the waitress told me to hold onto it cause the wind might tip it over. So just after I ordered my second drink, I realized that I should have told the waitress to put it in a smaller glass that wouldn't tip over. She was on the other side taking care of someone else, and when she turned towards me, I raised my hand to flag her down. Do you know what she did? She put her finger up as to say "one minute" and proceeded back inside the bar. OK, bite your tongue, Laura! Holy Hell, you NEVER do that to a customer. And if you do, you must come back immediately. Well I waited about 10 or 15 minutes until she came back, and I was not happy. The food was nothing special. The homemade chips and blue cheese would have been good, but the chips were way too salty and greasy. The salmon sandwich was weird - they put it on two slices of bread instead of on a bun. If they would change that one thing, it would have made a world of difference. I know they were really busy, but they should have known what they were getting into when they offered the GroupOn deal. There are plenty of other bars that are much better that I will be visiting in the future. read more

recently i visited the tap thru a friend of mine. The whole staff is gorgeous so as a women i felt intimidated. but they were all so nice and efficient... the food was great and you never had to wait for a drink. period.. if you like "eye candy" with great service... go for it. read more

Convenient location for post-work drinks. Surprisingly not packed on Friday just after work - this might be my new spot for happy hours! We had a big group and the waiters were nice enough to move tables around to get us all together. The beer selection is not incredibly impressive, but it's certainly better than your average bar with just a few American beers on tap. The spinach artichoke dip was a strange consistency - big pieces of artichoke. Good, but requires a spoon to put on your chips! The chicken fingers and dip were also very tasty. read more

My girlfriends and I decided to meet up here on a Thursday because they had a pretty good beer special. We just wanted to chat and have some snacks and drinks. This place looks like nothing special. It's just a regular normal bar. You know, chairs, a couple of flat screens, alcohol type art on the walls. It's fits the basic need when you just want a drink. I will say that I wad very impressed with our waitress! She was so cute and friendly. Very attentive. We also orders a couple of appetizers. Both were great! I recommend the homemade chips with blue cheese sauce and the hummus plate. Super yummy! I will be back. read more

When I work out of my Chicago office, co-workers and I come here after a day of work. $5 effen drinks on Fridays... 'nuff said. read more

Beer list is okay to goodish. You can find some decent drafts here. Food is average. Price is right if you use a "Passport Card" for a two for one lunch (note you need to bring someone for this to work). Service is below average, as the kitchen is so slllooowwwww. Waitresses are okay but not great, they could pick it up a little but it is not their fault that the kitchen is terrible. read more

Decent place to grab a drink after work My office is right next door to Franklin Tap, so whenever my co-workers and I are in the mood to sit down and have a quick bite, we usually come here. The service isn't incredible, they come around every so often but half the time your looking around the room wondering when they'll come back. The food is okay, nothing special or rave worthy. The beer selection is probably one of the best things they offer - usually a lot of local brewed beers and seasonals. My recommendation - Cobb salad... I've tried a good variety of their options (chicken wrap, salmon BLT, Fish and Chips) and nothing was worth getting again. read more

Great menu! Quick lunch service. Tasty food. It's a bit loud for some with music, TV, and other tables all making noise, but it's not over the top. The tacos are tops! They have surprisingly delicious ones, even if only a couple options there. read more

I had the bacon cheeseburger with the whiskey sauce in the side- DELICIOUS! I highly recommend. I paired it with tater tots and it was perfect. read more

Favorite place to grab lunch and a beer with coworkers during the week! It does get pretty crowded during the day but they take reservations which is always nice. Delicious food and good craft beers at reasonable prices. Their tater tots are amazing and service has always been great. If you aren't lucky enough to grab a table, walk down the street to their sister bar, Cactus Bar & Grill.. just as good! read more