So there i am sitting in amazement at the dogfish head beer selection on the menu, ignoring the swingers to my right, semi flirting with the cute bartendar by asserting my beer knowledge and ordering the dogfish stout.......completely forgetting I am in chicago when bam up walks John Doe inquiring about the possibility of ordering a Schlitz.. It was perfect. This bar has a diverse beer menu and attracts diverse patrons to match. It is definitely a long room, but a perfect spot to catch up with friends and enjoy a few. If I lived closer, this would be my bar. Thank you long room for having a plentiful dogfish head menu...oh and chimay....oh and schlitz too. read more

This little gem fell into my lap as it were. When two of my best friends from Florida moved up to the city... they just happened to get a place a half block from this place and man am I happy. When you walk in you realize that.. Yes... this is indeed a Long Room. It sounds cheesy but its true. It's got a great list of beers (think Delirium Trimmens on tap!) and a full list of rationally priced shots. This place just nails a perfect bar in my mind... alot of people may not like the fact that there is no TV or juke box... but I really like it, it forces you to conversate with your friends and not drift off. Also there is a open air patio in the back which is my favorite feature... the christmas lights and patio furniture are great. If you get hungry there is a Tamale guy that always comes around. This is a great place to start an evening as well as close it. I highly recommend it. read more

The atmosphere of this bar really makes it attractive to me. With a great selection of beers and the constantly changing tap, it makes it one of the most chill places to explore different brews. I've made it a rule to come here and not have the same beer twice. So far, it's worked out pretty well! If you don't know what you want or have no knowledge of beer, yet are feeling adventurous, don't hesitate to ask what the bartender recommends. You can simply mention some you like or even just describe the kind of flavor you are looking for. They'll be more than happy to help you in that department without choosing the highest priced drink on the menu. I'm glad its near me because it is definitely one of my favorite bars in Chi. read more

If you live in West Lakeview, Uptown, Ravenswood, or North Center I suggest trying this spot. From the outside it isn't real clear of what it waiting for you inside, but I encourage you to find out. -The beer list (on tap and in bottles) is very good and always changing -The bartenders make great cocktails -The music is usually pretty good not loud so it isn't difficult to carry on a conversation -it is darker but not too dark -patio out back -the place can be busy at peak times, so be prepared and have the right expectation if you plan to go here on a Friday night at 8pm. -My favorite part about this place is the food. They have coffee, tea, and breakfast sandwiches in the morning. At night there is a side window that serves burgers, sandwiches, and sides. The food is amazing and the kitchen staff are super friendly. The burger here is one of my favorite. read more

Sid's (review below mine) pretty much touched on everything I'd say about this bar, but I'll reiterate out of my unconditional love for this place. Jason, one of the owner's, is awesome. He's one of the friendliest guys on the planet and really great with the patrons. I think think the bartender I usually see is named Sara - not sure - she's a firecracker. Really, really great and helpful. She's delivered some of the funniest behind-the-bar lines I've heard. The other two guy bartenders have been really friendly as well. PBR & Schlitz for $2! Insane selection of Belgians - including Lambics (very tart). Nicholas Barron & the Hyperaktives (I think that's right?) play on Sunday nights at 10pm. If you can get over the fact that it's a school night - you'll catch the best free show in the city. Nicholas is amazing and he plays with a phenomenal set of musicians. They've been doing the Long Room every Sunday night for something like 7 years. A lovely, LOVELY find! (My favorite beer on tap is new, I think a Bell's replacement - Red Seal Ale. AWESOME!) read more

Great spot in Ravenswood. They have a spectacular cocktail And beer selection. Very relaxed atmosphere. They serve food there too, resembles a pop up stand within a bar. It's a pretty neat concept. They have a decent size outdoor seating. The bartenders are knowledge and professional. Will be back to try some more cocktails on the list. read more

The owners have not figured out that the bar is so damn long that they need more bartenders. You could wait a half hour on a weekend just to catch the bartenders eye, let alone a drink. read more

The name doesn't lie, this watering hole really is just one long room. This can be disadvantageous as you have the bar occupying one half of said width, with chairs and tables occupying most of the other half. This leads to a crazy bottleneck of people trying to move from the front to the rear of the bar, along with people trying to buy drinks or just loitering in that space. If you find a seat, guard it with your life and only send one person to fetch drinks. What that out of the way, the beer selection here is pretty awesome. I came here a couple weeks ago since they had free BBQ and had just tapped a keg of KBS. If I lived closer, I'd probably spend way more money and time here than I'd like. There always seems to be at least two to four REALLY good beers on tap along with a really good bottle selection as well. read more

This place has become our neighborhood tap since we moved near by. Great chill bar day or night, I love how it's a coffee shop in the AM, with the Biscutman shop it makes for a great brunch spot too. Rotating beer selection is great and everyone is always friendly, go at anytime of the day and you'll be happy you went in. read more

Very good spot to grab a drink after work. Has a great selection of beers on tap including many local breweries I had never tried. This is a watering hole - no food service. By the way, a round of four pale ales was just $16. read more

I love the extensive beer menu: complete with vivid and fail-proof descriptions of each brew. Including alcohol content: DOUBLE PLUS. GREAT prices: TRIPLE PLUS. I love the bartender: non-intrusive, friendly enough. I love the parking lot: for those that need to make it so far north and aren't having the brown line. I like the outdoor patio, quiet enough, large enough. Bright enough. I like the bring your own food concept. BYOF! I like the photo booth and atmosphere of the indoor space. Kind of old-school, understated sexy. I don't like that I saw a certain critter, usually associated with trash, about the crawl up my sandal. You could say it was a fluke. You could say ALL places in the city have such critters. You could say that I was outside and I should expect this. And I would say, you are probably right. But I am still disappointed that out of all I liked, this is the persistent thought in my head. Darn. This was going to be my new favorite place...Too bad I am such a girl. Maybe I'll come down with a case of amnesia. read more

Nice little neighborhood joint with a delightful selection of craft beer on tap. The place is a small slice of the late 1940's - early 1950's Chicago bar scene. Such a gem! The patio out back is a great place to meet up with a few friends on a sunny afternoon and enjoy the latest selection on draft. The Long Room does not have a kitchen, but I have witnessed people ordering in (I believe they even store delivery menus behind the bar.) They also don't have TV's. This means you actually have to have a conversation with your companions - what a refreshing concept. read more

Whoa. What a surprise. Met up with a friend here and were expecting just another neighborhood dive. I've driven by The Long Room a hundred times and never thought twice about it. From the outside, it looks like any other super dark bar. Well, it is super dark. And that's only one aspect of its charm. The bar has a GREAT draft beer selection, is very reasonably priced, and offers lots of bottled options too. The woman behind the bar was super nice. And the patio hidden in the back was even better. Oh - and there's a photo booth! This may be my new favorite spot for summertime drinking. read more

This place serves Old Grandad Manhattans for $5 every Saturday night. Need I say more? The patio is fab in the summer and usually lightly populated. I think this bar is a "pre-bar" for many because it seems to get emptier as the night goes on. Friendly little neighborhood joint. I love a place I can walk to. read more

Excellent beer selection for a bar of this size. The best Old-Fashioned in the city according to my GF, and we're practically Violet Hour barflys, if that tells you anything. Kudos to Jason for hosting live jazz on alternate Sundays! The Nia quintet really made our night there. read more

Long Room is awesome. Favorite night? Tuesdays for $1 PBRs and $2 Jim Beam. Bring a few more singles for the photo booth and you're golden. Can get crowded on the weekends, but whateves. And the back patio is great! read more

It's not only the best neighborhood bar in the city, it's the only neighborhood bar that's lacking in pretension--whether hipster or yuppie or dive--in Chicago, period. As everyone has already mentioned, the selection is well-chosen, the prices are decent, and the staff is excellent. But I'd go one step further and say that I've never been to a place in all of Chicago that has such decent, respectful, and non-bull people working for them. It's definitely the best place to go to if you're a newcomer to Chicago. I lived at the Long Room my first year here, because it was the only place where the staff didn't treat me like poo and where I never felt that I wasn't welcome. Some nights, the folks here brought me to tears after a rough day acclimating myself to Chicago. After five years of being a patron, I've figured out how they do it: The Long Room has an organic feel to it like no other: from the original 40s pink-elephant wallpaper that co-owner Jason couldn't bring himself to take down to the folks behind the counter who genuinely greet you with respect but won't schmooze or kiss your butt to the non-ear-splitting level that the music is played ( they're always playing the best music mix of old and newest releases--everything and anything, 'fer reals, not watered-down bar music)., so as to allow for conversation. A watering hole where more people are talking to each other face-to-face rather than are on a cell phone or hunched over watching TV? Go figure. It's also the only place I could see taking parents and out-of-towners and non-bar folks to and all of them feeling fairly comfortable, because neighborliness is still part of the quotient. That it's across from the Diner Grill (cheap greasy fare) and around the corner from the Ten Cat (cheap pool tables) and down the street from Timberlanes (cheap bowling) only adds to its charm. I could go on forever, but I will say a couple more things. It is a bar where more single ladies are known to hang out, but not in that frizzy-haired Trixie way. It's just such a decent place that ladies probably feel more comfortable there. You won't see a lot of spangly tube tops here, or leery dudes with gelled hair, and it's not uncommon to catch the happy-hour crowd reading a paper or a book or asking you about a crossword clue. Still, it's not a dive by any means. So, if you feel uncomfortable in any place that doesn't have TVs and neon PBR signs and folks dressed like a Mad Max extras, you might feel a bit turned off. And it's definitely geared toward the mid-20s and up crowd, so younger folks might find it boring. But give it another try, and you'll see that it gets its fair share of folks: from hipsters to the odd seemingly homeless dude to the Trixie-Chad crowd. It's the closest thing you're going to get to one of those quaint neighborhood European bars: neighborly without being overly chipper or mall-deadening or exclusionary or overpriced. The only drawback: the #80 Irving Park line stops at or around midnight, so if you live West of Damen, you're out of luck for late-hour visits. The #9 heading South will get you back to the Division Blue Line stop and you can transfer from there. But still, it's a haul if you live around the Wicker- Ukrainian Village-Bucktown area. read more

My favorite bar in the city with an excellent beer selection that suits my ever-changing palette. Ever since the smoking ban I have found myself returning to the Long Room more and more. They have a great patio for a nice summer day and plenty of bar space to saddle up for the night. The taps always seem to be rotating and although there is no food served the Tamale Man is always on the prowl and late night eating options abound. You know a bar is good when it is worth the 1/2 mile walk in the dead of winter. read more

Disclosure is that I know several people who work here and all are very respectable, kind folk who tend bar well and take care of their people. And Jason B (one of the co-owners) is pretty much THE nicest guy in Chicago. And with that let me simply state that this is my favorite bar. Period. They have a really decent beer list that changes periodically and all beers are priced pretty reasonably. Juniper Ale please? Thank you. The atmosphere is dark, I've only been in during daylight hours once and it was awkward, like being in a cave and seeing light only at the mouth of it. There's always a good variety of music playing, somewhat inconspicuously depending on the crowd size, and what you hear depends on who's tending bar. Varies from brit-pop, indie hip hop or rock and the like. Other notable pluses include the photobooth in the back room with some pretty nice booths to sit in if you have a small pow-wow and their beer garden. Most of my friends are smokers and hold this in high regard above all bars due to the fact that when the smoking ban went into effect, they kept the beer garden open with one of those new fangled heating lamps. The only downside is that it seems like this is a place where dudes who are married or practically so go and hang out with their dude friends, not so many single dudes around to gape at. Ha. read more

Awesome cocktail and craft beer bar - yes, you knew that. But did you know that they now also have coffee and amazing food? (Full disclosure, The Long Room is a customer of mine and I work for Counter Culture coffee, the coffee vendor.) Coffee geeks - The Longroom has Counter Culture Coffee, a new La Marzocco, Mazzer grinders, Fetco XTS brewer, single origin pour program and and fully trained experienced baristas...this is one of the only spots in town where you can get a great shot of espresso alongside a great craft beer or expertly made cocktail. Don't miss out on the great patio out back - it has outlets and free wifi outside! read more

I recommend ordering a beer. Whatever kind of beer you crave, The Long Room will have it. I was at Long Room for a friend's birthday party, and it was a fun time. It's a really laid-back atmosphere with low lighting, cozy booths and a great outdoor patio. It was nice out the night we were there, so our group was on the patio the whole time. It's very chill out there. Like I said, this place has lots of beer. I ordered this wheat apple beer that was really delicious. I would definitely get that again. My one gripe with The Long Room is that they didn't have any waitresses the night we were there, which was a Friday. I don't know if this is always the case, but since I was only there the one time, this is all I have to go off. It just sucked having to get up, go back inside and order your drinks from the bar. They really need at least one waitress coming around to all the tables and taking orders. I think we would have stayed longer had we not had to get up for our drinks. I don't know if that makes us lazy or what, but a waitress to bring drinks would be nice! I really like this bar, and I will be back here the next time I have a craving for top-notch beer. NOTE: I know some of the other reviews said Long Room had its own parking lot, but that is no longer true. There is new construction going on where the parking lot used to be, so you'll have to park on the street. We found parking on Irving Park Road that was a half a block down from the bar, so you shouldn't have a problem finding a spot. read more

I like this bar. The staff is friendly, the owners are great and they have an awesome outdoor patio! The staff knows how to make a good cocktail. Check out the refurbished original wallpaper they found in the place during the demo and build out. I have never seen little lambs and teddy bars with martini glasses. Quite hysterical. I like to go early, when there are only a few people in the place. This way you can chat with the tender and hang! Plusses...great whiskey selection. read more

I'm digging the sidecar concept. Since this represents basically three operations working together I'll split this review into three sections. 1) The Bar - ain't nothing bad to be said about it. I dug this bar before they started serving food and I continue to. Cool but not painfully hip, never too crowded but obviously popular, huge beer selection with entertaining drink menu descriptions. I haven't really ventured into the cocktail portion of their menu but I don't think that's what this joint is really about (though they do have a classy selection of spirits). The staff is friendly, the bathrooms are clean, and the patio is lovely. A+ 2) Beard and Belly (the lunch/dinner operation) - hot DAMN. These burgers are out of control. Maybe my new favorite burger in Chicago. Butterkäse 4 life. And the short ribs poutine (with cheese curds) must be reckoned with. I have to talk myself out of eating here on a nightly basis. Prices are very reasonable, too. And they guy who takes your order has a real Norse Seth Rogen thing going on. Well done all around. 3) Biscuit Man (breakfast) - a bit of a let down. Not that the food is bad - it's pretty good, actually. It's just not special enough to warrant $8 for a bacon egg and cheese biscuit sandwich. The biscuits themselves are good-not-great and the rest of the ingredients are just kinda solid. It's just overpriced. If the biscuit sandwich were like $4 and add-ons were $1 each I'd consider coming back here for breakfast but as is it's just not wroth it. Which is a shame because the coffee the bar brews is really, really good and it's a super-pleasant and surprisingly well-lit space during daylight hours. Being a work-from-home "laptopper" I'd also recommend adding some more power outlets but it depends on whom they'd like to court - seems like an opportunity to me. All-in-all this place is unstoppable during the evening, but needs to figure out it's daytime operation still. Which I hope they do because the concept of an all-day multipurpose coffee/bar is exciting to me (and not just because I want Bailey's in my coffee (I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM)). read more

I had heard great things about The Biscuit Man and finally had the chance to try it this morning. After doing a little research on their website (very informative), I headed down to try my first biscuit. I opted for the Cheddar and Egg Biscuit ($6). Reasonably priced considering everything seems and tastes very fresh! I ordered it to go and it was served in under 8 minutes, but I will certainly be back again and this time, will plan to stay in order to try their patio and a coffee. Overall, very pleasant experience! Would recommend and will definitely be back. read more

I love this bar!!! The beer list is amazing, the atmosphere is super fun. It's pleasantly dark inside with art-deco-esque concentric circles all over the place, and like the name implies, it's loooooong. They have an beer garden area which is great when it's warm, and then there's the back room with the photo booth. Best $3 ever spent! What's also cool is the back room wallpaper is photo booth pictures. And as if that weren't cool enough, they have some amazing beers on tap, and pretty decent prices. The music is always good, and it's a great place to hang out and drink awesome beer. read more

Outdoor patio where you can work with a laptop and a beer...So perfect. Food is really great; have tried the grilled cheese with tomato jam and the fries. I'm into the large beer selection as well. read more

The Long Room is a great neighborhood bar. Awesome for people who like interesting beer too. The beer selection changes every other week. You can usually get a Three Floyds, Two Brothers, Rogue or Surly. Delicious! I can often go in here and find more obscure and rare beers - rare Dogfish Head or Allagash varieties - than the Map Room or the Hopleaf. We usually have no problem finding a place to sit at the Long Room. It does get a bit crowded later in the night though. Great outdoor space for nice weather too. The music is one of the bartender's iPods. He will usually play Radiohead, Spoon and something by Belle and Sebastian or Camera Obscura. I would go here even if I moved away from the neighborhood. Nothing bad to say here. read more

This place definitely gets a WOO HOO! I mean... photobooth, delicious beer that's not overpriced, cozy atmosphere, AND a sexy bartender!? It doesn't get much better than that. Last night I had the Founders IPA on tap which was smooth and easy to drink - AND 7.2% alcohol so you can get yourself a nice buzz off 2 beers and only spend 10 dollars! I then tried this "breakfast beer" which was a chocolate, coffee beer that tasted like heaven in my mouth. Who needs dessert when you have that? There's also this "tamale guy" that comes around and sells packs of tamales that are incredible too. I'm kind of in love with this bar. read more

Bless the Bartenders!! I will admit that I'm not a beer master. (I am starting with wine and working backwards.) So, I wanted to hug the bartenders when they enthusiastically offered to help me find the perfect choice through a customized beer taste testing ON A SATURDAY NIGHT! So patient, so pleasant, so perfect. I also appreciated the laid-back atmosphere AND I've been told that they have a beer garden in the summer...yet another reason for the winter to end. read more

I started coming here in the summer of 2001 when I had just moved to Chicago and conveniently lived a block away. One of the owners, Jason, was working during our first visit, and when we came back the next week we were shocked that he remembered our names. I've since spent countless hours (and equally countless dollars) in Ye Old Long Room, and it still remains one of my favorite bars in the city for the following reasons: 1. Great staff, friendly and competent, some of whom I've grown to think of as friends. 2. Excellent beer selection, which changes somewhat regularly. 3. Relaxed atmosphere that is neither dive nor snobby. You could feel equally comfortable here in jeans or a suit. 4. Nice outdoor patio and deck in the back. 5. No TVs AMEN. (Also no jukebox, which is fine because they play good stuff.) The Long Room is within walking distance from the Irving Park brown line stop, and you can park--FOR FREE--in the Midas parking lot next door. On Sundays the Nicholas Barron Quartet puts on a free show, which seems to have developed quite a following. My only regret is that they no longer have food. For a while you used to be able to order a sandwich from the famous Mimi, but she's no longer there so it's order-in only. The bartenders can provide you with a stack of menus if you're so inclined and there's cheap college-style pizza from Papa Romeo's across the street. I don't know what else to say. For me, this is kind of like reviewing an old friend. I love this place and the people who work there and am just so happy it's done well. read more

I like to come here for a lazy weekend breakfast and coffee. The food is very good and coffee is delicious. My favorite- soy latte and basic biscuit. Recently had my book club come in the afternoon and it was very suitable. Quite and cozy in the morning. There is also charming patio for an evening cocktail in the summer time. No TVs is a big plus for me. I recently moved out from the area, but I still make a drive to visit Long Room. read more

The final leg of the All-out Wednesday Night Blitzing After going to Crew for Uptown Day Drinkers, Holiday Club for freebies, Ravenswood Billboard for MORE freebies, I ran into a friend who couldn't get into Billboard so we rolled across the street from Papa Romeo's and headed into Long Room. It was orange, very orange and had New York lounge scene on it minus the good music, fashionistas and $10 Long Island Iced Teas. Rolled in and took it all in while a buddy of mine decides that we should sit at the bar and check the place out. Being the most tore up, I didn't even want to look at the drink menu. My friends were impressed by the width and depth of the beer list and were pleased. Of course since my friend was buying us a round, we were treated to some delicious ice cold........PBR!!! Yum! read more

This place has always been a go to for me since they always seem to have a Pacific Northwest beer on tap, and considering that is (IMO) where the best hops in the world come from, well, then this place is always a hit for me. Plus, they play good music and offer a chill atmosphere, so I always find myself wanting to come back when I am not on house-alarm or in the clink.... Enjoy Suckas'!!! read more

Wide variety of good beer - check. Hendrick's gin for my martini - check. Great music - check. Enjoyable crowd with a low idiot count - check. Friendly staff - check. The Long Room is a great watering hole to chill out over a drink without a bazillion TVs (none here) taking over your line of sight. Used to get fairly smoky, but no more with the ban in effect. Reminds me a little bit of Matchbox for some reason. I don't come here enough. Side note: Not long ago, I was having a drink here with a friend who was new to town, telling him about the mysterious tamale guy. 10 minutes later, tamale guy shows up. Zany. read more

I called up there yesterday to see if they were open for the 4th and the dude who answered told me "he was just there drinking alone." I didn't even know if that was real. read more

Long Room is one of my new favorite bars. It's very low-key, but not a dive. A very diverse crowd of all different age groups go there. And, even for someone who's not a die-hard beer drinker, they have a really impressive list of beers from all over. And on tap! I brought a friend from out of town there once because she is OBSESSED with beer and a beer snob, and she was thrilled about their menu. The only thing is that the bartenders sometimes seem more about the regulars than everyone else...even if you've been coming in there pretty consistently for a few months. But whatever, it's a good place. read more

This place is a wonderful place! They have Jim Beam honey!!! My absolute favorite, places don't tend to carry this (maybe it's too experimental for some people, or too expensive...idk!) I asked the bartender too have a glass, she looked shocked and asked "For Real?" And I replied, "Totes!"...she gave me a high five, an awesome smile and complimented my taste. We talked a great amount of time about my dogs (and my dog's love of waterslides) and how I always wanted to bartend ( I would love to make someone a yummy Mudslide.) There was this blue haired girl that was quite lovely and made us all laugh! I can't wait to bring future Bumble dates here. read more

Great find! Small little bar. Great staff. Drinks are reasonably priced for Chicago. I have never been when it is crowded, does it get crowded??? I have always found somewhere to sit. Connected to the Biscuit Man which has amazing burgers and biscuits and gravy they will bring out to you. Must try here, you'll fall in love. read more

This is one of my favorite bars in the city. Extensive beer list, friendly bartenders, nice decor, good tunes-really an ideal bar. I like how this is a true bar instead of a bar/restaurant like most places. read more

Went on a Saturday night around 9 pm. It was too crowded and the bartenders were super friendly. They have great specials and an awesome beer list. Can't wait to go back! My only suggestion is that the music could use a little bit of help. read more