The Long Room

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -17.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Stopped here the night before the 2nd CTA Pub Crawl to do a little prep work.

The Long Room is a moderately long room with a bar lining the front half and tables filling the back. It's dark and not particularly unique in any way. It was rather smoky when I was there at about 11:45 on a Friday night. It was not busy.

I drank a Saison Voisin and a Pride and Joy from FFF. The rest of the taps included a couple other Belgians and several nice Great Lakes and West Coast micros. Bottle selection was equally above average.

Service was friendly and prompt.

I didn't notice anything special about this place but I liked that we could just chill out and relax on a Friday night without fighting any crowds.

It didn't look like they served food.

03-19-2007 22:05:00 | More by DaPeculierDane

KelleyAnn76

Iowa

4/5  rDev -8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

We stopped here by chance after having dinner at Resi's Bierstube. It was on our list of must-see places, but didn't realize it was just down the block from Resi's. Glad husband noticed all the neon beer signs in the window.

I do wish we would have gotten there sooner! This was the last stop on a very busy evening of beer touring. But, this was a very cool place indeed. And, well, a really "long room". It was bustling with people and, if memory serves me correctly, the service was great, even though a bit crowded.

According to my husband, the beer selection was pretty good - a nice variet. We'll definitely log in some more time at The Long Room on our next visit to Chi-town.

05-27-2008 18:45:04 | More by KelleyAnn76

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.14/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Walking into this bar it has a nice long wooden bar with the typical Chicago mirrored back with lights. There was an open area so you could get in the door and to the bar without lots of congestion. The building is narrow so the bar and walkway take up most of the space, leaving just enough room for a 2-person tables jetting out from the walls. As you walk past the first set of taps you can see the next set of taps with more beers. Then there is a women’s restroom and a women’s/men’s restroom that has the lock broken many times. I assume from people trying to open the door not realizing it is a single-seater. The walls are dark green and it has a nice chill atmosphere even though it was busy on a Saturday night. They have some nice artistic flares here and there that give it more character, like walls made out of a curtain of washers welded together and old Schlitz beeriana.

The beer was served at a good temp not ice cold and they had lots of clean glassware to match the type of beer.

The guys working the bar were friendly and they did a lot of laps up and down the bar making sure no one was waiting very long for a drink. When I asked about beers they were happy to take the time to offer other suggestions "if I liked that beer" or "this was just tapped if you want to try it".

They had a very impressive selection 19 taps (with 10 being domestic/local craft beers and 9 imports) and 43 bottles ( 7 BMCs and 36 domestic craft and imports). I was surprised to see taps like dogfish head, Prima Pils, Karmeliet, Cranberry Ephemere and Tremens Noel, but I was glad they had locals by Two Brothers, Bell's, Goose Island and Great Lakes. The bottles had a few Germans, a few Belgians, Some East Coast and West coasts, and 2 ciders. It was nice that I could drink good beers from lots of styles while my friends could drink cocktails and BMCs. So it had stuff for everyone.

This was a nice hidden gem much closer to my place than I had thought. Easy to get to. Easy to find parking. And easy to find a good beer.

11-20-2005 20:42:44 | More by rhoadsrage

ChitownBeer

Illinois

4.16/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Wow, what a great place!! Stopped in after dinner on a wed night. The bartender was super friendly & knew his beer. beer was served in the right glass.

The bar is great, pleanty of seating at the longest bar i've ever seen, a few booths in the back, and in the way back in a photo booth!!

The draft list was great, around 15 taps of surly, two brothers, bell's, left hand, and a few that i've never seen before.

The music was great too. king's of leon, U2, radiohead, ect. i totally will go back on another wed night.

01-06-2009 16:43:06 | More by ChitownBeer

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $

My girl and I came here during a recent trip to Chicago.

VIBE: let me start by saying that I love the concept of this place. The massive narrow bar and handful of booths are consistent with The Long Room theme. Laid back tunes quietly play in the background while patrons chat among themselves. The dark ambience gives the place a lounge-like atmosphere, which is very appropriate for a mid-to-upscale alehouse. Great vibe.

SERVICE: the bartender was pleasant and inviting, although he missed the mark when recommending a wine to my girlfriend. She was looking for a good pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc, he suggested a rosé instead. She thought it was drinkable, but I had to limit myself to two pints because the lady wanted to score a nicer vino back at our hotel. Considering this is a beer spot, though, the server did his best to please us both and he was quite friendly during our short stay.

SELECTION: I ordered a Three Floyds Pride & Joy Mild Ale and Rogue Dad’s Little Helper Black IPA, both of which tasted lovely. Other draughts included BrewDog and Stone Bashah, Ommegang BPA, Clown Shoes Brown Angel, and Allagash Victor Ale. Given the bar’s high rating, I was surprised to see mainstream offerings like Blanche de Chambly and De Koninck cluttering up the tap lines. The bottle list also had fairly common micros and imports such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Leffe Blonde. However, North Coast Le Merle, Ayinger Bräu Weisse, Two Brothers Domaine DuPage, and Goose Island Pere Jacques caught my attention.

OVERALL: I’d like to come back for a brewery event or special beer release to get a better feel for this place and what it has to offer. From what I gathered on our brief crawl, it seems like the chilled out atmosphere and cheap prices are the main attractions, as several Chicago bars have more extensive and diverse beer lineups than Long Room. Having said that, we enjoyed our time here and there’s no denying that this bar is a prime low-key alehouse with quality beer.

09-07-2011 00:01:58 | More by cratez

malcontent

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Surprised to see I hadn't reviewed this place having been there a number of times.

Aptly named, the Long Room sports a narrow room consumed almost its entire length by the stretch limo of bars. Lights are relatively dim and there wasn't a TV in sight (although there could have been one at the extreme end, I haven't made it down that far). On this particular Saturday, clientele was mixed yuppie/blue collar. Not all that busy considering location and time.

Sizable bottle list although the taps are the real draw;
Surly Three, GI Matilda & the base beer for BCS (can't remember the name!), SN Bigfoot, Unibroue Maudite & Ephemere, Boon Gueuze Parfait, 3F's Gumballhead, Ommegang Three Philosophers, and about 10 others that I'm totally blanking on. Bottom line, good stuff.

Bartender seemed confused when I asked for a Bigfoot and asked to see it on the menu. Didn't get routine offers for water refills or seconds on a beer order and the room wasn't all that busy. Still, as in previous visits, the tenders were friendly and cheerful if not as attentive as I'd like.

An odd thing about the place is that they seem to pour into less-than full-sized vessels. This keeps per serving prices low but I'm not sure I could call it great value. It DOES allow the drinker to try a number of different brews at decent prices without getting bombed.

04-26-2009 15:49:30 | More by malcontent

paco1029384756

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

First walking in was a bit strange, it was pretty dark in here, and I arrived shortly after they opened. A long bar with plenty of taps littered along the way was nice. I had a Surly Three, a pretty generous sample for the price, and a Bear Republic Racer 5 which seemed to be losing some of its hoppiness, but it was still good.

The patio area was very nice, it was like sitting in your own back yard. Bring a couple of friends along and you're sure to have a good time. I can't comment on the crowd as the group of people I was with were all beer geeks, but I will surely return to this place again soon.

04-22-2009 21:57:29 | More by paco1029384756

RayYanks23

Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Another good beer spot in town! We got there early afternoon after a ballgame so can't comment on the atmosphere too much, but it was dark and the bar was huge (long?). A lot of people were headed to the back patio. The beer was GREAT!

The bartenders were excellent and let us try anything they had. We were happy enough with the tap list that we didn't get too involved with the bottle list, but I would recommend stopping here on your stay in town.

The people we chatted with were pleasant and suggested a great blues and BBQ bar the Kingston Mines that we went to next and had a blast!

07-13-2011 15:27:41 | More by RayYanks23

MrMcGibblets

Illinois

4.44/5  rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

this place is almost unknown but is a must-visit if you are in chicago, rivaling the usual suspects. as the name implies, it's a long room with a long bar and not much else. dark, local, dive bar atmosphere; which i prefer to the pretentiousness of some other places. descriptive and lengthy beer menu. about 15? taps and a great bottle selection. i don't remember seeing much crap beer if at all. good values as well, for example i tried goose imperial ipa for less than i would have paid at the package store. also hop wallop and a bunch of other good shit. if you just want some good beers in a local chicago environment you must check this place out. close to lsd on the near north side also.

01-08-2008 05:43:23 | More by MrMcGibblets

emerge077

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

2009: Selection has improved, taps rotate all the time. Last visit they had Hopslam, Goose IIPA, DFH 90 min, and 2 Bros Red Eye, off the top of my head. A solid sleeper hit beer bar.

The Long Room is a nice little place, and they pay attention to their beer selection.

The bar is indeed long, probably the longest i've seen around town. The tap handles are spaced evenly along the length of the bar, so check the tap list if you don't want to miss anything. An advantage of having such a long bar is that there's usually an open seat, and it never feels overly crowded. At night, it's dimly lit and has a cool laid-back vibe. Service is always friendly and attentive.

Usually you can find a 2 Brothers seasonal or quality Belgian ale on tap, and always a well-rounded bottle selection. Wednesday was $1 off US micro bottles. The bottle list slants toward US craft west of the Mississippi, mainly CO and CA, which isn't all bad, but leaves something to be desired for local brews. A couple from FFF and Victory, and Great Lakes. They have some nice Belgians, a mix of old standbys and a few obscure bottles (a few come at a high price). Rotation seems to be a key factor here, so that bumps up the selection also.

In warmer months, check out the patio in the back. The laid back atmosphere is similar to the patio at Resi's maybe with a bit younger crowd.

Once a week they have live music with no cover...

12-30-2006 06:31:46 | More by emerge077