The Long Room

The Long RoomThe Long Room
The Long RoomThe Long Room
Bar, Eatery

1612 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago, Illinois, 60613-2512
United States

(773) 665-4500 | map
longroomchicago.com

Hours:
Mon - Fri: 5pm to 2am
Sat: 5pm to 3am
Sun: 7pm to 2am
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.23
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
34
pDev:
7.57%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dexterk1:
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Rated by dexterk1 from Illinois

3.84/5  rDev -9.2%

Dec 06, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.03 by MaximumYuks from Oregon

Oct 09, 2015
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Reviewed by bowzer4birdie from Illinois

4.26/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Quaint little beer garden in back and a very nice selection of craft beer (especially Belgian). Quite a bit of construction going on next door so what I thought would be a quiet stay in the beer garden turned out to be annoying. Regardless, The Long Room is worth a pit stop or two!
Sep 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.06 by HealthyOne from Illinois

Feb 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4.48 by misternebbie from Pennsylvania

Feb 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.07 by Canada_Dan from Colorado

Jan 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4.09 by evan35 from North Carolina

Jan 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by Flabbyjandro from Illinois

Dec 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by thewimperoo from Illinois

Nov 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Nuggetz from Texas

Nov 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by iliketigersalot from Illinois

Oct 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Halfbrother83 from Illinois

Jun 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by cadaugherty from Illinois

Jun 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Tex_hex from Illinois

May 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by alexm1309 from Illinois

Apr 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by teledeluxe from Illinois

Nov 21, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by ccozzi from Colorado

Oct 21, 2013
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Reviewed by Fluffheady from Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
The Long Room is a neighborhood (almost) dive bar with amazing beer. There’s a parking lot, but no food. The beer descriptions on the menu are to die for. They get some very rare beers, and they also have a $1 can of PBR night, which I think pretty much sums up the place. There is a photo booth in the back room, and it’s really cool to see the walls of that room plastered with photos of patrons. Cool beer garden. Lots of industry people visit this place.

If you’re in town and want to try an interesting beer bar, come here
Aug 05, 2013
Photo of HopSteppa
Reviewed by HopSteppa

4.6/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
I stopped over randomly after a project in Chicago. I was really blown by their selection! As usual though, I can't order the whole menu. Luckily there were friendly locals who were also beer advocates that pointed me to some great tasting drafts.

A must try is the Zombie Dust APA, I also had the Kentucky Bourbon Ale which had the most accurate flavor and balance I've had a in a beer. I must have stopped by on a Saturday at like 4 or 5PM the bar was pretty empty. But the fella next to me says he had his wedding reception in the back room, great clean and chill ambiance. This is a great gem in Chicago's north westside.
May 24, 2012
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

4.2/5  rDev -0.7%
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.
Sep 07, 2011
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Reviewed by RayYanks23 from Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
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!
Jul 13, 2011
Photo of curtiswvu
Reviewed by curtiswvu from Illinois

5/5  rDev +18.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
The Long Room is probably my favorite beer bar in Chicago, while it lacks the impressive Belgian collection of say a Hopleaf or Map Room it makes up for it with one of the fast rotating tap selection (20 plus) of american and belgian craft brews. I especially love the rare stuff they break out around the holidays and they generally have 2 to 3 years worth of Anchor Christmas on had at that time too.

The long room is totally a chill bar. It literally is a long narrow deep room with a bar that runs almost its entire length. It has a great court yard and photo booth in the back and probably 50 stools along the bar. The smoking ban has done wonders for this tight space. The beer selection here is always top notch, well priced and they also have a deep bottle list. Recent tap highlights were Sierra 30th Black Barleywine, DFH Bitches Brew, Founders Nemesis, Imperial Mad Hatter IPA and Surely Smoke. They get all the rare treats in Chicago for sure.

The bartenders here are also top notch and make a great manhattan to complement a killer bourbon and scotch selection. Stop by on a Tuesday and visit Nicole, she might be the best and most knowledgeable bartender in Chicago. Longroom is just a great place to chill and chat with friends. There is no TV and no jukebox but there is always great jazz, indie and classic rock playing, intertwined with a classic Cash CD here and there. Finally if you are hungry you can order in any cuisine you like and they even have menus on hand for several places. Don't pass this small indiscreet store front on Irving its one of Chicago's hidden gems.
Oct 03, 2010
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Reviewed by Bung from Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Walked to the Long Room after a game at Wrigley to get away from the crowds. A bit out of the way, but not bad for locals I imagine. No food, which I like in Chicago because it seems to keep the crowds reasonable. A darker, long bar inside, with some seating in the back and also a nice outside patio. Nice music choices. This place had a great variety of styles, with most of it being hard to find or high quality. First place I've seen with Lost Abbey stuff, was not about to pay the price for it, but I found that intriguing none the less. Service was very good and knowledgeable enough. Would have been nice to see some dart or shuffle boards.
Jul 07, 2009
Photo of malcontent
Reviewed by malcontent from Illinois

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
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.
Apr 26, 2009
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Reviewed by paco1029384756 from Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
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.
Apr 22, 2009
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Reviewed by ChitownBeer from Illinois

4.16/5  rDev -1.7%
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.
Jan 06, 2009
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Reviewed by goethean from Illinois

4.72/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
Nice, inviting, relaxed, casual place. I didn't feel any snobbiness or anything. Nor is it at all like a dive. Honestly, I felt as comfortable here as in just about any other bar I've been to. We were there on a Friday night and it wasn't too crowded.

The bar has a pretty antique bar-back, and there are other cool decor items. The whole place has a dark amber deco look and a relaxing vibe. There are couches and coffee tables in a back room.

The beer menu was extensive. I have very particular tastes (I like English-style high-gravity dark ales mostly) and found five beers on tap that I was excited about. Ended up having Surly Darkness.

Service was good, bartender was very busy, but he acknowledged me and got to me as soon as he could. For entertainment you can watch the bartenders run from one end of the 60 foot bar to the other.

They don't serve food, and you can bring it in from elsewhere. Overall, this place is a gem and I will definitely go back when I am in the area.
Dec 08, 2008
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Reviewed by KelleyAnn76 from Iowa

4/5  rDev -5.4%
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.
May 27, 2008
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Reviewed by MrMcGibblets from Illinois

4.44/5  rDev +5%
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.
Jan 08, 2008
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Reviewed by amiles from Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
My favorite bar, in which I can walk to in under ten minutes (there are a lot). You'll typically find my girlfriend and I spending too much money at this place on Thursday nights... But not cause the price is wrong. Lots of tasty stuff to drink on tap, and regularly rotating. Many US micro brews, and plenty of imports... Especially in the bottle. Not bad though since everything is served in it's appropriate glassware. Definitely worth checking out during the week. The weekend may take away from the ambiance in which it really is... Check out the La Trappe Quad on tap while it lasts. It's tasty.
Jun 18, 2007
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Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -14.9%
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.
Mar 19, 2007
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Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
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, less kitsch, and ever present aroma of fried chicken from Popeye's next door.

Once a week they have live music with no cover...
Dec 30, 2006
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Reviewed by rhoadsrage from Illinois

4.14/5  rDev -2.1%
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.
Nov 20, 2005
The Long Room in Chicago, IL
Place rating: 4.23 out of 5 with 34 ratings