Local Option

Look, you should know what you want going in here because the selection of beer is incredibly overwhelming. It took me about 15 minutes to decide on a beer. That said, the guys working here are some of the most helpful individuals you will ever find. It’s a very odd kind of a helpful, like the kind where you’re not sure if they are aliens or if they hate you or love you more than anything but are handling it like stiff-​lipped butlers, but helpful none the less.
Great service, great beer, cool place.

I’ve been to Local Option a few times now and I just love it. I’ve had a few of their cajun-​esque dishes but let’s be honest, the beer is where they shine.
Local Option brews their own stuff and what they brew is potently high in percentage and deliciously good on the palate. They always have at least 5 of their owns tappings, as well as a ton of other local options… get it?! Local options! har har har. But ForRealTho, they have great options from Chicagoland breweries like Three Floyd’s (yes we claim them), Revolution, Goose Island and many more. Right now, Exorcist is my favorite of their own beers they are serving up — a healthy 8.5% stout! They keep their beer list very updated on their website, so give that a look if you’re interested.
All the bartenders here are friendly and able to discuss beer with you so if you’re not sure what you’re looking for, just ask. Local Option isn’t a huge place however I’ve always been able to grab a table or bar seat without trouble. They usually are playing heavy metal but I’ve never found it to be invasive to my conversations or at some outrageous level. Really it just adds to the 666 décor… there’s also a giant boarhead — EEK!!!
I love Local Option and I think it’s such a great, non-​douche-​canoe option in the Lincoln Park area. Places like this are hard to find and I’ll be back a million times over.

Stopped in to Local Option on a recent visit to Chicago. Walking in, it seemed like a dark, Gothic dive bar. Décor is metal/​satanic and I expected metal music, but on the day I visited, they were blaring jazz music. Sounds weird? Well, it was, but in a good way. There were a lot of good draft beer choices, several of which were Local Option’s brews. Our server, who was also the bartender (didn’t catch his name), was extremely helpful on helping my friend and I decide where we should go next for good beer. The food was very good as well, with an extensive menu. Even though this sounds like a dark brooding place, it was refreshing to see a wide range of clientele here. There was an older couple enjoying beer at the bar, a young couple with a baby in a stroller sitting at a table, and people of various ages scattered throughout the bar. I would definitely return here for the quality beer and food, and friendly staff.

ultra chill place. swung by on sunday that was rainy and drab. local option made all that dreariness go away. as soon as i sat down i was greated with a menu and a smile. the bartender was very sweet and made me feel right at home. i enjoyed the off beat décor, it wasn’t out of place.
always looking for a good beer, that’s what brought me here. this place delivers. i almost always branch out when i go to a brewery, but their pilsner was bomb. pilsners aren’t my favorite, but whatever they did made it pop. enjoyed two of those bad boys without a single regret.
i ordered the grilled cheese which was ripe full of fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, and bacon! it was so good i ate it so fast i didn’t have too much time think about how good it was.
can’t wait to be back for more of their beers
–borland out–

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.

Popular beer bar in Lincoln Park, known for it’s beer-​centricity and hybrid punk-​yuppie atmosphere.
GOOD: Usually good beer selection, though it’s slipped slightly in recent years. It’s nice to go to a bar that takes beer consumption so seriously, to the extent that wine, liquor, and even Coca-​Cola are not available. Kind of refreshing. It’s also the only decent bar in the area. So if you like beer and are in the area, this is the place to go.
The food is OK, some items better than others. It’s not terrible bar food, but you can do better if you are willing to walk a few blocks.
MEH: This bar gets crowded real fast, and can feel claustrophobic. There’s usually only one guy behind the bar, who sometimes also doubles as a food server. Good luck getting his attention for another pour, or getting your check totaled. The service is friendly, but insufficient.
It can also get very loud in here on the weekends. The owner wants you to know he’s hardcore. Yeah, we get it.
I would also recommend caution if considering hosting an event here. The owner broke his promises to me, and alienated many of my guests.

Sat at bar and talked with the owner (?) about the place. Ate a shrimp po’ boy with some beer battered fries. If you want to hang out at a cool place and get some great food and drink, this is the place to go.

Local Option is a diamond in the rough when it comes to bars in Lincoln Park. While the atmosphere may be a little startling to people who don’t know what they’re getting into (metal music, skulls EVERYWHERE), the people working there make you feel like a regular. The beer list is superb and the bartenders will go out of their way to make sure that you get exactly what you are looking for.
If you can’t decide right away, I would suggest trying their house label beer in whatever style you prefer, then move on to some of the other brews on tap.
I’ve never had a full meal there, instead opting to go with some appetizers, and had no complaints. I would say that if you’re coming to this place in search of a top-​notch meal alone, you’re defeating the purpose.
If you want to venture out to a place and order something beyond the frat-​tastic staples of Bud, Miller, and Coors, stop on by and let the bartenders serve you an actual beer.

Love this bar! It is small but have awesome beers on tap. They carry of course local option as well as so 3 Floyd on tap. Great place to stop in if you want to try a new beer.

I don’t know what everyone is complaining about with the metal music here. If anything, the stuff they play is too tame. I want nothing but thrash, grindcore, and Scando black metal out of my beer bars. Go drink at the Cubby Bear, you sissy Marys. Anyway, I may revisit my review here after I’ve eaten at Local Option a few more times, since I haven’t explored the menu very thoroughly, but I’m sticking with four stars because the real draw here is their beer selection, and they do it right. Their in-​house stuff is excellent, and they’ve always got a ton of really interesting choices from other local breweries, big and small. It’s also a great spot to go for collaborations, which they do frequently and well. It’s one of the city’s best beer destinations.

My boyfriend and I came here a couple times during a trip at the beginning of the year. Apparently it’s ranked as one of the best beer bars in the US and I think it lived up to that expectation.
Local Option had an awesome low key feel, amazing beers on tap, and super nice service. We couldn’t believe that they had Speed Racer on tap… That was definitely a first! Simply an outstanding beer list, we were a couple of happy kids sipping our sweet suds. We got to chatting with the bartender the first night and told him we were visiting from Toronto and he gave us some great recommendations for food in drink around town.
We arrived later in the night on both occasions and did NOT know what a great little menu they have here and will have to come back and try out the food!
The funniest part of the night was meeting a local next us named Chris, or «Crazy Chris» as he called himself. Super chatty, super happy drunk dude who treated us out-​of-​towners to a bit if Chicago hospitality, Mallort… Oof! He was super entertaining, to say the least: P
We’ll be back soon for the rest of the menu, and I half hope Crazy Chris will be there…

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 3 °F on tap then anywhere I’ve seen, other than 3 °F themselves.

The only reason i am giving one star is actually because food was good.
Location=crap
Music= metal, WAAAAY TOO LOUD. Even for my friend who plays in a rock band
Service = horrible. Outstandingly rude, rolled eyes. Cut your beards, it’s unsanitary. Kept trying to take our plates when we were still eating. What bar doesn’t have free refills? My friend and I asked for a Coke and the guy comes out with dr. Pepper saying «we only have dr. Pepper, hope that’s ok». Well it’s not Coke but ok. Later to find out after my glass being filled past the top with ice, refill is another $ 3. I don’t care about the money it’s the fact that he was rude about it. When my friend asked for her check he made a smirky comment «you’re only going to pay for your own»? Confused, she said «yea» and then he rolled his eyes? I just don’t get it. I will not be going back there again. Even if soda for DD drivers were free.

Was excited to check out Local Option after seeing it on several «Best Beer Bars» in Chicago lists. This place may be in Lincoln Park but boy, you would never guess it once you walk in the doors. It’s dimly lit with a primarily wooden interior and plenty of rock and metal pumping through the speakers.
They have a really impressive list of beers on tap. My friend and I were able to try a couple different 3 Floyds brews and then a couple specialty beers our bartender suggested. Speaking of our bartender, he was absolutely awesome! (I think his name was Dan or David, can’t quite remember) He actually introduced himself when he came over to our table and shook our hands.
It was great to get away from the typical Lakeview/​Lincoln Park sound track and yet still be able to hear each other speak. My only beef with Local Option is they don’t have the prices of their beers on the big wall menu and most of them are pretty expensive. The beers we were recommended were both $ 9. I know, not the end of the world, but if you’re talking 9 – 10 dollar beers the price needs to be on the menu.
Awesome place to try a bunch of great beers and get away from all the other douchey/​pretentious/​brotastic bars in the area.

So this bar was interesting… Metal music playing in the background, satanic/​skull décor, and tons of beer options. There is a real shortage of liquor/​wine choices, so if craft beer isn’t you thing, don’t come here. I had a beer called zombie something? which was a pale ale and pretty good. It was super crowded and seats were limited. When we saw a table open we quickly snagged it only to be roughly told it was for those eating only. Well, OK– maybe we wanted to eat? We asked for menus but weren’t exactly excited about the food so we reluctantly got up and stood at the bar. Meanwhile the table sat empty and they placed a «reserved» sign on top– not cool. Moving on… This place was just ok in my opinion, but not really my vibe.

Awesome selection, really neat atmosphere and the bar tender we interacted with had great taste in music and beer. This was one of the highlights of my time in Chicago.
So why 4 stars? Because they were selling an infected batch of Green Flashes Silva Stout. When my friend asked for the Silva Stout, the bar tender said «it’s not a typical stout, it has butterscotch notes.» Yeah, that means infection. Diacetyl is not supposed to be in that, or most, beers. I have had an uninfected batch before and it was excellent. They should have returned that keg to the distributor. I find this to be an unacceptable practice and almost left after he said that, but I was too impressed with the remaining selections to not stick around for a while. I suppose this is just something to be wary of and this issue aside, you can have yourself a great time.

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.

The beer list is outstanding. They have some really rare craft beers that are delicious. The appetizers and food is fresh and titles are hilarioud. The service was fast, friendly and efficient.

I’m rounding up to 3 stars. Local Option is definitely not for everyone and I get the impression they intend it that way. To each their own, but I won’t be in a hurry back.
Beer — 4 Stars, lots of great ones on tap that are hard to find. Didn’t see the prices listed on the chalk board so I don’t have a good sense what anything cost. My beer was a skimpy pour, way too much head compared to other places I frequent.
Atmosphere — 0 Star, really dumpy and depressing. The metal they play didn’t make me want to linger for more than a beer or two. It’s in a very nice neighborhood though.
Food — 4 Star bar food, generous portions, many good options on the menu.
Staff — 3 Stars, staff is knowledgable but I didn’t feel very welcome here compared to other beer places.

Our first time here! Great bar, despite my first impression. I had to use the bathroom when I first walked in. The bathroom was gross. Really dark, two open urinals, and the only light? A ceiling bulb that is red. The bar has a ‘666’ sort of vibe going on throughout, and there’s writing on the walls of the bathroom. It all left me feeling creepy.
After the bathroom, though, all was great. We only drank their house-​made brews and all were really good. The vibe is really cool — we loved all the stickers, the logo, and the boar’s head. The bartender was doing 1,000,000 things and was still incredibly attentive to everyone. He was bussing tables, making drinks and taking orders.
The food was also great. Very unhealthy, but delicious. We had the chicken sandwich w/​slaw and the Italian sausage w/​green salad. The green salad was skip-​worthy, and I love salads. The cole slaw was «creole» and ended up tasting weird a couple of bits in. The main proteins were great! The Italian sausage was sort of baked into a role, and then it had a thick layer of cheese baked on top of it.