The Barrelhouse Flat

Went here on Friday around 8 on a Friday and while it wasn’t packed there was no where to sit and for some reason was extremely loud. Took us a while to get our drink orders in. They had a lot of unique drinks which was fun and we were happy with the quality but for $ 32 for two drinks I would expect something a lot more special. With so many other choices in the neighborhood I don’t see any reason to go back.

We came here for a friend’s birthday this past Friday evening. It is right on the corner and sort of hard to see so we drove past it first. We found free street parking (yay!) and were the first to arrive. It is very dark and there are a handful of tables and booths. Downstairs is first come, first serve so we grabbed two tables for our party of about 10. Our server was friendly enough, and the night did get busier, but he didn’t come back a lot and he was forgetful. I started with a Mint Julep ($ 13). It was very good and very strong with a lot of ice. My husband had a few different beers while we were there and he liked them, I’m not big into beer so I can’t comment. My friend wanted a dirty martini but they don’t have olives so she ordered something else and asked for a sugared rim and our server said they couldn’t do it so I don’t know what she ended up ordering. Upstairs is apparently very nice, but you do have to put your name down to get up there. We stayed downstairs. A few of us also ordered the burger (their food menu is extremely limited, less than 6 items) and liked it. I was actually really impressed with the burger, it was cooked to order and had mustard, white cheddar, pickles, lettuce, etc. My husband wanted his plain and they accommodated that as well.
I’m only giving it 3 stars because the drinks are very pricey and the service wasn’t top notch. I know it’s Chicago, but still. I will say their drink menu is incredibly large and if you are into specialty cocktails and beer you will definitely enjoy it here!

Had such a great night here! It’s perfect for a girls cocktail night or first date (judging by the amount of couples I saw). The drink menu was huge but the wait staff was very knowledgeable and I had two very delicious drinks. I didn’t get a chance to try much of the food, but we were three girls so after a cocktail we decided to order the truffle fries which were delicious. Will definitely be back!

Came here with a friend from out of town who only had one night to see the sight. Picked this place for after dinner drinks based off the great Unilocal reviews. I should have read the reviews more carefully, as it seems a lot of other customers had the same issue with this joint.
Pros: The staff was polite.
Cons: The front room is very loud and crowded when we arrived at 10pm. I really didn’t expect this based off the ambiance they were trying to give off on their website and based off some of the other reviews. I was really expecting a cocktail lounge, not a standing room only bar.
They have an upstairs area, which I presumed was calmer and the drinks menu looked really intriguing, so we decided to wait for a seat there. However, the staff completely missed the ballpark on the wait time for a table. We were told that it would take 45mins — 1hr to be seated, which was totally fine. After more than an hour had passed, we went to check our position in line and were told there were only three groups in front of us.
We proceeded to wait another 30−40mins, and checked the line again – STILL had 3 groups of two (and a couple other groups of other sizes that they had neglected to mention) in front of us. It was ONLY at this point that they finally told us that they had a large private party that night and that it would be ANOTHER 30 minutes before we might have a chance of getting seated.
I understand that availability of seats can be difficult to predict, but it was RIDICULOUS that given the presence of a large party, and the fact that we checked in with them numerous times, that the staff didn’t warn us about the exceedingly long wait and instead kept our hopes up by downplaying the situation. We ended up wasting our whole night waiting for a table, and we passed up several opportunities for a table in the front room since we were given such misleading wait times. Never ended up trying their drinks since we spent all our time either outside in the cold or standing shoved up in some dark corner holding our coats.
I am so sorry to have brought my friend here and wasted her vacation time, and I will not be returning. The non-​transparency over wait times is a total deal breaker in my book.

Ambience: cozy, chill yet lively, snazzy
Service: nothing bad, nothing special
Food: no dining this time
Dranks: a tad bit pricey but very strong so it ends up being a decent value, also a nice beer selection (draft and bottle/​can); 151 Swizzle and Spiced Wine were great, so was the Sri Lankan Lion Stout!

Great cocktails, fun environment but had a really hard time getting our waitress’s attention. It was busy but still had to make sure we were prepared anytime we saw her because we weren’t sure when she’d be back.

Only ordered drinks… huge selection with lots of interesting cocktails to choose from.

Yes, yes, YES. This place is everything I want in my life. I’ve been here a few times already and it’s easily become one of my favorite low-​key, stylish places in Chicago to grab drinks. The ambiance always sets the mood for a nice, calm night. The lighting is usually dim with lots of candles, drink selection is incredible and cocktails are STRONG and perfectly crafted… staff is always great… and upstairs there is a private room with a pool table and a tv. Also, some nights there is a live piano player upstairs! I have zero complaints about this place. If you haven’t tried it yet, you better get there, fast!

I really want to love this place, and it’s probably deserving of 2.5 stars, but not quite 3. I came here on a Saturday night around 10:00 to meet a friend. When we arrived, we were told it would be about an hour to sit upstairs, which was expected, so we took a seat on the first floor, which was fine but very chilly because it was near the front door.
I’m frankly not quite sure what vibe they’re going for on the first floor – they have a huge cocktail menu, which ups the classiness, but there are several TVs and it is loud, which gives it a sort of sports bar feel. Anyway, we got our first round downstairs and received a call that our upstairs table was ready after about 40 minutes. Sweet! The hostess told us to close out downstairs and then come and check in with her, which proved to be way more challenging than needed, as our waitress was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of our experience with some serious service challenges that this bar seems to face.
We moved upstairs and were amazed by the ambiance – gorgeous, quiet, and intimate, with a definite speakeasy feel. However, we sat down again, and it took our waiter at least ten minutes to stop by our table. We ordered a second round of drinks and some food (popcorn and sea salt fries). After our fries arrived, we took a few bites of them and realized that we had accidentally been brought the truffle fries. Again, we couldn’t find our waiter, so we flagged down another member of the waitstaff, and she asked him to come to our table. When he came, he took the truffle fries and promised an order of sea salt fries, which he brought about ten minutes later. I’m pretty sure this is the first time that I’ve ever received a wrong order and not been asked if I wanted to keep the original food. (He just grabbed the fries, and I imagine they ended up in the trash. At least ask if we want to keep them???) The service for the rest of the evening was all right, but the overall issues certainly tainted what would have otherwise been a wonderful experience.
As for the drinks, I tried two of the seasonal ones: Daddy Moved to Aspen and Sally Fields Forever. The former was a delicious mix of hot white wine, several other ingredients, and spices. Brilliant. Sally Fields Forever was good, but I didn’t love it because it was more tart than I expected. My other drink was the Champagne Cocktail, which was fantastic, down to the sugar cube placed in the bottom of the glass. The food was fine but nothing amazing.
TL;DR: Wonderful ambiance upstairs, generally amazing drinks, not so great service. This is an experience worth trying (maybe your service will be better), but if you’re going for well-​crafted drinks in an intimate setting, The Violet Hour and The Drifter are two better Chicago bets in my opinion.

So, I hear this is a standard first date place and you can definitely tell as couples are seen everywhere. As nice as it tries to come off as, it also has that bar feel with a door guy checking your ID. Also, don’t come too hungry as the menu isn’t huge and the food isn’t the best, but you are going for the drinks and to meet your next potential life mate, so take it as you will…
With good mixed drinks, quaint seating upstairs, and a free pool table, this could easily become a go-​to spot when in the neighborhood (even if not on a date).

No one is ever too excited about paying $ 12 – 13 for a drink. However, at Barrelhouse Flat you are not just paying for a drink, its an experience. The people working there are more of artists than mixologists. It does not matter what drink you choose out of their Bible sized cocktail menu, you will not be disappointed. Many of their drinks include unique ingredients, some of which I have never heard of. They guarantee that you will love it or will make you something new. Hands down one of the best cocktail spots in the city, if not the midwest.
For more of a lounge/​speak easy feel, I suggest heading upstairs for a drink.

This seems to be every man’s go-​to first date spot in Chicago. That being said, it is a perfect choice. Extensive drink menu, great happy hour, and good ambiance — very speakeasyish. Especially for Whiskey fans– this place is a must, try. Also, although the drinks are not cheap, they’re not expensive and they do a healthy pour.

Came here for some live jazz and it was a really fun experience. I love the dim, old school vibe when you enter. It kind of reminds me of a speakeasy as we actually thought we were in the wrong place at first until we asked where the jazz was and were seated upstairs in a 1920’s-ish room with cocktail tables and plush couches.
The bar menu is gigantic and they clearly specialize in spirits, so don’t go here if you’re a beer snob like my husband. The burger, fries and popcorn were all equally delicious and we snacked on them as we listened to the stellar jazz and relaxed on a couch.

I can’t wait to return to barrelhouse flat! Very cool atmosphere, great drinks and food, and I’d say reasonable prices.
My friend and I went on a girls date here Friday night. We arrived around 8 and wanted dinner and drinks. The first floor is open seating and there was nothing available, not even the at the bar. After a while, we were sat at the upstairs bar, where we ordered quality concoctions and dinner. I has a quinoa and Brussels sprout dish that was magnificent.

5 stars for drink and ambience.
Came here with my sister for some quality time — they have the most incredible whiskey cocktails. We’ve both been here before so we knew to set the bar high.
First round: I got an Old-​Fashioned and Sis got a Manhattan. The OF had deep, layered nuances: citrus elements, with layers of bitters over ice. The Manhattan is (obviously) served without ice, with stronger bitters and layers to it.
Second round: we both got Sazeracs, which we know we love — it has the perfect complexity and flavor.
We didn’t try the food, so can’t comment on that. But if you want a place for quite amazing cocktails, this is your spot!

Good drinks, bad chicken.
The drinks were well-​made even if the pour was rather inconsistent. (my friend got twice the old fashion that I did.) The chicken wings however were probably the worst I’ve ever had. They redeemed themselves a bit with the deviled eggs.

Really good cocktails! Great service! Comfortable booth if you’re here early enough to grab one. The spiced nuts were awesome!
While the great taste could justify the $ 13 for cocktails, it also felt like an ambiance mismatch though. Some very rowdy guys drinking at the bar didn’t make the place feel upscale or conversation worthy.

TVs galore.
Loud, annoying 22 year-​olds milling about. Cannot move around.
This is now a sports bar.
It is like anything else that serves expensive swill in the post-​undergrad wasteland that is Lincoln Park.
Cocktails on your date here? Only if you want he/​she to be ogled and bumped into by Bro in his U of M cap and Trixie wearing a tiara.
Conversation-​friendly? Only if you can speak-​up over the TVs playing basketball.
The bouncer even apologized for the TVs. That tells you something.

Really nice and polite staff. We came here with a gilt city voucher, fyi they do not take reservations, and we were told we may sit wherever we like.
Our waiter came up and helped us swiftly and politely and was knowledgeable in answering my questions on some of the beers.
I must say that this place has the best sliders i have ever had. The extent of their food menu is essentially popcorn, pretzel, fries, and sliders. The pretzel was also pretty decent and their home made spicy mustard is delicious.
As far as pricing goes, it is a little up there but it isn’t outrageous. I definitely enjoyed myself and though i may not go out of my way to return, i would recommend it for people looking for a chill cocktail lounge.

I was looking for an after-​hours bar that was cute enough to show out-​of-​town friends on a Sat night and remembered TBF.
We walked in and to my surpise, it was really bright. I had walked in about a year ago on a Fri night around 11pm and this place was dim and sexy. This time, we had so much light on us, I felt like I was in an interrogation room.
I know the drill: as soon as you walk into the bar, head straight to the back to put your name on the upstairs list and pray. The place was really dead downstairs, so I figured we’d be up in no time.
While we waited, we ordered a whiskey smash, beer, finger trap, a preztel and beignets. Food was great and my trap was awesome esp for being just $ 7. Not gonna lie, I drank every sip with my pinky up! The glass was too cute.
After 40 min, we were finally called upstairs. I was kinda pissed at this point, but the super chill, loungy vibe up there calmed me down. Think of it like chilling in your grandma’s vintage living room when she’s on vaycay. We enjoyed another round of drinks and called it a night.
The drinks and food were pretty good but I’m an inpatient chick. If on a slow night I had to wait almost an hour to go upstairs, I don’t wanna even think of how long it’ll be on a packed night. I later learned there was a private party taking up a lot of space so I’ll prob give this place another shot, pinky up!