Blue Frog’s Local 22

Seems like a cool place — Decent happy hour ($ 3 Lagunitas) and beer selection. Only issue is I found it on Unilocal and there was a special check in for a $ 5 burger which they would not honor — I was told it was for burger week which was last week??? Oh well, don’t come for the discounted burger or at least if you do call first to make sure they will honor it — A little bit of false advertising!

Visiting Chicago and I had to visit a it cuz frogs rule. Tried the Chicago Fire wings and highly recommend them. The flavor is a nice mix of bbq, chipotle, habanero. The beer selection is top notch. Definitely a place I’d come back to next time I’m in Chi.

Excellent customer service from Sarah. What a sweetheart she was. We ordered Moscow Mules which weren’t very good. They were made with a mix yuck! So Sarah made them the way we liked. Thank you!

A long overdue review for this hidden gem near the Mag Mile. This place keeps me from killing myself at work. If it wasn’t for their amazing staff, vast beer selection, and the South Side Irish burger… I’m sure I would’ve gone insane doing the typical 9 – 5.
They have tons of amazing burgers and I’m always tempted to try their burger of the month… but find myself coming back to the South Side Irish… I think I may just have to go today…

Got the South Side Irish burger, which is topped off with corned beef, bacon-​fennel kraut, and gruyère (also a spicy brown mustard but I asked for it on the side as I’m generally not a mustard fan). Burger itself was cooked to a decent medium rare, though about ¾ of the way through it I realized that while juicy, the burger patty itself wasn’t all too flavorful. Still not a bad patty though, as I thoroughly enjoyed eating it throughout. Corned beef was decently tasty, though I think I expected a strong flavor from the bacon-​fennel kraut, which didn’t really come through to me. Oh well, more focus on the burger itself. Seems like this place has a few solid bar drink specials throughout the week, so I may check it out otherwise. That said, were it not burger binge week I probably wouldn’t make any effort to come here for food regularly, as at normal price the burgers are pretty average.

South Side Irish Burger with corned beef!!!
So absolutely yummy! Great beer selection!
And the Cubs won!
Love this place for the craft beers and great food. Bartenders are friendly and the atmosphere is welcoming. Excellent place to stop for a relaxing afternoon drink or evening with friends.

Met my sister here during her lunch break. She wanted to go because it was close to her work and she heard it was on bar rescue. We split the fried pickles, grilled cheese and sweet potato fries. The fried pickles were hard. It almost seemed like they were fried yesterday and then reheated today. Pass. The grilled cheese was absolutely tasteless. And it had three different cheeses in it… Also the bread was bland. The crust was the only okay part. My sister actually said «well you can’t mess up sweet potato fries right?» Well firstly I definitely think that’s possible and secondly the sweet potato fries were also incredibly flavorless as well… Thank goodness for ketchup and chipotle mayo. We didn’t complain because we’re not that type of people but I wouldn’t come back here. The three stars are simply for the nice server/​bartender and the hostess who were very sweet. The food runner was nice as well. Oh and we told our waitress that we were gonna split the sand which and fries and they put it on two plates for us. We appreciated that! Good people here but not great food. Maybe just go for the drinks?

Great hang out for games. Great pub and food. I here 3 times last month while staying in the Courtyard next door.
Not a Ruben fan but their Ruben was awesome. My peers from work agreed. they have a soup of the day plus a few regular soups. The beer cheese and Braut soup was awesome. Made me feel like I was in the heart of the Midwest or Wisconsin.
I had a few delicious IPAs but they also had a really good alcoholic root beer. Alcoholic Root beer can be dangerous because you can’t taste the alcohol.
I had a Burger with Bacon on my 2^nd day. This place is an awesome destination place and the food is surprisingly delicious.

A good place to pick up a quick bite and watch a game. The menu is typical bar food but done well. Still haven’t figured out the origins of the restaurant name.

Had Greek burger for lunch and margarita (over poured) only ate half. Started throwing up two hours later, now I’m in the ER with food poisoning. So is my husband who ate half his bacon burger. Paid $ 80 for food poisoning. Never go here! Bathrooms were gross, there was a table with the whole office on it totally unprofessional, tables and chairs weren’t clean, dishes weren’t clean and clearly no one in the kitchen cleans anything.

Such a hidden gem!!! My friends and I love coming here for many reasons which is why I am always surprised to see it is not packed. Its an clean, welcoming sports/​music bar with good prices and quality food/​beverages. They have a game room with pool tables and darts which very few bars in downtown Chicago have pool tables anymore. The bar is huge, they have an excellent craft beer and cocktail list, and have some of the best burgers in the city. Saturdays they do a brunch and blues special from 11am-​4pm and most nights they stay open until 2am. The staff is friendly and not too up in your grill.
I hesitate to post about Blue Frog’s Local 22 because I sort of don’t want too many people knowing about it lol… but at the same time I know they would appreciate it and they truly deserve the full 5 starts.

3 stars on Unilocal = A-​OK and I think Blue Frog’s local 22 is in fact A-​OK.
It’s definitely a bar first with sticky tables and a neighborhood, darkly lit, Chicago pride vibe. All of the food is homemade (down to the chips) with locally sourced ingredients. Awesome. The staff is also super friendly and accommodating.
Our table was served samples of the daily soup, almost an amuse bouche if you will. It was gumbo, and it was delicious. Not much heat but the meat and okra were chunky and well seasoned.
Next up was an underwhelming order of fried pickles. A good fried pickle starts with a good flavorful pickle, and these pickles were on the super bland side. After dipping them in the included sauce they actually got MORE bland as the sauce had no flavor.
I ordered a combo of the blackened salmon on super soft french bread with an herbed mayo. I did the ½ & ½ combo and added the «Mimi’s straight from hell chili» asking that they put the jalapeños on the side. I was scared.
The sandwich itself needed a lot of help. I mean… a lot of salt. For something supposedly blackened, it didn’t really have any flavor other than the fishiness of the fish. Same for the chili. It wasn’t hot at all. It was good mind you, filled with steak and a dark thick broth (no beans) but not very well seasoned either. The heat from Mimi’s chili clearly came from the jalapeños.
Everyone else at the table loved their food, so for a first timer it looks like I just chose poorly. Regardless, we’ll be back!

I have to admit that one of the reasons I went to the Blue Frog for dinner was that I saw reviews saying it was on Bar Rescue (it was also conveniently located right next to my hotel), which also made me a little nervous because there’s some pretty trashy places on that show. But, I was pleasantly surprised. The prices were fair and my burger was huge and cooked perfectly. The fries were mehh, but they did the job. They have pool tables, karaōke and a «man cave» (aka TV’s playing sports). The staff was very friendly, which was one of the main reasons I went back the next night. The waitress even remembered me!

Divey? Yep.
Craft beers on draft? Yep.
Good food? Yep!
Blue frogs? Nah didn’t see any.
We cruised thru on a pretty lazy Sunday afternoon to grab an early dinner. Not sure if it was the cool rainy weather keeping this place from being busy, but was pretty empty when we came thru. Server/​bartenders were super nice and attentive and we’re definitely pushing their burgers made from local organic beef. They do have an excellent selection of local Midwest craft beers on draft with a variety of styles to meet any thing you’re feeling. From higher gravity IPAs to easier drinking lagers, blue frog got you covered.
My lady did end up going with a burgers which I gotta say was pretty darn good. Myself not being as hungry did the blacken salmon salad, which was equally impressive.
Overall enjoyable experience minus the sticky floors. I would cruise thru again to catch a game or grab a pint or a burger. ‘Til next time, cheers!

If I didn’t know that this place was on Bar Rescue, I wouldn’t have guessed there was a semi-​recent remodel. That being said, the slight-​lowkey jankiness might also be the consequential vibe that goes with a dive bar.
It was Ok. First thing to note, the checkin special only works for the last week of May. It was kind of a bummer to come in excited to hear about their burger of the month, only to see that alas, it wasn’t $ 5 haha
There was a structure missing here that almost made me want to leave. Walking in, I wasn’t greeted, and didn’t know if I could just go and sit down at one of the tables. After about two minutes of awkward eye contact with the wait staff, supplemented by quick conversation with my dining partner, I decided to just sit down at a high top by the bar.
The beers: good variety, $ 5 – 7. Not bad for a bar in the tourist trap that is Hubbard & Illinois.
The food: My dining partner got the blackened salmon salad. To be honest, the salmon was a overcooked and over dressed, in my opinion — he, on the other hand, liked it. I got the Southside Irish burger: half burger patty, half corned beef. At first bite, deliciousness. But the more I ate it, the more I realized that the cheese just kind of tasted dehydrated and old. Meh, for $ 12 a burger, in River North, not bad.
Would I be back? Maybe.
I will say the wait staff is very nice once they start talking to you, despite the awkward entrance.
PS: Spring Rewards network member.

Nice sports bar and decent burgers.
If busy up on Michigan avenue — go down the stairs and find this at the tail end of the sports bar row on Hubbard — with this one being less pretentious than some of the others.
Nighttime sounds like it becomes a karaōke place — not sure what happens to the sports then, as I haven’t been there for that stuff.

Let me start with the food and drinks first. The burgers were awesome. Best ones we’ve had in awhile. Lot of options for beer too!
But, I would’ve given it a 4 stars if it wasn’t for the LOUD music and karaōke. Me and my friends could hardly have a conversation. Maybe we chose a wrong day, Friday (karaōke night) to go to this place.
So overall it’s a good place, if u don’t mind the loud music.

By and large, Local 22 is a favorite bar of mine. Which is why I decided to host my birthday party here last weekend! I’d reserved space for my party a few weeks in advance, and upon my arrival on the big day, everything was set up perfectly for 40 people. Amazing customer service for planning an event – check!
The night was incredible, ands bartenders Bryan and MoJo took excellent care of my party – quick drinks, delicious shots, and smiles on their faces all night long. Jose saw to it that my group was having fun and was well taken care of. Phenomenal and fun staff – check!
Of course, you’d never have a party at a karaōke bar without doing some karaōke. Steve was the emcee and as always, rocks it. Something new that I haven’t seen at Local before was a screen with upcoming singers (I’d imagine Steve has gotten «when is my song up» no less than a million times) so that was cool to see. He’s got an tremendous library of songs, from oldies to top 40 – you won’t be disappointed with the choices! Fun night of karaōke – check!
Huge thanks to the Local crew last Saturday for making ringing in 31 the most memorable night ever!

I ended up here on a Friday night after dinner and drinks randomly. It was pretty packed as it was around 10pm and karaōke was in full effect. We grabbed drinks at the crowded bar in the middle of the joint then proceeded to the back where there was open space with pool tables in sight. We had a good time hanging out back there shooting pool and drinking. We actually closed the place down around 2am!
A buddy of mine decided to pick this place for lunch today because he said they have really good burgers. I ordered the Loop Burger that included applewood smoked bacon, tomato, onion relish, muenster cheese, lettuce and local sauce. The burger was ok as I got it medium rare, but it just lacked a bit of flavor. I got sweet potato fries with it and they had a sweet bbq sauce to pour over them… not bad. Our server Kelly was pretty awesome and patient as we were gabbing the whole time and I know she was ready to take our order. They gave us a local discount because we worked in the area so it was a couple of bucks off the bill FYI.

I came to Local 22 during lunch time today. The setting of the place is your typical bar-​like place. I ended up getting the pulled pork sliders. I was slightly disappointed with the service. Their timing was completely off for serving. Despite my friend and I ordering together, my food was given and 15 min late her food was given. So the coordination was completely off in that respect. In addition, I requested a glass of water and no water was provided, which is why I had to take a star off due to poor service. Now going back to the food, my pulled pork was too sweet and not tender enough. It would have been nice to have a vegetable that was acidic to compliment that sweet taste. Overall, the place has average food with bad service.

Visiting Chicago for a tournament. Wanted to find a place for a team party… with good food, drink, service and a place to stay for a bit.
Blue Frogs Local 22 exceeded our expectations. Service for or party of 22 was great. Food was exceptional… go on Saturday or Sunday and have the gumbo. Atmosphere was relaxed and casual.
I would highly, highly recommend you give this place a try.

Went here for New Years Eve as a place to hang out before and after watching the star rising. Cool, laid-​back atmosphere with a couple of TVs for watching the game. They had karaōke, which was a blast. Friendly waitstaff, good prices, and an extensive beer selection. We didn’t have any food but it smelled great… will definitely go back to try it!

I came to Blue Frog on 11÷21÷15 for karaōke with a group of friends. Several of us signed up for songs, no problem. When my friend went to sign up, the karaōke DJ had difficulty hearing her. Fine. It’s a noisy, busy place and my friend has a slight accent. After another attempt to make her song request, the DJ flipped out and barked «I’m done with this conversation,» refusing to let her sign up. When we informed the manager, he seemed perfectly aware that his DJ is a jerk, and did nothing to remedy the situation.
Not cool, Blue Frog. We left immediately and will absolutely never be back.

Service was awful on a Friday night, waitress wasn’t very alert (possibly buzzed?). We asked about Bar Rescue and asked if they had any of the cocktails still. Server laughed, pointed to the beer list and said those were their cocktails. Turns out, there is no drink menu, just a beer list. I ordered a Moscow mule since it was the only special on their chalkboard. It tasted like cough syrup with no carbonation. We had our one round and left to spend our money at a better local bar.

I love Blue Frog’s Local 22! Their karaōke nights are a blast, the crowd is always fun and welcoming. The place seems pretty clean and laid back, with a good beer selection. Food is pretty darn good for bar food too. The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is sometimes the service is a little less than stellar.

Big place that is shaped like a left-​right rectangle. Odd shaped bar (dumbell with square ends) that is about 10 yards from the entrance. The shape really break up the bar. The bar is also elevated so you’re looking up to the bartenders (who know how to do their job). Granite counters (minus), but a nice overhang with a padded front (plus). Another plus, a slick 312 tap. Wooden stools (15 – 20). Steel pole for a footrail. Plenty of mirrors, including on the bar back and above the middle of the bar (which serve the bartender much more than the average patron). Rest of the bar back is shelves and hdtvs. Bar back on each side is stamped tin, though oddly the ceiling is not. Rest of the bar has a very open floor space with high and low tables to the left and right. Wooden floors is a nice touch (why not compliment it with a wooden bar though?).
Well decorated with images of chicago and a nice clock above the east side opf the bar (need to take down the tacky red stag sign next to it). Tons of hdtvs, so a good place to watch the game. Disappointingly, music normally plays during a bulls/​hawks game.
Food is very good (burgers) and the local has about 10 fancy (craft) beers. Good selection or bottles and liqour as well. Laid back vibe that is friendly.

To put this plainly, this is a neighborhood bar. There is no fancy cocktails, no exquisite wines, but a good place to have a beer.
A BIT OF AN ODD SETUP. You can’t grab a table near the bar and order drinks from the bar, a bit of an odd setup. When I am bringing a group of 15 thirsty folks on a Wednesday night and you hardly have any other customers, let the silly rules slide. If you are visiting Chicago, I don’t see many reasons that you’d want to visit this spot.
GET A BEER. They have some great beers on tap flowing, so this is what you what you want to get here. Vodka tonic was horrible, I don’t know how someone can mess that up.
KARAOKE. Wednesday night had folks singing karaōke, so it’s fun to stop by, although it was mostly empty.

Great bar, one that I would have not have gone to if not for the company of some fellow conference attendees. Menu was pretty standard but with some little twists to keep it interesting. I had a cup of their Mexican pollo soup and that was superb.
The waitress was great too, calm and collected in a rowdy group — was very nice. Only weird thing is that we had to ask for water… idk I thought that would be a given when ordering food. I would recommend!

My husband and I enjoyed our lunch post my half marathon run. I loved the grilled cheese sandwich their homemade potato chips. The cheeses were an excellent combo and the chips were thin and crispy.
The beer selection makes it easy to please anyone. I tried the peach and ginger cider and it was a delight. Kelly suggested Not Your Father’s Root Beer and I loved it. I was excited to find it in San Diego!
Overall, great experience from the friendly service, delicious menu and wide selection of beer. I’ll be back.

Bar rescue bar alert!
Went on a Saturday night, knowing nothing other than what I saw on the show. Apparently they have karaōke six nights or seven nights a week!!!
Good beer list with solid bartenders but all that karaōke is just not for me, ESPECIALLY on a Saturday night.

This place is AMAZING! Such a great local spot, great local beer selections & great chili! The food is on point! I usually get a burger or a wrap… fantastic! Definitely worth the trip :)

Great selection of local beers. Service was prompt and friendly.
I did bring up Bar Rescue and they were open to talk about it. I’m nervous bringing that up just because I don’t know if that show always leaves a good taste in everyone’s mouth. But they spoke positively of it. And they seem like they really kept the momentum going. The place still looks great and it all works really well.
If you’re in Chicago, stop by. You’ll be glad you did.

This place bills themselves as serving «the best burger in Chicago» and they may be right. I certainly can’t remember having a better burger than their «Back O’ Da Yards» burger. Funny thing is, it didn’t contain beef. The ground pork patty had been cooked medium well, with a great crust on the surface, yet moist in the center. Two crispy onion rings and a generous serving of bacon rounded out the cooked ingredients. The bun was perfectly grilled, and the smoked gouda added a nice creaminess. A great burger.
I was also impressed with the mixed green salad I chose as a side. The greens were fresh, as were the accompanying, cucumber, onion and shredded carrots, and the blue cheese dressing, served on the side, was excellent.
There is a nice selection of draft beers. I really enjoyed the smoky stout I chose.
There are plenty of items on the menu other than burgers, although they’re obviously a specialty. There are also plenty of TVs for sports fans, but i was pleased that the audio at lunch time when I visited ran more to Black Sabbath than sportscasts.
I’m glad this place is so close to my home base, as I will be a frequent visitor.

This is my very favorite bar in Chicago – so obviously this review is LONG overdue.
Local 22 has always been my go-​to karaōke spot. I absolutely love that you can’t put more than one song in at a time, which allows for more people to have a chance to sing and you don’t have to listen to the same bachelorette party sing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun followed by anything Britney. Major bonus points to the karaōke team!
The food is phenomenal – I always order the Maxwell Street burger and a Metropolitan Krankshaft. The burger is perfection, with incredible flavor and a terrific bun. Plus, they serve fries reminiscent of McDonalds – those thinner, salty, delicious ones. YUM.
The staff is always attentive, personable, and so so friendly. I work two blocks from this bar, and if I’m waiting on a friend to get out of work, sometimes I’ll stop in for a beer, as though it’s my own little version of Cheers.
If you’re in the River North area of Chicago, don’t pass up this place – you won’t be let down, you’ll have a blast, and your taste buds will thank you.
Great, now I want a Maxwell Street…

I expect bars to have sticky floors at midnight. This place had sticky floors at 4pm, before the fresh off of work crowd got there, so ehh…
Staff is friendly (though it took a looooong time to be brought our check), beverage options are definitely adequate, and while I am no expert at ordering bar food, I was impressed by theirs. They have some pretty solid burgers.
If you’re in the area and don’t mind being momentarily stuck to the floor, pop on in!

After Open House Chicago 2014 and my last visited place (Lake Point Tower’s private garden), I needed somewhere to relax that wasn’t one of the Navy Pier bars. Enter my recollection that I always had wondered about this place since seeing it on Bar Rescue years ago, and deciding this was the day to go here. Very pleasant, there was a good bit of craft beer options, and the food menu looked decent. Yeah the beer prices aren’t say like Farragut’s (or insert any other non-​downtown, non-​Randolph St., or non-​River North bar) cheap, but this is River North after all, and I’d expect slightly higher for this area.
I doubt the karaōke can live up to my gold standard for a bar (Christina’s Place, and I badly still want to check out the several Korean private room karaōke places I’ve read about), but I’d like to come back one of these days for theirs. I’d love to try their food menu, despite that I never make it to this area often. I’m sure that opportunity will come, soon enough.
Note to self: talk whatever family relative or friend who is spending a night in this area out of Howl at the Moon, and to come here for karaōke instead. I wish I didn’t suck at talking people out of things.

River North is not my go-​to going out spot. However, this is a solid option for River North without any of the pretentious attitudes. It is a nice laid back atmosphere. They have a great beer selection with a lot of different option on tap. They also had some nice ciders for those non-​beer drinking folk like myself. I’ve also had cocktails which are excellent and reasonably priced for the area.
Service has been a mixed bag. The table service was just okay. We now prefer to sit at the bar as we know the bartender and have had much better service.
The food is just okay. I wouldn’t come out of my way to go for the food — this is really a bar. However, if you are in for drinks and need a bit to eat, its a solid option. I’ve tried a few things. The burger was okay but over-​hyped. I prefer the wraps and like the tomato tortilla option. The wings are a solid starter too.

Brian D and I had dinner here our first night in Chicago. We were seated promptly but it did take a little while for our server to get to our table. We weren’t in a hurry so it wasn’t a big deal.
They have a nice variety of beers on tap. Both of us ordered burgers and they came out fairly quickly after ordering. Both of us enjoyed our food and would hit this place up again if we go back to Chicago.

Je me suis rendu au Bleu Frog’s pour aller voir un match des BlackHawks avec des amis, donc superbe histoire dans le bar, tout le monde hypnotisé par les écrans pour suivre le match.
J’ai quand même pris le temps de manger et de déguster, l’une des nombreuses, bières qu’offre ce bar ! N’oubliez surtout par de demander quel est le burger du mois, vous pouvez avoir des bonnes surprises et lorsque j’y suis allé c’était un burger avec de la viande cuite à la bière, délicieux !