Paramount Room

Just got an email from Paramount Room that made my day! They’re bringing back their Wagu burger and Reuben! That’s what they’re KNOWN for. I couldnt believe they took them off the menu and hadnt been back since and I would frequent there weekly/​biweekly. Can’t wait to go back and eat the deliciousness! Thank you Paramount Room for listening and bringing back the deliciousness!

Great place! Although our table was located in an odd mezzanine area, we enjoyed the post-​9pm $ 1 oysters. In addition, the poutine and drinks were great! The service was not obtrusive and we were seated right when we got in despite an odd set up. Will definitely go back soon-​especially after 9!

The tempura green beans here were great. My partner enjoyed his oyster shooter and drink he ordered. This place definitely gave me the hole in the wall feel, but was clean (bathroom was very clean thank god) Service was satisfactory, although people working there were awkward overall. Not really my kind of place, but would come back to try some more things on the menu.

Solid neighborhood spot. Best place in Chicago for burgers after au cheval. Awesome beer selection and great happy hour specials. Not just bar eats though, have had bolognese here that’s better than RPM. Good peeps, good eats, do yourself a favor and grab some seats. (Dollar oysters tho)

Super tasty, ever changing menu. The tap list changes every week too!
They can make just about any classic cocktail to your liking. Check the specials board to see what Chef Stephen has been crafting.
It’s a bit hidden, but give it try sometime. The bartenders are friendly and funny as well as the regulars.

Late-​nite treasure! The best for post opera/​concert/​theatre drinks and dinner…
late kitchen closing, fantastic food and 5-​star service. Have had mot everything on the menu, all are stand-​outs! Mussels, braised pork shoulder, tempura green beans, burgers, tartare, oysters… all terrific!!! Great drinks (a «deal» on a double/​neat!) and extensive wine and beer selection. A must go for late-​night kitchen, cool vibe without being hokey…
Love you guys!!! Congrats to the chef on the pork shoulder… WOW!!!

Had the «la playa» ceviche to start. Fresh and light before getting down to business. The paramount burger was not just insane in size (two big ass patties, house made bacon, fried egg etc) but the tempura fried green beans were a great departure from just plain French fries. Teenage son was the only one who demolished the burger completely. But i got close… Delicious and super friendly service!

Since my five-​star review, this place changed their menu and got rid of all of my favorites. The Reuben and the gnocchi are gone, and the excellent burger has been replaced with «the slim», which is ok but nothing special. Even the tempura green beans, while still on the menu and still good, no longer come with anything. What’s left is ok but underwhelming. We’ll probably be back since it’s close by and the beer list is good, but I’m no longer enthusiastic about it.

My go-​to bar for a good beer and a bite to eat; whether for date night or when I fine my fridge empty on a random weeknight. Chill atmosphere and nice bartenders. The burger and entrees are all great (the recent addition of the pork shoulder was unbelievable). The Tempura fried green beans are one of the better bar snacks in the City. Eaten here 20 – 25 times and the quality is consistent — never had a bad beer or food item.
Truly one of the best beer selections in the City. The «No Crap on Tap» list always features rare and freshest options from the best breweries in the area and from the West Coast. They seem to always have Three Floyds, Founders, Dark Horse, Ballast Point, Half Acre, and Goose Island options along with the hard-​to-​find microbreweries like Arcade, Solemn Oath, Brewery Vivant, and even Greenbush (my fave). Also Paramount Room will have $ 5 shot and beer and $ 3 tall boys.

Cool bartenders. Unique but small layout upstairs, a large basement you’d never expect to be there. Cocktails and food are delicious. Beer selection is better than most. They also have awesome flights for $ 10. I’d highly rev omens the fried green beans that you dip in a siracha-​honey sauce.
A neighborhood spot I try to get to as often as I can.

I came for the dollar oysters which were pretty satisfying and fresh. The drink selection was okay and we got fries which were satisfactory. I was kind of surprised how expensive our bill was despite only getting oysters, fries, and one drink each. Didn’t feel like it met my «happy hour» expectations. I’d probably check out the other dollar oyster deals before coming back.

The best thing about this place is their $ 1 happy hour oysters! They were served with a ton of lemons, wasabi and a pretty tasty pickled sauce. But other than that, I was very surprised at how expensive the rest of the menu seemed. We grabbed two dozen oysters, an order of fries and two beers, and it came out to almost $ 60. The fries were pretty standard.
I would come back if I was feenin’ for some oysters, but otherwise just seemed like another overpriced bar.

Been a pretty consistent customer here for the last 6 years. Love the space, beer list, and how there’s generally not a wait. Food has always been solid, which is why I generally recommend Paramount to all new friends moving to the neighborhood.
With that said — I’m totally bummed out their recent changes to the menu. They changed the burger options (probably to seem more like Au Cheval) and they just didn’t hit home. Also removed the Reuben so there isn’t a great sandwich option anymore. The fries though, still amazing as usual.
I mainly came here for the burger and the beer list. Without a great burger anymore, not sure how often I’ll be coming back.

I am a huge fan of the hole in the wall, dive bar esque feel to the place. Plus, the menu is simple and nothing over the top. I had the Paramount burger which was excellent. However, it was not cooked medium rare but more medium well. With thin patty’s, it is harder to achieve this type of cooking. Drinks are on point and the service was solid. I look forward to coming back to this place in the near future.

Have loved this place for a long time, their burger WAS one of the best burgers and best kept secrets in the city and in my circle it was talked about on the same level as Au Cheval’s. Why would you mess with near perfection? I almost cried when I went the other night and was informed the menu was changed. No more Wagyu beef burger, it is now the slim and double or something like that, both are more expensive than the original Wagyu and don’t hold a candle to it. We lost a gem here folks hate to be the bearer of bad news!

I’ve loved quirky Paramount Room since I moved 3 years ago from the burbs to my first place in the city, the nearby Echelon K Station, and discovered PR’s awesome «wagyu burger.» This is kind of their signature item, though they’re a Bib Gourmand award winning gastropub and their other food is also excellent. I liked their thick juicy pork chop, Amish chicken and queso fundido. I had oysters a couple times and they were meh one time and excellent more recently. It’s worth noting they have a $ 1 oyster happy hour 3 – 6 on some days. Desserts are good (cream cheese ice cream!)
But the burger stands out as my favorite in Chicago. Not long ago Au Cheval got crowned the best burger in America. I’ve had it and it’s fine, but it’s a thin patty underseasoned concoction in my book. There are certain things my fellow Americans rave about (football, Miller Lite, Taco Bell, etc.) that I just don’t give two hoots about and Au Cheval’s hipster burger is one of ‘em. Paramount Room’s on the other hand is a true big pub burger and the meat seems to be lightly seasoned. This is important — it seems many of these hype-​y burger joints get by on their toppings or bacon or something… but don’t season the damn meat! Quality meat is fine, it still needs seasoning!
Well, the wagyu burger is moist and delicious. Served on a big pretzel bun with some kind of house made special sauce. PR is not the best at getting temps just right. A med-​rare usually comes out medium or worse. Fix that and get 5 stars! Signature side tempura flash fried green beans served with a lime wedge and a sriracha-​based dipping sauce are the bomb! Their fries are seriously good too.
PR touts «no crap on tap» on an ever rotating menu of about 7 draft beers. You can also get a flight. For $ 5 get a PBR tallboy and a shot of house whiskey.
Service is always friendly and neighborly. You feel very welcome here.
The space is weird. It just has a small red/​blue LED sign way up high out front of the door on Milwaukee that reads «Lounge.» Inside it’s quite narrow with a few high-​top tables, a bar with maybe 8 seats and a few booths and a bathroom to the back right opposite the narrow kitchen to the left. But downstairs is a big a$s cavern with a high ceiling. I far prefer the convivial vibe of the upstairs though.
Bollocks to your hip/​hype-​ster burger. Go get a wagyu and shut’chyer mouth!
PS: PR is a member of the loyalty/​cash back Spring Rewards outfit (for $ 10 free here:
)

Pretty average place. But other than the happy hour oysters, everything seemed a bit pricey. We had the mussels and Fritas and it was $ 19 for super tiny mussel pieces. Not worth my money! The real reason we came were for the oysters. We asked for 3 dozen and got 38 pieces… So we had to pay the $ 38 not a super big deal since it was 2 pieces extra but you get my drift. The upstairs seating were filled so we were seated downstairs and we were the only table seated downstairs so that service was really slow. Ontop of slow service, the server failed to tell us what the daily specials were and we didn’t realized that was option till we left the bar. Only thing I would probably come back for is the $ 1 oyster deal but nothing else.

Great beer selection and a diverse menu make the Paramount Room a solid no-​frills destination to unwind after a long day in the Windy City.
This isn’t a huge place so it can get crammed, but it’s worth it. There were three of us and we grabbed the front table on the right, which meant moving the table out so we could slide in, and then moving it back towards us so they could maintain some sort to exit path. Not a huge deal.
They have a nice selection of «No Crap on Tap» local beers and I settled for an Arcade Coffee Stout. It had a deep and rather pronounced roasted flavor that really hit the spot. I was originally eyeing another stout, but our waitress nudged me towards the Arcade and I’m glad she did. I hoping to try another one of their beers on tap, but I ended up going back to the Arcade. The two guys I was with did the same.
For food, I went with the Wagyu burger. It’s a perfectly-​sized, succulent patty of American style Kobe, with the typical accouterments. It was served with fries, though there was the option to go with fried green beans. My friends went that route — I stuck with old fashioned french fries. I tried both and while the green beans were a novel change of pace, I was happy with my decision. If I was hungrier, I would have loved to have tried the pulled pork poutine… ahhh, next time…
Looking forward to it!

Fun, quirky little spot. It is fairly difficult to find and extremely tight, but that’s what contributes to the charm it possesses. It’s one of those places I’m glad most people don’t know about. The food is among the best bar/​pub grub in Chicago. Hell, why not call it a «gastropub.» They have tempura fried green beans with a Sriracha dipping sauce — the most unique offering here and by far my favorite must-​order item. Their pork belly bites are also excellent. The waygu burger is delicious as well, and it is offered with tempura green beans instead of fries! I’ve also done oyster happy hour here, which features a rotating menu of always-​fresh oysters. This is hard to find in Chicago!
Great beer list. Consistently rotating list of unique, hard to find brews, from IPAs to saisons to porters. Also, the cocktail list looks promising as well. Beer flights available if you want to sample some different varietals.
Only beef with this place is the tiny size of the upstairs bar and dining area. The downstairs lounge area is very cool. In fact, one of the most aesthetically pleasing in Chicago, but only opens during peak hours.

After an afternoon of Sox baseball (what!!! I wanted to actually see a team that wins!) we stopped in for a burger. The main floor space is cozy & intimate (small). The main floor was full except for two spots at the bar which we ponied up to. As my bf & I had never been here before we took a quick peak at the downstairs lounge. It was roomier and seemed like it’d be a good spot in the summer when you want to step in from the heat & cool down. However, my bf did say that the stairway down smelled like a mixture of the chocolate factory nearby & a fishtank. I can’t confirm as I had a stuffed nose.
After a day of drinking at the game we decided to give the ‘olé livers a rest but the beer list looked pretty decent.
As for food, the bf had the fish & chips with fries and I went with the burger & fried green beans.
The fish & chips were good size and nicely battered. The coleslaw that came with it was good but somewhat bland.
My burger was good but nothing to write home about. It came with some special sauce but there wasn’t much on mine so I couldn’t taste it. The green beans were better. Maybe could have had a touch more batter on them but that’s just me being picky. I didn’t care for the siracha sauce that came with them. I ended up dipping mine in the house sauce that came with the fish & chips.