The Bar Below

The photos on here definitely make this place look amazing. They had a happy hour with $ 5 draft beer except ipa’s. They had maybe 10 draft beers available, and more bottles & cans.
I feel the beers could have been colder. The service was slow, and the waitress was weird. She kept asking us if we were sure about our beer selections because of the happy hour prices. I understand that she wanted us to take advantage of the happy hour, but we all know what we like to drink and don’t need to be questioned when we order a beer.
The bathrooms were clean & there was a smaller room near the bathrooms, I think it would be nice & quiet in that room. The place just had an old vibe, not my style. They did have a pool table & plenty of tv’s. They also had music playing very loudly, so loud it was hard to hear people talking.

Friendly staff, great beers on tap, a fun group of people! Went here for a nightcap and ended up staying for a couple hours.

We came in to grab a drink and sat on one of the couches to enjoy. Five minutes later, ‘George’ came by and asked us to get up and find another table, with a larger party in tow. I guess all paying customers are not created equal. We returned our drinks and left after getting an equal dose of attitude from the bartender.
I’d skip this place and go next door to Berghoff Bar. Much friendlier and accommodating. Great experience.

A nice bar underground with decent prices beer a nice selection of beer also craft beer and cocktails quite limited on wine but again it is a Sports bar. All in all a good bar with nice staff decent bathrooms and tons of TVs so if you are looking to watch a game it is a good place. They have a pool table as well. It is very well located right in the heart of Chicago.

This place was really cool. Nothing fancy more of a local bar. We walked past it the first time and didn’t even notice it was there. We had there old fashioned and they were exceptionally good. I am not giving this place 5 stars only because we didn’t try the food and it was a short visit but I can vouch for the drinks and service. I’ll definitely be back if I’m in the area.

Bartenders are friendly, they might even buy you a drink or two.
Quesadilla’s are good.
They have a pool table but it too small.

Great service, good food. Try the Chicago Skillet! The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was because they didn’t have all the NFL games. You should try this place :)

Loved it here! The staff is great and a few locals were enjoying the Packer vs. Bears game. Great selection of beers and the food was spot on! The Bar Below exceeded my expectations, food, atmosphere, and cleanliness. There was a certain charm to the place. I think the older gentleman helping customers was the owner, he was great too! Helping customers, cleaning, and adjusted the lighting.
Excellent neighborhood bar!
Thank you for a great experience !

SO GOOD! The macaroni and cheese bites were heaven. So amazing. I also tried the pulled pork sandwich, and being from Kansas City I was wary of the BQQ sauce… but it was delicious! Quick service, decent prices. Can’t wait to go again next time I’m in town.

I’m rating this 3 stars even though I would probably go here more frequently if I worked in the Loop. Another reviewer said it right when she said this place is OLD SCHOOL. it reminds me of the places my co-​workers used to go when we wanted a drink from work and didn’t want to be surrounded by tourists or «beautiful people.» (So, if you’re a tourist or a beautiful person, you probably don’t want to come here.) That being said, we were tourists this time (and while not quite «beautiful,» I don’t think we’re «ugly people» either!) but were sick of the expensive, trendy, themed «lounges» that are popping up all over Chicago. We just wanted a drink, damn it.
Service was friendly and they have a good beer list. No windows, as the bar is in the basement. But pretend you’re a Loop office worker and you just want to unwind. This is your place.

Great local bar. Visited around midnight, drinks were great! Plenty of seating and the service was good! Wil definitely remember this spot when I visit again. Steve I don’t remember the servers name but she was really nice she was the only female sever there that night it was this past Saturday at closing time actually

Worst bar in Chicago. Don’t waste your money. Even the water is gross. Call the health department — this place is littered with violations.

This is the bar below the Beef & Brandy restaurant on State Street. OLD SCHOOL.
Popped in here on a weekend, for a «shopping drink». At first, it seemed sort of janky, but then, once we settled in, no — it’s awesome.
It’s really hard to find a bar with a «neighborhood» feel in the Loop. It’s all fabulous this, and French that, and touristy, and nuevo something or other, when what you really want is a JOINT to have a DRINK and maybe get some sort of trashyish snack that is really delicious.
We hung out for a long time at that bar that day, got into a conversation with some other locals. This is a great bar. I’d have no qualms about stopping in here by myself for a drink after work, should the need arise.
Check it out!

Music: five stars.
Noise level: wonderful, didn’t have to shout.
Beverage options: average with a few local brews on tap.
TVs: none.
Bartenders: fun, engaging.
Price: average price, offset by tall pours.
Food: looked decent, didn’t try.

My partner, my friend, and I were visiting Chicago for her birthday and a nice Memorial Day vacation weekend. This bar was right around the corner from our hotel (The Palmer House) and was very convenient when we were returning for the night from our adventures out in the city.
The service was great and friendly. Our bartender (Mike) was friendly, chatty, and made great strong drinks. We talked about our trip to the city and he suggested some places for us to go and see and when he learned of my friends birthday, he told us to come back for a drink on the house the next day. We did, he remembered, and the birthday drink was on the house!
This place is LITERALLY below the B&B restaurant and the stairs are steep, but don’t be intimidated. This place was great. Order some fries with your drink!

We really enjoyed almost every part of this place. The service was top notch. The bartender was full of suggestions for drinks and things to do around town. They have several in house infusions that really are excellent. The only ding on this place was the appetizers we ordered were pretty bland. Avoid the spinach and artichoke dip. Be careful on the stairs. They are steep.

Came here for an afterwork. I liked the draft beer menu, there are a lot of choices. The place gets busy very fast and I had to wait way too long for both getting served and having the check.
Good place though, but nothing makes it exceptional.

Came here with a friend for a celebratory glass of Champagne, but we started with a French 75, which adds some gin and lemon. I think of it a little like malt liquor. A little like taking the Champagne of beers and adding an added kick. Their Manhattan was tasty too (man can’t celebrate on one drink alone!).
We sat at the bar, and the bartender was both friendly and attentive. The room was okay; I hadn’t looked at the photos on Unilocal and saw mention of the fireplace, which I didn’t notice until I went to the men’s room. Overall, the place just looked like a standard low-​end restaurant, not as cozy as I expected. But it wasn’t bad.
We arrived at a little after ten on a frigid Thursday evening, with most of the bar seats taken and a few tables as well, including four college women celebrating their 21-​year-​old friend’s birthday, respectfully having a lot of fun without forcing her to imbibe to inebriation. They added energy to the place.
I was surprised that the place closed at midnight, but that’s the Loop for you, I guess.

We found this place last Saturday and decided to go inside because they were playing RUSH… and ended up staying for a few hours-​worth of more. I love the atmosphere here. They have a nice long bar, a pool table, lots of tables, and a couple couches near a fireplace. It has a cozy feel and it’s a great place to accidentally spend a few hours.
That being said, I’d like to spend some more time here on purpose! We didn’t eat anything, but they have a full menu and food coming downstairs smelled pretty good. The bartenders and staff were all really friendly and attentive, even as the place started filling up. The women’s bathroom could use a little updating, but it gets the job done.
Glad to have found this place. Looking forward to going back and trying out their food!

The worst place I’ve ever been to in terms of service and food. I went there after class one night to catch a Bulls game. I arrive there and request a seat in front of one of the TVs. The place looks like other pubs but looks are very deceiving.
I ordered their version of loaded fries. The fries were soggy and the cheese on top looked like they had placed 2 slices of cheese there then microwaved the fries to melt it. Dismal to say the least.
They didn’t mess up my beer only by the virtue that it came in a bottle.
The worst part was their service. I was enjoying a thrilling Bulls game as it came down to the last two minutes when they decided to switch the channel. I talk to «Mike» the manager and asked him if he could switch it back because I had been watching it and it was almost over. He told me that the table next to mine that had just arrived had requested a different game. I asked him how it was fair that I was there more than an hour before them yet I could not finish the game I was currently watching. He directed my attention to a TV across the pub where they had the Bulls game on. This was a joke, I had to turn 180 degrees in my seat to be able to watch it.
Terrible customer service. I will never be going back. Save your money and go to any other pub because there’s a very good chance it will be better than this place.