The Franklin Room

Great place for an after work HH or quick dinner. Bartenders are awesome here. Definitely know their craft. Lots of whiskey to choose from. Drink of the week is a featured craft cocktail of a higher end spirit. We enjoyed the corned beef sandwich, it’s house cured. See you Sunday’s for $ 1 whisky and your featured cocktail of the week.

Really a fan of this place. It’s in the basement with a relatively understated entrance so it gives a semi — speakeasy vibe. The décor is of good taste but the prices are more than reasonable.
The whiskey menu is just IMPRESSIVE and on Sundays you have a great selection of them for just $ 1 an ounce! A little dangerous I must say… Also noticed the $ 1 oyster deals everyday from 5PM — 6:30PM. Who doesn’t love a great happy hour?
Didn’t really eat much the two times I’ve been here, but I am a fan of the duck liver pâté. Nice and smooth with the grease negated by some tasteful raspberry jam on top.
P. S. To the waitress with short blonde hair: your eyes are just too mesmerizing! I have a huge girl crush on you. :D

Everything tonight was phenomenal. From the 3 varieties of Rye cocktails I had, to the $ 1 happy hour oysters, to the sweet chili drumettes! I will now be back here every time I stay downtown… which is about every 6 weeks or so.
And my bartender was super attentive, even with a packed bar the entire time I was there… which was a while. Maybe 2+ hours. Managed to chat with my about rye while still not seeming like he was rushing to get the the next customer waiting for a drink.
Well done guys… I WILL BE BACK SOON!

Five stars!
This place was great… A bustling little spot on a Tuesday night. The drinks were DELICIOUS and the food was wonderful as well. Knowledgable and stylish staff. Menu was full of different options… Salads, a few soup options, seafood, cheese board, meat board or full entrees. A foodie and choosy girls dream!

My husband and I unexpectedly stopped in about 6pm on a Friday night, thinking we would have a bit of a wait without having a reservation. The hostess was very courteous, explained that she did not want us to feel rushed, but that she had 1 table for 2 until 7pm. We were great with that arrangement because we had not wanted a lengthy dinner.
We were seated and the waiter immediately came up and graciously mentioned that he knew we had an hour and he would take care that we were served well.
We ordered drinks: sauv blanc for me and a Lagunitas for him. The waiter brought them before I finished absorbing their entire menu!
Tony the manager then kindly stopped by to greet us and we asked what was good on the menu. He recommended a number of items, but pointed out as well that the oysters on the half shell were still at happy hour prices ($ 1 each) until 6.30pm. We appreciated the heads up!
I then ordered the surf and turf burger, he ordered the fried bologna sandwich, and together we would split 6 oysters. We enjoyed everything, and planned out what we would order the next time we came there!
Our waiter Ben was awesome and showed us good attention. Really great personality and we were joking around with him in the end. He seemed like a good friend!
We left absolutely stuffed, with very nice goodbyes from both Tony and the hostess. I would sum up the folks working there as just about the friendliest I’ve ever encountered.
I travel to NYC a lot and would equate it to something similar there. Without the super cramped, «can’t get to the table/can’t sit down part». The tables in our row were close together, but not uncomfortably close. The sounds were loud but not deafening, and we were able to have a normal level conversation.
We will return, very soon!!!

We came in for our anniversary dinner, and it was just ok. It’s a cramped restaurant — I feel like our elbows were constantly in the walkway or in the table next to us, and it was a bit tight feeling, overall. Loud, too, so if you’re looking for something a bit more relaxed, this isn’t the place. I liked the speakeasy aesthetic, though, but it was just a bit too hectic.
The food was good, and I think that was probably the highlight. We like to just share a lot of small plates, and their menu is great for that. The mussels in miso and butter were excellent, as were the eggplant and foie gras dishes. The pork belly was just okay, and I was disappointed in their apple crisp dessert. The waffle fries were good, though!
And now, the cocktails. Their alcohol menu is impressive, especially the whiskey/​bourbon menu, which of course is what they are known for. We’re whiskey enthusiasts (part of the reason we picked this place), and we both enjoyed our beverages — I went for a cocktail, and my husband went for a Scotch flight. If we lived in the area, I could see maybe coming in for more casual meals and the chance to work our way through their whiskeys!
Service was barely there — not rude, but just perfunctory. I think this isn’t the place to expect the sort of whole meal experience — more like a place to focus on company, and hey, I always enjoy an evening out with my partner, but we would have appreciated a better overall meal experience, I think.

I came here with friends with small bites, dessert, and drinks last night and boy did we have a great time!
Drinks: My men in our group were thrilled with the 300+ whiskeys/​bourbon menu which included Rip Van Winkle. I don’t drink such things and indulged in 2 non-​whiskey cocktails which were yummy!
Food: Fries and cauliflower tots were ok, nothing to write home about. Steak tar tar was good according to my friend. For dessert, we ordered the apple caramel crisp which was absolutely delicious! This was easily the best thing we tested.
Price: Cocktails are $ 12. Prices for food seem reasonable for the upscale nature of the restaurant.
Service: This is where they easily deserve their 5 stars. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable about the entire food and drink menu. He gave great suggestions and offered insider secrets on the different whiskeys.

This is a tough one. Franklin Room has amazing food, but service is mediocre at best. I went here with some girlfriends and it took forever to get our initial drink orders. We couldn’t even figure out who our server was for a while. The host overheard me saying that I was about to jump behind the bar and make the damn drinks myself, and he could tell I was serious, so he finally tracked down a server for us. (Hey, thanks for that.) It took a long time to get the first few rounds of drinks, but once the server realized how much we were ordering, she became a bit more attentive. Surprise, surprise.
Based on the poor service, I was expecting a lackluster meal. I was mistaken. Both food and drinks were great. I enjoyed many, many cocktails. I don’t remember what it was called (the 1800-​something, maybe?), but the first cocktail on the menu, a cucumber martini of sorts, is refreshing and all sorts of delightful. Food was great, too. Some highlights we tried were the meat and cheese boards, duck liver pâté, cauliflower parmesan tots (those were probably my fave), sliced pork belly, and fried chicken. So, so good.
For dessert, we ordered the ice cream and waffles option to share and stressed to our server multiple times that we were there celebrating our friend’s 40^th birthday, but when she brought out the dessert, it had no candle in it. A candle was totally possible, and the lack of it really bothered me for some reason. (I know they have candles! I should not have to ask for one! This is just what you DO for birthdays! MAKE SOME EFFORT!!!)
The ambiance at this place is just okay. It’s a smallish space and kind of cramped, and loud because the dining room is located right by a bar that has TVs playing sporting events. It’s an odd mix, honestly. Also, while the food was great, my table ordered mainly a bunch of small plates to share and drank (a lot, admittedly), and four of us ran up an almost $ 500 tab, with tip. I feel we would have had better value for our money elsewhere.
It’s so weird because the food and drinks were great, but based on the poor service and the overall vibe, I don’t think I’d make a point of coming back here. Chicago has plenty of other great dining options to oggtt.

I came with a group of six and everyone left content or happy. The mixed drinks were the best options on the menu, so if you want to stop in for a quick drink, I recommend it. The wine by the bottle pricing is reasonable. The atmosphere is the typical look of a speakeasy. The waitstaff is nice and informative. They were out of the first dish I tried to order, so I went for the mushroom risotto, which was very nice. I also tried the cauliflower tots and the brussel sprouts which I really liked. My boyfriend had the roasted chicken, and it was nothing special. It was typical pricing for the location and atmosphere.

I came here with two friends for dinner on a Saturday evening at around 6 pm. We were seated in time for the $ 1 oysters, which were a great deal! The oysters that were brought out came out with flavored ice, which I had never tried before. Cool concept, don’t know how much it added to the oysters, though.
For the entrée, I ordered the surf and turn burger. It came with a thick burger patty (cooked to your liking), a soft shelled crab, bacon, and a fried egg. In all honesty, I could have done without the burger patty. I thought there was too much going on with the crab AND burger patty– it was all a bit much. I’m from Maryland where a crab sandwich on its own is just enough and makes for a delicious meal. The pretzel bun was average, and the waffle fries weren’t that great.
Our waitress was great and checked on us several times throughout the night. Overall, a decent experience.

Went here with five other people for a work lunch. The drink specials were fantastic… Great prices and a great selection.
The atmosphere is really cool. They’ve invested a lot to make the place feel like a speakeasy, and I really enjoyed the décor and the vibe. For food, my group was pleased but not blown away. One complaint was that a seared salmon salad came with salmon that was way overcooked and far from seared. I had the risotto with shrimp, however, and it was a beautiful dish. I would come back just for that. In general, pretty standard lunch fare and great drinks in a cool setting. Definitely one of the better options in River North /​north loop.

Finally went out to see what The Franklin Room was all about this past weekend.
Here’s my executive summary: come for the drinks, especially if you are a bourbon and/​or whiskey drinker, and maybe order a couple of apps/​sides. But generally, avoid the entrees and milkshakes here.
Detail – my group of six came by to check out the space, and the lounge atmosphere is the best asset of this bar. Good-​looking people, fairly tight confines, a great bar to sit at without the large space of some of the other bars at nice restaurants in River North, with great service at the bar and at my table.
Tried a number of cocktails, including the Madame Chareau and the Derby Day Mule, plus the $ 4 malt liquor on the beer menu. We also had a few people order whiskey by the 1.5 ounce, plus the three women in our group split a bottle of wine. Although the wine-​by-​the-​glass prices are too high, there’s something for everyone at this place in the drink category.
Apps: we tried the cauliflower parmesan tots and the brussels sprouts. Both were tasty but not extraordinary, but as we learned later, this was the best food portion we tried.
My wife and I split the fried chicken and the reuben; both were average to below-​average. One of the guys in our party tried the venison and it seemed like he was pretty happy with the meat. Two of us wanted to order the shrimp pot pie but that was out of stock when we tried to order it; hard to know if that would have really been a gamechanger or not.
Tried the chocolate and bourbon caramel shake; the bourbon one was a bit too boozy, and the chocolate shake was just fine.
Will definitely come back to drink here, but the food was a minor bust!

Got Whiskey? I love whiskey so I had to try out this spot. It’s a cool underground vibe in the basement level. I made a reservation for 5:30pm and thankfully I did. It’s a small venue and it’s quite popular so the bar was already full (they open at 5pm) and even my reserved table was in somewhat of a tight spot. At first I was told I was not allowed to move the table to make it a bit more comfortable, which really annoyed me. I don’t hide my facial expressions well so clearly they knew I wasn’t happy so after a while they eventually let me do what I do and I adjusted our table arrangement and felt better about my experience to come.
Devon was our server. She was cool and certainly knew the menu and what to recommend. There are a gazillion whiskey options so it can be frankly overwhelming. What’s cool is that they have flight options so that you can try out a variety if you so choose. I kept it simple and ordered my go-​to whiskey drink, an old fashioned. Maybe I hyped it up in my head and was hoping for more but it was just ok. And it was served with regular ice cubes which also shocked me. It would have been better with a single, slow melting block.
The food was dope though. $ 1 oysters 5 – 6:30pm everyday! Boom and Yum! The crab dip… ordered a second round because it was awesome. Cauliflower parmesan tots? Who knew? Delish. And did I mention the $ 1 oysters?

Overall, this restaurant was excellent. I came here last night with my husband and sister. All three of us agreed this place was deserving of 5 stars.
We started the evening with cocktails. I had the Lost in Paradise, which featured rum, coconut milk, and a lime garnish with something aflame on top for aroma. It was delicious and tasted similar to a piña colada. My husband had the Franklin Room Old Fashioned, which was their featured cocktail, and it was smooth and strong.
We had the cauliflower parmesan tots with house-​made bleu cheese to start. It was mouthwateringly good and a perfect appetizer.
We decided to share multiple small plates as a group for the evening. The first dish to come out was the house-​made truffled burrata and fried tomato, and it was so savory. Then, the Wagyu beef tartare came out, and it’s presented as a spread with quail egg on top, foie gras butter, and sliced baguettes to the side. This was truly delicious. The third dish to come out was the mushroom risotto with BBQ eel, and it was fantastic and my personal favorite of the night. The last dish was the fried lobster tail with spicy aioli sauce, which was also terrific.
For dessert, we shared the caramel apple crisp, which featured homemade vanilla ice cream, toasted honey comb, shortbread with apple pie filling, and caramel on top. Dare I say, this dish was to die for? It was excellent.
The ambiance was warm and cozy, and the service was attentive and friendly. The restaurant became very busy very quickly, so I recommend making a reservation, as we did. The total bill rounded at $ 45 per person and absolutely worth every penny. We recommend this restaurant, and I’m sure we’ll come back.

This place had all the right elements but there were too many missteps to be a win… Came in Wednesday night with a reservation and waited for 25 min, wouldn’t have been a big deal if there was bar space to wait at, as it was we were hanging out by the stairs instead…
On to the food– started with the steak tartare which would have been really good with warm toast points and foie gras butter, but the overly aggressive garlic flavor, the super oiliness of the dish and heavy hand with the salt prevented this from being a success… I had the lamb shank for an entrée which was flavorful and very tender but also very fatty– it could have been saved if it had been trimmed a little better. The grits it came with was great but the paired vegetables lacked flavor (except salt, they were definitely salted). I shared dessert– waffles and ice cream… Waffle was undercooked, but the ice cream with hardened chocolate and brownie chunks was good and a nice size for sharing…
Service was fine and the atmosphere was cozy so I’d give it another try, maybe it was just an off nite.

I’m torn on The Franklin Room, but I’m erring on my positive side, and here’s why…
CONS:
* Very hipster atmosphere, and not in the classy way, but in the snooty, snobby, trust-​fund baby whiner kind of way.
* Pricey for certain items, though others seems fairly listed.
* They were out of two of the Orphan Barrel bourbons that I was hoping to try.
PROS:
* The whiskey list was astonishing! I was very surprised to see Pappy on the shelves, and that was just the start of their amazing collection. It was a whiskey lover’s nirvana.
* The food was simply amazing. I had the duck noodle soup, and it was heavenly. The noodles were homemade and very luscious, but not as meaty-​silky-​tasty as the duck broth, with accompanying legs. This was a perfectly crafted and thought out dish, and I would be hard pressed not to order it again every single time (maybe it’s good that I don’t live near there!).
* The server was very knowledgeable and helpful. She was also friendly and approachable, though she still kept the hipster vibe going. Just not in an offending sort of way.
* The apps were also very good. I was there with a group and we shared a bunch of them. The meat and cheese board was excellent, as were the cauliflower tots.
I would definitely stop back here if and when I’m in town next. This was a tremendous find that rivals the traditional «hot down, pizza, and Italian beef» joints that the city is famous for. If The Franklin Room isn’t on your radar, it should be… it might be because they are below ground.

If you’re a dude, or a woman with the refined palete of a hot, rich, old dude (like me), you will thoroughly enjoy The Franklin Room. It is the Whiskey lovers dream; a hang out where sipping an Old Fashioned is a requirement, not an option, where having $ 1 oysters during their happy hour will make you want to order 20 (just for yourself) and proudly say «Shuck it» when the bill comes, and where beautiful people usually come in dressed to impress only to leave with their Whiskey goggles on, a one night stand, and a possible STD, but the next day, they still remember it as a fabulous time because The Franklin Room is just that great!
A whiskey bible is given to you as soon as you sit down, aka. a very large menu of whiskeys, described thoroughly from their smokey attributes to the barrels they are aged in; your choices are endless on the whiskey front. It can be overwhelming at first but once you pick your drink, what’s to come is mere euphoria. The Franklin Room only employs true mixologists that have never (!) disappointed me, and I’ve been there already five or six times since I moved to Chicago. Any and all drinks here will be loved, I promise.
The place itself is very cute and clean and reminds me of the old days. However, I will note, that they describe themselves as a speakeasy. That I do not see. A speakeasy, to me, is more like The Violet Hour, or The Drifter.
The Franklin Room has no rules, no regulations, no hidden doors. =(A speakeasy is defined as, «an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages» (from the Prohibition era). There is no illegal feel here, compared to the others I mentioned. But the space is still BEAUTIFUL and it still owns my heart enough to be crowned (by me) the best whiskey bar in Chicago.
This is a great date spot, happy hour spot with your friends, or somewhere you can relax for a chill lunch by yourself. Whichever way you visit T.F.R., I guarantee you, it will be fun.
Go and enjoy a beverage, mate, and remember, what whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for!

Great atmosphere. Love the interior design and or service was superb. I was sick, and she was sweet enough to get me Kleenex without being grossed out.
Food:
Duck liver pâté — delicious
Oysters — LOOOOVE
Fried chicken dinner — bleh
Duck noodle soup — I like.
And some kind of steak my husband ordered — good.
Wine — smooth
I think their small plates seem to be better than their dinners.

What a nice, hidden (underground) gem. At first, I was skeptical, thinking it was another, boring, played out speakeasy-​type of restaurant (or gastropub). And I couldn’t be more wrong.
The food is excellent. It was one of those occassions where I left the restaurant thinking what a good meal that was.
Oysters: not the biggest fan of oysters but Franklin Room uses fresh oysters and dresses them up lightly with a sprinkling of yuzu ice.
Wagyu Beef Tartare: very delicious and it came with duck liver fattier than a beached Las Vegas whale.
Lamb shank: very succulent and tender, just the way I like to eat baby sheep =) It came with a glaze that is very pleasing and complements the dish wonderfully.
Extensive selection of whiskeys from across the globe. Calling all lumbersexuals and Andrew Luck wannabes.
I tried their Glenfiddich whiskey sour and it is so delicious I had two. Does that offend you, lumbersexuals, who only drink Glenfiddich neat? I hope so =)
Oh and the dessert… don’t forget that ;) Their caramel apple crisp is very good, makes you want to sucker punch a grizzly bear.

When I saw the menu, I knew we HAD to come here. The food, wine list, cocktails, presentation, service are all fabulous. Everything that came out was even better than the previous dish. I tried 3 different wines and they all paired perfectly with the food.
Server Dan was exceptional and I highly suggest asking for his station. The vibe is nice, comfortable environment and if I had to give something that I was less than thrilled with is that it’s a little loud. Kind of hard to hear conversation, but maybe that’s a sign to just keep eating.
I’m coming back over the weekend.