BB's - CLOSED
Categories: Bars, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Near North Side22 E Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 755-0007
- Nearest Transit:
Grand (Red)
State/Lake (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Green, Pink)
Clark/Lake (Pink, Brown, Green, Blue, Purple Express, Orange)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Best Nights: Thu, Fri
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
58 reviews
Neighborhood: The Loop
"Excellent charcoal grilled burgers, pan pizza; good pasta, greek chicken, ground sirloin with sauteed onions or mushrooms and daily options…" read more »
29 Reviews for BB's
BB's is like a dirty little secret for my friends and I, when its talked about we get all giddy and ready to make bad decisions.
I have only been here for all-you-can-drink parties and NYE (you dont need to know anymore details than that). The staff is always accommodating and friendly, drinks are strong and made with the quickness and a smile.
Stock up BB's - we will be back!
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Since it opened a couple years ago, BB's has become my office's go-to happy hour superstore.
It's a nice-looking joint, decked out with the telltale trappings of a nascent Chicago bar--crosstown baseball regalia, blues baubles, post-fire cityscapes in grainy B&W.
The men's room has good hand soap and the kind of obscured sight lines that make life easy on those of us who tend to tighten up at the moment of truth.
For all its polished brass and back lighting, however, the place suffers mightily due to its bottom-line mission to fleece guests of the neighboring Marriott with outrageous drink prices. I know I'm reprising a standard gripe about downtown, but I can't abide $6 Stellas no matter how many free games I get to shoot on the pool table.
BB's boasts an extensive menu, but I'm not there to eat; I'm there to watch imprudent co-workers do shots of jagermeister until they vurp on the office manager. That has yet to happen.
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I've been here twice...after the 2007 and 2008 St. Patrick's Day river dying. My memory of both visits are near images of each other (car bombs, burgers, and beer). I think we even sat in the same booths each time!
This last time the waitress even gave us a free round of drinks for our very large party. Can't complain with that! While I can't judge the bar on its merits for typical night out on the town, it does serve as a good forward base for St. Patrick's Day operations.
They've closed; Binyon is apparently opening something else in this space though..
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
12/14/2007
we had our Christmas party here this year, which apparently means this place is cheap for open bar… Read more »
Your basic collared shirt, tie, slacks and blouses set. Great place for a Duuuuurty Martini after work and the burgers look TASTY. Good music playing. Interesting things on the walls.
A patio? Hrm...I'll have to be back again when it warms up.
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Went here before going to see Rent last week with 3 other people. The menu isn't extensive, but it's alot more fancier than a normal bar place. 2 out of the 4 of us got the steak with chimichurri sauce. The steak was OK, not the greatest, but I suppose edible. However the other 2 got the monsterous cheeseburgers with shoestring fries. The burgers looked and did taste delish! Plus the fries were tasty, but who can really mess those up??
Worth the try if you are in the neighborhood because it does have an extensive beer menu. But stick to the burger!
The food here is great. I had a company christmas lunch here, and everyone raved about their food.
That, unfortunately, is where the positive experience ended. To start with, they lost my reservation. I'm not quite sure how that was possible, seeing as I re-confirmed my reservation only 2 hours before I arrived. To be told I dont have a reservation in front of my boss and 14 co-workers was an embarrassment. Luckily, they werent busy and we were seated right away.
The smoking ban hasnt gone into effect yet-- and its quite obvious at BB's. They allow pipe and cigar smoking, and people were taking advantage of it.
The dining room we were seated in was a windowless room off of the bar. Over half of the lights were burnt out which made it hard to see. Giant air vents were forcefully blowing cold air over the table the entire time.
To be clear, BB's is a bar that serves food, not a restaurant. The food was really good, and from what I hear, the cocktails are as well. If you go in there with the right expectation, you might just like it.
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I stopped here on a Friday for some after-work drinks with my husband's co-workers.
The service was excellent and the drinks were big, strong, and reasonable priced. The music was a bit loud, but at least it was good - a mix of modern rock with some fun 90's and late 80's thrown in.
I can't personally attest to the food as I didn't eat, but some in my group ordered sandwiches and said they were good. Beware of the pretzels and cheese appetizer though. I almost ordered it as I was envisioning big soft pretzels with a cheese dip. It was actually small hard pretzels with a bar cheese spread. Might have been tasty, but I would have been disappointed.
I'd would definately come back for drinks if I was the in the neighborhood.
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I have one great experience and one good experience here.
The great one first. We had a party of about 20 on a Friday night and they gave us the back room. My gin and tonic came in a big beer mug!! YAY! The service was great and the food was delicious.
The second time I came here, the two things I wanted on the menu, they were out of :(
That's always a disappointment for me, because I really pine over each item before I can finally make a choice.
But other than that, I think this is a fun place to go for happy hour.
Overall Impression:
I went in here with my wife and no expectations. We were surprisingly pleased by the food and fortunate enough to catch a friendly server on top of his game. Turned out to be a perfect place to chill and refuel after participating in some of the day-after-Christmas shopping madness. (BB's is a short walk from the back Nordstrom exit of the Westfield North Bridge shopping zone - 520 N. Michigan.) So, if you want to get a bit off the main shopping drag, regroup and get some tasty food, BB's is worth a look.
Highlights / Lowlights:
What was great -
The Appetizers. Both the fried risotto balls with prosciutto and marinara sauce (melty, crunchy, tasty) and the three-cheese quesadillas (including an avocado salsa that lived up the server's well-meaning hype) were excellent.
The Entrees. My wife liked her halibut burger (seriously, I didn't believe it either, but after pawning off the red onion on me, she was good with it). But once again I ordered better in going with the goat cheese and tomato panini. It was a good size, nicely toasted, balanced. Simple, good food.
What wasn't so great
Idle servers and barstaff can get a little rowdy. One of the downsides of eating during a lull time is that the staff can get a little rowdy. Initially when we sat down the jukebox was playing some cool music (an eclectic mix of contemporary, upbeat and non-obvious tracks). But then it went off for a bit and you couldn't avoid overhearing the random, excited banter (especially from this one foghorn-throated waitress - yikes).
Scorecard:
Two critical questions -
- Would I eat here again?
Definitely
- Did it seem like good value?
~$50 (including tip) for 2 appetizers and 2 entrees, plus soda. Food was so good this seemed fine to me.
Essentials
Food - Great
Service - Our server was excellent. Literally anticipated our questions and handed us soda refills just as we were about to ask for them.
Amenities
Atmosphere - Pretty cool. Music --when on-- was funky. Photography on the walls can be interesting. I'm not sure what the story is with the whole French vibe, but the result is a somewhat more visually interesting slant on the homey pub/tavern look that places like Applebee's or Elephant & Castle are going for.
Star scoring key:
5 = Spectacular
4 = Better than average, really enjoyed it
3 = Average, don't regret it
2 = Disappointing
1 = Abysmal
For more of my reviews see travelcasserole.blogsp...
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Teddy C got this ridiculous deal for his party: $35 open bar (incl top shelf and shots) from 10pm - 3am. And oh did we respond! This bar is great. I drank black cherry effen and coke all night and the bartenders put it in pint glasses. No dinky small glasses here. The service was great and the dj was good. I have no complaints, except for the one bartender that didn't want to make 13 bukkake shots all at once. But then, who could blame him?
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I really like this place especially for the area. Hearing that it was on Hubbard by Moda and Rockit I only assumed it would be packed and there would be barely any room to move but that is not the case. The clienteleis a mixed crowd but the most part it's an attractive group of people looking for a good time. I liked how casual but still kind of upscle the bar is, overall it's my kind of bar and I will be a frequent patron of the place. I especially enjoy the fantastic drink package that was given to us for Ellie B's birthday, everytime I am there I am drunk and I love it so that deserves 5 stars in my book. No complaints here, maybe I'll actualy try the food at some point and ad to my review at a later date.
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Yesterday. After a hellish, endless flight from OAK to MDW our 15- hour trip ended close to midnight in Chicago, we we're afraid that all restaurant stopped searving food. The hotel recommended BB's and it was conviently located adjacent to our hotel.
Our server was very nice and attentive, she recognized that I needed more sugar for my ice tea. My beef stroganoff was very good, my DH and friend liked their dishes as well.
The music was too loud but at least the DJ played great songs.
I wasn't impressedwith dessert and they ran out of 4 things on the menu.
I would revisit and a plus the serve food very late, good selection menu.
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We went to BB's last Thursday night, for a few drinks and some food late night. Food, good not great. Waitress, or should I say waitresses.. we had two coming around asking us if we needed anything. They were both really nice and good, until I got home!! I can't blame one or the other since I'm not sure but... they had charged my card $250 instead of $25.. Now, I know MOST restaurants/bars will authorize your card but it's usually $50... not $250. I called them to let them know she made a mistake, and the girl on the phone said.. "yeah she probably just added an extra zero accidentally." She apologized but come on...
that's a HUGE mistake! But what can I do about it.. NOTHING. I was going out of town this past weekend and guess what.. that "mistake" wiped out my bank account until... well.. the money is still not back in, it's still pending but I still couldn't use my card for the WHOLE weekend!! thanks a lot bb's! i will be from now on paying in cash!
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Large drinks, friendly service, reasonable prices, and the chance to sit outside and watch the world go by? Sounds like It should be at the top of my list. The problem was I came here to eat and I thought the food was okay at best.
Stopped by here on a recent Saturday a little late to catch the real dinner crowd (10 pm) so I wasn't surprised that we were able to get a table outside and be seated right away.
The menu is varied and there are daily specials not listed. As always- I asked the server what some of her favorites were (a ploy I use as they usually know what is looking good coming out of the kitchen). With her recommendation, I ordered the special of the day (Fish and Chips) and then proceeded to spend my time relishing in the fact that I was outside enjoying a very large vodka/soda and people watching!
When the food came was when the disappointment began. The fish looked more like 3 fish egg rolls- and the chips- well, the best I can say is that they tasted better than they looked!
They have a rather nice bar area that was surprisingly under populated for a Saturday night. The bathrooms were quite clean although I was a bit surprised when the bathroom attendant decided to chat with me the entire time I was in "her" bathroom. A little disconcerting, to say the least!
Stop by and have a drink out on their patio. But if you order food- my advice is to get a burger!
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Before I say anything, I need to note that a very good friend of mine is a bartender here. That being said...
I LOVE BB's! My friend (who works there) and I decided to have our birthday soiree there this year as she got us a great package deal. The drinks were all stiff, the staff were all knowledgeable and friendly, the service quick and efficient. The appetizers were phenomenal! I can honestly say they were a big part of the success of this year's annual birthday bash! The entire place was immaculate, which I also appreciate.
This spot is frequented by some recognizable figures, so you just may see your favorite actor/actress/athlete on a random night.
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Went to BB's for some after-work, pre-partying drinks & food. My friend and I really liked it here. Great atmosphere and good service. There is a pretty decent beer selection as well. We sat at the bar for our first drink and then moved to a table when more of our group arrived.
I ordered the mini crab cake plate (there really weren't many non-meat opetions on the menu which is why BB's loses a star). The crab cakes arrived looking like the cutest mini-sandwiches I have ever had. So good! It was the perfect meal for me.
Would definitely come here again - maybe for a work lunch or a dinner/drinks night with friends.
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Good addition to the area with ample pours and tasty food - it's a solid 4 stars. We had a group of 12 all arriving at different times after work and leaving at different times. The wait staff was attentive and no one sat for more than a couple of minutes without being asked for their order. Drinks came quickly as did the food.
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I stopped in for lunch because the outdoor seating area looked so inviting. I had the Croque Monsier which was a large baked ham & cheese sandwich covered in more gooey cheese. An extemely filling dish that I think I'd go back for in the winter.
I think I'd probably go back again and try some of the other menu options...the salmon club sandwich sounded really good. Definitely sit outside if the weather's nice and rock out to the tunes!
...as an update to this review I just wanted to say how ridiculously filling that sandwich is. This is no fault of the restaurant, but it's so big you might want to split it and eat something a bit lighter too!
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We went to BBs on Friday night because they had outdoor seating and I'll definitely be back. They had a very interesting menu that has something for everyone, and the wait staff was great (a little on the slow side, but what can you expect for a Friday evening downtown?). The food was delicious and VERY reasonably-priced for what you got, I think. My boyfriend got the Alaskan Halibut sandwich and a bowl of tomato basil soup, which came with a cute little square of grilled cheese. I got the mini crab cakes, which came in a group of three, and I also ordered a side order of fries. They had the super fine fries, which I love, so I couldn't pass those up.
My only complaint is that my crab cakes came with saurkraut (sp?) right on them, which was my own fault because I forgot to ask to not have it. But it really didn't add anything to the crab cake sandwiches. If anything, it took away the flavor. But whatev, they were still tasty if you scrapped most of it off, and I ate most all of them. The fries were delicious and so was the fish my boyfriend ordered. We got all that food, plus a beer, and it came to just under 30 bucks before tip. What a deal.
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My friend and I tried River North's newest restaurant/bar tonight for dinner. Overall, I was very impressed...they had things pretty together for only being open a few weeks.
After reading Lindsay M's review earlier today I insisted we start off with the risotto balls. They were definitely tasty, but I'm not a huge fan of fried food so I'm not sure if I would get them again. I had the caprese salad for dinner and my friend had the Cesar salad. Mine was a bit on the small side, but it filled me up. We also got a side of the mac & cheese since we love the mac & cheese at Stanley's (same owners as BB's). We were right- the mac & cheese was delicious!
The service was great...the waitress was very helpful and the owner stopped by to make sure everything was good. I will definitely go back here the next time I'm in the mood for bar food and I also think it's a great place to grab a drink after work.
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Been here twice, once for dinner and last week for lunch. The food is what makes me like the place so much. There are two areas in the restaurant - the bar side and the booth side. The booth side is less smoky and you get better italian breadsticks there. In the summer they have an outdoor seating area, but you're really just watching the valet park cars. My favorites on the menu include the sausage stuffed olives appetizer, the asparagus salad, the tomato soup served with the tiniest grilled cheese, and the English Breakfast for dinner. Drinks are of the Irish/English persuasion - Boddingtons and cider. Will go back.
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I really enjoyed this place. The empanadas are wonderful. I hear tell that the risotto balls are wonderful as well. The owner stopped by to ensure that we liked our food and everyone at the table did. I will be back.
I thought it was a nice touch to offer Butterfinger BBs instead of mints.
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Love this new hangout! It can be a bar, a restaurant--new, very unique menu offers risotto balls (must have), empanadas, polenta cake, halibut, steak frites, strawberry nutella panini, banana toffee pie, and more! And every bite is a flavor adventure!
Huge variety of wine & beer, friendly staff, attentive service. I'll be back ASAP!
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BB's is an odd place. Most of it is a bar area, but there's a small area off to the side that they use for sit-down dining. This review is focused on the sit-down dining experience, not the bar.
The main problem with BB's is that the music from the bar is really loud in the dining area. Typically, when you have a meal that's as expensive and aesthetically-prepared as what you get at BBs, you would be in a reasonably quiet restaurant with a soothing atmosphere -- not in an a small room that's obviously an afterthought to the bar, which, by volume and space, is more important.
Another funny thing is that the dining room has framed photos of Johnny Rotten and Tom Waits, along with other musicians, but the music in the bar was almost entirely mid-90s frat bar music.
We had the risotto balls, pan roasted halibut, chicken schnitzel and mac & cheese, which were all quite good. Dinner for two (with a beer, an iced tea, dessert, and coffee) came to $75. Everything was well-presented on the plate.
The sit-down dining experience is pretty bad, despite the good food and attentive, unobtrusive service. We had to loudly repeat things to our waiter a number of times, and more than once, because the music was so loud. The bar area is spacious, with a high ceiling. The people were mostly in their 30s. Maybe if you had a sit-down dinner there earlier in the evening, or on the weekend, the experience would be better.
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What a rockin' Friends & Family New Year party! Donny and team really went out of their way to make 2006 end with a bang! The tenderloin was cooked deliciously and at the perfect temperature and the stuffed butterfly shrimp were to die for! The alcohol was poured freely and liberally! Music was great!
Awesome New Year!
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Good service-but nothing special. It looks like a cool place to go after work for drinks and apps. Willingly to go back and give the food another shot. I had the steak there a few months ago and I would rate it average.
Fun downtown bar, decent beer selection, and some yummy bar food which, for me, included two mini cheseburgers and a mini crabcake. The food, beer, and company of good friends helped me to forget the craptastic el ride downtown amidst sweaty baseball fans and pissed off Chicagoans.
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I absolutely thought this place was horrible. I am going to give it two stars because it does have a very nice outdoor patio, and inside is not a bad place if you want to watch a game.
Beyond that, everything else was pretty bad. The food (at least what I tried) was really awful. We ordered "Pretzels with Cheese" thinking we'd get a big hot pretzel with melted cheese, but what came was packaged pretzels that you'd get out of a vending machine with COLD Merkt's cheese spread. The corn tamale was actually pretty good, i would recommend it. We also got the mini burgers, and tried one of each. The cheese burger was pretty much straight from steak & shake, and like someone else mentioned, the crab cake was ruined by sour kraut. The pulled Pork was OK, but there was some pieces of pork that were way too big.
I would not go back to BB's, and am actually shocked that a place which calls itself a restaurant would serve vending machine pretzels.
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