John Barleycorn Menu

  • Appetizers
  • From the Pit
  • Combo Platter
  • Build-Your-Own Combo
  • Sandwiches
  • Salads
  • Sides
  • Desserts

Diabetics at Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets serves burgers which are generally high in sodium and fat. Ensure that you pick the burgers which are light and doesn't contain too much sodium. Try ordering salads if you're concerned about your sugar intake and looking for healthy choices.

Foods to Avoid at Johnny Rockets for Diabetics:

Johnny Rockets is a fine dining place for burgers, but you must be selective if you're a diabetic. Skip all kinds of dressing when you order a burger at Johnny Rockets as it will only spike the sodium content on your meal. Salads are often considered diabetic-friendly but not the ones at Johnny Rockets. Avoid Crispy Chicken Club Salad and Grilled Chicken Club Salad as they are too high in sodium and fat.

Make sure you opt for water instead of the drinks available on the Johnny Rockets menu. Besides Diet Coke and Coffee, most of the drinks served at Johnny Rockets are high in sugar. Skip the shakes at Johnny Rockets to avoid high sugar intake. Breakfast is always preferred heavy for diabetics but most of the breakfast items on the Johnny Rockets menu are high in sodium and must be avoided.

Food Suggestions for Diabetics at Johnny Rockets:

Rocket Single Burger (1 Serving)

Nutritional Facts: 240 calories, 20g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 10g), 350mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Bacon Cheddar Burger (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 330 calories, 30g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 10g), 650mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Route 66 Burger (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 330 calories, 30g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 10g), 280mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Route 66 Double Burger (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 410 calories, 40g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 10g), 320mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

The Original Burger (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 240 calories, 20g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat0g), 590mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein

Hot Tea (8 fluid ounces)

Nutritional Facts: 0 calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat0g), 10mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein

Sweet Potato Fries, Side (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 220 calories, 10g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat0g), 370mg sodium, 30g carbs, 10g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Side of Fries (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 190 calories, 10g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 0g), 460mg sodium, 30g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein

Healthy Meal suggestions for John Barleycorn

  • Appetizers
  • From the Pit
  • Combo Platter
  • Build-Your-Own Combo
  • Sandwiches
  • Salads
  • Sides
  • Desserts

High Blood Pressure at Johnny Rockets

Fast-food restaurants are your last resort if you are suffering from high BP. Most fast food restaurants including Johnny Rockets offer foods rich in sodium. High sodium intake can be even lethal for people concerned with high blood pressure. However, you can always try the salads or choose food without any extra dressing or side dishes to limit your sodium intake.

Foods to Avoid at Johnny Rockets for High Blood Pressure

It is extremely important to avoid any kind of burgers with extra dressing at Johnny Rockets. You must also skip any kind of breakfast items except Pancakes at Johnny Rockets. Also, avoid Breakfast Belt Sandwich and Rocket Breakfast Burger at Johnny Rockets as both these items are too high in sodium. Also, avoid Crispy Chicken Salad and Grilled Chicken Club Salad as well as any kind of dressing on other low-sodium salads available at Johnny Rockets. Skip shakes containing Oreo on the Johnny Rockets menu as Oreo shakes served at Johnny Rockets are high in sodium.

Food Suggestions for High Blood Pressure at Johnny Rockets

Strawberry Chocolate Swirl Milkshake (1 shake)

Nutritional Facts: 810 calories, 40g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 30g), 300mg sodium, 90g carbs, 90g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Rocket Single Burger (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 240 calories, 20g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat10g), 350mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Route 66 Burger (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 240 calories, 20g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat10g), 350mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Garden Salad (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 150 calories, 10g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat10g), 260mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Side Salad (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 70 calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat0g), 110mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein

Apple Juice (10 fluid ounces)

Nutritional Facts: 140 calories, 0g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat0g), 30mg sodium, 30g carbs, 30g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g Protein

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant blood pressure menu details.

High Cholesterol at Johnny Rockets

Burgers fall into the fast-food category and most fast-food items are high in cholesterol. If you're suffering from high cholesterol, then it is advised that you skip any meal with excessive fat and sugar.

Foods to Avoid at Johnny Rockets for High Cholesterol

You must skip all types of dressing on your burger. Also, avoid burgers like Smoke House Burger at all costs from Johnny Rockets menu. Skip all the drinks except coffee, iced tea, and diet coke as they are completely unhealthy for people with high cholesterol. Breakfast items on Johnny Rockets are very high in cholesterol and it is strictly recommended to avoid all the breakfast items on their menu including the sandwiches.

Food Suggestions to Maintain Cholesterol Level at Johnny Rockets

Kids Cappuccino Crunch Milkshake (1 shake)

Nutritional Facts: 740 calories, 30g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat 20g), 310mg sodium, 100g carbs, 80g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Garden Black Bean Burger (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 330 calories, 30g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat10g), 650mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

The Spicy Houston Burger (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 190 calories, 20g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat10g), 700mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Kids Banana Shake (1 shake)

Nutritional Facts: 560 calories, 30g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat20g), 190mg sodium, 60g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Johnny's Breakfast Sandwich (1 serving)

Nutritional Facts: 180 calories, 20g (Tans. Fat 0g & Sat. Fat10g), 230mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 10g Protein

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant cholesterol menu details.

  • Cindy K.

    Wish I could give 3.5 stars. Our reservation was ready early despite it being packed with the after work crowd. We had a great waitress, managers came by 2x to see how we were doing. Fish tacos were really fresh and tasty. My mom said her fish & chips were some of the best she had. The only complaint is the music was so loud we couldn't talk...but they even turned it down when asked. I would definitely go back.

    (4)
  • Hadas O.

    We had he chicken sandwich and a burger, food was great and so was the service! Very nice place to watch sports or just enjoy a happy hour...

    (5)
  • Clara S.

    This wouldn't be my recommendation choice for food in the river north area. We ordered the Cobb salad, harvest salad, buffalo chicken salad, and nachos. The food was decent- nothing special. I also didn't like how the nachos were nothing but cheese and beans with a few jalapeños sprinkled on top. However, if you want to grab drinks in river north or go clubbing, this is a great place that a lot of young crowds come to for drinks. There is also a club (Tunnel) upstairs that is really fun. The service was friendly and accommodating for a bar area. The waitress got all of our picky orders right and even took the nachos off the bill because they had come after the food. Overall, come here for drinks and a good time- save your money and eat elsewhere beforehand.

    (3)
  • Fred M.

    The reviews for this place are all over the board. Some love it, and some hate it. It appears most of the poor reviews are for the nightlife. My review is for the daytime restaurant crowd. I was here on a pleasant, Friday afternoon. The front of this place was opened up, giving it a pleasant open-air feel. The wait staff was all young, and attractive. Not the fastest service, but very friendly and professional. There were three in our party, we all had different variations of their burger. All three were excellent. They have a decent beer selection as well. We really enjoyed this place.

    (4)
  • Lydia R.

    This place is literally right next door to where I work and every time I walk past it to go home I get a little jealous of all the people there during happy hour sitting in their outdoor seating area. It just looks like everyone is always having fun. So I decided to check it out! It was as fun as it always looks. I didn't order food, so my review is going to be based more on service than anything else. One thing that a lot of restaurants can't seem to figure out, is balancing their outdoor seating with the service. I've been to places before where I think they pretty much forget that you are out there. No Barleycorn. The waitress was around every time we needed something. She was pretty friendly too and while you could tell she was swamped she didn't ever let it show, which I think helps keep that atmosphere that people there enjoy. My friends all got wine and they said that it was a "generous pour" so if you are a wine fan there you go, you get your moneys worth.

    (4)
  • Andrew D.

    I am literally copying and pasting my review from Moe's Cantina next door almost to the word, because they attract the same clueless, tasteless clientele and offer the same bad service: Good Lord, what a sore to the neighborhood. Like much of the rest of River North, this place attracts tasteless, clueless, douchebags looking to pick up drunk, loose women. Luckily the hood offers so many different establishments that there are better options mere blocks away. At least Barleycorn has a good tap selection. It's a shame their bartenders know nothing about beer and the price of their beer is a dollar or two more than even neighborhood staples such as Bull n Bear or Public House. Douchy bouncers with a chip on their shoulders. Check. Bad, disinterested, and slow bartenders who don't smile. Check. Recent college grad douchebros who want to start fights. Check. Recent college grad ladies content drinking watered down vodka sodas bought by aforementioned douchebro. Check. Not my cup of tea. They should airlift this place, along with Moe's and Social 25, to Wrigleyville, connect it to the other Moe's and Barleycorn, and just sprawl a giant neon sign across the top that says "DOUCHELAND." Schaumburg bros would proceed to salivate and frequent that establishment, in turn staying away from RN.

    (1)
  • Asia C.

    Their Buffalo Chicken Salad is the BEST salad I've had in a long time. And I'm not a fan of salads. The chicken can be grilled or breaded. I prefer breaded. I'm sure it's not healthy but it's sooooo delish & very filling. Pear martini is also good. This is a spacious, classy sports bar. I go during the work-week at lunch hours so it's more on the quiet side around 2pm, which I enjoy. For now I'll give it gets 5 stars because I'd like to try more than just the salads & visit during a game but the reviews for the evening crowd scare me!

    (5)
  • David T.

    I came here on my first night in Chicago, to watch the Blackhawks in game 5 of he Stanley Cup. The atmosphere here is great if you have a group who are interested in watching the game. Large tables and screens on every wall allow you to indulge in a sports bar style experience, while the decor provides a slightly higher class aspect. Unfortunately severe weather interrupted the tv signal right before the start of the game, but this was fixed once the weather cleared up. I came and ate alone, so I sat at the bar. The service was a little slow at first as the bartenders appeared to be confused as to which one was serving me. I ordered a bud light draft, which came with the disappointing taste of dirty lines. After which I switched to bottles. They must've been aware of this as the two following bottles I had were removed from my tab without explanation. I also ordered a burger and fries, which was well put together and came with a considerable amount of food on the plate- something I enjoy seeing at a sports bar. I gave this place 3 stars because of the lower quality service at the bar, and the fact that as such a large venue, it was a little mismanaged, with the bar staff unaware of how to fix the TV issue, and being a large venue with open doors while there was a storm outside made it rather cold inside.

    (3)
  • Frank O.

    Food is okay, service is poor, and atmosphere really depends on your personality (very loud, bro-y sports bar). I personally won't be going again. Having been three different times, the music has always been loud enough that I have to shout to talk to anyone else. After asking to move to the 'quiet' section, we got relocated to the back in direct line of a speaker (needless to say it wasn't quiet). For the food, the burgers are pretty solid half pound. Both the Hickory and Southwest burgers are a good size with good flavoring combos. One of three times the bottom bun was a bit soggy though. Can also make your own burger, albeit slightly more expensive. Skip the pepper fries, nothing special there and salty. Even the regular fries aren't good, too oily, and the JB sauce is a bland aioli. Instead get the side salad with vinaigrette dressing, large portion and tasty. BBQ Pork sliders have some nice smokey sauce on them, but the meat is hit or miss with the amount of fat in them. The 49ers French Toast was delicious and had fresh fruit on top. The staff were all young and attractive, but they, like the figurehead on a ship, are mostly ornamental. Instead the kitchen staff (which seemed to be all Hispanic) were actually helpful, served our food, got anything we asked for. There must have been a miscommunication, and our food was prepped but then sat there for 5 minutes before the kitchen staff brought it to us. We saw our Waitress twice, taking the order and the check, seems they forgot about us or that they serve food.

    (1)
  • Stefanie A.

    It's been a while since I've been here, but was here last night for the fight (with a group of friends invited to the private Tecate party upstairs). Now I remember why we don't come here often...mostly 20 something's, watered down drinks, and older dudes creeping on the 20 something girls wearing next to nothing.

    (2)
  • George H.

    I love to come here for lunch during the week. I've never been here after work or on weekends, but this is a great place to meet a client for lunch. Never a problem finding a seat, food is very good, and service is excellent. They even have a nice little patio for good weather days.

    (5)
  • Jeff W.

    If you want to get dressed up to watch sports, this is the spot for you. I showed up here in a Blackhawks Jersey for the game and felt slightly out of place because I was the only one wearing any sort of clothing that would resemble rooting for a team. They have two huge screens behind the bar that are great for viewing the game on, and an abundance of TVs around the rest of the bar and seating areas. Check out the photos that are on the yelp site so far, and you can see TVs but no one in sports attire. The bartender and manager were both very friendly, and I may come back to this place based on how polite they were.

    (3)
  • Beca C.

    Overall this is a great place to eat. I had the brisket sliders and it was very well portioned and tasted great. The service was very timely and friendly. The only bad thing I have to say is the waitresses act a little unprofessional because they stand around in the corner talking to eachother, but when it gets busy they started focusing on work.

    (4)
  • Meredith K.

    I was stunned! In a good way. I came here for a Local Tourist Chef's Table. I was mostly coming for their craft cocktails but the food was impressive. I started with a Manhattan. It took like 15 mins to get but that's because they made it from scratch with fine ingredients. Delicious. I also got to try some sips from their other old timey cocktails and they were all wonderful. I'd definitely come back just for that! Since I was driving I stuck to just one cocktail and sipped on a cabernet throughout dinner. It was also lovely. Unfortunately most of the dishes were meaty. They had some Reuben egg rolls that people loved. What I was most crazy about was the tuna tartar. The meat eaters agree! It was so fresh with just a little avocado. Then they had some sliders which were just ok by the others. And loaded fries with chorizo. Like Mexican poutine. I had reg fries which were delicious. I came in with low expectations thinking it was going to be bland, greasy, bar food served with beer. I'm coming back for craft cocktails and that tuna tartar.

    (4)
  • Christopher M.

    It's touristy. It's loud. It's bro central. We went here to meet up with some family from Springfield (read: tourists) and in between the beating music and expensive drinks we realized we are just too old and too ... "Chicago" ... for this bar. If you're a tourist and reading this please don't judge our fair city by this awful place. Please get in a cab and go to somewhere on my cocktail bar list. 184/365

    (1)
  • Lily Z.

    I'm severely disappointed in this place. My friend wanted to celebrate her 21st birthday at Barleycorn. Everyone else is inside and she's in line waiting until midnight. Only to find out she can't get in. In order to get in, she has to be 21 AND one day old. Seriously. What? All 10-15 of us just left and went to the club instead.

    (1)
  • Janina M.

    I loved the 30$ wrist band deal! Free drinks from 10-1! But the service was horrible. I couldn't get a drink for 45 minutes. I loved the music and the atmosphere as well as the drinks. But the bartenders did not pay attention to me. They needed more staff on a Saturday night! Also, I asked to speak to a manager and the bouncer said, "I don't have time for that." I will not be going back.

    (2)
  • Ray L.

    This will be a short one... Came here for Dessert Fest 2015...had a great time! Highly recommend!

    (4)
  • MiAngel C.

    A great place for weekday lunch. I ordered the Cobb salad, which was huge (I couldn't finish it). I plan to return to check out the rooftop.

    (4)
  • Lexie E.

    Size is great! Accessible by trains. DO NOT COME HERE FOR SUNDAY FOOTBALL GAMES! Our server was trying but they are grossly understaffed. The food was okay and it's clean but for football it is the worst. Pretty much all of the TVs are on only one game. We asked 5 times to turn just one tv to the steelers game and they refused. Slow service they just can't handle a football crowd. AGAIN DO NOT COME HERE FOR FOOTBALL OF ANY SORT!! Update... We just left and went next door to moe's... Super accommodating and great atmosphere! They were already showing all games. Don't head to barley corn if you can avoid it. They just can't handle it.

    (2)
  • Joe L.

    Ok, so this places gets 2 starts because of the size of the place and how nice it is. Plenty of TVs and lots of selections, but that is where it ends. Had 2 different bartenders serve me. The 1st one was ok, it was the end of their shift and you can tell. The 2nd was more concerned with their phone and drinking their redbull when I was 3 bar stools away with $20 and an empty glass sitting on the bar. Took about 20 mins to get a drink. So go to pay my bill and having 2 beers and a shot cost me $25. Thats pretty expensive when I can get the same thing next door for about $15. I mean who charges $7 for a Stella draft beer. Revolution Wit is not work $8. I was actually going to consider this place for one of our future happy hours, but after seeing the prices no way.

    (2)
  • Saba A.

    Not as great as it was when it first opened- If you want brunch, or game day food, suggest another place. Everything tastes frozen, and there is no flavor. The deals aren't as great either. For game watching-it's fine if you are sticking to beer. They got large screen tv's everywhere and the service is okay. For nightlife- overly crowded but fun. They play good music, and you have to try to get upstairs for all of that.

    (2)
  • Darin M.

    Liz D makes the most amazing drinks ever! Manhattan and old fashions were awesome! And she's super friendly too!

    (5)
  • No N.

    Beware of waiters who scam you! I went with a group of girls after work for a co workers birthday. First of all it took 20 min just for a waiter to come around and order a beer. The place was dead! 20 more min then pasted for our beers to come to our table. We ordered food, and consistently hunted down our waitress for a drink!! We even got an attitude from the waitress when we asked for water with our dinner!! Scam: final check was $130.00 We gave the waitress $60 crash and the rest to be put on a credit card. $70) Why was I charged the full amount!!?? The girl (Waitress - Patricia) pocketed the cash and charged my credit card for the full amount! I Spoke with management several times and they refuse to follow through with my complaint and I still have not heard back from management! I am embarrassed that I took my friends here for birthday drinks only to get horrible customer service and to get cheated! Never never again will we ever step foot at John Barleycorn

    (1)
  • Jackie K.

    BRUNCH REVIEW: Solid food at good prices. I had the eggs benedict and the hollandaise had a distinct and good flavor. The potatoes were the best part, crunchy outside. Service was terrible. They were understaffed and the two waitresses looked liked they were working hard but management was not helping. Took over 10 minutes to get ketchup. Wouldn't go back unless in a pinch.

    (3)
  • Natalia K.

    So this strip gets bad reviews for the nightlife, but the locals really need to check it out for daytime food enjoyment. The groupon has helped this and I am grateful. My apple pancake was delicious- a large plate of griddle-cooked goodness. The bloody marys are great too- spicy and with a weird and fun curly noodle of cheese. The decor is amazing and there are plenty of TVs to watch your weekend sports. Service is attentive and friendly and the prices are reasonable for the amount of food you're getting. River Northians, you really need to give this place a try for brunch! Also, I ordered a side of sausage, which I think put me over the groupon entree limit, but they let the deal cover our whole order, which was nice. It was only like $2 over, but it's the little things that count!

    (4)
  • Leah M.

    Great venue for watching the Hawks game! We had excellent, attentive service from our bartender Liz. The burger was perfectly cooked and tasty. Will definitely come for the game again!

    (5)
  • Sally Y.

    This specific Barleycorn is newer and cleaner than the one in Wrigleyville. It's a nice space and pretty big. Because of the space, or maybe because it's not as popular in this location, I've never been there when it's fully crowded or packed on the weekends. Drinks were ok, and the service was good. They're great about keeping the tap flowing. Haven't eaten there personally, but I'm assuming it's pretty standard bar food, and there are more than enough screens for you to be able to catch your favorite game! Overall, a good place for more of a casual hang out or night out to watch the game. If you're looking for some crazy party, this isn't it.

    (4)
  • Matthew Y.

    It is everything you expect; big, wooden, charmless and filled with people you would rather avoid and that includes the staff. I went with three friends for a happy hour event and we all bought a round. Magically, I had one round and an extra three drinks on my tab. This was 7PM so it was not busy, the manager and bartender both claimed 'friends' had added beers to my tab. This was a lie and if I was younger and wanted an argument with awful people, I would have. Instead I paid the inflated tab and left no tip. This place is not only looking to rip you off - they do it with a sneer on their face.

    (1)
  • Pamela D.

    If you are looking for a place with a good atmosphere and good food and drinks this is the place. Sunday football and brunch rocks! The summertime is the best with the really cool rooftop that opens up.

    (4)
  • Brenton B.

    I had a sandwich for lunch here. It was expensive and mediocre. I didn't finish it. The service was adequate.

    (2)
  • Steph U.

    This place is a lot less disgusting than the one in Wrigleyville and in Lincoln Park. I'm not sure if it's just because I came in on a dead night, but it was a lot cleaner, a lot less shady looking overall, and it seemed almost...fancier? I guess you could put it that way. My friends and I came in here to watch some basketball last night and it was pretty much empty (they were closing early because it was so empty). I was already skeptical about coming here after really bad experiences at the other John Barleycorns, but the bartenders were funny and nice and everything in here seemed like a step up from the other ones. Overall, this place seemed nice, but I don't think I've gotten the full experience of it being a busy weekend night, so if I ever go back, I'll have to update my review.

    (4)
  • Cloey S.

    Don't let these other bad reviews turn you away from this place. We came here tonight for dinner on a whim and did not regret it. The first thing I asked the host was if they had high chairs because I have a two year old. I noticed that all of their tables were very tall and I was worried that we would have to leave, but to my surprise, they had high chairs to accommodate the tall tables. I ordered a southwest burger and seasoned fries. The burger was spicier than I thought it would be, but that's a good thing. Our waitress was super friendly and our food was out in less than a half hour. Everything was exactly what we ordered and very delicious. We will definitely be coming here again.

    (5)
  • M M.

    So... several other people and I came here for a get-together. - Sure, it's classy looking, sure people were dressed up... but it stops at that. - went out for a smoke, coming back in was a venture-- doormen were TERRIBLY rude and scummy. Really, the downfall of the night. - Most people were in groups but on their cellphones... felt like a high school reunion in here. - Bartenders sucked. 1 bartender served us warm Rumchata (EW?) and insisted it was cold - honey, we were drunk not desensitized idiots, and why I tipped a guy $10 for his half-glass vodka-sprite; 3:1 ratio (not including ice)? Probably because this was my 4th Christmas party of the evening and I was gone. Like gooooooone. Would I come again for their nightlife? Nah. ** Addendum: I might try their food during daytime. I hope to have a better experience.

    (2)
  • Andrew B.

    One of the worst experiences I've had in Chicago. There's an imaginary line outside, but you can see through the windows open tables. Get inside: There's an imaginary line to go upstairs but when you get up there the room is pretty sparse. Overall, an overpriced, overhyped Douchefest: you can find better even in River North.

    (1)
  • Suzy S.

    Four us there came there after dinner and ordered 2 rounds of mixed drinks (G&Ts and Vodka and sodas). All tasted like water and no alcohol at all. I think we actually SOBERED UP while sitting there sipping our drinks. If they had put ANY alcohol in the drinks, we might have stayed longer and given them more of our money. Instead, we sobered up drinking watered down drinks, realized the place sucks and so we left. Too bad for them, as we certainly would have been willing to stay and pay for real drinks if they had any.

    (1)
  • Bryan F.

    Title: Many-A-Burger Throughout my travels I've had many a burger. However, at John Barleycorn's, my burger experience was less than stellar. Some former old-school colleagues of mine were staying at the Merchandise Mart Holiday Inn. After long a days walk we yearned for a hearty meal. This restaurant happened to be close to our area of leisure, so we decided to reside our belly's for a jolly meal within the Barleycorn of Johnathan. I will begin with a statement that may come as a shock to many of my everyday readers. The service was outstanding. Our waitresses name was Samantha and she greeted us with a warm smile, much like that of the sun greeting the dewdrops on a warm summer morning. She began by stating that we were indeed the first customers she had served. Upon reviewing our exceptionally thin menus, I would best describe the food selection as "pub food with a little bit of class." My colleague, Roman, ordered the chicken tenders and my gal pal Kathy and I ordered a burger. Kathy and I, feeling the adventure of the inner city coursing through our blood, opted for the "build-your-own" burger option. Samantha promptly took our orders and trotted away like a horse on the Nebraskan Horizon. As we anxiously awaited the arrival of what would be an unsatisfying meal (I'll get to that in a bit) I noted that the decor was of a higher caliber than most other sports bars in the city. One would assume that the food would hold up to the standard of the decor. After a somewhat long wait our food arrived with equal brevity to that of Christopher Columbus arriving to the shore of America (but that's a story for another time. LOL!). The food presentation was decent. When I sunk my teeth into the soft seedy burger, I was greeted with a plethora of customized flavors. At the end of the highly anticipated meal, the burger was only slightly above average. After reading about my experience at John Barleycorn's you might be thinking, "is that really worthy of a one star review?" "What made the experience so bad?" I was once like you; trapped in the illusion that is John Barleycorn. Well here's the kicker. Shortly after our meal, I was hit with gut wrenching pain, for I had become the recipient of food poisoning. After an agonizing evening that I will spare the details of, I awoke feeling worse than I ever had before. I was plagued. I would highly recommend John Barleyborn... To anyone who wants to gamble with their health! Thank you for reading.

    (1)
  • Frankie T.

    Ambiance is the only thing good about this place. After all, the huge TV screens and the retractable rooftop are impressive. However, this is far from being upscale! A snobbish staff and rude bouncers will not make you upscale. How can you be an upscale place if you get low ratings? and how can we give you high ratings if your people are not professional? Flattered when they took a good look at my ID - made me feel so young. Right there and then I sensed how cold the bouncer was. It was as if he was trying to show he knows the difference between a real and fake ID. If he knows the difference, he wouldn't have needed to take a good look at the ID. The employees are either rude or just incompetent. The waitress doesn't know how to count or was probably cheating and charged us for two additional drinks. There was this one bouncer at the second floor - the short bald guy who's snobby. He's power tripping! I'm not even sure why he became a bouncer! It's like he had a bad day and he poured his frustration on the customers. No wonder the place has less patrons than Moe's Cantina. The bouncers at Moe's are really polite and nice. To JB management, Tell your employees especially the snobby and rude bouncers that we're the customers so they should learn how to treat us well.

    (1)
  • Jessica M.

    John Barleycorn is a very spacious bar with two floors and a wide selection of brewery products. There are tables on the first floor and a dance floor upstairs. We arrived at 11pm on a Friday for a friend's birthday. There was no line at the door and it's free cover. Not quite sure why she chose this place when she's a hardcore Michigan fan. Indiana University's banners can be found in every corner of the bar. Drinks are not cheap. I ordered two Long Islands for $12 each. It took the bartender less than five minutes to take and make my order. Bravos! Most of the patrons just stood around even on the dance floor. But in general, most patrons seemed pretty courteous and we didn't run into much crazy drunks. Parking was surprisingly easy. We managed to find a spot two blocks away within five minutes!

    (3)
  • Garfer B.

    So first time here...we've only been to the one in Schaumburg(a while back), so wanted to check this out. Pretty nice. However, Kristina, the bartender, was amazing! Incredibly friendly and attentive considering it was a bit busy. We would come back if she is on as bartender.

    (4)
  • Simmone S.

    Corporate party here, everyone paid $20 for w wristband that was supposed to guarantee us an open bar and a private room. They closed off the private room after 25% of us had gotten in, though we had pre-purchased wristbands that they gave us. In said, private room they "ran out" of alcohol - that doesn't sounds like an open bar to me.... The staff was very rude and paid no heed to our predicament except to make sure that we did many people did not get into the private area that we had rented... Oh and one of the guests left her bag there and when she inquired about it they said that they must have thrown it away!

    (1)
  • Sai R.

    I was having a good time with colleagues and stepped out to join ppl smoking outside.The door guys are not only stupid but are very rude with an IQ less than a 9 year old kid who stopped me and were not letting me inside because they think i had a little too much...i only had 2 beers and tried to explain them i am fine but they couldnt think which i expected them to. anyways good service inside and good food too. Expect for these dumb guys at the door...There are other good places around here..

    (1)
  • Nicholas R.

    I've never spent so much money at a bar to be treated so poorly. I would recommend you never come here. I came her for the blackhawks game, spent a lot of money on my card, and was treated fairly well by the first bartender. I opened another tab and the same bartender was great. When I tried to close out this tab another bartender with a napoleon complex gave me a bill that was significantly less than I expected. I told him this was incorrect and he argued with me. Finally he gave me the correct tab so I gave him the bill and told him he didn't deserver a tip for being rude. 30 seconds later I was told I had to leave. I asked why and they wouldn't say. Any bar that lets a server illegally charge you doest deserve service

    (1)
  • Jaci Y.

    It's a huge bar located in the River North area of Chicago's downtown. I like the facilities for big events and the service is very nice and friendly. It is a great space for events and you can cater in other food from the business next door Moe's cantina I believe and smoke house bbq food close by the bar.

    (3)
  • Pham D.

    What kind of a bar, or any kind of food establishment, doesn't have ice tea? Grrrr. & the food is just alright. Great big space though so that's worth a star. The upstairs tvs are huge and make catching a sports game quite thrilling.

    (3)
  • Colleen D.

    Awful Service! Manager Tony saved the day! Went in at 6pm on a Saturday but there were less than 20 people in the place and we were able to sit right at the bar. The bartender (female blonde) basically ignored us until Tony heard me say it was like pulling teeth to spend money there. Even after that, the bartender was slow and much more attentive to the male patrons at the other end of the bar. I had to hunt her down to pay!! Had it not been for Tony and his great attention, I would have given the experience zero stars. Not sure I will go back.

    (1)
  • Bjack F.

    John Barley Corn totally ruined my Pacquio / Mayweather fight night. I called them earlier in the week and asked how I get a table and their staff member had told me specifically to buy a 4 person table top which is what I bought. Today I get a call 1 day before the fight, oh by the way you need to buy additional general admission ticket for each person attending. $45 per person! This is a scam!! They get you to buy the table for $75 and then call you the day before to say oh by the way you owe us another $180 dollars for the 4 people! Also the site said no refunds but I had to talk them into doing that... There was no where on the web site that I saw that said you needed additional tickets. You can see for yourself on HasTickets.com If this was the case then it should never have let me bought one without the other. I have the ticket that I have printed out and no where on there does it say any other tickets are needed. This is was very disappointing and I feel very wronged by it so I am reporting it as a story for the News. I live very close to this location and would have expected better from a bar in my River North area. A fair single pricing model would have been much better than this very shady practice of buy one only to find out later you need to buy 4 more things totaling another $180 + $75 = $255. With no perks. Hacienda has the fight with a table where you can spend $300 but you get a full liter of Grey Goose for that amount! This is really disappointing.

    (1)
  • Kori E.

    Five stars for the exceptional service we received when we were in there last weekend. We ordered some wings and unfortunately they came out raw - gross. The waitress immediately took them away and the manager stopped over and apologized to us for the mistake. He took care of us the rest of our stay and COMPed our bill at the end. He definitely did not have to do this. Great customer service. Our waitress, Christine was also amazing. Thanks for the great experience, John Barleycorn.

    (5)
  • Ryan S.

    They wouldn't let us in wearing neon clothes covered with paint. Way to treat a true American (paintball) hero

    (1)
  • Alexandria T.

    I try to avoid River North like the plague when I go out; however, I figured it would be ok for the Monday night Hawks potential Stanley Cup win game. We walked right in and met a group of friends at the bar, close to the door. We arrived just as the game was starting, so we didn't expect to find seats, and in fact, we weren't able to sit at all the whole time we were there. That's pretty standard on a game night, so no big deal. We were near the service bar, so getting drinks throughout the game was never a problem. I stuck to beer, so I can't really review the quality of the cocktails. My friend and I hadn't eaten dinner, so we decided to order food. Biggest mistake ever. I wish I would have waited and just picked something up on the way home. I ordered the cheese quesadilla and she got the mini cheeseburgers. The quesadilla is priced at ten dollars with an additional two, you can add veggies, chicken, beef or pork, but come on, a quesadilla should never be more than ten dollars in my opinion. I opted to stick with cheese, and it was the worst quesadilla I have ever had out. The cheese wasn't even melted, and there was absolutely no seasoning on it. My friend rated her mini burgers about the same and said they were the worst ones she had ever had. Another friend ordered the pretzel bites, and they were ok. I would never order food here again. Unless I was meeting friends here and couldn't convince them to go someplace else, would I go back for drinks.

    (1)
  • Stephanie W.

    3 stars for daytime/early evening and watching sports. The bar is really beautiful.. Tall ceilings, tons of TV',s lots of space, open and welcoming. We went during the NFL playoffs to watch games. Had beer and wing specials. Have Veggie Burger options as well. Food was good for pub grub. Sports watching here was really good and a nice beer selection. Service was attentive for the majority of our stay. As the evening wore on, the change set it. Turning into the club, and not my scene. Lots of annoying 20-somethings trying to impress and taking themselves way to seriously. You could tell what the atmosphere was about to become because about 12 security guards showed up and started trolling, bar stools were removed, etc. This was my sign it was time to go home. If you can avoid that part - its a great place to watch a game and enjoy some beers with friends.

    (3)
  • Michael B.

    Went here right before a cubs night game. Got here at about 5 o'clock, two hours before game time. Hostess seated us right away at a really nice table right near the window. Server came over right away and took our drink and food order. Drinks and food are a little pricey, but the food was excellent and the beer was cold! They only get 4 out of 5 stars from me just because of their pricing - it was almost 40 dollars for my friend and I, and we each had a burger. I had 2 beers and he had 1.

    (4)
  • Weston S.

    I tried finding a wristlet for my girlfriend and the bouncers outside were rude and unprofessional. I would not go back here again because of the attitude the employees had and their lack of understanding. If I could give this place less then one star I would for how they treated their customers.

    (1)
  • Patricia Y.

    Terrible establishment. My friend hosted a charity event there tonight and the managers and the bartenders were incompetent and clearly not appreciative of the business we bring them. Do NOT go here. They are rude and incompetent.

    (1)
  • Samantha H.

    When a friend suggested watching a Bears game here, I understandably was hesitant considering how much I would go out of my way to avoid the Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville locations. But given I hadn't been there, I decided to give it a try. We arrived at 11, right when they opened and had our choice of table. I suggest doing this if your'e going for a game because by 11:30 nearly everything was taken. Also if you're not a Bears fan, it's also a good spot to watch your team as they were broadcasting a ton of other games on smaller TVs (my friend was able to watch the Vikings game as well). It was much more of an upscale decor than the other locations and the clientele was as well. We started with a Bloody and this thing was pretty crazy. Since we were one of the first there, I think there was some confusion with who had our table in the long run so I think we just got lost in translation. When I went over to the hostess to advise I think that the two servers close to us may have just both thought the other had it, our original server came back and was so apologetic and gave us free shots. I was not mean or anything as it really seemed like an honest mistake and she handled it very well. For food we had the grilled calamari, which was quite tasty. The nachos were not my favorite as they seemed to just be dry. The wings were decent. Overall nothing will blow you away but food was average and I think it's a good option for a place to watch a game.

    (3)
  • David M.

    Tried to play peacekeeper and they took my Full drink and kicked me out. Not very cool Barleycorn

    (1)
  • Carol K.

    Before you all run away screaming that I gave a 4 star review for John Barleycorn, let me say that there are a couple of caveats for this review. First- I've only ever been here on a weeknight. And two- one of those weeknights was a Monday. So I didn't see what I have indelibly etched on my brain from the Barleycorn's up Wrigleyville which includes sticky floors, dirty bathrooms and drunk patrons. They may be here . . but on my three visits, they were noticeably absent. Rather the patrons looked like business professionals (Did I say I came after work?) and people from the surrounding buildings grabbing a quick dinner. Okay- so with that being said- THIS Barleycorn feels like the grown up older sibling of the other three that are out there. The space is amazing- with soaring ceilings- vintage looking light fixtures and a bar that stretches on forever. There are TV's everywhere you look including a giant multi screen TV behind the bar. And at the mid point of the room is a lovely wood stair case leading to the upper level. And upstairs? Well here is the real treat. The roof is retractable. So on those glorious summer nights that we have here- you can enjoy being "outside". The bartenders pour a great martini and even though I have yet to eat- the menu looks good with plenty of burgers, and other bar fare to keep the patrons happy. Not sure what happens to this place on the weekends . . .but for this girl- I'm happy to sit at this bar, enjoy my martini and catch up with those around me . . .at least on a weeknight!

    (4)
  • FatmanStan F.

    What a suuuuuuucky dressed up dump this is. I've been here a number of times, my general perception, and this is only my own, pretentious douche lords and major bros come here to self promote/inflate. Nice drink selection, menu has decent options, but the next problem you encounter is everything is so overpriced, $16 nacho plate? Burgers start at $12? Lux bars are around that or cheaper and better, so are the burgers at 25 Degrees, and way better. Server seemed friendly, but very inattentive, I asked for a beer 3 times before I got it, we had to get up at one point and cross the room to order a new round, we also ordered a pizza that never came, no explanation, just never entered, acknowledged, or actually made. But to top it all off, the check came and if seemed high but I didn't question it, someone else did. Oh they padded three drinks on there. I've read that before about this place before, but I thought surely that's remote and doesn't happen often right? Not quite, they added three extra drinks, adds up when it's $11 cocktails and $8 beers, yes you heard that right, $8 dollar domestic beers. When we brought the servers attention to it, this is the response we got, "oh I lost count, so that's just what I put" hahha, guess what, after you remove them, I lost count too, couldn't quite figure out what 20% was, so I just gave around 9%. Would not return to this dump if the drinks and food were free, F this place, that's strong lang for me, but I mean it, do not go to this POS.

    (1)
  • T V.

    I've been to John Barleycorn many times wasted, but this is not what the review is for. This review is actually for their food. Actually, only one type of food since that's the only thing I've ordered and dare not to order anything else. The very first time I ordered their fish tacos, I fell in love. I love crunch and sure enough this fish had a lot of crunch but still you can taste the fish. The second time around I forgot to order avocado on my tacos but still the fish tacos were tasty. I think they should permanently have avocados on their fish tacos.

    (3)
  • Danny W.

    If you ranked every single bar in Chicago, John Barleycorn would be exactly in the middle. What it comes down to, is if there is a line at Moe's, the cast of "Chicago Fire" has a wrap party at Rockit, Paris Club is closed for "An Evening with the Chicago Bulls," the wait at Hub is too long because Jay Cutler was spotted going to Sub and all the taps broke at Public House, then Barleycorn is the spot. Also, your five pepper fries aren't fooling anyone.

    (3)
  • Danny W.

    Ran into a friend here the other night, and he made the perfect analogy for the Barleycorn franchise. They're like the summer blockbuster flick of the bar world. No matter how many critics trash them or say that they suck, there will always be a population of people willing to drop cash to go see the new one. Translation...they're gonna make their money. Despite not being a fan of the other locations (mostly because of the crowds they draw) I actually really dig this one. It's massive, extremely modern, and just has that new bar smell...if there is such a thing. The food has been great, the drinks well made, and the staff has been spot on during both of my visits. I do have to reveal the disclaimer that I receive 25% off for living in the building next door, but even without the discount I was still surprisingly impressed. If they can keep the obnoxious Cub fans to a dull roar I'll definitely be a repeat customer.

    (4)
  • J M.

    We had a terrible time here. Party of 10 and a hefty bill demands some attention. Our server ignored us for the most part and was rude. She never said thank you to us once. After the initial round of drinks she didn't come back to ask about a second round. Basically took our order and disappeared... The food also will keep me away. I ordered a buffalo chicken salad, and this thing looked like it came out of a fast food joint. The chicken on the salad was good, but overall it was sub-par. The kicker was that by the time the food was finally rolled out, over half of it had to be sent back because it was no longer hot. Cold fries, onion rings, grilled cheese, and more. Once the manager was involved things were somewhat rectified, but the damage had been done... This was a terrible experience and I suggest staying away.

    (1)
  • Robert F.

    Went to JB on a Tuesday night with my family that was in town....Probably a total of 8 people in the place. Sat at the bar for 15 minutes and waited for service...Actually put my arm up and some tiny bro behind the bar said "be right with you" and then waited on these dudes at the end of the bar..still completely ignoring us... After that...left that POS place and spent hundreds at Siena...They wanted a night out! Oh and told the completely idiotic bouncer/manager dude at the door that was literally standing there like an idiot "thanks for your help bro!" Won't be back...surprised it's still in business actually!

    (1)
  • Chase L.

    If I could write a review with no stars I would but unfortunately I have to use one... Last night my friends and I went to this horrific establishment and no wonder they are rated as two stars on yelp because the service was non existent and the treatment to customers was horrendous. It is clear that management needs to step up the game with this place before it's shut down by Douchery and inability to provide customer service.

    (1)
  • Karmen F.

    Great space. Hostess was extremely friendly and helpful. Our bartender was indifferent. Ordered Cobb salad and found it set up like a condiments tray with Taco Bell type shredded cheddar cheese and a blue cheese dressing that was almost solid.kept thinking should have eaten at Panera. Oh and i forgot the über loud music.

    (3)
  • Ben C.

    Great atmosphere and service. Good burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, and beers. Go here after dinner with your buddies... Yo Yo

    (4)
  • Danielle S.

    Not a fan! The food was not good, and the service was even worse! Waitresses were not nice at all!

    (1)
  • Norm M.

    No. Do not like. Why are the doors so difficult to regulate? It was 25 degrees and both were opening and closing and freezing us. We asked a bunch of times to just use one door but were told to grin and bear it. Pretty bad. Also the random anti-Semitic rants spewed by the horse's ass in the men's room was a turn off. The puke on the dance floor was pretty weak. The staff was nice. The patrons were losers. Just a grim crowd altogether. Probably never going back. No.

    (2)
  • Fygar F.

    Gruff staff, overpriced drinks, and tons of frat guys. If that describes your scene, enjoy.

    (1)
  • Raghav C.

    Not at all surprised at the terrible service and cold shoulder treatment I got from John Barleycorn. Having been to their other locations in Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville, I should have known better. I get the idea of trying to be exclusive and upscale, but this was no where near that. Went there early evening/late afternoon to grab a quick drink or two before my dinner plans and although this place was only 50-60% full, they refused to seat us because we didn't have a reservation. At first, we walked around and strolled upstairs to find the entire place empty, but were told we can't sit at a table till a hostess seats us. Surprising because there were 7-8 wait staff just doing nothing, so clearly we could have gotten the 1-2 drinks we wanted and left before their "so called" reservations showed up. All in all, my review relates to the 5 mins I spent here.

    (1)
  • Scott M.

    The amount of suit-n-tie douche-baggery is overwhelming. The nachos were terrible.

    (2)
  • Sarah R.

    A group from work went for happy hour last Friday and left not so happy. Really bad experience here. First impressions are important and this place failed big time. Let's count down all the ways this place was a massive disappointment: 1. On the way to our table, the hostess stops us, whips around and says "How long are you going to be here?" Um. Rude. 2. We're sat toward the back of the bar and waited a few minutes for our waitress, during which time they decided to open the back door of the bar because "someone lit their trash on fire," said our waitress. So open the back door so that we can all smell burning trash and freeze (it's February in Chicago - close the damn door)? 3. I ordered a Blue Moon. The glass they brought me to use looked like someone had wiped snot all over it. I asked for a new, clean glass and the one that arrived looked like they had just tried to wipe down the one I had just sent back. I opted to just drink out of the bottle since I'm not a fan of diseases. Not only was my glass nasty, but my friend's wine glass had the residue from someone's lipstick still on it. You could see exactly where someone else's mouth had been on the glass. All around bad experience here, so we'll take our happy hour somewhere less miserable next time.

    (1)
  • Cecil S.

    I'm giving it 3 stars because of the retractable glass roof which reminds me of Studio Paris and they also try to act exclusive; but come on, it's John Barleycorn....it's the McDonalds of bars. But they have a packed good-looking RN crowd and good music playing on Friday/Saturday night. Drinks are pricey (expected) but the upstairs area is pretty cool. It's also nice that they have a coat check downstairs. They have a line at the front door and they try to stall entry slightly but it moves alright if you're with a friend or two to chat with. They also have another obstacle set-up to stall people from going upstairs which is the dumbest thing ever - and they actually PAY someone dressed in a security suit to administer the line, but he lets it move pretty fast. Once you're made it upstairs, there are booths for bottles and tables to sit at with drinks from the bar (which gets easily overcrowded). You have to be with the right crew to enjoy a place like this....and you would have to be drinking excessively to put up with it; but it is what it is. I just simply love retractable roofs.

    (3)
  • Angela S.

    Just don't even bother. There is zero personality here. Have never cared for the Lakeview location either, but since this is between my office and my apartment, it makes for a great location to meet for afterwork drinks. But not worth sitting in a vapid frat style bar. Couldn't they at least make it an Irish pub?

    (1)
  • Vanessa K.

    This place is a little off the beaten path, but definitely worth a visit! We came here at 10 pm on a Friday night and because it's so new, there was no line and no cover (not sure if they typically have cover). Anyway, this place is HUGE and has tons of space--we were a fairly large group and had no trouble finding space. Downstairs is big with long tables (and smaller ones) for drinking and conversation, while upstairs has a spacious dance floor. The music was fantastic; mostly a throwback to high school/college songs (think Nelly). Drinks were pricey for cocktails ($12ish), beers were average ($6-7 for good beer), as was wine.

    (4)
  • Mihir P.

    Let's talk about branding in a nutshell. A brand is a name which basically tells you what you are going to get consistently and the benefits and intangibles associated with that brand. Think Cheerios, Whole Foods, Apple etc. Restaurants are no different. JBC's had established itself as a semi-divey frat/sorority sportsbar with the usual debauchery in Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville. So now it comes to River North... We came in yesterday to watch football. It's a new location so it was squeaky clean, shiny and spacious. My buddy and I couldn't help but chuckle whie reading the menu: - $11 to $15 cocktails I checked to see if we were at Drawing Room, Violet Hour etc. and we were not. - They had a $15 burger (and we weren't at Kuma's) I can't remember the other hilarious highlights but they did have a... $38 BONE-IN RIBEYE!!!!!!! Yes, you read correctly. It would have made more sense to name the place JBC or Jéan Barlé épi I take it that McDonald's may soon have table service or on-site catering. So do you understand the branding thing? So back to the experience. Food: $7 onion rings and we got 6 little rinky-dink pieces. Burgers were a bit pricey, lacked seasoning and were dry. They do have an option to sub salad for fries so that's good. Beer: not huge but a very decent selection. LOVE the Bourbon barrel beer. They also have flights with the mat that explains about the beers. Service: very sweet waitress which was very attentive at first but then seemed scarce. Decor: very spacious and airy - upstairs and downstairs. very new so it feels more classy but the fixtures and materials aren't anything special. They have plenty of TV's so it is a great option to watch a game.

    (3)
  • Raph V.

    If I had to choose between this location or the one at Wrigley i'd pick this location only because it's cleaner and no college punks around. Service is ok...Drink are pricey Ehhhh....Line at the door BOOO!

    (3)
  • Robby S.

    My review is solely based off of a private work holiday party that we had at this location. Generally, I am NOT a fan of this bar and particularly despise the Clark St. location. I once got in an argument with a bouncer at that location because he wouldn't let me in since I was wearing Timberland boots. WTF? I obviously walked in anyway. That's another story. We had a party of about 30 and reserved the back room. We had one dedicated waitress, Becca, who KNEW HER SH*T. She was extremely attentive, remembered everyone and their specific drink order, and literally was waiting on us hand and foot for 3 hours straight. Props to her! The back room was definitely segregated from the rest of the bar, so it was hard to see the multiple d-bags and bros congregating in the bar. Oh well. We also had a buffet including chicken strips, roast beef sandwiches, nachos, etc. It was pretty good. I was halfway in the bag by the time the food came out, so it could have been dog food for all I know. If it weren't for Becca, I would have given 3 stars. All in all, it was a good place to have a small gathering.

    (4)
  • Grennan K.

    Came here to have a cocktail prior to going out. It was a Wednesday night with a few friends. Ordered a greygoose martini and a chopped salad. Mind you, the salad was pretty good (judging for it to be some crap ass diner esque salad.) My gf got the grilled cheese which was a generous portion as well. The crowd was mostly men in business suits having late night dinner & couple of slores here and there. I'd come back if I was in the area ... for a game or something!

    (3)
  • Gregory C.

    The upstairs is where it is at. I think they did an awesome job with it. Looks bad ass. I can't wait to see it this summer when the retractable roof opens up. The food...solid bar food. The energy....awesome. The cocktails...I'm not going to a place like this to get specialty drinks. I'm going to a place like this to meet good looking chicks and have fun. And they have plenty of both. The only thing I'm not in love with is the downstairs. Just kinda boring even for a sports bar. Highly recommend overall.

    (4)
  • Karen W.

    Very disappointing experience. They have plenty of TVs which is why we went there. We wanted to watch the Hawks game. However, we had to ask to have the Hawks put on a TV - I would think with so many available, they would automatically do it. When we first got there, we asked our server if they had any happy hour specials. I was immediately told with an annoyed look that happy hour is illegal in Illinois. Ok - I meant, are there any drink specials. She looked at me annoyed again and said no. I guess they aren't looking to draw in business during the week (we were there on a Monday night). I ordered the nachos and they were not good. The chips are thicker than I like but the real problem was there was barely any cheese and they were burned. Since the server was already annoyed with the drink special question, I did not ask to have my nachos re-made. To drink, I ordered a vodka and soda. The drink was all soda. I watched the bartender pour my next drink and realized why it tasted like all soda - she was very light handed with the vodka pour. Our server then came over and said she wasn't feeling good and was going to go home early. She asked if we wanted to cash out or have our tab transferred over. We opted to have the tab transferred over which she made known she was not happy about. She then opted to stay and finish her shift. Lucky us got to know that we were being served by someone who was sick! We won't be back.

    (1)
  • Jake G.

    I wish I could give 0 stars, but unfortunately that is not an option. I went to John Barleycorn with a number of friends and I ordered 2 beers (one for me and one for a friend). I opened a tab thinking I'd stay a while, but I then had to leave in a hurry due to a friend's emergency. I returned to John Barleycorn the following day to pick up my card and was told they didn't have it. I was asked to call the following day because the manager from the night I was there would be back then. I called but nobody answered on either of the numbers listed on the site, so I had to go all the way back out. When I got back there I was again told the card was not there. I called my bank, and the card had been run. The response I got from John Barleycorn: "the bartender must have dropped it and the cleaning staff must have swept it up and thrown it out". This was repeated multiple times, as if it was ok, and happens all the time. Like it's completely normal and they were shocked I was upset about this! Never ONCE was I offered an apology of any sort. In fact, I was twice accused of being too drunk to remember my card. Keep in mind, my tab was under $10. I had one beer. I can't imagine a more insulting, less professional way of handling this situation. I'll never go back and will make sure to spread the word about how awful my experience was. PS - if you want to go to the bathroom make sure to bring earplugs unless you'd like to go deaf. They BLAST techno music so loud and it reverberates off the walls.

    (1)
  • William V.

    I've been to this place several times and have hosted large groups of business colleagues. The food and service are mediocre, which is typical for a sports bar. I recently reserved a table for the Bears-Packers game, only to learn when I arrived that the large screen was broken. Another disappointment. Skip this place. There are too many better choices in River North.

    (1)
  • Jamie B.

    Though it's not really per se.. it's a club. It gets really really busy here later on. Nice space.. you may need to be out of your mind to enjoy with the 1k people they pack in like sardines. Oh yeah.. if you have the unfortunate experience of going to the restroom two flights below the club party floor, you get to come back and wait in line to go back to your table. Pretty place though, I'd go back.

    (2)
  • Garret F.

    I want to really like this place. It's got great bloodies, lots if TVs, cool space, but the service is consistently terrible! Really really bad ...

    (2)
  • Jerzy M.

    Up scale bar lounge with top 40 mashup music. Over all good place to enjoy weekends. I had to buy a bottle service to get in on a busy saturday which makes sense but the bottle service wasnt good at all. After bottles were served, it was impossible to get any additional support or service.

    (3)
  • Tyler J.

    STAY CLEAR! Do yourself a favor & make a better choice. The service was terrible. Our waitress had more time to chat with her co-workers behind the bar than she did for us. The TV's/Music (which they had playing at the same time) were way too loud. I get that it was playoff basketball BUT... I couldn't even talk to the person right next to me. We didn't even make it to dinner, stopped at 2 drinks! $15 for a Rye & Coke? Seems a little steep to me. I won't be back. Chicago has many better options.

    (1)
  • Chuck S.

    I've been to this place twice since it opened, and had decent experiences. The first time I went was on a Friday night with some male friends. We had a good time! It's definitely better than Wrigley or LP because they are filled with college aged kids getting DRUNK! This was a little older crowd but still having a good time. Coat check in the basement, which isn't to expensive. I honestly don't remember the price of drinks because I only had one and I think it was $8 for a rum and coke. I was driving, so the rest of the night I had water. Good mix of males and females, plenty of table room and vip tables for groups. We went there for obvious reasons and had a good time. The other time I went was on a Tuesday night to get food and watch the hawks. I usually go to Barleycorn in Wrigley before/after cubs games for food. There burgers are pretty good! So I tried chicken and pasta in vodka sauce, pretty good but it's a dish that is hard to screw up. My buddy had a wrap and said it was good, but again hard dish to screw up. The waitress was friendly but seemed like she was in a bad mood. I asked to be sat near tv that had the hawks game on. But the manager kept changing it to college basketball (I hate basketball). But we asked the waitress if they could change it or move to another table. We heard the manager complaining but he did put the hawks game on. I would go back again, mostly on Friday or Saturday nights. It's a fun place, not as douche-baggie as wrigleyville, I'm too old for that stuff. Food is decent but ordered basic stuff. Fun place for happy hour or weekend out with friends.

    (3)
  • Ryan C.

    In all fairness they had no idea they were about to get crushed on a Sunday Night but when 200 people from a conference walked in things quickly spun out for these guys. One bartender, 2 cocktail waitresses, and a manager did what they could but it was pretty tough. Service was slow at best and the prices are high. I think I prefer Moe's next door and will go there next time. The owners won't care since they own both places though!

    (3)
  • Matthew F.

    John Barleycorn - where they have a half-assed ship theme (I'd say nautical, but I don't think it's even that), $15 whisky cocktails and spin Kid Rock regularly. Great addition to River North.

    (2)
  • Kris R.

    um, looks just like moe's next door. but less mexican. see review. the crowd at moe's = the crowd at jbc. so if that's your schtick, go (i.e. yuppies in their mid to late-20s, they wanna get laid, top 40s dance music). and if it's not, don't. bonus - they have kentucky bourbon barrel ale. insert fist pump here.

    (3)
  • Anurag S.

    This place is such a turn off. Bouncer asked me and my friend for a second ID even though we were just out for a quick smoke and used the ID to get in the first place. Too much attitude, for a very average place in River North.

    (1)
  • Ruby L.

    I like a lot of things about this place. It is large, clean, nice atmosphere. Soooo many TVs so it's a great place to watch a game. Great DJ. Draft beers leave a lot to be desired--too many IPAs for my taste. The food is good--the wings were spicy and served piping hot, the sliders were juicy, the nachos were generous. The staffing was a little weird--10 people to clean the table to 1 person waiting on us. So while our table was always very clean it was sometimes hard to order things. I think they lost some $$$ due to not enough servers. The biggest problem however was the temperature inside--it was April and it was absolutely FREEEEZING. Every time the door opened the wind blasted thru the place, and we weren't even seated that near to the door. C'mon folks--this is Chicago--get the basics like temp taken care of first! We had to leave cuz our hands were too cold to hold a beer!

    (2)
  • Veronica M.

    Arrived on a Saturday night around 10pm - very large space, sooo many tables, drinks were good pours and staff very nice. Had fish tacos - awesome - friend had mac and cheese with mushrooms, very good. By 11pm the place got packed, was nice mix of people - would be a great place to watch the games, soooo manyTV's Place so new still has that New Place smell................ is for sure a good place to meet, mingle and grab drinks - has a lil club feel when the music gets going but still a sport bar vibe too..... worth checking out!!

    (4)
  • Julie H.

    Drinks were a decent value- $10 for a tall rum & coke- but strong. Food was blah- I ordered the quesdillas appetizer & my husband got a burger. Service was comical at best. Server would go missing and entire table had no drinks or any hope of getting any for long periods of time. Her hair caught on fire, and she openly told us she was terrible. Regardless had a good time- nice open place to go.

    (3)
  • Meredith C.

    I was hoping that my first review would be a favorable one, but unfortunately this will be far from it. Each of my experiences at this bar are increasingly worse than the previous visit. Do not ever try to plan something ahead of time at this bar because it will never work out as hoped or agreed to. I will not even attempt to go into the details of how terrible my last experience was but just note that if you request a certain table and you are told that is not a problem, it will be quickly given away to the owner or friends of the owner if they are in-house. Hey, at least the non-paying customers were probably given great service. We had a table of 8, and got multiple rounds of drinks from the bartender because a server never came and greeted our table. Even the bartender was unable to find someone to tend to our party. Our group was there to watch a sporting event, and the only pizza that we ordered arrived after the game had ended (we ordered during the first half). The manager watched me bus our table and bring the empty glassware to the bar, and didn't even flinch or offer to help. I guess he didn't have enough hands since he was carrying around his venti Stbx iced coffee in one of them. So disappointed in this establishment. It's a shame because I also plan events for our office and this would have been the perfect venue to host our many corporate events throughout the year. Note, we have thrown a corporate event here and that was disastrous as well. No chance at ever planning something here again, too unreliable.

    (1)
  • Aliana R.

    Last night I tried to meet some friends here when I got off work. I do understand how it looks when I pull out a piece of paper to show as my I.D. I recently got my wallet stolen so a police officer suggested I make a color copy of my passport instead of carrying it around, as well as be prepared to show credit cards with my name as verification. So I started to explain to the door guy my situation when he told me theres cops out and to talk to this other guy . Awesome, a cop told me this would be good for I.D. But when I got to the bouncer, he just quickly put this red rope up to keep me out. It just felt unnecessary and disrespectful. I was sober and not trying to cause a problem. All I expect is to be treated like an adult, I was being polite so they could have politely told me that there wasn't any way they can accept that. I work in the bar industry so I understand they deal with a lot of obnoxious guests and can have little patience on a Saturday night, which is why it takes a lot for me to be offended. To find out that I wasn't treated like an adult, but more like dirt over that simple situation, they succeeded in offending me. Don't go here if you prefer to be treated with any ounce of respect.

    (1)
  • Jos A.

    I went there for a lunch event last Thursday and got very bad food poisoning after eating their turkey wrap. I was super sick Thursday night until the following Tuesday. Their kitchen must have some serious Heath code violations based on how sick I was. I will never eat here again, have told all my friends the same and would love of a health inspector could go check on this place ASAP.

    (1)
  • Caroline P.

    I've been to the other two Barleycorn locations and they have pretty good food at a good price. A group of 10 of us were trying to find a not-too-expensive place to eat on Friday night in River North and Barleycorn fit the bill. We walked in and the host and manager were more than happy to pull together a few tables for us (they even asked some people standing near them to move... maybe they really wanted to make some $$ on food). Service was great, food was great, I'll definitely keep this in mind as a lower priced River North option.

    (4)
  • Sandy M.

    Decent drinks. decent crowd. 4 Stars

    (4)
  • Elle H.

    I was really impressed with this particular Barleycorn location. I have been to the other two locations up north, and I think this one is significantly nicer and more enjoyable. the layout of the bar is really nice, and the top floor has a huge skylight that offers a cool view at night time of all the lights from nearby buildings. Its very big and spacious. I was here for a charity event that was handled extremely professionally by the staff, and the bartenders were total pros; fast and efficient, and friendly even when faced with the daunting task of making free drinks all night. It's hard for me to throw 5 stars at Barleycorn, just because there was nothing that really made it stand out. But nevertheless, I will most certainly come back, its a great meet up spot for drinks after work, especially during the week. Overall, a classy big sister to both the other Barleycorns Chicago has to offer. You will be pleasantly surprised:)

    (4)
  • Ashley M.

    Came here for NYE. Had a blast. Drinks got stronger over the course of the evening and fun was had by all. Very spacious and squeaky clean.

    (4)
  • Bradley T.

    Don't bother eating here. Mini burgers are bland with no seasoning. Bun is not toasted. Pretzel bites are also not great.

    (2)
  • Trixy D.

    This is a very nice looking, spacious sports bar that seems to always be busy, and has very long lines later in the evening. "Meat Market" atmosphere. The food is decent, as is the service, but not one of my favorites. Tables are on top of each other, hostesses do make you feel like you are just 'taking up a a table', and not a valued customer. Have never been upstairs, but just read Gregory C's review, and will definitely try out the upstairs when the weather gets better to see if this place can redeem itself from mediocrity.

    (3)
  • Reema S.

    I went here on a Saturday night for a friend's birthday. Wasn't the greatest atmosphere but I guess you can't expect much considering the crowd that was there. Just not a fan

    (2)
  • Jackie J.

    Sorry but the bouncers are douchebags. I got in because my friends and I were 'single ladies' but they were VERY discriminatory against ALOT of guys and made them PAY $20 to $40 to get in when they claim there is no cover! Sorry but choose the Wrigley one over this one! TOO UPTIGHT! Loosen up it's a bar!

    (1)
  • Morgan B.

    Definitely better than the Wrigley location, but not really my scene. Nice for dinner and watching the big game, but I wouldn't go back to go out.

    (2)
  • McMabes M.

    Decided to give the place another chance. Unfortunately, some things don't change. From the hostess at the door to the ridiculously long wait for food, the place still deserves 0 star rating; 1 star is a bit generous. I verbally complained to the person, who I believe was the manager on-duty, about the ridiculously long wait for our order. He replied it was because one of us ordered a burger...REALLY, aren't burgers one of the big items on the menu??? He then took 25% off our our bill. The point of my complaint was not to receive a discount. It is very clear that this place simply doesn't not want working "women" customers. I was dining on a gift card, the discount didn't matter. Once again, there are far better places in River North. Fool me once, I"ll give you a second chance, fool me a third time, I'm done with this place for good.

    (1)
  • Jane S.

    I went to this place with some peeps from work for a Happy Hour. When I walked in I didn't go "oh my gosh, this is amazing" but at the same time I didn't think "get me outta here" either. The place looks like a fancy, vintage warehouse, with plenty of bar space and dining space. It has high ceilings so even with the after work happy hour crowd it does not get so loud that you cannot hear the person standing next to you. The service is definitely decent, even though I did not find them especially useful when it came to beer suggestions, they were more than willing to give out samples of as many as I needed to try. I never had to wait too long at a bar to get a drink either. The beer selection is not the best I have see, but is decent considering this place is a chain. Although this is not the best happy hour place I have been to & probably will not be the first thing that pops into my mind when I'm looking for a spot for a HH, I still will probably return here at some point.

    (4)
  • Nancy M.

    If the restaurant and service were as cool as the design of this location it would be a winner, but its not. The drinks were awful and the food was worse. There are so many other great choices in the city of Chicago. This is not one of them. Gross.

    (1)
  • Beth P.

    THIS IS NOT AN INDIANA BAR. HOOSIER FANS DO NOT COME HERE. What a joke and they give you shit when you ask for the Indiana game to put on the TV. Messed up the TV's multiple times during the game and messed the audio up on the game, as well. Don't even get me started on the cocky bouncers that roll their eyes at you and think they're better than you are. get a life, bouncer. You deserve a 1/5 starts only because the waitress was friendly the entire time.

    (1)
  • Liz O.

    Came here a few weeks ago with a friend to meet up a group of friends and had a horrible experience! We walked in and went to the bar to grab a drink and then a bouncer comes up to us and kicks out my friend saying that he threw a beer bottle at someone. REALLY? It was literally our first drink of the night (so my friend was totally sober still) and we had only been there less than 5 minutes!! They need to double check and make sure they have the right person before making false accusations and throwing people out. We tried to explain our situation to them but their egos just didn't want to admit they were wrong. The bouncer just yelled something crazy I couldn't understand that sounded like "Do you know who I am? I'm f***ing Carlos Martinez so I can kick you out if I want!" Seriously ridiculous! All of our friends there witnessed it and were shocked that that really just happened. Needless to say, we never got to hang out with our friends and none of our group will plan to meet up there ever again!! Oh well, not much of a loss...from the few minutes I was there it was packed with tons of douche-y looking college guys and no cute women.

    (1)
  • Carla T.

    It's a cool bar, but do NOT book a private event there. They totally screwed my friend over for her graduation party. We were supposed to get the whole second floor privately reserved and then last minute (literally when my friend got there for the party) they said that space was taken and we had to just go to the back area of the first floor instead which was a) NOT a private space, b) completely crowded with long high tables when we there to drink not to eat and c) the waitress said she would only accept up to 5 different credit cards for 30+ people and then got mad when we got drinks from the bar instead of from her. My friend was so stressed out when she should have been celebrating finishing her MBA and the manager completely disappeared!

    (1)
  • Tea I.

    Ok, I will keep this short and simple( I might say things that r not allowed if I get to much in to it....that's how upset I am).... Food was good.... Drinks r drinks.... But service is beyond horrible.... The waiters ( Cameron or something similar) came to the table right away( so u can't say nobody noticed we set down)..... Than took her 25 min to bring us drinks.... Another 25 to come back and get food order.... It did get busy in a meantime, but the other waitress served 3 tables in the same time and they got their food before we got to order it.... And so on..... Our beers r empty at least for 15 min before we manage to wave at her( witch is horrible, but only way to get her even remotely look towards us).... And all because we r dressed casually and there's bunch of suits inside.... Needless to say 2 of us work in industry, and this girl just lost her 50% tip because she decided to judge us by our looks. I hope those suits take care of u Hun....

    (1)
  • Mark S.

    great space. go only to drink and socialize. food if horrible

    (1)
  • Emilita S.

    This place stinks I died my hair and I'm 25.. I gave them my credit card told them everything they needed to know AND signed my name and they said no... This place is racist against Hispanic girls or whatever they do it is not working NEXT

    (1)
  • Deanna S.

    Recently attended a networking event by Chicago After Work at JBC. The event was put together nicely and it was actually packed upstairs. The drinks and the food, however, left a little more to be desired. I ordered a draft Blue Moon and it was warm. Bleh. After the event we went downstairs for a bite and it was your standard fare bar food. The appetizers resembled a menu straight from the 1980's...mozzarella sticks, fried calamari, nachos, potato skins, chicken tenders, onion rings. I ended up going with a wedge salad and surprisingly, it wasn't half bad and it was shockingly filling due to the copious amounts of blue cheese and bacon. I'll be back for the networking and maybe a drink, but not for dinner.

    (3)
  • Shajan K.

    I took a group of friends to go see Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals and even though they had a private event, when the doors opened to the public, everyone from the guys at the door, our server to the bathroom attendant were class acts! We had a little bit of an issue getting some people to sit down in front of us and the manager came over and resolved the issue! I prefer the regular menu from the game day menu, but there are some times you have to compromise!

    (5)
  • Mike M.

    Stopped by with some friends before a show at House of Blues. The food was pretty good and the service was excellent. The portions and flavor in and of themselves make the slightly higher prices worth it.

    (4)

Q & A on Johnny Rockets

Who owns Johnny Rockets?

Johnny Rockets is founded by Ronn Teitelbaum. Today, the restaurant chain is owned by Sun Capital Partners.

Does Johnny Rockets serve breakfast?

Yes, Johnny Rockets has a separate breakfast section, especially for breakfast meal. Johnny Rockets serves breakfast all day and night.

Where is Johnny Rockets located near me?

There are over 320 Johnny Rockets outlets across the United States. You can find a Johnny Rockets restaurant nearby using our Restaurant Listings directory.

What time does Johnny Rockets open and close?

All Johnny Rockets restaurants in the United States opens at 8 AM and stays open till 9 PM. Some Johnny Rockets restaurants stay open till midnight at some locations.

Does Johnny Rockets have gluten-free?

Johnny Rockets offers a wide range of gluten-free items. You can opt for the gluten-free bun to turn your burger into a gluten-free burger. For assurance, you can check out Johnny Rockets gluten-free menu.

Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.

About Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets is a restaurant franchise headquartered in the United States. The American restaurant chain features 1950s diner-style restaurant format with individual jukebox stations, red vinyl seats, chrome accents, etc. There are around 320 Johnny Rockets restaurants in the United States.

Ron Teitelbaum from Los Angeles, California founded Johnny Rockets as a recreation of the 1940s vintage themed malt shops of his childhood. The first Johnny Rockets began its operations on June 6, 1986. Johnny Rockets specializes in American burgers and sandwiches as well as offers salads, starters, and shakes to enrich your dining experience at Johnny Rockets.

Healthy Food Options at Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets is a fast-food restaurant and finding healthy food at Johnny Rockets can be a bit tricky. While you can always opt for the salads and healthy shakes at Johnny Rockets for healthy options, there are also some healthy burgers and sandwiches which you can bet on. Ensure that the sugar, sodium, and cholesterol is in check when you order food at Johnny Rockets.

Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : No
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Late Night
    Parking : Street, Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Good for Kids : No
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Very Loud
    Music : DJ
    Good For Dancing : Yes
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Happy Hour : Yes
    Best Nights : Mon, Fri, Sat
    Coat Check : Yes
    Smoking : No
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

John Barleycorn

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