This place is awesome! They have a fantastic craft beer selection and really friendly staff. The prices seemed reasonable to me. I heard the food was average. I didn't try any on this visit. They do allow smoking though. If it's an issue for you then you will probably have to skip this one. The ventilation didn't really seem all that great.
Review Source:Here's the play by play, no sugar coating:
- Hipster Dive Bar
- Beard friendly
- Great beer selection (Three Floyds aplenty)
- Great bar fare (apps, wings, burgers)
- Fried Mac and Cheese
- Fried Pickles
- Immoral Bathroom
- Dust from 1857
A Valparaiso Institution, and my kinda place!
Our intention was to enjoy a nice lunch and a few beers at Figure 8, but since they're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays we decided to try Franklin House instead. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised by both the menu and the beer selection on tap (several Three Floyds, Guinness, Fat Tire, Smithwicks and a few others). My grilled chicken sandwich was better than good, and hubby's chicken wings were flavorful but a little dry. I built my own sandwich with bleu cheese and chipotle buffalo sauce on a pretzel roll with a side salad. The homemade vinaigrette dressing was nice, the salad is fresh and just the right portion. But the chipotle buffalo sauce was my favorite part of the meal. Nice combination of heat and flavor. We sat outside under the umbrellas and watched the traffic pass by. It's a good place for a quick lunch, but I don't see myself going out of my way for a second visit.
Review Source:How is this not 5 stars? They always have four-five 3-Floyds on tap with maybe a dozen total- a very good beer selection - the best this side of Munster (where the 3- Floyds brewpub is located).
They have simple food, mostly hamburgers or hot dogs with about 100 variations on sides and toppings.
I guess I've been there off hours so it wasn't all that crowded but I love the ambiance, an interesting crowd.
Great beer.
What happened to my beloved Franklin House? Â It seems in the time I moved away it's made the transition from charming, dive-y type place to one swarming with "wooo! girls." Â Sad story.
Back in the day you could come grab a drink and sit with friends or maybe play some pool or sing karaoke. Â Now you've got drunken idiots swinging at each other and some chick wandering around in a bumble bee costume for no apparent reason. Â
I'm giving a third star for the strong drinks, reasonable prices and patio. Â I'm disappointed but it's still the lesser of many evils as far as drinking in the region goes.
Franklin house is what it is. It's a bar for people that want to be there. What the hell does that mean? It means if you like a divish type bar that frequently has bands, good service and moderately priced drinks, then you'll like this place. If you're looking for a bar to listen to some Justin Tumberlake and talk about your new puppy squashing SUV, you probably won't like it.
Cons:
- It's pretty noisy so a conversation with more than one person can be difficult.
- It can get pretty smokey which only sucks if you're a non-smoker.
Pros:
- Good beer selection.
- Good servers/bar tenders.
For those of you that associate tattoos and piercings with bad service or bad people, feel free to stay away from here. Better stay away from most of the other bars in northwest indiana as well. Once I invent my time machine, I'll let you know and you can travel back to 1950 when wholesome people walked the streets.
I come here pretty much whenever I'm in NWI. Â Unlike other reviewers, I don't think tattoos or piercings have anything to do with service, and have only ever had good service at Franklin House. The only time I've seen the staff be rude is when someone is being drunk and belligerent - and at that point, it not so much them being rude as it is them getting the situation back in hand so everyone in the bar can enjoy their evening. Â I've been here for karaoke, and everyone seemed to be having a great time - if everyone who sang karaoke was exceptionally good, you'd loose something from the experience for sure. Â Bands also play here pretty regularly, and are often quite good for bands playing in a bar in Valpo. Â The only food I've ever had from here were some french fries, and they were all that you would expect from french fries. The mixed drinks are always strong, they have a good beer selection with a lot of local Indiana beers available, and their prices are reasonable. Â They also have a nice patio that is lovely to drink on when the weather is nice.
Review Source:Place is gross and dirty. Â The "regulars" that hang out in this bar are the type of people you wouldn't want to cross paths with walking down a dark alley. Â Having to witness karaoke once, I was really embarrassed for the people that were "singing" and making fools out of themselves. Â No one should have to tolerate that. Â I agree with other reviewer...you are better off walking down to Passtimes.
Review Source:It has the best selection of draft beer in town, but they've completely given up on food, which is too bad since it used to be a decent place to get a meal. Â They've scaled back the food menu, and the quality of what's left on it has gone way down. If I can't get half way decent food with my beer, I'll go somewhere else. Never had a problem with the staff being rude, but when they get busy sometimes they pretty much ignore anyone at a table.
Review Source:This used to be our favorite neighborhood bar to hang out at. We had a problem with a server. Long story short she was drinking after her shift and did something out of line. I talked to the manager about it with in the week and he did nothing. The serve is mediocre, the staff is not friendly or attentive. Walk the extra block and go to Pass Times.
Review Source:
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