I would have given a single star, but they do draw good music. Lately they have been promoting themselves as a craft beer bar. A real craft beer bar offers a glass with your beer, not an annoyed look from the bartender. Also at a real  beer bar the beer is poured into the glass properly, it is not 2/3 head. It is also cute that they raise their prices on Labor Day weekend during a popular street festival in Rockford. Much better options in downtown Rockford
Review Source:What I like about Kryptonite is the diverse crowd it draws. Any night of the week you'll see young hipsters drinking PBR's to a group of 40 something's drinking a fancy, delicious beer from their awesome beer list. It's definitely a bar where everyone who walks in immediately knows someone else & high fives are exchanged.
While I am not their average customer, I always have fun at Krypto. From the live music to the amazing beer selection, there's always something special going on.
I am so happy to have such a successful & fun local bar right around from my office. Drinks, anyone?
If you are from out of town avoid like the plague. Â The staff here is rude, large, and aggressive. Â Here's a recap of our terrible evening:
-Approach Krypotonite on a Saturday night and are told by the bouncers that it will be $30 for our party to get in. Â We ask "why so much?" They pull an attitude and we start to walk away. Â Then they offer us half the original price. Â Seriously? Just give us the normal price and don't try to screw us over because we don't fit your stereotype.
-While inside the bar the experience was very enjoyable due to the awesome bands playing. Â Both were great and my group had a fun time rocking out with them.
-But about an hour into our experience one of the bouncers tries to choke slam my friend and throw him out of the bar. Â in the chaos there is a ton of commotion and my group leaves and tries to understand why we are being thrown out. Â The seven meathead bouncers refuse to give us an explanation and refuse our attempts at reasonableness. Â The threaten violence against us and are in general very hostile. Â We eventually leave but not after getting harassed down the block and threatened with physical violence again. Â
We then spoke to a cop, taxi driver, and store owner and they all had the same advice "Avoid Rockford." Â Which is the advice I would give to any out of towner. Â I'm sure there are some great places but this is not one of them.
So many people give downtown Rockford a bad reputation, and its places like Kryptonite that prove how wrong those people are!
I love the fun and friendly crowd, the staff is great, and I'm a big fan of the VIP room and the balcony. It can get pretty warm and crowded in the summertime, but the sidewalk space really helps with that.
Karaoke on Tuesdays and Thursdays is a must and they always have a good mix of live bands as well.
I hardly drink, and Skyler does not drink at all, and we STILL manage to get to Krypto at least once a week, just for the friends, atmosphere, and wonderful service. The drinks are good (when I do drink) and I swear a diet coke, and an energy drink (for Skyler) are on the counter before we can even order them. Our favorite nights to go to Krypto are Zombie Nights! Every last Monday of the month, where you can enjoy sweet gore-ey b movies, and eat zombie treats. A good place to go for a drink and some fun, whether you live in Rockford, or are just passing through.
Review Source:My favorite bar in Rockford. Â The crowd is great, the drinks are reasonably priced and stiff, the staff is friendly and accommodating. Â If you're into music, this is the place for you. Â Plus the seating on the sidewalk out front is ideal if you like a little conversation with your drinking experience. Â Karaoke nights are the most lively and fun nights, in my opinion, and they have a pretty good open mic night on Wednesdays.
If you're looking for a come as you are bar that has good music, good drinks, good people and isn't way out on the Perryville-State-Mulford-Alpine corridor, Krypto is IT.
A great downtown Rockford nightspot!
With a lot going on visually, the scenery at Kryptonite, or Krypto, allows one to focus on different things while consuming yummy beers. Besides the usual "water"/domestics one can find anywhere, they also sell a few decent craft beers in bottles and also have cans for the tragically hip who enjoy a PBR ASAP (but no tap beers). Multi-leveled, Kryptonite has plenty of room to roam or to sit for those inclined to do either. If the bands or DJs (local and regionally touring, mostly, with occasional national touring acts) are not enough to keep your attention, bring your laptop and use their free WiFi while doing shots (just be sure not to post while drinking-most do not truly appreciate postings from the inebriated). The bartenders are attentive and helpful (but not pushy), as are the other staffers. Dress is pretty-much come-as-you-are, somewhat trendy/hip, and is a decent place to hang out before and after Metro Centre events (as it is one block south of Kryptonite). Even the restrooms are uniquely decorated, too. When the mall was in place, they had outdoor/al fresco seating as well as indoor; it will be interesting to see what happens for this now that the downtown mall is gone... The biggest negative is parking-but this is not as big of a deal as my comment makes it seem, as there are plenty of spaces most nights within a half-block walk.
Bring your date(s), bring your girlfriends, bring your friends, bring yourself to Kryptonite!
I hit this place on a Monday night, which has to be by far the sleepiest night in the doldrums called downtown Rockford. Being the only patrons in the bar for a period of time, my friend and I had a good chance to talk with the bartender for an hour about sports, Pennsylvania, and how much the small towns just outside of Rockford suck. This conversation resulted in free shots of Jameson, which are of course always accepted as a great gesture of goodwill. The entire time we were sitting there, the iTunes playlist he was rocking was filled with the rock/metal/screamo music from my past. The bar got a few more patrons just before closing time but the bartender was able to keep conversations going with everyone there, which was skillful to say the least. There is a plaque behind the bar designating this particular bartender as making the best martini in Rockford, which I will probably be trying some other night this week during one of the live music nights. Also, the decor in this place has a random garage sale industrial vibe, and the giant lava lamp would be able to soothe even the most savage of beasts. If I was staying in Rockford long-term, this bar would be one of my regular haunts, but as for now I'll just try to enjoy it as much as I can before I move back to Chicago.
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