Review: The Chat Room Pub

The Chat Room Pub is a neighborhood watering hole on Magnolia Avenue in the Near Southside.  For years it has been one of the few bars on Magnolia to grab a pint of beer.  Although there are quite a few new beer destinations opening up on Magnolia in the coming months, we don't expect that to impact their patrons.  That is because The Chat Room Pub has a monopoly on the hipster,dive-bar market in Fort Worth.  Its location is perfect for local Faimount residents to walk or ride their street-bikes over to enjoy a pint after a delicious vegan meal across the street at Spiral Diner.  

Chat Room is a bit non-descript from the outside; a small windowless building with a handful of wooden picnic tables.  They do have their own parking lot around the backside of the building.  Inside is a dimly lit room with wood panel walls, a few billiard tables and retro pinball machines.  Near the door are three desktop computers with free internet access.  They also have a deer head near the entrance that has accumulated a few fashion accessories.

We grabbed a seat at the bar and were greeted by a friendly bartender named Chuck who introduced himself to us and asked our names.  The draft beer selection was lacking, only 6 options.  Out of those 6, half were domestic and one of the craft beers (Rahr) was out.  Luckily for me, one of the remaining craft beers was Harpoon IPA.  Ben opted for a 1554 from their selection of bottled beers - they had 18 to choose from. 

We asked Chuck about the Chat Room, and why people should choose to stop by and enjoy a drink here.  Chuck let us know that this was the friendliest bar in town.  They always make an effort to get to know their patrons and remember their favorite drink.  The bar has been around for years, and the owner has always made that a priority. It is a neighborhood bar, with many of the regulars coming from the area.  It serves as a meeting spot for the Night Riders, a Fort Worth cycling group.  They also recently started doing trivia on Wednesday nights. 

Good news hipsters, Chat Room Pub does carry PBR in a can.  They also have an internet jukebox, which means you are able to select the most obscure music available.  Folks looking for a unique craft beer selection should probably look elsewhere.  This is also not your place if you are sensitive to smoke.   What we liked most about this bar was how it truly had a neighborhood feel to it.  People walking in seemed to know each other and say hello.  For that it may be worth a visit if you live nearby.

Overall Rating - 4/10