Kayla B.
Yelp
I'm not sure I'd like The Local as much as I do if it didn't have the gorgeous interior. The food was solid and service was solid, but it REALLY sets itself apart with the interior. From the pillars to the semi-private seating areas to all of the old-school, dark-wooden tavern vibes, this place is just gorgeous.
PROS:
-Really. The building is beautiful and old-world. According to the manager, most of the pillars and finishes were crafted in Ireland, shipped over here, and assembled here on site. From elaborate chandeliers over tables to old-school newspaper hanging racks to a "Kissing Room" with swinging doors, The Local feels like a cleaned-up, modern version of an elaborate, expensive old world tavern.
-Within those pillars, The Local has small "rooms". If you get a larger table that seats 5-10, your table may be inside of one of these faux "rooms". They have glassed off walls on most sides with an open, no-door entrance. This helps reduce noise traveling from your group, and it also gives you a light sense of privacy. It feels a bit like paying extra for private dining experience - only it doesn't cost anything. I absolutely love these mini rooms.
-Food was good. With an appetizer and two entrees, two people did not go home hungry.
-Bathrooms are clean and spacious. For a place located right next to the Target and in the center of a ton of downtown businesses and bus stops, that's really important to me.
-The lunch portions are probably like 3/4th the size of the dinner portions, and their couple-dollar discounts match that. I like that I can come here for a lunch and get their lunch portions (If I want! They still serve dinner options) at lunch for a lighter feel.
-Service has been really friendly here. Beyond friendly, really. Joking and laughing with us, happy to offer suggestions, and encouraging us to look around the place and giving us some backstory to The Local building as a whole. Everybody has been really welcoming here.
-SO much seating here. Lots of booth and bar seating (like 3 "different" bars) with an entire outdoor patio area too. There are some lowtop, no-arm chairs as well with decently-spaced walkways for getting through spaces. Most of the lowtops seem to be outside though, as an FYI for anyone needing that accessibility.
CONS:
-The Celtic Pretzel pricing just annoys me. It's a good pretzel. Solid pretzel. But it's a regular, normal ol' sized (about the size of your hand) soft pretzel for $12. That's absolutely insanely overpriced. That type of pretzel is usually $4-6 at most establishments with multiples running in the $15 range as an appetizer. (I order appetizer pretzels virtually anywhere they're available, so I do consider myself pretty versed in this area.)
-I wasn't in love with the cocktail menu. Good beer selection, though, as a fallback.