Great location, beautiful interior! The staff and drinks were top notch. We will be back

I visited this really cute martini place along the river while on a work trip. Neat decor with a vintage wooden Bavarian-style bar (I think), an amazing martini selection, and inexpensive drink specials. Not so loud that you can't talk with friends, either. I hope to come back here again sometime. Recommended! read more

Great environment for a drink after work. Or for work from there. Great service with a welcoming staff. read more

Martini's On Water Street - A old fashioned well prepared and serve with kindness and welcoming hospitality, while you are doing the office work if need it. - Lounges Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Would give negative stars if I could. I called & reserved Martinis for my engagement photos. We were told to be there at 3pm (an hour before they open). We showed up at 3, no one was there. We changed plans & decided to go back at 4 when they opened to the public. We arrived at 4 & waited around until 4:30 (30 mins after they were supposed to open) & STILL no one there. I will absolutely not be back!!! There were also quite a few other couples from out of town that walked in wanting to go in & we suggested they should take their business elsewhere. I will make sure to go out of my way to tell anyone & everyone about this & make sure they do not receive business. read more

Great experience other than the fact that we went outside on the patio and were trying to see how to light the fire pit outside we got yelled at by the bald bouncer, he was so rude and told my boyfriend to not try to light something he knows nothing about, my boyfriend is 32 by the way and is more than capable. If it's a liability then say that but don't be rude and talk down to ANYONE. then He lit all the other fireplaces but ours and when my boyfriend asked if he could light ours he was really rude and snappy back. Then made my boyfriend get out of his seat so he could light it when there were other empty seats. But my boyfriend gladly moved for him. But He was being very rude, he also asked me to get up too. Then as he starts to sit down to light it he stands back up and says "I feel like we have an issue" and my boyfriend said no, no problem he just didn't know he couldn't see how the fire started. Then he was threatening us and I kept saying he was being rude and he didn't even acknowledge me. So disrespectful. Then he said okay I'm not going to light it for you guys but when you leave don't come back. We then said okay and went to the fire pit that was already lit and he came over and said "maybe I wasn't clear, leave now or I'll call the cops" we were paying customers and weren't doing anything wrong. There was a nice way to communicate and he didn't need to be a di**. He was a big bald guy, absolutely no human decency read more

So we originally visited the waterfront Peoria for a restaurant.. the restaurant was closed across the parking lot was martinis on Water Street! Since it was a date night, decided to check it out! Great atmosphere, love the decor, and the martinis are top-notch!! we will be back! read more

Stopped in for a couple pre-dinner drinks with some friends and really enjoyed the atmosphere and Martinis. Ended up getting four different types and all the drinks were delicious. Friendly bartenders and great service. read more

I came in on 11/2/24, I came here with my Girlfriend and friends. We thought we were in for another great experience at Martini's. The bar has an amazing atmosphere and very professional bartenders. So to cut to the chase my girlfriend had a vertical ID. The door man checking ID's politely told us he couldn't accept the ID bc it was vertical, BUT then the guy on the couch looked at my biracial girlfriend and said "its bc of black on black crime, you would understand". So my girlfriend asked him " What does her ID have to do with black on black on black crime"? He said "you can put two and two together". So I went inside and grabbed my friends to leave and came out and asked him what he meant by what he had said. He responded with "you know what it means, I don't need to explain myself". I told him "it seems kinda racist to look at my biracial girlfriend and say that. Me and my friends won't come back here with you being racist" He proceeded to say "we don't need your business, get out, leave, leave". So as I turned around to leave the "bouncer" proceeded to get up and get within inches of my back. As I was leaving and letting my girlfriend leave first after hearing some racist Sh!t.... I told him "you can back off me, we are leaving" He proceeded to follow us out after we left the entry. Then got closer and seem to square up with me and get in my face and said "let's see what you got" encouraging a fight. I stood there on my ground and my girlfriend separated me from the racist and we left. I encourage everyone to take this review into consideration before visiting this establishment. This place was a highlight of most evening out but unfortunately after this experience I don't see myself coming back here again and encourage anyone else not to come here, unless management can apologize and evaluate who they are hiring... read more

This might be a good place to have an adult beverage, I'll never know. We just walked out after being completely ignored by everyone behind the bar. We should have taken the hint when the charming (please read that dripping with sarcasm) ginger bartender made no audible or physical acknowledgment after we asked if the two spots he was cleaning were available but we were thirsty and had over an hour to kill before the concert. We sat for twelve minutes waiting to make eye contact with any of the four people behind the bar without success. I bet you're thinking the bar was very busy and we were just overlooked, you'd be incorrect, there were maybe 13 patrons in the bar. read more

This place deserves NO stars!!!! Worst place I've ever been too!! Don't go to this place ever. The guy who served us didn't know what he was doing. He poured vodka into a warm glass and i said something and he said if i wanted a cold glass i had to pay more read more

Martini's is an awesome place to enjoy a drink in a beautiful outdoor atmosphere. Love all the flowers. They have a nice beer selection and Peoria's best martinis. Bartenders are very friendly. Love the live music in the summer! read more

Walk the riverfront and then head in for a martini. Anything you can think of is in the menu. I tried the chocolate cherry and the peppermint. Wow! What a fun environment to hang out at! read more

Perfect place to watch live music and have a tasty beverage! Staff is wonderful and treat you like family.

Enjoyed the ambiance inside and out! They did a great job making this place feel magical - couldn't help but do a photoshoot with my 7 m.o.

I love this bar! They have load and loads of different martini's. One of my favorite martini's is the s'more martini which has a graham cracker crust and mini marshmallows. Looking for something not very strong? Get the cherry popsicle martini. Martini Mondays are the best because they are discounted! For college students, their regular price may be a little too much. My only negative comment is that the service is SLOW :( Otherwise, it is a great lounge atmosphere with a nice outside area. read more

Great service. Great atmosphere. Bartenders are a lot of fun. Unreal amount of drinks. They have everything and can customize a drink to your liking. Overall one of the best bars in Peoria. read more

Overall, this is a fun place to have a drink. We will never go back to due to the very disrespectful doorman. This man came up to our table and started yelling at me that he was tired of me being rude, to get out and don't come back. I have very little interaction with this man and we have no idea the reasoning of his verbal abuse. This is the second time this man was a jerk when we were there. He is very crass and has zero sense of any customer service. From reading other reviews, this man has done this to other customers as well. It's disheartening that this establishment keeps this man on, who continuously drives away customers. read more

Great Ambiance. Friendly service. Great specials! Would recommend everyone experience.

A really fun martini bar inside of an old train station with a HUGE selection of martinis. We were happy with every drink we ordered here and the bartender was fun, chatty and engaging. read more

An inspiring old train station building with a rich history in old downtown Peoria. During the weekdays, this is a guaranteed experience for out-of-towers and business after-hours meetings in a comfortable, casual-but-professional environment. On the weekends, the place lights up earlier with live music and folks burning off steam from a corporate week. Martini's remains a mainstay of downtown Peoria, and deserves your first, second, and third looks. read more

This used to be one of my favorite places to go in Peoria. I had the most horrible experience here tonight that I've ever had anywhere because of the doorman. Let me explain. My husband and I were celebrating our fourth year of marriage and we had dinner first, but no drinks yet because we wanted to go to Martinis. We walked in and sat down at the bar. The bartender was friendly and greeted us. The doorman, RYAN, walked up and stated that we need to show our ID's. I replied and said, "sure, my husband keeps it in his wallet." As my husband (wallet in hand) is pulling out the ID's, not even two seconds later, the doorman loudly demands "Get your ID out now" to me and I turned around and stated again "my husband is getting mine out of his wallet". I keep it in his wallet because I do not carry a purse for convenience. Then rather than walking away or doing nothing he doorman was clearly irritated with me or angry and stated in an argumentative tone, "well how am I supposed to know what you're doing? You're just turned around and doing nothing when I said get your ID out." Then I turned back around and stated, "I already said my husband was getting it out the first time that you asked but you must not have heard me//" before being rudely cut off. I was going to explain that maybe he couldn't hear me over the mask since the masks do make it difficult to hear people sometimes. Instead, he rudely cut me off and started arguing with me and stated "I said get it out and you're just sitting there with your back towards me like you don't hear me or something." Then I got kind of irritated because at this point my husband has both ID's in his hand and the bartender is checking them. After being treated so poorly by him I stated, "My husband clearly has them in his hand and I told you once before that we were getting them out. Maybe you should get a hearing aid." I shouldn't have said that because it is rude; however, I was just so upset that he was treating us so rudely and escalating a situation that could've been just a simple 'wait and see if they get there ID's out, then demand that they show them or leave' or a "Sorry I didn't hear you the first time" or any other normal customer service reaction. The situation could have been avoided so easily, yet he turned it into an argument. After I told him to get a hearing aid, he stated that he "didn't like my attitude". I told him, "well I don't like your attitude either. I'm just a customer trying a drink." Then he kept arguing with me and getting louder and my husband turned around and said, "hey man don't disrespect my wife like that." Then he said "you can't talk to me like that. I can disrespect whoever I want to." Then my husband started telling him that he doesn't let anyone disrespect his wife and getting louder with him because the guy was trying to interrupt and talk over him. After this, he immediately told us that we have to leave or he is calling the police. Then my husband told him to call the police and he wouldn't call them. Clearly he would have called if we were truly being disruptive. At this point, he basically told us that we are not allowed to be there and that he would refuse to serve us. I'm not sure how he could refuse to serve us anyways because he is just a doorman and we had no alcohol in our system and HE started the fight with US (technically me I guess). Anyways, my husband continued to argue with him and get loud (he had just got off from a third shift job and hadn't slept all day since 6 pm the previous night). I was in utter shock to be treated so poorly and I will never give this place my service again. I am very disappointed with how my night went and it really put a damper in our anniversary. I have NEVER been "thrown out" of a bar or restaurant before. We planned on having my graduation party in May at Martini's and inviting family and friends from out of town since it has such a cool atmosphere. I will definitely be choosing a new place after this incident. To make matters worse, the bartender saw the situation and didn't even do anything about it. Maybe he couldn't hear exactly what happened because it was pretty busy so I don't fault him for that I guess. We went to a section of the bar that didn't have many people, but I guarantee that if other customers would have near, they would've been appalled my the way he treated us. The other interesting thing is that this whole entire thing happened in under five minutes. Another thing that I have heard from other friends and through word of mouth is that the doorman is really harsh on black and brown people. My husband is black (I am not) and I wonder if this had something to do with the entire situation. It makes no sense how this even happened or how it escalated to this point so quickly (or even at all). He approached us. He harassed us. I felt personally attacked and that is definitely not okay! Thanks for ruining our night Martini's!!! WORD OF MOUTH TRAVELS FAST! read more

Used to love this place! Lovely bar with a classy feel, beautiful tall ceilings, velvet booths, amazing service and tasty drinks. Very 20's esque. We were very disappointed to hear that the entire staff left due to Covid-19 not being properly handled by the owners. Nowadays it doesn't hold a light to what it used to be. Staff doesn't seem to know what they're doing because they didn't receive proper training. Very disappointed, used to be 100x better read more

Martini's On Water Street - Lounges Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

They have so many martini's. There is no way someone can go here without finding something on the menu that they would like. I've only been on Monday's when they have their $4 martini specials. As a college student, I doubt I would go on any other day of the week in which I would have to pay full price. The bartenders are friendly and the service is good. I have been here as early as 7pm on a Monday, and as late as 10pm. Around 9:30 they have a singer and instrumentalist come in that plays covers of well known songs. I like their performances, but find it hard to enjoy conversation with my friends when they start playing because of the noise level. Very great place to go and I always look forward to going. read more

We came on a Monday night 3/21/22 for our Anniversary and sat at the bar for almost 10 mins before anyone would even acknowledge us. There were 2 bartenders and not a big crowd at all. Very disappointing. read more

First of all, the venue is super unique and has a lot of character. The bar service has always a been very good and can make you any drink that you can think of! read more

This is a cool place- love the decor! They also have the specialty stuffed olives. I had a dirty martini with the blue cheese stuffed olives and it came a little too dirty but was still good. I didn't try any food. They have an interesting drink menu. Service was ok. I'll be back. read more

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Went to Martini's on Water to see the band Cousin Eddie play! What a great time! The beer garden is the best in Peoria, and they always have great bands. We were with a few people and they were busy but we were still able to get a table. Our waitress was busy but kept our glasses filled. We will be back soon, Thanks for the fun night! read more

Located in the historic River Station along the Peoria Riverfront, Martinis offers a variety of martinis to please anyone's taste buds! The menu is a book filled with different kinds of martinis from sweet and candy-like to strong and dry. It may take a few minutes or more to make a decision! The outdoor seating is very nice, especially in the fall when the fire pits are used. The bartenders provide great service and know the menu very well! Amazing since the menu is a book with loads of martinis with various ingredients! Recommended martinis to try: Lemon Drop, The Jackie O, S'mores! There are also the classics, including Manhattan, White Russian, and James Bond style! Recommended to go on a Monday when they have the half off special. Great, laid-back bar to go with a group of friends to relax. In case you are hungry, Blue Duck Tavern is next door! read more

Martini's On Water Street - (Top to bottom) Bomb Pop, S'mores Martini, and Lemon Drop Martini - Lounges Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

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This is one of my favorite places in downtown Peoria to go. If you come during the week, the place is typically quite and relaxed. Sometimes they have live music on the weekends and that makes for a little rowdier of a crowd, but still nothing like the bars of downtown Peoria. It's typically just a little packed, and there's a cover. They have booths, a bar, tables, and couches, so there is a variety of seating which is nice depending on what kind of crowd you're coming with. I typically come here at some point on my birthday for a martini with my friends. Its a lot classier of an establishment, beautifully decorated and clean. Their martini list is long, and there's such a variety of drinks. I have had pretty much every variation of a White Russian that they have, and I would recommend every single one I have ever had. I have had many other martinis too, and I honestly have never been disappointed with any of them. read more

Martini's On Water Street - Lounges Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

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consistently doesn't let people in for having vertical id's and bouncer who was on a power trip ruined a group of friends birthday. My id works in chicago at every bar club and dispensary i go to. i live here and have never had an issue but have one at martinis in peoria lol. Embarrassing for the business and have heard it happened to my other friends from peoria as well. They tell you have 10 days after your birthday to get a horizontal one. joke of a place to be acting like that read more

If you ever need a venue for a corporate event, consider Martini's. Marty and his crew arrive to please and with the addition of Blue Duck in the building, the food couldn't be easier or better. read more

Nice atmosphere, Great bands and Amazing staff!! We were in Peoria a few weekends ago for our ship reunion USS Peoria which was named after the city. A small group of us wandered in on Friday night after dinner. There was a band playing that was pretty good so we decided to check it out. As we were in line about to pay our cover charge, the Manager saw our USS Peoria Navy Veterans hats and asked if we were veterans and when we answered yes, not only did he waive the cover charge for all of us but bought the first round of drinks for the 10 of us! We were so gracious of the service and respect we were shown that we came back again the next night to the same Awesome treatment and even better band! The outside patio with firepits gave it a nice touch of class as well. As Veterans we Thank You for Thanking Us!!! read more

Definitely a gem in Peoria. I feel like I'm back home in Chicago and not in this little po-dunk area. This martini/piano bar is in an old train station with gorgeous high ceilings and a great comfortable old feel to it. I'm always VERY impressed by these bartenders. That's saying a lot considering I was a bartender for quite a few years. There's 100+ martini's on the menu, and I swear to you these guys have most of them memorized. This place is always busy, get there early. Those bartenders deserve every penny they get, they run all night. Last time we were there there was an EXCELLENT band playing, "Highway J". If you can find them in Peoria they're definitely worth the listen. If you happen to find yourself in Peoria, I would definitely suggest stopping into Martini's. It's one of Peoria's best. If you don't like Martini's, fear not. They have an excellent selection of bottled and hard to find beers. Enjoy...and tip your bartenders! read more

Martini's is a fun lounge place to just sit and chat with friends. They also have live music. The martini selection is fabulous and whenever I go, I try something new. My favorites so far- Bomb Pop martini (just like the popsicle), Sweet Tart martini, and the Watermelon martini. YUM! read more

It's really sad because it's such a beautiful place! There is soooo much potential here, but there are a lot of things that Martini's needs to fix: 1) The music is ridiculously loud inside. I'm 28 and listen to my music very loud, but this was uncomfortably loud. Not to mention, there were only 7 of us total in the bar. LOL Awkward! OH! And this guy kept playing ghetto gangster rap...my 59 year old in-laws really appreciated that....LOL! 2) The cover charge? Get rid of it. It's not worth it at this place... They are just hurting their wait staff. We are extremely generous tippers, and that 20 bucks we just spent to get in wont be going to the staff. 3) I have to agree with Jen B's review from a year and a half ago. I had two martinis and both were not only weak, but wrong and not very good! Oh, and they were TINY. I've had shots that were bigger ;) At first I thought, "$9 for a martini? Heck yeah!" But because they were SO small I would consider them expensive. 4) Hire better staff. The staff inside and outside were goofing off nonstop. It felt very juvenile and extremely unprofessional. 5) The band outside just sucked. Sorry. It was all old people performing older songs... really weird... because most of the people were young/younger. My in-laws liked the music outside, but the crowd was a little rowdy and we couldn't find a table. Really our whole experience was just...awkward and uncomfortable. I don't think we will go back unless they make a few changes: I would like to see the INSIDE treated as a true martini bar with cool, laid back music and dim lighting to match. Sip a good, strong Martini and chill out...mmmmm.... Keep the OUTSIDE cool/fun/young. Hire bands that everyone can enjoy, and play music that is current(ish) and makes me want to toss back a few shots and dance. I'll keep my fingers crossed :) read more

Beautiful building, outside and in! Great atmosphere. Music at the correct level. Great bartenders - dealt with two of them over two different nights. Both very attentive and talkative while never dominating the conversation. read more

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This place is ate up, the service here is seriously unbelievable. We walked in and showed our ID's, which we just got back from Tennessee and used our ID's so much down there from distillery to distillery, and since he didn't have his paper ID while he's waiting on his actual ID, while it's still valid for two years, we couldn't stay. We've literally gone to so many places with no problem before now. Beware if you're going here, they need you to have a fully "VALID" ID. read more

Located in an old train station, Martini's is a solid Peoria choice that easily serves the needs of a wide variety of people. If you want to sit outside, they have tons of picnic tables for you. The night I was there, they had a band playing outside and by the time we left there were a good number of people dancing near the band, genuinely enjoying themselves. There was also another band inside, which is cool, but the inside isn't really that big and there was no place to escape the music. I was there visiting a college friend and we could only talk in-between songs since the music was so loud (and not that good. They played "Closing Time" over an hour before actual closing time...confusing). Their drink menu is huugee...so much so that it's really difficult to pick anything. Quantity is not nearly as impressive as quality though and in the latter department, Martini's is mediocre (it's difficult to make incredible drinks when there are 100's on the menu). All in all, it's decent, but coming from Boston (snobbery...uh oh!), Martini's just made me miss my own hometown nightlife. read more

My good friend Jon Hopkins and I walk in on a Saturday. We try to hit all the finer establishments when we travel, so the five dollar cover seemed cheap, especially for how good the band was. The bartender Ryan made Jon a bud light and a light dirty Tito's blue cheese martini for myself. Forget about it, best bud light in the tri county... the Tito's ice cold, the blue cheese with the perfect stank. What. A. Spot. read more

We came for drinks this evening and our dd had to pay for water ($1.50). Wow, in this day in age you would think after paying a cover charge that you could at least get free water! Never coming back!! Also very outdated and dirty!!! read more