On July 4th, we had a spectacular lunch at The Lobby. The setting was as elegant as always and particularly serene because it was early in the afternoon. The service can only be described as perfect, very attentive but not even remotely overbearing. And the food was spectacular -- as good as any dinner I've ever had. The Seasonal Vegetarian Flat Bread on the menu in the spring was excellent, but the new summer version -- with stone fruit, tomatoes, potatoes, and lots of spices -- was out of this world. It was simultaneously both sweet and spicy and just completely fantastic. It was even better, at least for me, because I asked for and received a customized vegan version -- no cheese. I don't remember the exact names of the other two dishes we had, but both were wonderful. One was the tuna tartare appetizer, which we've had before. It was made with avocado and a light soy infusion, for a great Asian flavor, and was placed on a bed of chick pea paste, which added a very good Mediterranean flavor. The other dish, another appetizer, had crab meat on an avocado paste on some kind of fancy toast or dark bread. Absolutely terrific. The perfection and variety of the flavors, along with the wonderful setting and service, make The Lobby simply the best place to eat -- lunch as well as dinner. read more

The Chocolate Buffet: my advice is to go there when you are at least mildly hungry and not just looking for a little dessert because $28 per person for sweets is pricey. Yes, it is all you can eat heavenly chocolate and a creative drink list (additional $12--$15) but 3 people can run up a high bill very quickly without being substantially filled. Price bitchin out of the way...the thought of endless chocolate on a cold winter day (while in hibernation mode) is delectable and worth checking out at least once while in Chicago. read more

I am really impressed with the dinner here at restaurant week. The 3 course menu is $44 plus tips and tax. While the main course and appetizer was relative small in portion, the delicate taste makes up for it. With the lovely butter/bread, I couldn't even finish dessert. Easily satisfied and happy :) read more

I love upscale restaurants, but hate pretentious environments. Some people really need to pry their foot out their ass. The food is good and the wine selection is nice as well. If you'd like to be entertained, I enjoy watching the desperate women and men try to find their wives and husbands here. It is quite entertaining!!!!!!!! read more

My husband and I decided to have our Christmas day brunch at the Peninsula and couldn't be happier with our choice. The food was fantastic and there was such a variety to choose from. They has Sushi, Lobster, Caviar, breakfast station, Prime Rib, Short Ribs and on and on and on.....it was so good. The only issue I had was the price, it was $125 and which did not include our Bellini's or Cappuccino. The Bellini's were ridiculously priced at almost $19!!! So needless to say our bill was the price of a designer purse, which I wasn't happy about. However, the food was great and the atmosphere was beautiful and I would highly recommend it. read more

Had dinner at the Lobby at the Peninsula. More like dined. It was an overall fantastic experience. I went with 2 other chefs and we were all blown away. Recommendations? The ricotta gnocchi were absolutely fabulous. They are almost entirely cheese but feel like soft gnocchi. Presented with black truffle shavings and in truffle oil. The Chicken was unique as well. Stuffed under the skin with a lining of fine breading. How in the world did they do that? Essentially everything that Chef Lee Wolen touched was golden. Finished up with the Peninsula's famous chocolate bar. It was truly unbelievable the selection of top notch deserts on the chocolate bar. As a side note, the Chocolate bar would make a fantastic end to a first date. I guess you can go just for that. read more

This will be an unforgettable brunch experience for you. Go on a special occasion if the price isn't right, but everyone who loves food needs to try this place at least once in their life. Incredible food in a magnificent setting. That's the best way I can describe it. read more

The afternoon tea was not as good as Hong Kong, but still worth the price. Don't be boring and take ordinary green tea, try something really funky. This isn't snooty east coast old lady tea service either. This is a great place to take a date if you want a non-alcohol alternative and show your lady that you have some class. read more

Okay, fine. The afternoon tea is actually pretty stellar.

Two days later, and we are still talking about the gnocchi...so I had to take the time to acknowledge what they offer here. Coming in, we knew it wasn't going to be a cheap dinner, but honestly you can see where the upcharge goes into the ambience, services, and attention to detail. (I never saw someone iron a tablecloth until we came here) You feel like you're in a high class locale, being pampered above your average fancy dining experience, and did I mention the food is excellent? At the end of the night we both said to each other: "I had a really great time tonight". Nailed it. read more

While I had earmarked a number of venues for my 1st anniversary, celebrating at The Lobby at the Peninsula was the right choice for all the key reasons: ambiance, service, cuisine quality and choice, and uniqueness. We were seated in the best section of the room - the table overlooking the Terrace through floor to ceiling windows. Our waiter was both attentive and very helpful in terms of selection of both drinks and food items. We started by ordering a few appetizers but most noteworthy was the Australian Smoked Beef Carpaccio. For entrees, my wife ordered the much recommended Jumbo Prawns prepared East Asian style while I ordered Veal Cheeks, which were delicious and moist, with an expected consistency of short rib and flavor profiles blending savory, smoky, and light saltiness. For dessert, we were treated with an anniversary strawberry sorbet and also ordered the flourless chocolate cake. Overall, a memorable night to mark a significant personal milestone. read more

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Exactly what you expect from a 5* hotel. High tea at The Peninsula is a wonderful experience. Excellent service, excellent pastries and finger sandwiches, excellent all around. Will definitely be back. read more

My first tea experience was here and I went back again this past weekend. The elegant ambiance made the experience all the more worthwhile. The food was yummy and the amount of food was sufficient for a meal. Service was okay, they could improve on friendliness, eye contact, and better food presentation (when introducing the foods, they are too quick and non-descriptive). read more

Got engaged at lunch here yesterday. I have to say the service was superlative. They took great careof us and made the occasion extra special. The food was very tasty, I particularly liked the spicy jumbo prawns although the salac nicoise was also outstanding. read more

Food is expensive, so I recommend the burger. If you eat in the restaurant you can get a discount for the chocolate bar. $20 only for all the chocolate and sweets and dessert you want make sure to go this route. Nice atmosphere sometimes there is live music. read more

If I could give them 10 stars I would! Not one to write reviews but as a guy who works in the restaurant industry I gotta give credit to where credit is due. Me and my wife joined our friends family for Mother's Day brunch and as soon as you walk up to that host stand you can just feel that it's gonna be an amazing experience. We were greeted by a cute Asian hostess named Kimberly and her smile is so welcoming! She was very warm and polite and informed us that we were the first to check in and if we wanted to sit down or wait for the rest of our party. We chose to wait and she offered us this amazing lychee non alcoholic cocktail which was perfect cause my wife is pregnant so she got to enjoy it too! When the rest of our party arrived what shocked me more was how Kimberly was able to remember who we were with how many other guests she was checking in and seating during that time we were waiting. PROPS TO YOU KIMBERLY! I saw how long the lines got and you handled it like a pro and still kept smiling! So as we're getting seated into the dining room you just see TONS AND TONS OF FOOD! the flowers and decorations are what won over my wife but for me it was the food! It was like a never ending buffet! It literally was from one end of the restaurant wrapped all around the border of the rest of the restaurant and get this! They had another room with more food!!! Francisco was our server and he was very attentive! The lobby has amazing service but even better food! The cheese station was like heaven for me!!!! My friends kids were in awe of the kids station and even received cute little peninsula teddy bears! This was mine and my wife's first time joining the lobby for brunch but I plan on going here for every brunch buffet they have now! Totally worth every penny with how much detail they put into it. Everything was perfect from start to finish. Kimberly and Francisco made our time there even more pleasant! You can guarantee you'll be seeing more of us. My wife always takes pictures of everything she eats but she couldn't find the time because she was busy enjoying her food! So thank you lobby for helping my wife get off her phone and actually enjoy her food! (Most men out there can relate) read more

When the sun is shining in that big pretty room, it's my favorite place to eat brunch.

My husband and I decided to take a break from the Big Apple to relax in the windy city for a weekend, and decided to eat here. When we arrived, we were met with superior service and the most delectable meal we'd eaten in a while. We received complimentary dessert from our waiter, as we were celebrating my husband's birthday. The salmon was perfectly tender, and cooked to perfection. The steak fell apart in your mouth, and left you wanting more. Overall we were both beyond pleased with our service, as well as our meals. read more

Today was my family's first time dining at the lobby restaurant. It's located at the peninsula hotel and I'd say it's a hidden gem. We came here for brunch to celebrate a birthday and I don't usually write that many reviews, but I read a lot of reviews to help me decide where to go and I read a lot of great reviews for here and since I had such a great time I decided to write one myself. We arrived at the lobby a bit early and we checked in with the hostess Kimberly and she had such a warm welcome with a big smile and said she would check us in and check on our table before she was able to seat us early. During the time we were waiting we did see a group of guests give the two hostess a hard time about not being able to seat them for breakfast. They were extremely rude and said some unbelievable things however Kimberly and the other hostess (didn't get a chance to read her name tag but also had a big smile) stayed calm and gracious throughout the whole encounter. I used to work in hospitality and i know how rude people can be but even I wouldn't be able to stay calm hearing all those rude comments. I was very impressed with their patience. Hostess don't ever get enough credit so Kimberly and hostess to be named props to you! So we sat down and our server Ubaldo explained every buffet station to us in full detail. He didn't even know it was our first time and he was kind enough to explain everything to us. The food was AMAZING! They have everything you could ever want from traditional breakfast food to Asian food, the dessert station and even the kids station were REMARKABLE. During the time we were eating we noticed that they had violinists playing in the background. But the best part was when ubaldo brought out a small cake for our birthday celebration and the violinists played happy birthday! Talk about impeccable service! This was my family's first time dining at the lobby but it definitely won't be our last! So thank you to the lobby for giving us such amazing service. Thank you to ubaldo and Kimberly and hostess to be named. Props to whoever hired you all. Thank you to the nice valet driver too. Everyone at peninsula was wonderful. read more

Love it. TREAT yourself and go. Everyone needs to try this place, particularly for the chocolate buffet. Came for my birthday and threw a bday gathering here. Live band, elegant atmosphere, amazing buffet. Must try. read more

If you know someone who really enjoys sweets, they will appreciate being taken to the dessert buffet. Cheap, it isn't but well worth it for special occasions. The ambiance is spectacular with the opulent lobby, live music, and everyone dressed to the 9s. Great fancy date place as any girl will surely be impressed. read more

Can't resist the elegance of this top-notch hotel! Accompanied by a live string band, I enjoyed the finger sandwiches, assorted pastries, scones with my choice of tea Tei Kwun Yin in the Lobby. The Macaroon is my favorite pick. We were offered four more upon request! Not bad ^.^~~ read more

Love! Love! To start this place is stunning! The epitemy of high end luxury. My friends and I came here for the chocolate buffet for some after dinner dessert and also cause I've been obsessing over this place since I heard of it. The chocolate buffett was awesome! OMG the chocolate goodness could have been overwhelming to anyone else but being the chocoholic that I am it wasnt. High quality chocolate, fruits, cakes, nuts, etc. They even had pretty innovative desserts like chocolate pops made with pop rocks! How cool! Passionfruit infused marshmallows. Awesome. Anyway, this place is definitely as good as it gets. A must go! read more

This is a beautiful restaurant. I come here for lunch quite often and it has never failed to disappoint. Very elegant.

Went to afternoon tea here on a Saturday afternoon. My group all got the champagne option so it was about $60/person, including tax and tip. We each got a pot of tea, scones, four miniature sandwiches, and four tiny desserts. It was all incredibly delicious and we left feeling full. I was really impressed with how responsive they were to different dietary needs - I'm a vegetarian and my friend is allergic to nuts and we both got personalized treats that weren't just modified versions of the meat options. It was all delicious, especially the scones. Very fun way (albeit a splurge!) to spend an afternoon in Chicago. read more

Brunch here is amazing. Though I prefer to come around the holidays because it is beautifully decorated, brunch here is great any time of year. The only aspect I don't like is how disorganized the set up seemed this time. It's pricey but we'll worth it. Definitely make reservations in advance. read more

Only chocolate for dinner, sounds perfect. Decadent but perfect.Tried out the chocolate buffet here last night. it was great, lots of diferent things to choose from. But I think everyone reached their limit after taking about 4 different pieces of dessert in their plate.I for one was chocolated out and thats really saying something since I am a choco addict. A bottle of Merlot completed our meal perfectly. Candlelight, great conversation with friends and a different table centerpiece completed the evening. read more

I had lunch here with the company I work for. The ambience is really what makes the place. Very very open and spacious. The chairs and tables are classy and comfortable and the beauty of the building surrounds you. We could hear a violin playing just off in the distance which was a great touch. The food was light healthy and fresh, although not mind-blowing, it was simply good (I had the salmon, but the other menu items on the table had the same feel). The server seemed to have a great knack for giving us our space because we spent 4 hours there enjoying conversation. read more

Received a gift card from my sister to spend an afternoon over tea at the peninsula. Definitely not cheap, but heck! it's great for a special occasion and we felt that it was well worth it. Beautiful ambience and enjoyed the live string music. We were not expecting such ample amount of food for the tea...came with three tiers of delicious...OMG! DELICIOUS!!!...little sandwiches and sweets as well as some perfect scones with jams and butters. My husband and I each received a full pot of tea from their long list of teas. The server was very helpful in accommodating my special dietary needs since I am pregnant and am not able to have certain teas or food items. Between the two of us, we were not able to finish all of the food and were surprisingly full! After the tea time, we headed over to their spa to end the afternoon with some massages....great experience! read more

I love going to afternoon tea here. The service is impeccable and so accommodating. My mother is lactose and they made a special tea set for her. Furthermore, I love how the sandwiches and finger foods always change. I would definitely recommend coming here for high tea. read more

Excellent food and service. I love the bird eye chili sauce served on prawns; I'm never a fan of prawns but this one is brilliant. The setting is also very cozy and romantic. read more

Had a delicious brunch with the parents when they were staying at the Peninsula. I hear that there is a chocolate buffet with live jazz every weekend . . . . I would definitely go back to check it out. I also heard that they have a nice tea service. read more

Excellent afternoon tea. The scones, finger sandwiches and desserts were delicious. I had a green tea that was just perfect. A wonderful place to spend any afternoon. read more

Came here for the afternoon tea. Definitely was a very nice set up. Pros/Cons: Cons: I expected service to be a LITTLE more than what I got. The waiter was nice enough, but was a little slow at times and not as attentive as I would have liked. -For the $$, I would expect more.. just more. While the finger foods they provide with the tea are GREAT (that's a Pro), the quantity is very small, especially if you come with two or three people. You come with two people, they charge you $40/each and give you two of each little finger food. Not really worth the $80 -The live musicians playing upstairs during tea time were great! (pro) but, when they would stop playing or would take a break, the room would become creepily quiet and if you were having a conversation suddenly you were yelling and everyone was listening to you. Overall, great experience and something you should definitely try if you are into the "afternoon tea". If you could take it or leave it though, then I would leave it read more

If you want to pamper yourself ladies with decedent pastries, this place is your heaven. Love to go there with my girlfriends.

This was, by far, the most decadent and wonderful brunch I have ever been to! I don't usually like buffets... but this was a class all its own. The service was wonderful, the atmosphere was classy, and the food was amazing. I could have stayed there all day. read more

Came here for a bridal shower afternoon tea and it was very lovely. Live classical music, delicious and abundant food, and amazing service. We had a few special requests and they were so gracious in helping us. This is the best tea experience I've had in Chicago (better than The Drake, sorry Drake). read more

Went for brunch...the food s not bad. The waitress was very nice...dunt like the view...

My friend and I chose to go there on a Tuesday afternoon, which was not a busy time. However, I was really disappointed. I don't care that the waiter only came to check us once(when we were asking for checks) As long as the food worth $60/person, I would be fine. Unfortunately, sandwiches were plain. The salmon sandwiches were too salty. The shrimp sandwiches tasted too fishy (Shrimps tasted like frozen shrimps I got from Jewel Osco. Don't want to be offensive to JO. However, I expected the shrimps to be tender and fresh). Desserts are about average. Seriously, how can this place rated so high on Yelp. I tried afternoon tea at Palm Court that costs $45/person. I would strongly recommend Palm Court for higher food quality, more tea varieties and better services. read more

2.5 stars. A couple of friends and I hit the chocolate buffet on a Saturday night, and I must admit... not so spectacular as I had hoped. The music was great (we're pretty big fans of jazz) except that whenever the vocalist came back on the mic, she'd drown out every other sound in the room, including our voices in the middle of conversation. Service was also a bit slow, especially considering that there weren't terribly many people there that night (although, in 4 degree weather it takes a huge amount of will power to even think about leaving the house). I actually tried to time my trips back to the chocolates so that I'd be sure the catch the attention of someone who would clear my plate away before I got back to our table. The desserts were OK, not the greatest, especially considering that better ones can be had for a better price. I was intrigued, though, by the almond white hot chocolate, which didn't taste like almond but was surprisingly tasty. Unfortunately, my definition of hot chocolate has been altered by the deliciously sludgy concoctions found at the City Bakery and Jacques Torres in NY, so I did come in with rather high expectations on that front. I'm not quite sure if there was a theme to the selection, but if it was fruit, then they might want to stock up on the chocolate covered strawberries to avoid running out again. Nice rich flavor in the earl grey & anise truffles, and ganache lollipops. Bad red velvet cake. Summing it up: definitely not a good bargain (but then, you already knew that). Don't go for the chocolates, or the conversation factor. Go because you're giving yourself one opportunity to splurge and schmooze at the Pen and know that you'll probably never go back for anything so frivolous. Good for the eyes, not so much for the wallet or taste buds. read more