perfect Valentine's Day spot....and future girls night spot - the ambience was dark, romantic, intimate, and well decorated with overly melted candles and old news articles. - my beautiful $13 lychee martini had hints of coconut underneath and totally was not under-poured - have to start with the best dish of the night. the French dip sandwich. after we finished, we were saying we should've just ordered three of those. it was cheesy and meaty and melted in your mouth even without the au jus. but when you dumped it in there MMM it added a new level of texture, everything meshed together into a delicate roasted meat sharp cheese soup-like wonder. - the salmon dip was also a total win. Thank God, the potato chips were strong enough because the dip is super thick. it's like the texture of a hard block of cream cheese with the perfect smoky fish flavors. loved the salmon roe on top for a contrast of lightness - our least favorite dish was the prosciutto and mozzarella flatbread. you could tell that they made their own tomato sauce which I loved and the dough was soft and warm on top of a crisp bottom layer, but it was overall pretty average on the flavor front. the prosciutto was a little burnt adding a fun different flavor to the plain dish - totally not a fan of the volume of the live music at the end that caused us to scream in conversation. the idea for the vibe was there but...execution was not read more

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We visited the Press Room for happy hour. The ambiance was extremely dark--so much so that I had to hold the small electric candle up to the menu just to read it. We ordered drinks and a "board" described as a daily selection of meats, cheese, and accompaniments. The drinks were tasty and fresh, but the board was disappointing; it felt more like a child's snack plate with ham than a charcuterie board from a restaurant. Later, when I checked my credit card statement, the amount charged did not match the total on my paper bill. The difference was small, but it didn't reflect well on their ethics. read more

I really wanted to love this place but.... They forgot my olives, they brought out our entrees at separate times, and the food was average at best. I ordered the Cajun Mac and my wife had the tuna. The Mac was dry and tuna caused some issues later in the night. This really should only be a cocktail bar. It has that vibe. read more

This place was downstairs and was nice. A waiter came to our table and got our order. We only got a sangria but felt it was really watered down and needed much more flavors but the ambiance and vibe inside is so nice. There's are private rooms around the corner which is pretty nice and perfect for a party or wine tasting. read more

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I love this place because it reminds of me being in a Tribeca bar in NYC. The ambiance is warm, dark and trendy. We only came here for a cocktail each and we were seated at the bar. The drink options are great and the bartenders were friendly. read more

Stunning speakeasy style bar. To add the the ambience there is a live piano setup and beautifully candle lit tables. The cocktails are specially crafted and made to perfection. read more

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Had excellent food and delicious drinks. Space is tight.... Wish I could check my work bag or something. Bar service was thoughtful and quick. Table service was okay. read more

Lovely little spot! Highly recommend for the vibe. You'll enjoy the experience as well.

This spot is a charming speakeasy-style bar nestled in the heart of the West Loop, offering a warm ambiance, crafted cocktails, and a menu of delicious bites. We started with the Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs, topped with crispy chorizo-- delicious and full of flavor. The Deviled Crab Dip was an absolute standout--creamy and bursting with fresh seafood goodness. And for our main course, we indulged in The night's special: a 72-hour short rib for two. Slow-cooked to perfection, tender, and flavorful. Whether you're looking for a cozy night out with friends or a romantic, intimate date spot, check out The Press Room! Food 4/5 Service 3.75/5 Atmosphere 4/5 read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went for restaurant week and the food was so delicious and flavorful. I recommend trying the carrots, cucumber salad, and apple torte. The only thing to note is that the music was very loud. read more

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We just had drinks - everyone liked. Live music. Enjoyed thr great vibe and service. read more

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Came here on a whim while happy hour hopping and it was a great find! We got there as they opened and sat at the bar with no problem. The bar staff were all so kind, we had a great conversation about the menu and the time keeper with sand. I ended up getting the blossom highball and I can't stop thinking about it! It was so good!!! $22 so likeeee not a happy hour drink lol, but it was so tasty and worth it!! They also have the pay by phone option, which I love! I was able to get in an out very quickly without bothering a bartender. I can't wait to come back to show more people this cool bar and have them try the highball! read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Cute spot in West Loop! Came in on a Friday night and it was pretty busy. Got the De La Sol and the Blue Magic - both were good. De La Sol was pretty strong but pretty refreshing and the Blue Magic had a unique flavor - the bourbon wasn't super strong which I appreciated. For food we got the Burrata and Bang Bang noodles to share. The burrata was lovely but wish they gave more bread and I wasn't a huge fan of the noodles - they were really thick and felt more like a salad with some noodles. Overall a nice spot, would come back for drinks!! read more

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I've been to The Press Room a couple of times and always enjoyed myself. The food is, admittedly, very mediocre but the drinks are delicious. I recommend sitting at the bar for better service, if you're worried about that. Overall it's a great spot for a quick drink...or a slow drink! It's dark and moody but not at all fussy. read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here spontaneously with a group of friends, and we seriously got lucky because it was packed on a Friday night, but we somehow snagged the last table. We ordered a bunch of drinks, and they were all amazing. The espresso martini was especially good! read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The press room was a fun experience. We went here for an office happy hour and loved our time here. The happy hour is a really good bang for your buck. We tried the filthy martini, the coconut cafe, the modelo negroni and the old fashioned for our cocktails. All of them were really good. For the apps, we tried the avocado hummus, patatas bravas and the burrata. The food was great but the portion sizes were really small. Remember to order up. The service was great though, the servers were friendly, kept checking in on us, and were very hospitable. The ambience was really cozy. The place was dimly lit with Victorian candlelabras at each table. Really enjoyed the experience at the Press room and I'd highly recommend this place. read more

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Fun spot below the publishing house b&b. Was able to sneak down to catch happy hour. Ordered a filthy gin martini and half a dozen east coast oysters. Didn't disappoint! Service was excellent and this intimate spot is worth a stop. read more

The Press Room - Happy hour oysters - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I hosted my birthday party in the private event space and it was the best! I loved it! Great food, excellent drinks, vibe was 10/10. Shout out to Luigi, the manager, for making sure we were taken care of. Was already one of my fave places in Chicago and it just got that much better. read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love this speakeasy style bar - Perfect for a date or girls night out. The service / managers are super friendly and the ambiance is classy with great music. The cocktails were really good, the marinated olives and burrata were delicious. The French onion grilled cheese is very unique and fun to try. Overall great bar! read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Gio was amazing! He was super friendly and knowledgeable. Service was great and the food was amazing! Gio is the best! Play list was great. Really great wine list and bites. Awesome place to start or finish the night. read more

Very nice unique atmosphere with real candles burning everywhere including the entrance door. Happy hour specials are small oysters on a bed of large salt crystals for $1 each and some drinks are $8 and some other apps are a good deal like a $14 burrata w baba ganoush is very good. It's in the basement right under a huge hair salon in the heart of west loop. It's dark and candle lit and romantic. Overall a very beautiful experience! Happy hour Oysters are $1 an oyster Tuesday to Thursday 4-6pm. Great deal! read more

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The press room is a speakeasy in the west loop. It's a great place to go for drinks. It was my first time there and I want to try something new. This is a place you probably would need reservations for but I went and it wasn't super busy without a reservation me and my friend was able to add a table and not the bar. Because it is a hidden gem a real small speakeasy. It was very dark in there but it didn't bother me. They have really good drinks. Their food is Shareables a small plate but me my friend got our own food and we both got the bang bang noodles and my friend got oysters as well. The waitress was very nice since our bang bang noodles was super spicy he gave us a cucumber drink to help soothe it down read more

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I've visited The Press Room three times this year. It is a fantastic spot for happy hour, a date night, or an intimate dinner. The hostesses and bartenders are very attentive. The food and service are great, and there is especially no rush so long as you continue to consume. Or at least I don't like to occupy space for free in a hard-working business. read more

Not my favorite. The cocktails are good, but the ambiance and space left something to be desired. It's dark and hard to see anything, but not in a romantic or vibey way, just in an annoying way. It's also an oddly-designed space, and hard to walk/navigate around. And where my friends and I were sitting felt so tight and squished. The service was fine. Glad I tried it but not rushing to go back. read more

Come here for HH 4-6 Tuesday - Thursday! $1 oysters and $7 old fashioneds. You cannot get a better deal! Would not recommend the food unfortunately. The pastas we ordered were room temp / cold / not flavorful. Miss on our part for ordering sadly. Very dark and moody atmosphere - perfect for after work HH or a casual date night! Def would come back for the $1 oysters and old fashioneds. read more

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Damn. It is a nice atmosphere but the service was insane. There were two characters in particular that left a sour taste in my mouth. The first guy made it seem difficult to accommodate 5 instead of 4 in an empty bar then he admitted the charcuterie was pre-packed and they could not guarantee accommodating our vegetarian friend because of it being a lunchable. Then after we got served our very subpar food we ordered a second round and once served, moments later the second character sashayed our way and asked us to quiet down. The bar was literally 30% occupied, IF! He led with "not trying to be offensive". Anyway, he kept coming to our table, another at least three times and each time it left us feeling more eager to leave. Will not be returning, beyond disappointed. Ignoring service, I'd never get oysters here again regardless of price. Quality, taste, size, and accoutrements were underwhelming. read more

Came here for a happy hour with some buddies. The service is fantastic, very nice staff and always willing to help. The atmosphere is dark and sexy, with a decent music selection. Although their happy hour is good, this probably wouldnt be the spot I come with coworkers because of the romantic vibes (but might just be me). The $1 oysters were great - they were east coast but a little plumper than I prefer. Either way the taste, and the hot sauce was on point. We all had the old fashioned's - fantastic. Not overly sweet and liquor forward just like I prefer. 1 star lost only because after being there for about an hour the place started having a heavy kitchen smell that soaked into our clothes. Will definitely come back and try the bang bang noodles everyone is raving about. read more

The Press Room - Oysters for Happy Hour - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went for happy hour and dinner. We ordered the raw oysters, burrata, and bang bang noodles. The ambience and space were cool. Cocktails were good. Service was fine. But the food was disappointing. Burrata was overly salty and unbalanced. Bang bang noodles had a good chewy texture but were salty yet lacking in flavor, and with undercooked cabbage. It really was strange and one of the worst noodle dishes I've ever had. Oysters were good but slightly frozen, and the mignonette was bland. I was really annoyed that we spent $88 for 2 cocktails and some very untasty food. read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This quasi-hidden gem has become one of my favorite places as it has a bit of sex appeal. When I first moved to West Loop a couple of years ago, the way to get in was a text message and yo had to show up in the alley for entry...such a dope speakeasy vibe! I think they have since gone away from that as that was the only time that happened...now I just come in from the front lol! Staff is always good people especially the good dudes behind the bar. I've had a couple of great meals here, but the cocktails are definitely the star of the show. My favorite cocktail is Lost Love which includes mezcal, cognac, sweet vermouth and luxardo...simply amazing! The Dessert Flower is pretty good as well. It includes mezcal, hibiscus, egg white and lime...you will love it! The place itself isnt very big and is a bit dim and romantic which gives it the sex appeal. The art on the wall is pretty cool as well as the empty champagne bottles lol. Outdoor seating is available as well. This is the ultimate date spot at the moment. read more

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A great place to hang and get drinks. Corbin does amazing with the karoke with singing some great bangers like Creep.

This is an adorable hidden gem - a speakeasy restaurant in west loop with great food and service! We had to order a lot though for our group of 4 - the portions are definitely on the smaller side for the price. Everything we had was delicious though with a bottle of Spanish red wine that we shared. The Brussels and crispy cauliflower were both tasty sides but very small. The scallops were tender and flavorful. The short rib was delicious and fell off the bone. The sourdough cavatelli was rich and perfectly Al dente. The squid ink pasta was my favorite! Again, everything was scrumptious and the service excellent as well. Would definitely come back for hh specials! read more

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This is a cool place. The drinks are unique and delicious. The charcuterie board was fabulous ... it can basically feed two if you like different meats and cheeses. The deviled eggs were decadent. And the general vibe is fun. I recommend! read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Don't go for happy hour. The only good thing about this place is the quality/taste of their cocktails. Otherwise, a big disappointment. Here's the rundown of our experience: - Service was incredibly slow. Had to get up and ask for the check in the end. - Oysters were served lukewarm. Probably not a food safety level issue but certainly doesn't make them very enticing. - Charcuterie was 1) extremely small for the price 2) low quality cheese and meat and 3) also served awkwardly warm - the cheese even had a hard dry skin on it like it had been on a cheese plate in the sunshine for an hour before getting to our table. - they also charge a credit card fee, which is just kinda annoying for such an established place in west loop. I'd be fine with that at a small hole in the wall place or a mom and pop shop but seems excessive for a place like the press room. - read more

The good: restaurant has a great atmosphere! It is dimly lit and gives a really cozy and romantic feel. We came for Happy Hour 1$ oysters & cocktails!! All were very good!! read more

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Such a cool place! Great happy hour specials with great service too! I came with my family of seven for their $1 oysters and $8 martinis and old fashioned happy hour special on Tuesdays & Thursdays. These oysters were East coast (my favorite), super fresh, and perfectly cleaned. They came with lemons, mignonette sauce, and their homemade hot sauce which was FANTASTIC. Our service was also great! At one point we had three different servers helping our table. Shout out to Adam & Paul! They were kind, didn't mind our loud rambunctious party, and drinks were made/delivered super fast! I'll be coming back for sure! read more

The Press Room - $1 Oysters for Happy Hour - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The Press room is a New American cuisine restaurant in the West Loop of #Chicago . They have very solid cocktails. we came during restaurant week so there was a prefix menu instead of full menu that day. However we did order #oysters and it was incredibly fresh and tasty. The food is quite tasty for sure. The ambiance is one of a intimate speakeasy like bar. The service is phenomenal but kitchen was super slow that day. I hope to make it back during a regular time when I'm not so rushed to get to my train! read more

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A bit torn on this review--wish I could give 3.5 I think the food was pretty decent - would I come back for it? Probably not. Got the cacio de Pepe which was okay but nothing exciting. The fried Brussels sprouts were very delicious however! Very flavorful. The short rib was good, meat was very tender (literally falling apart) and a good portion. But I would have liked a side of greens just to cut through the richness and fat. Drinks were really good- got the three bites of apple cocktail and it was perfect. The service was lacking- we literally had to track down our waiter to come give us the check- he didn't check on us at all. However, we did find a waitress that went above and beyond to help us. I would probably come back only for drinks - the ambience and drinks were the best part. read more

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Came here for happy hour!!!! Ordered their dollar oysters and a cocktail for 8$. The service was great and the room itself was dark and cozy. A great place to cool off since it was a hot when we went. I would definitely come back here. Plus they were nice enough for me to use one of their sockets to charge. read more

The Press Room - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I just stopped by for drinks so I can't comment on the food, but I was seated near the kitchen and everything coming out smelled absolutely phenomenal. The Press Room's drink menu has a really well-rounded selection of craft cocktails, wines, and beers. I went with a glass of the Malbec and enjoyed it. A great (dark) and romantic atmosphere with wonderful service! I would definitely come back here for drinks and to try some of the items on the food menu! read more

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We got the king trumpet mushrooms, doppio ravioli, scallops, short rib, and a blondie for dessert. Overall the food was really good: the mushrooms were super flavorful and the wheatberries in it added a really good textural juxtaposition. The doppio ravioli was good but not super memorable. The scallops had a great flavor but were just a bit underdone for me (much preferred to overdone though), and we were honestly so full by the short rib that I didn't get to eat much of it but it was so tender it was falling off the rib. I would say I was surprisingly disappointed with the drinks-- the cocktails were just kind of boring/basic and the wine didn't blow me away but if you like classics this might be for you! Overall 4.5/5, definitely would come back there are lots of other dishes on the menu I want to try! read more

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