It is my first time to dine here. Food items are unique. They are in small portion but look interesting. The place is more suitable for a group of people to hang out for a drink. Customers here are happy, high and loud. Waiters are polite and attentive. The location might be different to find. It is in a basement. read more

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Was pretty crowded Friday night but we're still able to get a seat at the bar. All the staff was very friendly. The cocktails were great. Very dim lighting inside and music playing. It can get loud and hard to hear others read more

I was maybe a little too excited to have dinner here last night...because this was a pretty sincere miss, in terms of the food. As a place to drink? Fantastic, although it is crazy loud on weekend nights given what we saw at 7:30 PM last night. But as a place for dinner? Whoa boy. We didn't try the cheese and charcuterie boards--and that might have been a mistake--so we did the burrata, cauliflower, sprouts and the short rib entree. While our order was not particularly inventive, the flavors were not particularly inspiring. All of the dishes were just fine, but bland. The short rib was the worst offender...it was so devoid of flavor that I left some steak on the plate (when I pay for expensive food I never leave soldiers behind!!). The meat was cooked just right but it badly needed a glaze or a sauce due to the lack of flavors from the meat. A big plus to the elevated 'hood bar feel and the artwork inside. And our server accommodated our need to move through the meal quickly because we had to get to WNDR by 9 PM. But again--no need to eat dinner here. Stick to cocktails with friends (our Old Fashioned and Vieux Carre were tasty) and you'll be in good shape! read more

We came here one evening after dinner for drinks. This place definitely has a speakeasy vibe and despite it being darker inside, there was plenty of light see clearly and walk around. Can't comment on the food since we didn't order any but we were told the bartenders can make anything if you explain what you're in the mood for flavor-wise. It was great having a cocktail that wasn't super sweet but still had a lot of flavor. This place is worth a trip considering it doesn't get overly crowded like some of the other west loop places but still provides great service and drinks. read more

Great for happy hour if you work or live in the West Loop. The Oysters and Bubbly is a good deal, but the oysters were a bit warm, which made me nervous. The tartine was good for something more substantial. I didn't stay for dinner. The space is intimate and dark, and has great vibes, but it's easily spoiled when someone whips out their laptop to join a Zoom meeting, or a mom pulls out her phone flashlight to read the menu, which someone unfortunately did when I was there. Service was fast and the servers were kind and helpful. Would definitely go back! read more

Romantic ambiance with candles everywhere and Frank Sinatra playing. Recommend this basement speakeasy for a date night! All plates can be shared, but entrees are large enough for 1. The Press Room serves homemade bread and pasta, so definitely order some apps to try the bread (Burrata was delicious) and at least one pasta dish! read more

The Press Room is a short-ish walk for us, and we have enjoyed a drink here some time ago. So when we saw the Chicago Restaurant Week menu, we were exited to give dining there a try. The dishes were decent enough, but the short rib main was a charred disaster. It was basically eating charcoal. We didn't send it back, as that's not really who we are, but in hindsight we should have. I don't know how during restaurant week you fail at such a high level on short ribs, but yep, that was the worst I've ever had (including my own cooking!). The picture actually makes it look better than it was, but just think of eating coal, because that was our experience. I gave three stars because I like the ambiance (although pretty dark), the service, and a couple of the courses, but I cannot recommend going here for dinner. Grab a drink here at most, then go somewhere else to eat. read more

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

Food was enjoyable. Service was excellent. Unfortunately, the music was so loud as to inhibit any meaningful conversations with friends. Just yelling at each other. They did turn it down a bit at our request, to be fair. I might avoid it in the future for this one reason which is too bad as otherwise I give it high marks. read more

Wow! What a major disappointment. Stay away from their $25 holiday market "experience". This is grossly oversold as an experience. You pay $25 to a few items from local vendors. Said experience is over in 5-10m. Wait but it's not completely over. You're then escorted outside to stand in the cold. While the included drink was good, a pretzel or some other type of snack would have been nice. The worst buy of 2020. I want my money back. read more

The Press Room deserves infinite stars. No kidding. To start, each and everyone of the bartenders are super friendly, social, knowledgeable and accommodating. The manager is the same way so I think he sets the tone. I love that they have far more than your typical varietals of wine and they want to introduce you to them with complimentary tastes and enlightening discussions. Each of the staff is well versed in not just the wines but also the liquor and beer. They gave me a nice taste or chartreuse. I did end up having a glass of wine and a beer. I loved the place so much that I ordered another glass of wine but then hit a wall. I told them I couldn't drink it but I'd pay for it. They took off the bill! As long as I live in the West Loop, I will be a regular! read more

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

Cliff notes: patio, good drinks, food is flavorful but with odd texture, service hit or miss Went to the patio on a Friday night during COVID. My drink (Vieux Carre) was PERFECT. My friend also really liked her drink (Bee's Knees). Sadly that was the only notable moment of the evening. I liked the menu, thought that the options were a nice balance of quality at a reasonable price. Great for sharing, portions are "cute" sized. The first round of food came out quickly. The first dish was the sourdough cavatelli cacio e pepe. The flavor on the pasta was amazing but the actual pasta was....odd. Tasted like gummy pasta pebbles. Crab cakes were solidly middle of the road. Flavor was good but texture-wise was slightly soft, slightly doughy. As the night went on the service got slower and slower. My friend's bunless burger and veggies took 40 mins or so. I and a different friend ordered another round of apps and I think they forgot. When we asked about it the food came out right away but was cold. They remade (or reheated, I couldn't tell) the meatballs but at that point the vibe was kinda ruined. The meatballs had good flavor but needed texture. The pasta had congealed. I feel like this restaurant is SO CLOSE to being great. A few tweaks and this could be a new go-to. For now I'd say, just go for drinks. read more

A great venue with top notch vendors. It's a one place shop which includes everything you need for a beautiful wedding reception

I dropped by with a friend for quick drinks on a weeknight. The bar is located slightly underground of the Historic Free Methodist Publishing House Building, so you might miss it if you weren't looking. It's also a little far off from Randolph Street, for those who may be walking there from the subway stations later at night. The dining area had good ambience lighting to give more of a sense of intimacy. While busy with customers, the noise level was overall manageable in the open space seating area, and I never had to shout across the table to be heard. I was impressed with the extensive wine list they offered, many of which you could buy by the glass or bottle. They also had a healthy selection of cheese spreads and bar foods, but not a full food menu. My friend and I ordered a red and white wine each. I'm not a wine expert so can't really comment on the quality, but my Riesling was crisp and they gave me a generous portion. We ordered the aged cow gouda which came with bread and dried garnishes that paired very nicely with our drinks. If you come with a big group, would recommend buying a bottle for the table, at about four times more than the cost of a glass, would be a great deal. read more

The Press Room - sample of extensive wine collection - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We used to love this place: cool vibe, friendly staff, good drinks. Now it has jumped the shark. Wine is overpriced and acoustics horrific - shrieking patrons everywhere and nothing to absorb the din. Menu too clever (read: obscure) for its own good. Very sad, but we're moving on. read more

I love Press Room! I feel like it is a hidden gem in a quieter section of the West Loop. Located on the lower level or wonderful outdoor seating, it is a great place for just drinks or dinner as well. Though they are known for wine they make an amazing martini. The menu rotates but everything I've tried was delicious. The meat and cheese plates are big portions, especially for the price. The carrot cake is phenomenal. It is extremely rich and has like 10 tiny layers of cake and frosting. read more

The food was overpriced but good. The service was terrible. It took over an hour to get two drinks and an app.

This wine bar has been on my list for a while so I was excited to check it out with a friend while waiting for a dinner reservation in west loop. The waiter was great in describing the wines we were interested in and offering recommendations. We ended up trying two different reds which were both great. By the time we left around 8, the place was packed with people but we never felt rushed. It's a cozy basement space that feels inviting and intimate and not too loud or dark. There was also a sign for happy hour 5-7 that we just missed but already planning on coming back! read more

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

Had a nice nosh and glass of wine here with a friend. Kudos to the server who offered us the history of the place as well as a couple samples of red and white. Building was built in 1909 as the Free Methodist Publishing House (hence "Press" Room and here I was imagining the stomping of grapes down here in this wine bar. ;-) It was most recently the Holography Museum and I swear he mentioned something about an "embalming room" or was that my imagination again, considering it was all Hallows Eve eve?! The basement that has windows to the sidewalk is one of my favorites and the vintage mural and dim lighting here sets a relaxing ambiance. There's a nice bar space, high top tables along the wall, a community table and tables along one wall. The open kitchen gives it an extra coziness. The menu is somewhat limited (snacks, meat, cheese, caviar, veggies and appetizers) but we enjoyed one meat and cheese. (Nice you may build-your-own) Spanish ham! It was a tasty board albeit a little pricey as my dear West Loop is sadly becoming. Most establishments are hitting the higher end of the price range and here, no exception. Other than the pricing, very satisfying. read more

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

The spot is pretty small but they make good use of the space. As you are walking past, you can see into the lower level from the outside. It looks really welcoming. There is a bright bar area and a few tables on one side including a large private booth. The other side is more communal seating and is darker but the walls are lined with lighted shelves and bottles. The owner is an Aussie who is extremely pleasant to talk to. Our server unfortunately was only there to help with opening, but he was outstanding. We really enjoyed our time there with a large group. They have a very extensive wine list by the glass, which I appreciated. Too often you find a place that has a good bottle list but not too many by the glass, but this is not the case here. We got a charcuterie board, which was wonderful. The chicken liver mousse was probably my favorite item there. It was amazing. The burrata was great as well. The lamb meatballs were extremely flavorful and perfectly done. I really wish I would have tried the caviar but I did not. The roasted carrots were the biggest surprise. They were stellar yet it wouldn't be the first thing I would normally pick. Definitely do not pass these up! Basically everything we had was great and far above average and the ambiance and service were wonderful. If you like wine and small plates, this place does it perfectly. read more

This place is becoming one of my favorite wine bars in Chicago. The list is amazing to choose your favorite or discover a new one! I like to discover new ones as you should. The food is spot on. Great pairings with your selection of vino. The staff is always great to chat with and to make friends with. (Mental note here: make the staff my BFF's) A good spot to have a first date or to catch up with friends! read more

The Press Room - A must try when you stop in here! - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went for the first time on a Friday night for a date night. We had a reservation for two at 8pm. They offered us a high top by the bar while we waited and we ordered two great drinks. After an hour of waiting for our table we were finally seated. We ordered the charcuterie board, the carrots, the frutti di mare and the carbonara. We waited another 20 minutes for the charcuterie board and we weren't served our main courses until 10:30 pm a full two and a half hours after our reservation time. The charcuterie was okay but over priced, the carrots were okay, and the frutti di mare was not very good. The carbonara was horrible. There were full egg yolks and a bunch of curdled egg white. I'm not sure if the chef had ever made a carbonara before. The server comped our drinks since he saw how long we had waited, this was nice but the food was incredibly overpriced still. Will not be heading back. read more

We came after the kitchen closed and were only able To enjoy cocktails. The bar tenders were nice and the food menu looked appealing. We were told all pasta is made in house ...yumm. We will definitely be back to try the food. read more

My friends and I went here yesterday for a celebratory drink and had a great time! Their cocktails are amazing! I ordered a gin-based drink called Aviation, and I easily could have drank it all night. It was a refreshingly light drink but still full of flavor. My friends enjoyed their cocktails too. The service was great too! We had a big group and were originally seated at a table but requested the big booth as we saw it was free. The host was kind enough to give us the booth, which made for a great night. I'm definitely returning to have dinner here at some point because the food looked yummy as well. read more

Awesome place!. So great, I don't want to write about it so it doesn't get swarmed. Wide selection of wines. Delicious small plates (try the burracha). Intimate setting with chill music. Max was our bartender. Very chatty and knoweladgable about the wines. Wasn't pushing the most expensive wines, but rather sought out specific tastes and unique flavors. Need to go back to leave him a bigger tip :) Cheers read more

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Welcome to da West Loop! Actually let's welcome The Press Room, with open arms. Before my birthday dinner, we decided to grab a pre-dinner cocktail and I thought it would be exciting to checkout the newest addition to the West Loop, The Press Room. Joining other popular wine bars in the West Loop, Press Room is a smaller location but delivering local and Australian wines, cocktails and small plates. On this occasion, we came just for a drink. The wine pours were plentiful as we ordered a blackberry white wine and rosé. Both were great choices. I also want to recognize the friendly staff, CHef and Owner. The Chef's food station is located in the open so you get to see him in action and you also get delicious free smells! I also was here on my birthday and let the Owner who was walking around know about this special occasion. He said let's get you guys some champagne. We obviously said sure and enjoyed some bubbly. With a thick Australian accent, the Owner is excited to deliver Australian wines and eats like the Short Rib Pie to Chicago. I am definitely going for the Short Rib Pie on my next trip to the Press Room. I will let you all know what I think... read more

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Strongly recommend. I booked a private room for my wife's birthday. The only hiccup was a delay in my online inquiry and getting an email reply (it took a few days) but once that happened it was absolutely a smooth process. Working with Petros was a pleasure. Communication was quick via email, we had a short phone call to finalize everything, and this was all arranged within about a week or so. My wife and her friends absolutely loved their experience. The room was ready ahead of time so accommodated an unexpected early arrival. I received multiple comments about how AMAZING the food was. Petros helped me organize a small wine pairing with the food and the group closed down the restaurant with nothing but compliments from our guests. With COVID, it's a bit of a time of transition and was beyond happy I found The Press Room. The space was perfect, everyone was easy to work with and great. I thought pricing was reasonable and couldn't be more happy with how it all went. Thank you to everyone with The Press Room that helped make my wife's birthday wonderful! If you are reading this, please do yourself a favor and visit this West Loop gem! read more

Rotisserie chicken and crab cakes are yummy! Easy to get a table , very friendly staff , servers are polite and super professional:) Not too crowded, I love this place! read more

Our services was amazing but the food items we ordered were way too salty. Like the salt packet fell on our food. Luckily they rectified and made us new dishes which were significantly better. Drinks were good and app was great too. If the first set of dishes weren't so salty would def be a 4 star experience. read more

Unique and cozy restaurant with a great vibe. Food tasted fresh and delicious and the service was excellent. Standout food during dinner: - Burrata: reamy with a nice pesto to complement - Fingerling potatoes tasty with a nice texture: a little crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - Roasted carrots: delicious light cream sauce - Crab cakes: just amazing flavor - Bread and butter: the butter is made in-house and I wanted to take some home Looking forward to returning to try their happy hour burger. read more

You know when you order mussels and they give you like 3 crackers to soak up the broth? Not here!! Every dish came with at least 4 huge slices of the BEST bread! Perfectly toasted! Delicious, and so much if it! It came with the incredible Burrata, it came with the delicious mussels, we ate it with the beet salad and the asparagus and the Serrano ham - I was in heaven. Service was top notch, prices reasonable, wine list not super extensive but covered likely most tastes. We sat outside but there is a cute downstairs. I really can't say enough nice things about our experience. Did I mention the bread? read more

I would say come here for drinks and maybe an app/cheese plate, but don't waste your money on dinner. Dinner portions are tiny tiny and quite expensive. Where they really lost though me was the steak. First of all our waiter never even asked me how I wanted it cooked. I like my steak medium and it came out bleeding rare in some spots and well done in others. It also tasted as I if it was frozen before. Huge let down. read more

Great spot for drinks & dinner especially perfect for a date night! My fiancé and I recently visited The Press Room and we were impressed, the vibe is great and cozy especially for a cold Chicago date night. The service was good the food was delicious, I'm a pescatarian and there were great fish & veg options. There is a 90 reservation limit but it's a perfect amount of time for a couple drinks an app and dinner (at least for us it wasn't an issue). We will be back as I want to try more menu options. read more

Came here for dinner and a couple drinks. The food was fantastic. We got the cheese and charcuterie board and everything was delicious. The restaurant also has the perfect speakeasy feel. Perfect for a date night! read more

The Press Room - Cheese Board Plate - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here for happy hour Friday and it was really cute ! The bar is downstairs and has a NYC vibe- small, dimly lit. The happy hour specials go until 6 and are a great deal- half off some bottles of wine , $10 burger , $15 cheese board. Our table got all of the above plus an order of the steak tartare which was fantastic. Would love to come back for dinner as opposed to just drinks and apps- this would be a cute date spot ! I plan to come back. read more

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

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I visited Press Room a few months ago when we had 2 friends in town. I had high hopes going into the experience -- my boyfriend and I have been on the hunt for a standout wine bar in Chicago. The wine list was satisfactory (albeit small and containing several errors) and the ambiance is very nice. What ruined our experience was the service and lack of responsiveness to feedback. Our server was perfectly nice, but clearly did not possess a deep knowledge of wine / their list. This is forgivable as it would be a nice to have, but not something that ruins an experience. We asked her for help picking a bottle within specific parameters and she gave us a very hard sell on a wine we thought would be fun to try. She returned to the table with a different bottle and apologized that they actually didn't have the wine she had recommended. The new wine was nice, but to our surprise when the bill came it was 30%+ more expensive. We were not drinking anything crazy this evening, so the absolute $ of difference is not my issue. It is absolutely unacceptable to swap a wine of meaningfully different price point and not make it known to the customer. Had she given us this info we gladly would have acquiesced. It would have also been good hospitality to give us this new bottle at the original bottles price. Given they were still a relatively new establishment at the time I wrote them directly to try to give them a chance to use it as a learning experience without making it public (part of the reason this review is a few months after our visit). Unfortunately, my direct outreach was ignored so I have chosen to share our experience more broadly to save others from a similar experience. I don't think this was a malicious money grab. That being said, check your bill closely read more

Maybe it was just a bad night?? They made our reservation under the wrong name. Not the end of the world but a rough start. The restaurant looks unfinished. They have dark cloth covering the kitchen which is odd but still not the end of the world. There is no host , its just 3 or 4 guys running around. The Porchetta was over cooked and tough, the short rib had no flavor and needed salt. The food took a super long time to come out but they were busy I understand that. The veggies were great. At 9:30 they informed us the kitchen was closing (I understand that) We had ordered dessert drinks that came out 30 min before the dessert and when I asked for a wine they informed me the bar was closed also, At 9:50?? It seemed the staff had somewhere to be and was trying to rush everyone out. Why the hell would you not serve drinks to your guest while people are finishing their meals and desserts. Also, my friend left a criticism of the service on the bill and got confronted by the waiter for doing it. This place with this type of food and lack of service wont be around long in a city where there are great restaurants on every corner. Take your money elsewhere. read more

Definitely a hidden gem! Had a blast at this place. The wine was delicious... the recommendations were on point.... and the charcuterie board was a perfect match. By the way, just get the La Grande Board. Well worth it! Kudos to the charming manager and the rest of her staff for making the evening awesome. read more

The Press Room - Glass one. Reminded me of a sultry woman - Wine Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great ambiance and service. The food was disappointing. The two of us ordered a total of four dishes and still left hungry. The food made for great photos but flavors, portions, and quality were not up to snuff. read more

On a Monday evening my dining companion & I stopped by for Happy Hour and lingered longer because of the ambiance, service and tasty menu. All items are concisely stated on the menu - we selected a bottle of rose' and the chef's cheese & charcuterie board to begin and later roasted pork , roasted carrots and scallops. We had cava to close the meal. We enjoyed the experience and will be returning..... read more

Love this place! I came here for a date on a Friday night and everything was amazing! We had a bottle of wine, lamb meatballs, burratta, beet salad, and a charcutterie board. While the lamb meatballs were a little too "lamby" for my liking the beet salad was my favorite part of the meal! Definitely would come back here and highly recommend it as a place to try! It is in close proximity to Randolph Street which makes it easy to grab a drink at another bar before or after dinner read more