Best Restaurants with a Vibrant Bar Scene in South Loop

Our second visit within 2 months. The food & beverage was exemplary. What brought it all home was the team. From our first moment at the host stand, until we left, it was a stellar visit. Richard, our server was gracious, fun & super knowledgeable about the menu. The busser(I did not catch his name) was always ready to keep our service sharp & our table clean. Richard’s professionalism & experience(& ample charm) really enhanced our visit. We felt truly welcomed & appreciated. The table visit by Rick at the end was also above & beyond. We didn’t get to say hey to David Axelrod, but we were in the same room. ;-) We are looking forward to our next visit. Kudos to all. A great evening with great food. Thank you, Cody & Marci.

The food was great, the only trouble we had was parking but hey that's chicago. The staff was so friendly and attentive, we'd come back in a heartbeat. The flavors were so good! That aged cheddar on my burger made my Wisconsin heart very happy

I took my mom for a Valentine's Day lunch. We went around 3 PM, and even though my reservation was at 3:30 PM the staff were nice enough to let me in. Granted it was a low volume of people eating at the time. We were sat near the windows which added to the ambience of our visit. The music made it feel like we were in an old fancy jazz club. I had the French onion soup and the chicken sandwich while my mom had the Walnut turkey club sandwich. Both sandwiches came with well seasoned fries. The food was delicious and our waitress, Annette, was very attentive and sweet. Overall we had a great experience and would definitely go again. I would highly recommend the Walnut Room.

What a treat to rediscover RL after moving from Chicago a few years ago! On a bitter cold and snowy day, we decided on a last minute late lunch and had a marvelous meal. Our server, Amanda was outstanding, personable and enthusiastically answered my husband's questions about the walleye, which he throughly enjoyed. It was light and flavorful and deemed as good as (though he meant better) than the shore lunches he had while fishing in Canada. I enjoyed the off the menu special crab cake that was sumptuous and delicious to the last bite....better than the ordinary restaurant fare. Though we usually like to read the dessert menu and then pass so we can smugly congratulate ourselves on our willpower, we gave in this day when Amanda told us about the peanut butter cheesecake-like texture presented as a small cake shape and drizzled with chocolate. Boy if there was ever a time to deviate from our cautious approach to desserts, this was it! This was how do they describe it, "smack your mama good?" That was it. So good we talked about it on our way back home to Michigan...the entire visit this time renewed our love for Chicago and the little moments like this that mean so much. A great way to spend some time during a classic urban winter snow storm. Thank you Amanda and the talented RL chef!

The staff was friendly. We were greeted at the door, and our waitress was exceptional and very patient, considering we had a party of eight. The food was delicious, especially the Lou Malnati salad. The bathroom was clean, and the ambiance was lovely, with music you could nod your head to.