Best Restaurants with a Vibrant Bar Scene in Downtown / Loop

We dined here on a Friday night prior to seeing a show at a nearby theatre with our tween/teen children. Everyone loved this place! The service was attentive and friendly, food recommendations were good, and the food was excellent. The prices are a bit high for the portion sizes, but it is in a busy area of the city so would be difficult to find the same quality for less. Would definitely return here again, and recommend this establishment to others!

We brought our two grandsons (ages 5 and 3) to the Walnut Room in Chicago on 1/3/2025, to experience the holiday decor. The "fairies" circulating around to each table were so engaging while chatting with our grandsons, and explaining how to "make a wish". Our server was very friendly and efficient, even under the pressure of a very busy day at the restaurant. The food was very good, and I was pleasantly surprised to see kids menu items available, which our grandsons thoroughly enjoyed. Two small glitches. . 1. Upon arrival, there were soiled napkins/food items on the floor next to one of the chairs at our table. I was disappointed at that mess. One of the "fairies" noticed this mess and got the staff to clean it up and 2. Our cocktails were served AFTER our food arrived. Despite these two small glitches, we had a wonderful time together, and on the way home, our 5 year old grandson told us he had the BEST DAY ever.

I gave the food 4 stars, but that applies to the Rueben sandwiches. Three stars for my entree, the Schlachteplatte - Sauerkraut, smoked pork chop, chopped Bratwurst, Thuringer & Knockwurst with fingerling potatoes. Sounds like a lot of food, so split it with another person. The dinner plate was small. Piled with sauerkraut, but only 2 slices each of the sausages & the pork chop was the thickness of a slice of ham. Could not be thinner. And for $25, it wasn’t worth it. We also ordered a side of potato pancakes that tasted like hash browns. Our waiter was great! The Christmas decorations were beautiful and the ambiance was very cozy. Maybe other entrees are good, but if I go again, I’ll stick to one of the sandwiches.

Lovely ambiance; great service and delicious food. And a Olive Oil Cake to die for!

From the moment Carolina greeted us, we felt like family. She was so friendly. She offered us plenty of suggestions and time to enjoy our meal. The food was outstanding!! We are visiting, but we hope to have the opportunity to come back!