694 Wine & Spirits

This place is amazing. They have awesome drinks and the Wednesday night menu is delicious. Jenn is very friendly and Chris can cook.

I want SO BADLY to give this place 5 stars, but I just can’t. The ambience is cute, the wines are good, but the food… $ 10 for the THINNEST slices of salami I’ve ever seen in my life. It was like putting a little slice of tissue paper on your tongue. We ended up blowing $ 100 and had to go down the street for pizza. Now I know charcuterie plates are not meant to be full-​on meals, but you have to give me a bit more. I could barely taste it. Which is why I’m so confused when I go through the pictures on Unilocal and see these nice thick pieces of meat. Where did you go for that? Also, guys, you need to get better baguette to go with the cheese. It tastes like you went to CVS and grabbed a loaf. I may try it again some day, but something’s gotta change.

I’ve been coming here for about eight years now and I’m never disappointed. The menu is whimsical, as is the décor, which keeps this place from being stuffy. The staff are knowledgable and the menu has great choices to expand what you think you know and like. It’s small and intimate and truly a gem.

Best bar in the city. Guaranteed. Friendliest customers and staff. The owner Chip is amazing. Chris the chef his plating technique is #onfleek. Jen. Amazing bartender. If you want nice awesome friendly and not stuck up service. #boomgoesthedynamite. Should be everyone’s home bar. 5 star bar. 5 star service..

Service was great, wine was great& the cheese was great! Jennifer, our server was very knowledgeable on the wine & food. A cute little place that plays awesome music– Tears For Fears, Duran Duran, Madonna, etc.

The space is small and cute with a cozy feel to it, but for a wine bar, it has a VERY limited wine list. In fact, I would give them 3 stars if they didn’t call themselves a wine bar. Its just an insult to the concept. In my mind a wine bar is an establishment where you can taste rare, unusual wines from different places of the world and learn more about it.
This place has 6 red and 6 white by-​the glass options some of which are similar to one another blends. The have only 2 options on the sparkling!!!
There are no flights at all! On Thursday night they were missing a wine selection from their list which already offers slim pickings…
They do not make up for it in food. Again very few options to snack on (one of the cured meets missing) and the breadbasket contained a 5-​day old baguette. Our waitress agreed to have it toasted, but without much enthusiasm. If you are going to make cheese and cured meat board, your main focus — you had better make sure your bread you serve with that is fresh and memorable.
Other than décor, this place is sad

Went here with some girlfriends to continue our happy hour (s), and five of us were able to sit down right away around 7:30pm on a Friday night. Staff gave great suggestions!

Stopped by here for a friends birthday. What a great wine bar!
The place is really cute. The decorations are different are a great conversation starter. The service was great. We were able to enjoy different wines. They also have a upstairs area but were weren’t able to go up due to a private party. We plan to go back again for some great wines. I may have to go on Wednesday for the secret menu.

Seriously one of my favorite places ever. We moved here a few months ago and assumed this adorable wine bar would be a special date night place that we would go to occasionally. Who knew we would be going at least once a week if not more. Bacon night on Tuesdays has become a tradition!
The owner and staff make you immediately feel like they’ve known you forever. They always make the best recommendations of wine, cheese, etc.
I couldn’t say better things about this bar. I recommend it for a fancy date night or an easy relaxing night with your friends. Also, they have a great upstairs that can accommodate parties — perfect for engagements, birthdays, graduations, etc. You’re missing out if you haven’t been here!

Surprisingly, the salads are always my favorite and the beer/​wine/​liquor selection is great. Everyone’s very friendly and it’s a really chill place to hang out.

So so good, a friend suggested that I visit to get the best grilled cheese sandwich in town, and boy… it was so good. The detail to the top notch ingredients cannot be beat. Truffle honey… yum…great cheese… just go! And I had the best Moscato. Great date location!

After two years of living next door I just found out that they do a secret menu every Wednesday night that’s incredible! The owner brings a bunch of meat to throw on his grill and serves up some hearty eats other than the cheese boards they normally do. What he grills up varies, but he does it every Wednesday year round and this stuff is so damn good it’s truly surprising that hasn’t decided to do it full time.

The outdoor patio is so cute! We came here after work one night with a group of friends to enjoy a couple bottles of wine, cheese, and some food. I was intrigued by everything on the menu and loved how they have weekly specials. We tried the «stinker of the week», manchego, and the creamy sexy blue cheeses along with a bottle Pinot Noir and Malbec. I also had the Angel’s Bread while my friends had the Tuna, Devil’s Bread, and bacon. The Angel’s and Devil’s Bread were good but my friend said the tuna was not, and you can’t really go wrong with bacon. However, the portions are not terribly large so I wouldn’t recommend this place for dinner, but, overall, we had a great time and loved the atmosphere!

Amazing find in River West! We just moved to the neighborhood and have been meaning to try this wine bar. We came in on a rainy Friday right as they opened at 5p. Wine was amazing — everything we tried was good. Ordered 3 cheeses and a meat board and the portions were much larger than charcuterie you get at other places. Garnishes included honey, nuts and a few other things. Lovely presentation and sooo yummy. Staff was nice and friendly. This is now our new go-​to spot!

Great ambiance especially on their outdoor patio. The owner was very helpful and gave us suggestions and even changed wine she suggested but noticed we weren’t THRILLED by (regardless of our willingness to enjoy it). Fabulous local spot with some really fun cheeses and meats to pair with what we thought was all distinctively delicious wine! A great little secret must visit spot in Chicago.

I’ve been here a couple of times before and actually recommended the place to friends. However, tonight I took a girlfriend there for her birthday celebration and we ended up with a cheap wine, stale bread and old cheese (not in the correct way). My friend threw up at the end of the night. And you would think a restaurant/​bar would be more accommodating instead we received the most horrible service and were asked to leave right away (after we paid the bill).by some random guy. He ket saying «how could you throw up». The last I checked throwing up is involuntary.

Love this place! Such a hidden gem. You’ve gotta check out DJ Rod on Thursdays and Fridays for some good soulful house and disco music!

Came here last night for some cheese, meats, and wine. They recently had a groupon, and it was totally worth checking this place out. I live 5 blocks away and had no idea this place was here. The customer service was great, the wine was delish. This is a good place to catch up with a friend and share small plates. The selection and pairing of the meats and wines were perfect.

Came here with a friend who could not stop talking about this one wine. Anziano and Gournier white are my favorites now. The place is small and tables are actually right next to each other but it was cute.
Angel’s bread was amazing. We had some cheese and meat as well but I will stick to the bread and meat next time.
Street parking wasn’t hard at all and we went on a Saturday night around 7.

We live about a block away so 694 is one of our favorite spots for a glass of wine and cheese plate.
I will preface by saying that 90% of the time we stop by after work on a weekday so I cannot attest to a weekend evening atmosphere. I’ve noticed other reviewers comment on the music volume. I have noticed this as a bit of an issue, but on the occasion that the music is a decent volume, it can be a relaxed vibe. I’m not offended enough to not return.
Service has always been great because we are either the only ones there or one of two or three parties in the entire restaurant.
LOVE LOVE LOVE the assorted butter plate (can you just pass me the tub??) and pretty much every meat and cheese plate they offer. The honey, nuts, figs and other garnishes are unexpected tasty treats on the side.
I’m no wine expert, so their wine selection suits me just fine and I have enjoyed everything I’ve ordered.
4 instead of 5 stars because it is a bit pricey and the music volume issue.
Plan to return.

Visited on my touristy trip to Chicago and loved it. I passed by the area on accident and that’s how I found this gem but it’s one place I crave since then…
The atmosphere, the wine and the grilled cheese sandwiches… Yes please! However, everything in the menu looked amazing due to its selection and menu layout itself…
The staff was extremely friendly, helpful and playful. I loved this place and I’d recommend it in a heartbeat.

I really enjoyed 694 Wine and Spirits. It is like a cool little hole in the wall that you would probably never wander into if you are not nosey. So I am happy that I am nosey because this place is awesome.
While the menu is small, I can actually say I walked away feeling full. I came here with my boyfriend one evening before the rush and I am sure glad we decided to try it out. I have no idea what he was drinking but I know I had a glass of the Hooked Riesling… Um what can I say it was super delicious. Honestly I had a couple of glasses of it.
Then we ordered the devils bread which was really good. It had a spicy marinara sauce with smoked paprika salumi and truffle oil on a texas toast type of bread. It was good, But what amazed me was the salt and butter flight. Who ever knew bread and butter could taste soooooo good. Then our waiter suggested that we try the Finocchiona which is just meat that was cured with black pepper corn and fennel and that was delicious. I think we also had the coppa but I don’t remember. What I do know I do is that my boyfriend had Valdeon Blue cheese and omg. I took a whiff of that sucker and I swear I almost puked. It was a strong pungent cheese and somehow my boyfriend got me to try some of it. I can honestly say it was rich and creamy, it was good but I good not get over that smell. Its imbedded into my brain.
However what made my night was the special of the day which was a grilled cheese sandwich with jelly and bacon. I know it sounds weird but it was actually good. So glad I got to experience this place, I think we will be back soon.

Well, hellllo Juicy…
Oops…I mean, 694.
It’s been awhile, you see. I’m still used to referring to the place as Juicy as I’ve had so many great memories here through the years. (Just refer to my previous reviews if you don’t believe me!)
I was a little afraid to see that Juicy morphed into more of a «sports» bar. Something to appeal more to men. But, as soon as we set foot in here, I could tell that everything was still the same. Classy, yet fun atmosphere, as always. Glad to see that the moscato was still lovely and that the cheese plates were a plenty. Our waitress was friendly and attentive and, even though we were at a wine bar, clued us into fantastic bourbon. (Banker’s Club, ftw!)
694 is still the perfect spot for one of those chill nights out. Next on my list to try? One of those amazing looking paninis. Yum.

694 officially gets bumped up to 5 stars by me. I went for dinner on my birthday and had an amazing experience. It was not as packed as my last visit and when not packed to the brims, I love the atmosphere here. The servers are very knowledgeable about their food & drinks which makes for a pleasurable dining experience. I love the setup of 694 and the booth-​tables. I’m a fan!
Once again, I had a glass of bubbly The Saint — best champagne ever, I swear!
We had an amazing cheese and meat plate and I’m happy to say they had all cheese and meat selections in stock unlike the last time I went. It’s succcccchhhhh a good plate and selection of cheeses they have. I got their grilled cheese once again because I know it’s the best grilled cheese in the city. It didn’t fail me one bit. And we made sure to go on a Tuesday for Tuesday BLTs! They have the best BLT I’ve ever had in my life.
We ended our meal with the brownie flight for $ 10 which had three different kinds of brownies. The types are always changing but on the night we went, I liked the toffee brownie best. Yum! They were a bit more dry than I usually like but the flavor was very good.
694 has THE best cheese plates, THE best BLTs, THE best grilled cheeses and THE best champages. Plus the prices aren’t bad to boot. I wish lived more closely to 694 because it is beyond amazing. Next time I need to remember to get a grilled cheese to go for the next day because I’m madly in love with it.
694, I heart you like crazy.