The Bar at The Peninsula Chicago

Hidden gem! Such a cozy place to have a nice cocktail alone or with a group. The snack place they bring you is dangerous but insanely delicious! I would love to go back.

Great vibe. Dimly lit, fireplace, leather chairs. I just have to say they make the absolute best Manhattans and dirty martinis EVER. love this place.

Excellent drinks. Really cool atmosphere. Had the Penwood which is excellent for anyone into bourbon and something crisp.

What’s not to like about this clubby little cove of a bar up on the main floor of probably Chicago’s toniest hotel? Get here early if you want to score a table, because they can be hard to come by.
The clientele is a mix of visiting tourists and the cognoscenti. From the host who’ll seat you to the servers in their French maid style uniforms, the service is great. Drinks are, as you might expect, a little steep with a bloody mary or a Rob Roy going for about $ 16.
You’re not paying for the booze, you’re paying to sit among the who’s whos in this private enclave. Indulge yourself, but look the part. No cutoffs and flip flops here!

Great winter date spot. Oversized couches and chairs surround the large fire place making it easy to get cozy in the colder months.

Service is awesome. Ambience is very nice. Love the vibe here. And the food, the food is tasty and well paired
I have to come back and try their homemade butter pecan ice cream. Yum!

Two words — Overrated and Pretentious…
We are a big fan of hotel bars and thought that this would be a great spot to experience some Chicago action. Turns out that the crowd is very pretentious and the service caters to that exact crowd. There were a lot of $ 40k millionaires in the group and it was painfully obvious.
The drinks were overpriced (even for hotel bars) and void of much alcohol. We left after 1 drink each — total tab — $ 42 — yikes and walked down the street telling ourselves ‘never again’…

Midwestern people are so friendly.
A guy asked me to hold his hand because he said his ex girlfriend walked in with a new guy. I walked around the bar (hand in hand) and ended up sampling a little of every cocktail over debates about basketball.
Most interesting spirit was called «White Whiskey Fizz»
which is white whiskey, hum, grapefruit, maple syrup, egg white
I then realized the ex girlfriend situation was a pick up line. How I knew? There were no couples around. Just sexy grown groups highlighting their nightcap/​on the town drinks occupying 90% of the seating area.

Loved this beautiful, quiet haven while we enjoyed a pre-​anniversary dinner, drink. Our awesome bartender Tim serves a fantastic drink and was kind enough to provide us with the menu to Shanghai Terrace so that we’re ready to order as soon we sat down. Wish we lived closer so that it could be our weekly place!

The ambiance is romantic. The bar is beautifully built and the cocktails offered are creative and tasty. A little on the pricey side, but nothing out of the ordinary considering the neighborhood.
The three stars is because the bar service is lack luster. I came in with a friend and sat at the bar. There was no greeting from the bartender. Just a, «what can I get you to drink?» We ordered, received the cocktails a couple minutes later. They were good cocktails, but what prevented us from wanting to order another round was the unfriendly barkeep. When we left, we made it a point to say, «bye, thank you!» Because there was no acknowledgement at the fact that we were leaving. Keep in mind that we were the ONLY two guests in the place as they had just opened. If he’s that grumpy at the beginning of the shift, I’d hate to know what he’s like by the end of the evening.
As someone in the service industry, and a bartender; I can say that half of the work is knowing and executing the drinks/​cocktails. The other half is table-​side manner and not making guests feel like they are an annoyance.

After a night of celebrating my birthday we ended up closing the bar at The Peninsula where we were staying the night.
Warm vibe, low lights and very lively. Ordered a sushi combo platter along with some of their cocktails. Sushi was excellent and their mixed drinks/​cocktails were the best we had all night. Big, flavorful and heavy leaded. This place will now be our go to for excellent drinks and value.
Friendly, fast and attentive staff. Music was on, but not blaring where you couldn’t hear a conversation or even hear yourself think — then again, apparently some people really like the latter or maybe just don’t want to have a conversation with anyone.
Sorry, I digress.
Overall, this is a great place for good food, drinks and a nice conversation while at the same time being pretty lively place and in a beautiful hotel in the heart of downtown Chicago. Highly recommend.

Excellent service. We walked in and didn’t see anywhere for two to sit — one of the servers ran over — asked how many — put a table together for us. We ordered wine, Kobe burgers, cheese platter. Yum! Server very knowledgeable about the cheese and was so pleasant. Love this place.

After the company holiday party, we headed to Hubbard Inn with the «kids,» but as I’m a dapper man of a certain age, I suggested we regroup at the Peninsula.
I’ve been here a couple times before, and what I enjoy most is that even when every table and barstool is occupied, it still feels easy, open, and relaxing.
The cocktails are generously sized and tasty, and the nibbles hit the spot. We had the sliders and mini lobster rolls, with a side of very crispy and perfectly cooked fries.
The aioli to dip in was the perfect rich and savory accompaniment after an evening of heavy libations.
Service was on par with what one might expect at this luxurious location.

This is THE Bar at The Peninsula. So fancy!!!~ I’m glad we got here early, because it really starts to get packed! It’s super dark in here, so get ready to bust out your cell phone flashlights to be able to read the menu. I know, I’m such a country bumpkin, you might be embarrassed going to a swanky place like this with me ;)
The best part is the complimentary snacks, particularly the cheese crisps. Wow, they’re quite addicting and goes SO well with our drinks! I can’t even remember what drinks I ordered, but those cheese crisps definitely stick out in my mind. Also because it was FREE, and you know how much I love free stuff :)

What a cute little bar that was hidden away. The ambiance is like an old library or drinking room with dark wood walls, a fireplace and oversized leather couches and chairs. The service was excellent and the drinks were well made. I had the spicy tuna rolls and they were just eh, and cost far too much ($ 26 I think) for how small and standard they are. Overall a cute hotel bar great for a quiet drink with a friend.

I live in the city but love the Peninsula’s restaurants. I wanted something different and decided to try The Bar.
The ambiance is awesome, although the host staff could use some work. I was definitely younger than every other patron in the bar (maybe with the exception of a female companion of a much older man… midlife crisis maybe? ah, but I’m getting off track).
Anyhow, once you actually get service, the Bar is quite nice. The drinks are some of the best I’ve had in the city. The free bar nuts, etc. were actually surprisingly good, and while the drink prices were steep, they weren’t unreasonable.
Would I return? Meh.maybe.

Stopped in for an after dinner cocktail. There is nothing to not love about this bar! Great lighting, spacious, elegant, classy, great service, and delicious creative cocktails. I had the blueberry smash and loved it! I’ll be back.

YES!
I adore this space. My palate is in love with their concoctions. These two factors override all else. Imbibe, enjoy!

Whenever my mom comes to town she typically stays at The Peninsula and that’s how I came to know and love this bar. The classy elegance that is The Peninsula, mixed with the impeccable service and nice strong drinks makes bar so much more than just a hotel bar. I recommend stopping in for a drink or two if you are staying at the hotel, a neighboring hotel or live in the area.

We came here on a Saturday night for the Chocolate Bar, which is actually in the lobby-​ish area, right off the bar. The Chocolate Bar is a Saturday night event here, and it is amazing.
From 9:00pm to Midnight, an elaborate chocolate bar is set up with the most incredible variety of chocolate desserts. I can’t even desribe the wonderfulness of this event. If you are a chocolate lover, this is amazing. All different types of chocolate are sculpted into amazing bite size desserts.
The cost is $ 40 for all of the chocolate, espresso, coffee, cappuccino, and hot chocolate. For $ 50, you can add on a chocolate martini. You really should love chocolate to do this event. Otherwise, you will not get your moneys worth. You should go with a group, so you can taste and sample all of the chocolates and share. It is very easy to go into chocolate overload within the first half hour. Pace yourself!!!
The room was beautifully decorated for the holiday. There was live music begn played, maybe by a string band/​quartet. It was lovely.
It was a fun experience and I would probalby come back once a year around the holidays.