Highline Bar + Lounge

I have gone here for a couple of work happy hours and I enjoyed it. We had a separate area sectioned off for our use right after work. It didn’t start getting crowded until a little after 5:30pm (we arrived there at around 4:30 and it was fairly empty). The appetizers we had were pretty tasty and the drinks were nice although a little pricey. The décor was nice enough for it to be a date spot or to meet a friend for drinks. I would certainly go back.

Terrible service! I was really surprised by the lack of customer service, it was my first time visiting. Ordered wings and they were mediocre. Worst part, I had nothing to drink (never came back around, not ONCE) while I ate wings!
Then when I was ready for the bill, took 15 mins to get his attention. No apology. First and last visit. Too bad because I live in the building next door! Would have been a regular.
Agree with a previous review– you can definitely find a better bar DT, especially with those prices. Expected way more.

I was attending an IT social event here so I walked into this place with no knowledge or expectations. I left pleasantly surprised. As I tend to do, I’ll stick with the pros and cons.
Pros: Top one, they had cider! Vandermill and on tap. A big plus when a place doesn’t simply stock the extremely over sugary varieties and say they carry cider. Location, right off Brown line (M Mart stop) makes it nice and safe for singles to head home. And finally the food. The pretzel bites, sliders and quesadillas were very tasty and highly recommended. The servers and bartender were beyond nice and pleasant.
Cons: vegetable platter was small and hard to select from. They may want to rethink their presentation on that. My only other con is the amount of food available. Empty trays were slow to be replaced. For the amount of people it seemed not a lot of food. I really shouldn’t complain about this as I don’t know if it was the service or the amount designated by the hosting group. Either way, I wouldn’t have minded a wee bit more munchies.
A nice stop in place after work. Be sure to check it out when you’re in the neighborhood.

A great part of town, but you can find a better bar. This is a popular spot to head after work for a weekday happy hour and that’s what it’s made for. Drink specials and average food help produce the average atmosphere.
Quality booze and good service make this palace at least trying, but just doesn’t have much personality.

I recently celebrated my birthday Saturday night at Highline. They went above and beyond in making sure me & my guests had a great time. The event planning staff as well as the staff & management Saturday night were exceptional. Thank You to everyone who. was involved in helping make my birthday party a success!
Highly recommend this Highline, if you have an upcoming party!

First visit was a late lunch on a Monday.
At the bar, ordered fish tacos. Mahi mahi was cooked nice, good slaw and aoili. Very good fish tacos. Not too busy, service was very good.
Beer selection, very good.
Atmosphere, very good.
Oh, the homemade chip tortilla chips were the best I have tasted in a long time. Light and fresh.
Would recommend it.

Highline is an amazing spot! We set up a reservations there for New Year’s Day. Plenty of space for our whole party in front of the bar. The server (Amy) was really attentive and had the food we ordered ahead was ready for our party which was great — because we were hungry! Highly recommend the sliders… YUM!
The tv’s were amazing and perfect to watch every New Year’s Day game. Plus such a fun ambiance. For me the best part was the service… but along with that: in our party of over 20 people the waitress had all of our checks perfectly split and organized. No small task but greatly appreciated. Can’t wait to head back to high line!

I didn’t realize that the management of this place had changed again— my colleagues were talking about Highline Bar in River North and I had no idea what they were talking about until we walked up and I was like, ohhhhhhh that place. I can’t even remember what the previous name of it was.
Made a weekday happy hour reservation here and they were very accommodating. Wine selection wasn’t bad, and they had some fun wine glasses. Ordered the nachos, boneless buffalo wings, calamari, duck eggs and bacon, skillet cookie and the butternut squash flatbread. Everybody approved of the food, but I don’t remember getting any of the lobster with the nachos— but I don’t think I knew that was a fixture of it, so I wasn’t actively looking for the lobster.
I would pass on the duck eggs, but the butternut squash flatbread was a nice surprise!

Well the last place to inhabit this space didn’t fare too well, so I was hesitantly optimistic about trying Highline for lunch the other day. But you know what? It’s lineage of other decent bars in Chicago (West End, Crossing, Sidebar) had us enjoying get service and really good food during our visit.
Note that the menu on their website is a little out of date which was good as this salad loving girl thought she was going to be limited to a couple of choices. But there were plenty of salad choices including a salmon salad that was pretty interesting with blanched veggies and a Cobb salad that was as delicious as it was filling. My other friend wanted some «comfort food» so she opted for the grilled cheese and soup combo (also choices of soups) that was also quite tasty. They also had a taco special of the day which sounded quite good as well.
Our server, Amy was great! Personable, friendly, she got it done with her easy going style and competence. Love it when a server actually likes what she does and it shows!
The décor is contemporary with plenty of wood and and big windows to watch the world go by in River North. And clearly they do a ton of parties for on this day, all the sections were reserved for groups having their holiday parties and celebrations.
Glad to see that this convenient space if you are heading to the Mart has been turned around from it’s previous situation and hard to believe it has taken me this long to get here!

The bar had decent beer selection and a good crowd. I was in town for the weekend and this place came recommended by a friend of a friend who lives in the neighborhood. Service was pretty quick and attentive on a Saturday night. I’d come back here when I’m back in town.

Great bar for USC fans to catch a game. I tagged along with some of my friends who went to USC and it was a blast. The back room of the bar was packed, but our server still managed to check up on us several times throughout the game. Their drink prices are great — 20oz drafts (like Daisy Cutter and Allagash White) for just $ 5.

I went here for Sunday brunch last week and I absolutely loved it. I can’t think of one thing that I didn’t like; so while the place won’t change your life… it really is a good spot with a great selection of food & drink.
First, our server (Natascha) was great. Second, for $ 20 you get a big bottle of champagne and numerous mixers to make 6 — 8 mimosas. Third, I loved the food. I ordered the steak and eggs… and man was it tasty! The meat, the potatoes… everything was great. My gf had the biscuits and gravy and I thought that was pretty good too. They had enough TV screens to make any sports fan foam at the mouth and the price point for the whole meal was within reason.
Will definitely go back for a Sunday brunch/​lunch.

We got dry aged lamb meatballs for appetizer and the beets and goat cheese flatbread, and grass fed burger with a side of tater tots.
Overall food was very good. Not like a «one item was ok but the other item was good so that made up for it» good, but each item was delicious and exactly what I expected. Burger was very juicy and scrumptious.
Best part of the night was the superb service. There was a slight error with our order but when it was pointed out, it was immediately acknowledged and fixed.
Amy is a friendly and attentive server with an awesome smile.

The Merchandise Mart has a long way to go to fill out the (from what IMO are «gaping holes» in) lunch offerings. Good thing tasty and quick options like Highline are just steps away!
The modern but rustic (I know that’s oxymoronic) interior is a chic space for a quick drink, or in my case, a quick lunch. Service was friendly and efficient, just what we were looking for! And big ups for recommending my really delicious Southwest Salad. It was pretty perfect with light dressing — super flavorful and filling without being a total gut bomb.
I’ll definitely be back for another tasty salad and a break from the handful of regular places I frequent at the Mart.

Came here for a holiday party in December-​14. We held our company parties at South Branch and the Union League Club in prior years, so we decided to try this new venue. It was trendy and upscale, which everyone liked. Drinks were delivered promptly, and appetizers were good. We’ll be returning for company happy hour every now and then —
Best,
Charlie

I’m always on the hunt for lunch spots near my office (located within the mart). Took me about 7 months to realize this was literally 5 steps away.
Unlike some spots in River North they seem to have plenty of seats even during the popular noon lunchtime. The serve similar upscale bar food that you’ll find at some of their sister restaurants (schoolyard, sidebar to name a few). On both of my most recent visits I ordered the chili barbacoa bowl replacing the beef for chicken. Really good– hence why I got it twice. My colleague also seemed quite pleased with her southwest salad, recommended by the waitress.
In addition to good food they have fast service (food comes out in record time) and free wifi if you’re planning on getting a bit of work done.
I plan on making this a regular lunch destination, especially when looking for nearby spots on cold winter days.

After so many restaurants failed at this location– it’s nice to see that Highline is still operating and running well! A perfect Happy Hour location or a place to watch a games (compared to Moes and John Barley Corn on the same street) this restaurant also has friendly service, great food, and awesome cocktails. I would try a peach mojito (very friendly serving size too!)
If you live in the nieghborhood and come between 4 – 6 on weekdays you get 25% of your entire bill so it’s completely worth it. Or if you work in the area and take the brown line home or vice versa, this is a perfect location next to Merchandise Mart and the el’s.
I’m glad that Highline is doing well and I’ll definately be a frequent visitor!

I have no opinion for this place as a place to go out on the weekends, and I probably never will, because this is just not my scene. But for brunch, all I can say is yum and you should totally go! Had a groupon for two bloody marys and two brunch entrees and my friend and I appreciated every moment.
The water glasses are HUGE and amazing. I want them in my kitchen, if they would only fit in my cabinets. No need to worry about staying hydrated here. The bloody mary bar is fantastic! You pick your vodka, and get to fill up the rest of the with mix, hot sauces, cheese, meat, and little pickles. What fun! You also get your choice of a beer chaser.
The brunch menu is quite small, but that means they do each of them well. I chose the corn bison hash and it was delicious. Even the toast was amazing– the toast! Hearty multigrain bread that is perfectly toasted and buttered (I think?).
I like the design of the bar itself– a very open layout with exposed ceilings for a modern industrial look. Our server was friendly and attentive, but not overly so. This place is an absolutely enjoyable and relaxing hangover spot.

Highline is just your average sports bar, nothing really stands out about it in particular. Inside you can find countless dudes sporting plaid shirts & guzzling cheap beer. It reminded me of my college days bc everyone there looked as if they had just drove straight to the bar after their closing mall shift at Abercrombie.
It’s reasonably priced and it a good location if you’re into that sort of scene.

3.5 Stars
Walking by you can’t really see into this place, but when you go in it’s packed!!! Definitely a huge contrast from when Central Standard was around. My friend arrived first at 4:45 yesterday (Friday) and there was no seating so we huddled at the bar. There’s a back room but a private party was going on. Back room is spacious and awesome (I had my bday party in the back room a couple years back when it was CS).
We both ordered a drink at the bar and OMG!!! You can’t go wrong with the Moscale Mule with cucumber Vodka. Such a sweet yet refreshing cocktail. I wanted another but controlled myself.
We ended up sitting at a reserved table till the party arrived and the waitress was wonderful in helping us in securing another table when they did arrive. To eat we ordered the Yukon Potatoes Flatbread. I love Arugula so this was yummy! The hummus app was bland and boring, but the buffalo roll wontons were delicious and reminded me of the ones at sidebar. For those of you looking to watch the game there are numerous flat screen tvs with some beer specials throughout the week. This place is consistent with other rivernorth bars, but with better food and friendly staff. I’ll be back to try more selections.