The Grillroom Chophouse & Wine Bar

Not a great way to end a trip. Had oysters which were fishy and could not eat. Wine was good. Topper of the evening was when a cockroach crawled across the table!!! Yuck!

Very good food. Our group had at least 6 appetizers and both seafood dishes as well as the fillet. All around good food! Apple dumpling for dessert was like crack!!!

The WORST steak dinner ever…
I always visit the best steakhouses around the world and in the USA (I am a carnivore)… I’ve tried many including DelMonico at Michael Jordan’s strakhouse (delicious) I went to the Grillroom for dinner in New Year Eve yesterday, with my family, the service was great but the food was a total dissapointment…
The waitress mentioned their special «The Grillroom Signature Steak» was the best, so we ordered that, it’s a 150USD plate… It was the worst ever… Cold, uneven cooking, some parts were raw, some others burned… With a very distinctive smell to old parmesan, full of fat and nerves, bones with raw meet… My sons got the 8oz Filet Mignon and it was a piece of coal with tasteless meat on it, I asked for a box and I told them I would give this to my dog… I paid because I am not a jerk like them, and It was new years eve and I didn’t want to make a scene in front of my family in such a special day… and we left… To the waitress: well done! To the Manager: please supervise everything because the restaurant will go down, to the chef on the grill: get another job where you can really feel proud of what you deliver… Really bad experience… Can I give NEGATIVE STARS?!

Chicago must definitely be a meat-​eating town. Everywhere I went during my trip, someone would recommend a chophouse for me to check out. I eventually ended up here for a department dinner.
The Grillroom offers a number of appetizers, soups, salads, seafood options, and pastas, but of course steaks are the focal point here. All cuts are broiled at 1200 degrees and accompanied by roasted garlic and natural as jus. Just decide on a cut of meat and degree of doneness, topping, finishing sauce, and side (s). Christina C. and I decided to split a 22oz medium rare prime ribeye with peppercorn sauce and a side of crispy parmesan brussel sprouts.
The steak was spot on medium rare and rather tender! It was a bit salty for my taste –this was a common theme for my meals in Chicago– but the chef did a good job. I enjoyed the mild and slightly caramelized flavor of the roasted garlic. Those brussel sprouts were also very good and I would recommend ordering them due to that wonderful roasted flavor and crispy texture. Unfortunately, they forgot my peppercorn sauce…
I also tried a few of the appetizers here. The bruschetta was lackluster at best and the crabcakes were dry and bland. The only appetizers I didn’t mind were the calamari and the smoked paprika-​cilantro aoli and tomato jam.
There are also a number of mac and cheese options. I tried some of the lobster-​truffle mac and cheese and I absolutely loved it! I definitely recommend ordering this item to share with a few people.
As for their drinks, The Grillroom offers several local craft beers but I was more impressed with their wine selection. Most of the wines were from California while several others were foreign.
Most of the Unilocal reviews seemed to identified slow service as the main problem here as opposed to the food. I have to agree. Service was slow for us. However, we were a rather large party and nobody was in a rush anyway so we didn’t mind.
I still don’t think I’d come back here considering all of the awesome restaurants in Chicago but I wouldn’t be disappointed dinning here again.

Definitely middle of the road — pick the right food and it’s good but crappy service. Pick the wrong day and the food is crappy but the service is good.
It’s convenient for my go-​to hotel in Chicago and open later than most at an affordable price. Don’t expect too much and it’s an okay in-​n-​out experience which doesn’t break the bank or cause heartburn.
One thing is that many dishes are over salted if you have a finer pallet. It’s more on the 60+ retiree flavor scale than I’d like but they will tone it down if you ask. Tell them you’re on a low sodium diet and it will be alright.

Not that impressed.

I’m giving this place two stars not because of any problems with the food (chips and guac, fine) or drinks (I had a Riesling, also fine), but because we were faced with some of the slowest, most irregular service.
We arrived around 5:30, finally managed to place our orders around 5:50 and then got the rest of our food and drinks piecemeal over the next half hour. Service did pick up a little after we started ordering our drinks at the bar and, possibly, after people had cleared out a bit, but I wouldn’t want to go back.

I’m reviewing the front bar. My brother and I came in around 6PM before we caught a musical at Bank of America Theatre right across the street during the last days of summer.
Since the weather was nice — warm, cool breeze — the windows were open letting that type of glory in. When we arrived we were able to get seats due to the bar being almost empty; most were sitting at tables or were in outside seating. As the hour grew old the restaurant in the adjacent room began to fill and crowds on the street became fuller.
The service was spotty. The two bartenders that were tending to us were polite enough, but they weren’t really attentive when attempting to ask for a second drink and when signaling for the tab. My brother had to wave his arms a couple of times, even had to give a hard tone «Excuse me!» to get their attention in spite of the bar stools remaining relatively low on body count. It was a weird reality, really. I’d understand if it were a busy evening for their slow and inattentive service.
The prices are more expensive than you’d normally pay for at a bar that wasn’t located in The Loop/​River North/​Gold Coast etc. so the sticker price wasn’t much of a shocker. But hey, with good company and a sublime atmosphere (if we leave out the service) it was worth it.
Overall, it was a pleasant, short experience due to the set-​up of the front bar, the weather and the good thinking of the owner to allow the breeze and the noise from the streets to wonder on in. So, in the end, the bar wasn’t really «empty.»

This is a standard Loop spot. Nothing fancy but not bad either. It’s a large space with a large patio. A friend and I decided to try this for lunch. Our server was actually very good. I got the chopped salad and added steak. The salad itself was mostly lettuce but did have some nice veggies in there and they all tasted fresh. It was not overdressed. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and had good flavor. My complaint is I had to disregard about one third of it because of too much connective tissue. It was inedible. For a ‘chophouse’ you would expect they trim steaks well. My friend got the Waldorf and she enjoyed it. I’d say as far as comparisons, I would probably go back here before some of the others in their peer group.

An old friend and I had lunch here and the meal was very tasty.
Décor: This is a nice place, both inside and out. We ate outside, but from what I saw from the lobby it is upscale and pretty fancy. The outside patio area is under the main buildings overhang (so nice shady and no worry about rain) and you barely notice the sidewalk and street (maybe I’m just used to it though coming from NYC). There are plenty of tables but I’d suggest a reservation if you want something specific (like an outdoor table).
Bathroom: I did not use it during this visit.
Staff: The greeter and our waitress were both very nice and attentive. Our waitress was cool, easy going, and did not rush us at all. The bus boys were on point about filling our water glasses too.
Food: We each had a soup (the gumbo and the French onion), that we enjoyed, and a sandwich (the burger and the club), which we also enjoyed. The sandwiches are good sizes and made fresh, a side of fries completes the plate — more food than one should eat! Very nicely sized portions.
Value: It’s a nice place, a chop house, so of course the prices will be a bit higher. For lunch, however, they were about what I expected. It wouldn’t be a place I’d come often but for a nice business lunch it fits the bill (pun intended).
Good food, good service, expected price — I like this place and will keep it in mind for another occasion.

Across from the Bank of America Theatre, it is a great place to get a drink before the show. We popped in about an hour before the doors opened (at the theater) and we were able to snag a table in the bar. As we sat there, the place slowly filled with happy hour patrons, theater goers and tons of business people just waiting to snatch a table.
Drinks aren’t cheap and aren’t particularly generous with the pour. However, I did like the unique combinations they had to choose from like the Kentucky Sidecar (Makers Mark and lemon juice) or their Stubborn Mule (just a Moscow Mule missing its copper mug).
I thought the service was so-​so, but they were packed so it wasn’t like she wasn’t working her tail off. I would suggest it for a pre-​show drink.

I was in Chicago for work and this was our daily meet up spot. The service at the bar was hit or miss… most of the time it was awful. They never checked on us nor were the bartenders friendly.
It is in a great location but just like everything else in the loop, it closes early. It’s located across from the Bank of America theater and it seemed like a good place to grab a drink after a show.

A sloppy kitchen disguised as a steakhouse. Excellent service with crappy food. A waste of $$. No lunch specials. Salt galore!
BREAD & BUTTER — free. One of the few places that still serves it upon seating. Breads are warm but hard.
CUP OF FRENCH ONION SOUP ($ 5) — thick salty soup. With cheese, saltier. Unconsummable.
GRILLROOM BURGER WITH PORK BELLY ($ 15) — perfect temp. Burger has no flavor, dry with a crumbly patty. The grilled pork belly is pale and scary. Mega bun, tomato and lettuce. Blue Cheese topping is also salty.
SERVICE — pleasant, and friendly.

The great service is what gets this to 2 stars. The food isn’t very good, so I would have given 1 star.
I woke up this morning with a stomach ache and it hasnt gone away.
The appetizers were ok. My fresh tomatoes were mushy and inedible. I should have asked the server to take the dish off the bill. The steaks were pretty good. I asked for medium rare and they were more to the rare side, yet the center _​was warm_​.
I won’t be returning.

The meal was good, but the items I wanted to order were not available. Nonetheless, what I received was delicious. My date and I were taken care of by friendly staff who were respectful of the blind date I was on and helped make both her and I look good.
The only down side, was that several items on the menu were not available.

We came here for dinner one night for a work function during a very very cold streak. At least that’s how it felt to me!
They were very pricey, so I don’t know that I’d normally come if I was paying, but since work was paying it definitely worked.
All the sides are served family style and the couple I tried were great. I had the 10 oz new york strip special and it was cooked exactly the way I like it.
Service was good, but I think everything was just a little too much $$ for me normally.

Very tasty, but too pricey. We had an early dinner at 4 on a Sunday and the place was absolutely empty! The staff were scrambling around to prepare for the later dinner rush. Perfectly fine if you’re looking for a quiet time.
We had the NY strip steak, lobster mac and cheese, lobster bisque (can you tell I like seafood?), and the assorted dinner rolls. Pictures of all of these things have been posted. The steak was very juicy and flavorful, though slightly overcooked. I’d been looking forward to the lobster truffle mac and cheese after all the reviews here, but it honestly was not anything to write home about; it tasted good but was not worth the price tag and I expected to taste more of the lobster incorporated in the dish, not just in chunks. They’re a silly detail, but I loved the onion dinner rolls; they were served warm and had extra onion and poppyseeds inside. The highlight of our meal was the soup of the day, the lobster bisque; it was that sort of close-​your-​eyes-​and-​savor-​it kind of good. A little salty, but the texture and flavor were phenomenal, and the lobster garnish on top was also excellent.
With the prices and ingredients (and implied dress code that we admittedly did not meet very well; I had on a vintage Blackhawks sweater, not anything dressy), the music felt out of place: Ben Folds, Matt & Kim, Grouplove… Too hip/​trendy for the muted red/​brown décor and all waitstaff in ties. Perhaps there is a different soundtrack later in the evening?
I’d go back just for that lobster bisque, but all else can be found in comparable quality across the city with more reasonable prices.

I came here for dinner while traveling because I was dressed in gym clothes and didn’t want to change for the all too touristy Michael Jordan Steakhouse. So, I came here. I think this place is pretty decent.
Here are the only things I would change:
The booth I had would squeak every time I shifted my weight. They need to upgrade that.
Also, the food itself could have been better. My main dish and my side dish were somewhat cold when served. But, I didn’t feel like waiting for them to reserve another one so didn’t bother mentioning it.
The bathroom entrance has a main door that leads to a hall with separate men’s and women’s doors. But, I point this out because I almost got smacked in the face with that main door while leaving because it’s just a bad floor plan design (I know I’m so random).

I’ve visited Chicago plenty of times. This weekend we decided I visit got hungry and found this lace on Unilocal.Although it only had 3 stars we decided to try it.
We ordered
Chicken Parmesan — huge portions. Brie and bro in law said it was very tasty.
Sis had the lemon rosemary which she said was juicy and tender.
I wasn’t as hungry so I chose goat cheese salad and crab cake. The salad ha just the right amount of dressing it also had enough walnuts. I would have liked to have more pears but some ppl may not want too much.
Kids has the garden Mac n cheese. It had enough veggies and cheese. I tried it and it was actually pretty good.
Our waiter was very attentive and patient. My mother wanted her breads toasted and he went back twice to take care of her. That’s why we left him a good tip.
The ambiance is casual and the host was friendly. He took our jackets and seated us right away.
If you’re ever in Chicago I would recommend to stop by.
It’s a little pricey but it’s worth it.
Enjoy!

I went to the Grillroom Chophouse and Winebar earlier this week for after work drinks and oysters! I had the French Martini, which is like candy in a glass. You can hardly even tell there’s alcohol in the martini… for better or worse! It was delicious!
I also had the raw oysters! Let me tell you, after living in New Orleans for a few years — my expectations for having decent seafood have been drastically reduced since moving back to Chicago. The Grillroom Chophouse & WInebar has given me a glimmer of hope that good seafood can be imported to middle America!
This is definitely a new go-​to spot for me!