The Revel Room

Revel room is a bar/​night club in Chicago’s wicker park close to 6 corners. I came in with a small group of girls to start the night and we had an OK time. We sat at a booth, plenty of room for all of us and it was a cool environment. There weren’t any servers walking around so all of our drinks were ordered at the bar.
I ordered a Moscow mule and it was way too sweet, I barely drank any of it. We were in the mood to dance and have fun so we left after one drink. It wasn’t a bad experience, wasn’t great. I wouldn’t put it above any other bars in the area though.

Let’s start with the positive. I stopped in with some friends to see another friend perform on a Sunday night. The atmosphere was awesome and there was good music all around. The bar scene had very unique and tasty drinks. I was impressed by the different beers that they had and the unique cocktails.
My friends and I, there were 4 of us, ordered our first round of drinks and paid cash and decided not to open a tab. We had every intention to keep ordering drinks and failed to tip on the first round because we were just going to give one large tip at the end. Mind you, I realize that the bartender might have not known this but what happened next appalled me and is the reason I’m giving 2 stars. We were ready for round 2 and kept trying to call the bartenders over. The place was not too busy so they heard us but kept ignoring us. Finally one of the bartenders, don’t know his name, approached us and basically told us if we didn’t tip he wasn’t going to serve us because «that’s how he makes money.» I was absolutely stunned. I understand that the money comes from tips but I felt that this was completely inappropriate. He verbatim said «I don’t mean to be an ass but you have to tip me or I can’t serve you.» Tipping for me is not an issue but I was totally turned off by this bar because of how I, and my 4 friends, were treated and EXPECTED to be paying his salary.

At the beginning of the night when my girlfriends and I showed up, Mister Drunky decided to lean on my chair along with my friend’s. He had asked us 5 times where we were from, mind you, I have the patience of a 2 year old. My friend on the other hand, a goddamn saint, she didn’t wanna «embarrass him.» So, I made eyes with the cute nerdy bartender who shouted at Drunkypants to back off. Drunkster did not listen. Of course this left me no choice. I made eyes with the other bartender, who I swear was Thor, and I mouthed «please.» Thor comes over, slams down the proverbial Mjölnir, and tells Drunky to leave us alone. Uh oh. Drunky does not compute. I kid you not, Thor stares down Drunkster and of course he’s on another damn planet and doesn’t realize the Alpha Battle that’s happening. Finally, Thor utters, «Or I can ESCORT you out.» Drunkypants pouts and sulks away.
Needless to say, def one of my fave bars! Chill vibe and I liked the jazzy music that was floating in from the back room. I didn’t explore much this time because I got fairly buzzed early on (trying to be «patient» due to the above situation) because the drinks were just so damn good. I got the Honey Pot, super refreshing and the complimentary blackberry was fresh plus a nice touch! My friends got the Cool Rummings and those were amazing, def will be back for more! Only thing I wished was that there was something for me to munch on.

I’m giving the Revel Room three stars, but on a Fri/​Sat night it would be closer to 2, and on a more relaxed evening it would be closer to 4. Let’s start with the positive — if you come here to meet a friend on a weekday, you will most likely be able to grab one of the fairly hard to get booths or at least a spot at the bar. The servers are friendly and they make some very good cocktails that are by no means cheap but are a good price for the neighborhood. The wood paneled vibe is also a departure from a lot of the other places around here and is a good choice for catching up over a couple of tasty drinks.
The weekends, on the other hand, are the opposite of this experience. The seats are well nigh impossible to grab and you will most likely find yourself standing two or three deep for a drink. Those tasty cocktails don’t really scale up for speed so it will be a while before you get served. And conversation is also a no-​go: I tried to order a last round and get my tab and the bartender both misheard my drink order and brought the wrong cocktail and misheard my name and brought the wrong bar tab.
So, definitely a place to check out if you’re in the mood for a chill night, otherwise there are better places to go out on the town over the weekend.

Better cocktails than violet hour and no wait. If you are in wicker park looking for a good cocktail, come here.

On a quiet Sunday night my 2 buddies and I came here for a nice, chill time over drinks. The place was classy and quiet and John took such great care of us! He was super friendly. Here’s what I had:
CARDINAL SIN — $ 10
Nickel No. 8, Pear Brandy, Cardamom, Clove.
This exquisite drink was alps garnished with a star anise and it was just so tasty! Out of my drinks and my buddies’ we all agreed that mine was the winner! It was just slightly sweet and citrusy but definitely a strong one! Loved it!
BRAMBLE — $ 8
Beefeater London Dry Gin, Lemon, Raspberry.
This fizzy drink was sweet and a pretty one!
I had so much fun it. I even had a taste of some MOLORT! John was just super wonderful and the drinks here are great! I love the décor and how low key it was. I’d love to come back!

Stopped in for one drink last evening while my fiancé and I waited for a friend to meet us in Wicker Park. Friendly bartender, immediately gave us a carafe and glasses of water; I like bars where you don’t have to ask for water too, small bonus. The space was dimly lit, (read: cool) and open, with a row of huge red leather booths lining the back wall, leading to the «Silver Fox Den.» WHAT IS BACK THERE?! Anderson Cooper? There’s also a pretty spectacular painted portrait of a cat hanging prominently in the front by the bar. Ironically hip or not, I liked it.
Craft cocktail list looked tasty and interesting, with an ingredient I’d have to Google in about half the drinks. So, for last night, I stuck to a black currant cider, tasted almost like a sour, but very good. I should mention that my fiancé and I were THE ONLY people at the bar not taking advantage of the $ 5 Old Style & a shot of Bourbon special, so there’s that. Overall a decent spot to take in a few beverages.

Good place to come for a cocktail. I think the owners of this place are the same people who own Trenchermen, so that speaks to the high quality of the place. Décor is warm and sort of trendy-​rustic. Drinks are innovative, tasty, and CHEAP! Seriously, $ 8 for a craft cocktail of this caliber is outstanding for Chicago. The two things I am not a fan of are the distressed mirrors in the ladies room (they don’t look cool, they just look dirty) and the super loud music… I’d like to be able to hear what my friends are saying! Other than that, it’s a great place to grab a good drink in Wicker Park.

Really liked this place — just walking by and came in for the $ 5 shot/​beer special. Very cool décor — has a very warm feel to it — great décor and a cool looking back room. The bartender told us on the weekends they have dancing.

The ambiance is perfect (obviously not on the weekend) but during the weekday it’s pretty chill. EXCEPT the Dj… I was here on a Tuesday and I’m sure the DJ drove someone to kill themselves with the music he chose to play. IT’s terrible!!!
Otherwise, I like the place. Rock on.

Decent lounge but over priced, can beer for 6+ each douche overpriced hipster place but décor is nice but will not be my waterhole or go to again place. Learn how to price stuff so people want to come back.

Good place and great drinks. The interior is cool and relaxing, loungy but not quite a lounge. Sampled the bramble and the hurricane, both delicious and boozy. Winner on Milwaukee!

This place was cool! We came here on my trip to Chicago for my friend’s birthday a few months back. I really like the vibe and the DJ was cool.
I liked that they have funky drinks to order, however I felt like I was standing in line for a while before any of the bartenders acknowledged me… bummer.

I came here to celebrate a friend’s birthday. She thought pretty far ahead and had the back room area solely for her guests. We arrived before it got crowded, but by the time we left, it was nice to have our own space as the bar was packed so tight you could barely move.
At first, the back room was nice. There are 3 couches in a U-​shape that all face each other. You could talk to everyone sitting, and hear everyone just fine. Then, some sort of switch flipped and it was JUST SO LOUD. Not necessary. I mean, the DJ booth was very closeby, but still. In such a small space, you really didn’t need a DJ booth.
In fact, instead of a DJ booth, I would caution that an auxiliary bar in its place would have made much more sense. Though a waitress came be extremely sporadically, the better bet if you wanted a drink was to head out to the main bar. So yes, through the wall to wall people, up towards the bar, where you waited for another drink for an eternity. Because of this, I only had two drinks that night.
The one thing this place had going was their cocktails were great. Friends tried the Moscow Mule while I had some sort of delicious winter drink, complete with winter spices.
I would head back if a friend decided to celebrate there, but I don’t think I’d be the one leading the charge to return.

Pretty sweet lounge like bar that seems to have 2 parts.
When you enter it seems like any other bar and then there is an open space for dancing with the DJ booth near the back and over rot the left there is a couple of couches that you can relax or play on… I did both.
This place used to be Empire Liquors

Let me start by saying, the place has an extremely lux comfy vibe, especially with the dim lights to where you cannot see the true quality of all the furniture and decorations, and that the library books are not, well, books. Place is gorgeous.
Had two fantastic handcrafted cocktails that don’t break the bank. They also had a nice assortment of craft beers. Staff was super good looking. Music was on point. All sounds good so far, ay?
Its one of the places that are doing it wrong. To have a lounge vibe to be enjoyed, you cannot let everybody and their mother at the bar. It would be a great place to enjoy some slightly more expensive drinks pre/​post date, maybe with a small group of friends if the place wasn’t packed like a freaking tuna can.
Charge a little more, be and be a little more exclusive. Maybe some wall bars so I am not all in the middle of the room with your fancy glasses. Something.

Revel room had a trendy vibe of a lounge, without being a lounge at all. It was packed! Despite that, the bar seemed to be doing just fine. I didn’t have to wait too long for any of my cocktails and they do have a great list to choose from. Some very nice Moscow mules to be had here.
My only complaint was around the limited vodka selection, as they only had Tito’s and I want to say Grey Goose or something along those lines. Basically two vodkas, none of which make my list of vodkas I would drink without mixing. Get some Belvedere folks, or Chopin, or Russian Standard. Even the best craft cocktail can be ruined by mediocre vodka.
Crowd was fairly diverse in terms of scene kids, hipsters and young professionals, but clearly on the younger side (mostly mid to late 20s).

Firstly, what happened to hip hop night? This place used to be full of fly honies, now
it’s just it’s just a couple of snotty wicker park barflies. No talent behind the bar either, don’t know how you even stay open.
Came for a drink after work and the bartender wouldn’t make me a jäger bomb. it’s jäger and bomb, don’t they teach you that in bartending school? No bud on the menu either, dont come here. not worth your time.

Fantastic new spot for nightlife in Wicker Park.
Came in on a Saturday at 10pm and it was already bumpin’ with a DJ and everything. Cocktails are $ 8, which sadly seems like a steal these days. The bar is split into two areas, a front room with the main bar that’s a bit more quite and better lit, and then a really dim back room that almost feels like a haunted house– think old paintings on the walls, stained glass lights, and tarnished mirrors. I will definitely be back with more friends in the future.

I was feeling nostalgic, so I went back to my old stomping grounds. This place occupies the space that used to be Empire Liquors. That was my spot for the longest time, and it felt strange walking through the door.
The place has several leather booths, or is faux leather? One can hardly tell when its dark, and they are inebriated. Nonetheless, the inside gives off a classic saloon vibe. This place has is a lot more laid back than its predecessor. They have a decent beer selection, but the canned beers are a hidden treasure, waiting to be explored.
I ordered a Bottom Up Wit, and eventually worked my way to a few Moscow Mules. The drinks are priced about right considering the location. The music was surprisingly similar to what I remember. They played some classics, mixed in with some of the new garbage that they play on the radio.
Change can be difficult to accept. But when one of your favorite spots closes, and is replaced by a place of this caliber. Change is a lot easier to tolerate.