Sizing Up Chicago’s Hotel Dining Scene
The hotel industry is booming in Chicago, with new hotels popping up throughout the city in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Along with the hotels themselves comes a spate of trendy new hotel restaurants and bars, which are upping the ante on hotel dining. Here are a few new hotel restaurants to visit in Chicago.
The newest hotel to open its doors is the eagerly awaited Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, a storied building on Michigan Avenue directly across from Millennium Park. The hotel once served downtown Chicago in its heyday in 1890, but has sat closed to the public for more than a century. Completely revamped and polished, the hotel recalls the glistening era of urban social club lore, divvied into 241 guest rooms and outfitted with a myriad of dining and drinking options. On the ground floor is the second Chicago outpost of Shake Shack, boasting a Carrara marble motif with oak wall paneling, curved wood banquettes, and a custom prairie mural. This new location features some new menu items specific to Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, including the Penthouse Sweet frozen custard with chocolate custard, pecan-walnut caramel toffee from Vosges, peanut butter sauce, and chocolate sprinkles; and the Millennium Park custard with vanilla custard, Intelligentsia coffee beans, marshmallow sauce, and Glazed & Infused old-fashioned doughnut. Venture further up and into the hotel and you’ll find a few new spots courtesy of Land & Sea Dept. (Longman & Eagle, Parson’s Chicken & Fish), including a reimagined version of the Cherry Circle Room, a restaurant that once served the property in its original inception; the Game Room filled with billiards, novel snacks and street food, and classic cocktails; and Milk Room, which serves as a coffee shop by day and a high-end cocktail bar by night. The beverage program at Land & Sea Dept. properties here is presided over by esteemed mixologist Paul McGee, who also runs Land & Sea’s Lost Lake tiki bar in Logan Square. And that’s not all; Cindy’s is yet another restaurant, located on the 13th floor of the hotel and led by chef Christian Ragano.
The Freehand Hostel and Hotel in River North marks a new era for the former Tokyo Hotel. Based in Miami, the Freehand achieved world renown thanks to its casual, concise atmosphere and its craft cocktail bar, Broken Shaker. All of the above have landed in Chicago, complete with a Miami-like atmosphere, culinary-inspired cocktails infused with everything from Cocoa Puffs to papaya bread milk, a food menu rooted in street food and snacks, and a chic coffee bar called Cafe Integral.
The other major hotel debut as of late comes courtesy of Sir Richard Branson. The world’s first – and currently only – Virgin Hotel took shape in the Loop, featuring a vibrant vibe echoed throughout the property, from the cheeky valet signs to the red carpet-laden elevators. Dining and drinking options abound here too, including a coffee bar/wine bar on the ground floor called Two Zero Three; a modern Americana-inspired diner called Miss Ricky’s; an all-day restaurant and bar called The Commons Club; and a rooftop bar called Cerise, perched 26 stories up with panoramic views of the Chicago skyline.
Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
12 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
(312) 940-3552
Website
Freehand Hotel
19 E. Ohio Street, Chicago
(312) 940-3699
Website
Virgin Hotel
203 N. Wabash Avenue, Chicago
(312) 940-4400
Website