Barrel cheese & wine | cocktails | Event Space

Stopped here on a whim. Celebrating a birthday. The bartender was attentive and brought out cake for us! The cocktails were amazing! The music and vibe was great. I will be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Such an intimate cozy spot with great service!

Parking: good

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Happy Hour

Had a great time here. Group of six stopped in for late night cocktails. Server was a lot of fun. Cocktails were awesome. Vibe was laid back.

Perfect place to catch up with old friends

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Great spot. Ahmed is an amazing guy and everyone there is friendly. We hosted an event upstairs and was perfect for our night. Can’t wait to do it again

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Grabbed a couple of cocktails here. Excellent mojito.

Atmosphere: 4

Service: 5

Grabbed a couple of cocktails here. Excellent mojito.

Atmosphere: 4

Service: 5

Very good service and nice cheese! Will be back soon

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious cocktails and cozy environment. Great service too! Would recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

It's just an okay place for drinks and food. The best thing about the place is the interior decorating.

The speciality cocktails are all over the map. They had summer, winter, fall, and spring focused cocktails, no seasonal cocktails. The pear salad was good, but a little over-dressed. The cheese plate was something you can get at the grocery store; it had a jelly instead of a spread, a slice of wheat bread, and sandwich pickles underwhelming plus there's no mention of additional charges for crackers/bread on the menu.

The place had open reservations when we arrived, but was told the tables were for reservations only ? The next hour on Open Table was free when I checked ?

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 2

Recommended dishes: Happy Hour

Barrel has an amazing event space where we recently held our engagement party. The space is huge and was plenty of room for our 40-50 person party - I imagine the space could hold double that amount. It is a great atmosphere with dim lighting, great loud speakers, a full service bar in the back, and even a pool table! It needs minimal decorations since it already has a lot of character!

Ahmed, the owner was great to work with. He offered us a few packages, all very reasonably priced with the option to use their food and drink or bring in everything ourselves. There are no time limits on use of the space, so our party was able to linger even after most people had gone home and had a fun moment playing music, dancing and even doing a round of shots before calling it a night.

I would recommend this space to anyone looking for a no-fuss and high impact event space!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The man who greeted us at the door was extremely rude and uninviting. The service was subpar and they gave MAYBE $2 worth of each cheese. Was extremely underwhelmed and will never be back. Would not recommend. The bread they included was also very weird. It looked like whole grain breakfast toast you would get at a cheap diner.

This is the best place to organize a private event in Chicago! I recently organized my husband’s 40th surprise birthday party and I’m so glad I found Barrel Cheese and Wine because everything went so smoothly and we all had a blast! The owner Ahmed was always super responsive and accomodating throughout the planning. They have an entire floor upstairs equipped with a bar, bluetooth speakers and plenty of leather couches and high tops tables for people to sit and mingle. We had no time limits and no crazy fees like a lot of other places. All my guests complimented me for founding such a great place! We didn’t order the food from them so I cannot comment on that but it is an option. We ended up catering and they still have us plates, cutlery and glasses (which not everyone will offer especially if you order food elsewhere). The owner and all the staff are such a nice people and would do anything to make sure you are happy! Overall I would strongly recommend Barrel Cheese and Wine for private events!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Nice bar for drinks, snacks, and good conversation. Cool seats, friendly and efficient service, and a relaxed, unpretentious vibe (which many speakeasy bars struggle to achieve). We enjoyed a few different cocktails and some wine, and we shared a cheese plate to snack on. Everything was excellent. We would be happy to return again in the future.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Five Cheese Charcuterie Board

I wanted to share about a delightful spot a friend and I happened upon this past weekend.What a charming, elevated, and enjoyable place! Barrel offers reasonable prices, quality drinks, yummy charcuterie, talented live music, and sultry decor. The service was also top tier with knowledgable recommendations and personable attention!This place is an incredible spot to meet up with friends, take visitors, and is sure to be a guaranteed win for date night. I will be taking more people here, without a doubt! Their patio is also dog friendly.My only regret is I wish I would have stopped in sooner. I must’ve walked by a hundred times but it took their folding doors being opened to the sidewalk for us to stop in. I must’ve been living under a rock to miss this gem!I know I’m not the first or only person to ‘discover’ this place, but I sure am glad sidewalk serendipity led to one of the most pleasant evenings! Enjoy!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Three Cheese Charcuterie Board

Gem is a fantastic bartender! He recommended cocktails for us that were outright phenomenal.Late night vibes were stellar as well.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5