Good food, I almost don’t want to post this because I don’t want this place to be too crowded. It’s a beautiful venue, service is good enough, and food is great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
E P
My experience at this restaurant has been nothing but excellent. Circle Cherry Room is one of, if not the best place I’ve dined at. Upon entering, the ambiance was lovely. The dim lighting, comfortable seating, and wide variety of music created a welcoming atmosphere. The server we had was incredibly polite and friendly. One of our party members had a gluten allergy, which the restaurant took fully into consideration. The accommodations provided were incredible. The drink I had, a blackberry mock-tail, was delicious— the perfect combination of tangy and savory. The meals, delightfully, were next-level. The freshly-made bread will rank as one of the best foods I’ve ever eaten. It’s fluffy, buttery, and goes perfectly with the date dip provided. For my meal, I ordered the ribs. I was pleasantly surprised by the soft, rich nature of the meat. The dessert, the caramel crème brûlée, was single-handedly the best desert I’ve ever had. The crème brûlée was rich, soft, and textured with coconut. The mango purée served with it provided a perfect accent of sweetness. In addition, all meals are plated excellently and look visually appealing. This restaurant is overall a delightful hidden gem. If I could give 6 stars, I would.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carpaccio
vicadelo
Utterly disappointing. We were in town for a corporate trip and wanted a nice quiet dinner. The atmosphere and food were stellar. The staff, not so much. After we had our appetizers the manager, Erin, came out and hurriedly brought us the desert menu even though we had already placed our order for our entrees. We were taken a back by this lack of etiquette. My friend asked for her second drink to be brought out with mine and hers came within minutes even though I had yet to receive mine. Lastly, when discussing the corporate card situation, the manager Erin interrupted me mid sentence clearly perturbed by our presence.our entire evening was sullied by this abrasively rude person. Completely ruined the fine dining experience. Would 10/10 NOT recommend unless you like being disrespected by the manager for no reason.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
erik backhaus
The restaurant is so loud that it's hard to carry a conversation. Food was terrible. Either way over seasoned or no seasoning at all. Sea bass was very overcooked/dry. Lamb shank had so much mustard and salt that it wasn't edible without scraping it all off the outside, peas had zero seasoning. Wine was cheap grocery store quality. With a sommelier in house I would have expected every wine to be great. The gin drink was just a glass of tequila, the menu did not list tequila as an ingredient. Neat looking dining room, beautiful back bar. Waitstaff was knowledgable and very helpful. I wouldn't walk across the street if the food and wine was free.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 5
Nataly Pike
Not big choice for dinner, burger was good, but Caesar salad was absolutely bad, I decided to try it because I like the ingredients- grilled broccoli they say…. Instead it was only salad leaves with mayo and Parmesan….. and one tiny broccoli buried deep
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Bob Guillen
Service was so slow and the food very underwhelming., sadly.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
jamie
An astonishing representation of a hidden gem in Chicago. Not only hidden in the athletic association, but it’s even more inconspicuous. Ya gotta know it’s here, and you gotta make a reservation. The service is without a doubt a shining representation and they should hang their reputation on it, but it’s the unique food choices and interesting menu items that really show how special this spot really is.The drinks by the extremely kind and attentive bartender were spot on.The food was absolutely delicious and incredibly flavorful. If you don’t get an order of the bread and the beet carpaccio, you’ve made a horrible life choice.My sister and I went with the seafood tower so we could try many different options, so I can’t speak to any of the main courses. However, one can’t imagine ordering wrong at a place like this.A must try when in Chicago.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matthew Rose
An all around amazing experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laura Vélez
We wanted to try this place a long time ago cause I love the idea of a small, cozy and elegant place. The service was very nice and the food on point.For sure we will come back to try their brunch.Thank you!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Blake Ferando
Just an exceptional place and atmosphere!Great food and awesome drink list. Filet Mingon was cooked to perfection and one of my favorite places to go when I visit.
I really wanted to like it especially because it was a very well given hidden restaurant and you wouldn't expect the ambiance to be so rich. That is one thing I cannot take away from that restaurant, the vibe and the environment was fantastic.I'm sure they have some items which are really good. For example, their beef tartar was straight up. Unfortunately that's the only positive comment I can give. I had the grilled sea bass which I was looking forward to. However, I could not continue eating it after 3 bites. Flavorless entree. I decided to take it home so at least my cat could eat it because he loves seafood. My cat took one bite and then went the other way and that entire entree went to waste. And like I said the beef tartar was really good so I told the waiting staff if I can get one order of it to go another one to bring on the table so I can eat that instead. They picked up the plate with the beef tartar with the intention of boxing it up. 20 minutes later, we were told that kitchen won't be making it tonight. Not only did we not get the 2 appetizer, The one that was supposed to be packed never actually made it and I assume they threw it out which was very frustrating.The wait staff was acceptable at best often requiring customers to repeatedly try to get some attention. The dessert took way too long considering it was just a molten chocolate cake which was then boxed.. needless to say, it didn't get eaten either. I was really looking forward to this place because I had heard great things about it. Unfortunately I think they may need to add a couple of people to the wait staff and secondly upgrade the menu or at least present food that would be worth the money. After the $200 dinner, I came back home and ate my Panera bread from that afternoon instead. It tasted better in my in opinion. Maybe I would go back there if the menu changes or they make some strides towards giving more attention to their customers.But at least they have the ambiance thing down. As of now, I think there are plenty of other options which would be much preferred over this one.Parking: It would be easier to take Uber there instead of trying to find parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Grilled Lamb Merguez
Hannah Miller
Loveeee this spot! It’s a beautiful space with great food and cocktails. I’ve been for dinner and brunch, and would recommend both. If you go for brunch, definitely try the hash browns!
Alexander Slagg
Very cool spot. Beautiful mid-century wood interior. Bar and table seating. Excellent contemporary cocktails as well as historical drinks available. Bar staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. Uniquely Chicago experience. Visited again ***5 years later, still awesome! Had weekend brunch this time. The Croque Madam sandwich was a real treat -- added ham to it. My drink of choice was Daisy de Santiago - a refreshing rum and chartreuse concoction. Remains a Chicago gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janette Abbasi
Great serviceI would like to say the truffle pasta for Chicago restaurant week made my stomach hurt...I'm assuming it was due to the heavy amount of oil. But everyone enjoyed their food and the attentiveness of the staff!
Good food, I almost don’t want to post this because I don’t want this place to be too crowded. It’s a beautiful venue, service is good enough, and food is great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My experience at this restaurant has been nothing but excellent. Circle Cherry Room is one of, if not the best place I’ve dined at. Upon entering, the ambiance was lovely. The dim lighting, comfortable seating, and wide variety of music created a welcoming atmosphere. The server we had was incredibly polite and friendly. One of our party members had a gluten allergy, which the restaurant took fully into consideration. The accommodations provided were incredible. The drink I had, a blackberry mock-tail, was delicious— the perfect combination of tangy and savory. The meals, delightfully, were next-level. The freshly-made bread will rank as one of the best foods I’ve ever eaten. It’s fluffy, buttery, and goes perfectly with the date dip provided. For my meal, I ordered the ribs. I was pleasantly surprised by the soft, rich nature of the meat. The dessert, the caramel crème brûlée, was single-handedly the best desert I’ve ever had. The crème brûlée was rich, soft, and textured with coconut. The mango purée served with it provided a perfect accent of sweetness. In addition, all meals are plated excellently and look visually appealing. This restaurant is overall a delightful hidden gem. If I could give 6 stars, I would.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carpaccio
Utterly disappointing. We were in town for a corporate trip and wanted a nice quiet dinner. The atmosphere and food were stellar. The staff, not so much. After we had our appetizers the manager, Erin, came out and hurriedly brought us the desert menu even though we had already placed our order for our entrees. We were taken a back by this lack of etiquette. My friend asked for her second drink to be brought out with mine and hers came within minutes even though I had yet to receive mine. Lastly, when discussing the corporate card situation, the manager Erin interrupted me mid sentence clearly perturbed by our presence.our entire evening was sullied by this abrasively rude person. Completely ruined the fine dining experience. Would 10/10 NOT recommend unless you like being disrespected by the manager for no reason.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
The restaurant is so loud that it's hard to carry a conversation. Food was terrible. Either way over seasoned or no seasoning at all. Sea bass was very overcooked/dry. Lamb shank had so much mustard and salt that it wasn't edible without scraping it all off the outside, peas had zero seasoning. Wine was cheap grocery store quality. With a sommelier in house I would have expected every wine to be great. The gin drink was just a glass of tequila, the menu did not list tequila as an ingredient. Neat looking dining room, beautiful back bar. Waitstaff was knowledgable and very helpful. I wouldn't walk across the street if the food and wine was free.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 5
Not big choice for dinner, burger was good, but Caesar salad was absolutely bad, I decided to try it because I like the ingredients- grilled broccoli they say…. Instead it was only salad leaves with mayo and Parmesan….. and one tiny broccoli buried deep
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Service was so slow and the food very underwhelming., sadly.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
An astonishing representation of a hidden gem in Chicago. Not only hidden in the athletic association, but it’s even more inconspicuous. Ya gotta know it’s here, and you gotta make a reservation. The service is without a doubt a shining representation and they should hang their reputation on it, but it’s the unique food choices and interesting menu items that really show how special this spot really is.The drinks by the extremely kind and attentive bartender were spot on.The food was absolutely delicious and incredibly flavorful. If you don’t get an order of the bread and the beet carpaccio, you’ve made a horrible life choice.My sister and I went with the seafood tower so we could try many different options, so I can’t speak to any of the main courses. However, one can’t imagine ordering wrong at a place like this.A must try when in Chicago.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
An all around amazing experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We wanted to try this place a long time ago cause I love the idea of a small, cozy and elegant place. The service was very nice and the food on point.For sure we will come back to try their brunch.Thank you!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Just an exceptional place and atmosphere!Great food and awesome drink list. Filet Mingon was cooked to perfection and one of my favorite places to go when I visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I really wanted to like it especially because it was a very well given hidden restaurant and you wouldn't expect the ambiance to be so rich. That is one thing I cannot take away from that restaurant, the vibe and the environment was fantastic.I'm sure they have some items which are really good. For example, their beef tartar was straight up. Unfortunately that's the only positive comment I can give. I had the grilled sea bass which I was looking forward to. However, I could not continue eating it after 3 bites. Flavorless entree. I decided to take it home so at least my cat could eat it because he loves seafood. My cat took one bite and then went the other way and that entire entree went to waste. And like I said the beef tartar was really good so I told the waiting staff if I can get one order of it to go another one to bring on the table so I can eat that instead. They picked up the plate with the beef tartar with the intention of boxing it up. 20 minutes later, we were told that kitchen won't be making it tonight. Not only did we not get the 2 appetizer, The one that was supposed to be packed never actually made it and I assume they threw it out which was very frustrating.The wait staff was acceptable at best often requiring customers to repeatedly try to get some attention. The dessert took way too long considering it was just a molten chocolate cake which was then boxed.. needless to say, it didn't get eaten either. I was really looking forward to this place because I had heard great things about it. Unfortunately I think they may need to add a couple of people to the wait staff and secondly upgrade the menu or at least present food that would be worth the money. After the $200 dinner, I came back home and ate my Panera bread from that afternoon instead. It tasted better in my in opinion. Maybe I would go back there if the menu changes or they make some strides towards giving more attention to their customers.But at least they have the ambiance thing down. As of now, I think there are plenty of other options which would be much preferred over this one.Parking: It would be easier to take Uber there instead of trying to find parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Grilled Lamb Merguez
Loveeee this spot! It’s a beautiful space with great food and cocktails. I’ve been for dinner and brunch, and would recommend both. If you go for brunch, definitely try the hash browns!
Very cool spot. Beautiful mid-century wood interior. Bar and table seating. Excellent contemporary cocktails as well as historical drinks available. Bar staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. Uniquely Chicago experience. Visited again ***5 years later, still awesome! Had weekend brunch this time. The Croque Madam sandwich was a real treat -- added ham to it. My drink of choice was Daisy de Santiago - a refreshing rum and chartreuse concoction. Remains a Chicago gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great serviceI would like to say the truffle pasta for Chicago restaurant week made my stomach hurt...I'm assuming it was due to the heavy amount of oil. But everyone enjoyed their food and the attentiveness of the staff!
Really good. The sommelier is the best.