Mercat a la Planxa was a very pleasant surprise among the very limited high quality dining options in the heart of Chicago's downtown. Our waiter had encyclopedic knowledge of the menu, including the wine selections and his recommendations were spot on. (Thank you, Samuel!) The tapas options were creatively conceived, enticingly seasoned, and expertly prepared. Situated above the main lobby of The Blackstone Hotel, the restaurant's decor reflected the foundational, classically stately design characteristic of the heyday of Chicago's grand hotels. Likewise, it reflected a handful of dubious design decisions of intervening eras. This is a restaurant that is well worth the visit, and well worth the investment of its owners to bring the design up to par with the menu and service.
Robert
My wife and I ordered 5 different small plates to share and that was the perfect amount of food. The food was good and the service was excellent. I would recommend this place to anyone.
Raju
I reserved this place on open table and they menu posted on open table is not available at the restaurant now, which is very disappointing. I wanted oysters, fresh seafood and this was not the case.
Ali
Several menu options were unavailable. The food was not flavorful, and service was subpar.
Latania
Enjoyable late night dinner. I've dined here a number of times over the years for the food and service and had stopped returning due to lower quality meals. This time we were pleasantly surprised. The cocktails and wine were very good. Mussels are big with a flavorful, light sauce. Empanadas are delicious. Tuna tartare unique and tasty, and the octopus was also very good. Churros with ice cream was a nice ending. Service was excellent. We were glad to go back and will revisit again.
Zahra Mandana Fard
We had a few small plates, some we never tried before like bacon wrapped dates (which was very very good) they were all very delicious. The setting was elegant and cozy at the same time. The window tables have a nice view of the park. The service was great too, the lady who was assigned to our table was very friendly and knowledgeable and helpful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Doug
Nice dinner. The tapas were the highlight. Their take on paella is good, but not how I prefer.
tina nease
My husband and I shared several tapas. We had the cheese board which was quite good but they don't give you enough crackers. The spicy shrimp was great as was the calamari. We felt the sauce with the calamari was overpowering with the lemon flavor. The rib empanadas were fabulous. The ambiance is nice and romantic.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Peggy
We were tied up in traffic, I called to inform the restaurant we would be late. They assured us that it was no problem and they would honor our reservation. When we arrived, we were taken to our table immediately. We ordered from the tasting menu and the food was outstanding. The menu provided a broad selection of items and was a great value. The service was prompt and professional. I would recommend this restaurant and plan to return when I visit Chicago again.
James Curley
One star, but not because I ate here. I made a reservation there for my wife’s birthday and we were both very excited to try it. A week before the reservation I got an email that my reservation was cancelled. No explanation. No requests to change it. Just cancelled. I had to find another place close to the Auditorium Theatre where we had concert tickets for after dinner. That’s poor service and might say something about how they manage the place.
Tapas of the same quality as we've had on our trips to Spain. Also, we love being able to people watch the pedestrians on Michigan Avenue and at the same time have a view of the park. The food is consistently excellent, the service polished, and the price excellent. A favorite.
Diana Avila
We recently had the pleasure of hosting a business reception here and I cannot recommend this venue highly enough! From start to finish, the experience was nothing short of outstanding.
First and foremost, the manager, Kai, was incredibly accommodating. He was always accessible and responsive, making the planning process seamless and stress-free. His attention to detail ensured that every aspect of our event was executed flawlessly, and he went above and beyond!
The food was absolutely delicious. The variety of food was perfect for catering to different tastes and dietary preferences, and the quality exceeded our expectations. And the venue itself is beautiful and located in a prime area.
Overall, this place was the ideal choice for our reception. We left with nothing but positive feedback and we look forward to returning for future events. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt
Not as much energy and vibe as when the restaurant first opened. Menu is a little tired and limited too. The food we had was great, service was slow at times.
Brittney Frank
Service review only!
I came to this hotel with my family and it happened to fall on the weekend the nascar race was occurring. My husband and I grabbed a drink at the bar and then asked if we could sit by the windows to watch the last 5-10 laps of the race. I’ll start by saying it was 5:15pm when we arrived and the restaurant was almost entirely empty. The hostess said we weren’t allowed to sit at the table unless we were eating dinner. We explained we just ordered drinks, we plan to order appetizers, and we may potentially meet the dollar amount for two people. After questioning the hostess again he said he would have to ask the manager so we opted to stay at the bar but at a low top so we could still order food. We waited for another 20 minutes (until the race ended) and NO ONE CAME BY OUR TABLE. At one point, every server in the restaurant and the manager were watching the race instead of doing their job. When the race ended I asked to speak to the manager to let him know and he didn’t even know we were restaurant patrons. The food smelled AMAZING and I REALLY wanted to try the grilled shrimp - but we didn’t get to order anything before we needed to leave.
Service: 1
Phoebe
I went with couple friends. We ordered a few dishes to try out. I highly recommend íberico pork tenderloin, pulpo, ocean trout, and lamb chops. Paella wasn't as amazing as what I had in Barcelona. Overall great experience!
Mercat a la Planxa was a very pleasant surprise among the very limited high quality dining options in the heart of Chicago's downtown. Our waiter had encyclopedic knowledge of the menu, including the wine selections and his recommendations were spot on. (Thank you, Samuel!) The tapas options were creatively conceived, enticingly seasoned, and expertly prepared. Situated above the main lobby of The Blackstone Hotel, the restaurant's decor reflected the foundational, classically stately design characteristic of the heyday of Chicago's grand hotels. Likewise, it reflected a handful of dubious design decisions of intervening eras. This is a restaurant that is well worth the visit, and well worth the investment of its owners to bring the design up to par with the menu and service.
My wife and I ordered 5 different small plates to share and that was the perfect amount of food. The food was good and the service was excellent. I would recommend this place to anyone.
I reserved this place on open table and they menu posted on open table is not available at the restaurant now, which is very disappointing. I wanted oysters, fresh seafood and this was not the case.
Several menu options were unavailable. The food was not flavorful, and service was subpar.
Enjoyable late night dinner. I've dined here a number of times over the years for the food and service and had stopped returning due to lower quality meals. This time we were pleasantly surprised. The cocktails and wine were very good. Mussels are big with a flavorful, light sauce. Empanadas are delicious. Tuna tartare unique and tasty, and the octopus was also very good. Churros with ice cream was a nice ending. Service was excellent. We were glad to go back and will revisit again.
We had a few small plates, some we never tried before like bacon wrapped dates (which was very very good) they were all very delicious.
The setting was elegant and cozy at the same time. The window tables have a nice view of the park.
The service was great too, the lady who was assigned to our table was very friendly and knowledgeable and helpful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice dinner. The tapas were the highlight. Their take on paella is good, but not how I prefer.
My husband and I shared several tapas. We had the cheese board which was quite good but they don't give you enough crackers. The spicy shrimp was great as was the calamari. We felt the sauce with the calamari was overpowering with the lemon flavor. The rib empanadas were fabulous. The ambiance is nice and romantic.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We were tied up in traffic, I called to inform the restaurant we would be late. They assured us that it was no problem and they would honor our reservation. When we arrived, we were taken to our table immediately. We ordered from the tasting menu and the food was outstanding. The menu provided a broad selection of items and was a great value. The service was prompt and professional. I would recommend this restaurant and plan to return when I visit Chicago again.
One star, but not because I ate here. I made a reservation there for my wife’s birthday and we were both very excited to try it. A week before the reservation I got an email that my reservation was cancelled. No explanation. No requests to change it. Just cancelled. I had to find another place close to the Auditorium Theatre where we had concert tickets for after dinner. That’s poor service and might say something about how they manage the place.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Tapas of the same quality as we've had on our trips to Spain. Also, we love being able to people watch the pedestrians on Michigan Avenue and at the same time have a view of the park. The food is consistently excellent, the service polished, and the price excellent. A favorite.
We recently had the pleasure of hosting a business reception here and I cannot recommend this venue highly enough! From start to finish, the experience was nothing short of outstanding.
First and foremost, the manager, Kai, was incredibly accommodating. He was always accessible and responsive, making the planning process seamless and stress-free. His attention to detail ensured that every aspect of our event was executed flawlessly, and he went above and beyond!
The food was absolutely delicious. The variety of food was perfect for catering to different tastes and dietary preferences, and the quality exceeded our expectations. And the venue itself is beautiful and located in a prime area.
Overall, this place was the ideal choice for our reception. We left with nothing but positive feedback and we look forward to returning for future events. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not as much energy and vibe as when the restaurant first opened. Menu is a little tired and limited too. The food we had was great, service was slow at times.
Service review only!
I came to this hotel with my family and it happened to fall on the weekend the nascar race was occurring. My husband and I grabbed a drink at the bar and then asked if we could sit by the windows to watch the last 5-10 laps of the race. I’ll start by saying it was 5:15pm when we arrived and the restaurant was almost entirely empty. The hostess said we weren’t allowed to sit at the table unless we were eating dinner. We explained we just ordered drinks, we plan to order appetizers, and we may potentially meet the dollar amount for two people. After questioning the hostess again he said he would have to ask the manager so we opted to stay at the bar but at a low top so we could still order food. We waited for another 20 minutes (until the race ended) and NO ONE CAME BY OUR TABLE. At one point, every server in the restaurant and the manager were watching the race instead of doing their job. When the race ended I asked to speak to the manager to let him know and he didn’t even know we were restaurant patrons. The food smelled AMAZING and I REALLY wanted to try the grilled shrimp - but we didn’t get to order anything before we needed to leave.
Service: 1
I went with couple friends. We ordered a few dishes to try out. I highly recommend íberico pork tenderloin, pulpo, ocean trout, and lamb chops. Paella wasn't as amazing as what I had in Barcelona. Overall great experience!
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