Lobby Bar at Palmer House

Great cocktails, surprised by how strong they were and well-​made. We had four drink vouchers so we got all of our cocktails for free (normally $ 13.50-$ 16 per drink). Understaffed, however, so expect a long wait after ordering. One lady was working really hard to get everyone’s orders, clearing tables, closing tabs, etc. she was doing amazing, but obviously if you have like 50+ ppl who need to be taken care of then one waitress is still not enough. Yea menu items are expensive but we thought they tasted good.

Without question one of the most beautiful establishments in the city, the Palmer House is a landmark and a relic of an older, maybe classier time. It’s still a very fun place to have drinks… with the worst service in town. The bar will have and make any cocktail you want and the wine list is solid. But, be prepared for a wait or be prepared to just go to the bar and get your drinks yourself.

Not sure why this spot has only 3 stars as I had a great time.
Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s crowded and yes, there isn’t a ton of seating if it happens to be a weekend or conference weekend in Chicago. However, you can’t knock the charm and beauty of the lobby bar. The ceiling itself is a masterpiece. You can sit at high topped tables or couches/​chairs in a more lounge area.
Staff was friendly but was definitely running around due to the amount of folks clamoring for a drink. I had stopped in after work with a group and we were lucky enough to snag a table. We had to wait a while to order and one person in our group got tired and just went to the bar, but I still enjoyed it. You get the hustle and bustle of the city in a beautiful atmosphere with a great drink list and wonderful people watching.
If you can grab a seat, do so and have a drink and soak in the old Chicago beauty.

The Lobby Bar at the Palmer House is undeniably one of the most ornate and beautiful in the city of Chicago. The Palmer House is a landmark and frankly, deserves better than this sorry excuse for a bar.
I expect hotel bars (especially a really nice one) to be higher priced. That means $ 7 for a beer, $ 14 for a cocktail, and $ 12 – 13 for a glass of wine. At those prices, I expect professional, attentive service befitting the surroundings. You won’t find that here.
The last few times we’ve visited, it took forever to get served even when the bar are wasn’t busy. This weekend was awful — we had multiple employees walk past tables, ours included, instead of taking orders. Barbacks standing around ass-​scratching rather than clearing tables. It took us close to 20 minutes to obtain two glasses of wine from the surly, slow staff.
This bar sucks, despite it’s stunning location.

One of the nicest hotel lobbies anywhere and the bar is its epicenter. No trip to Chicago is complete without a drink at the Palmer House Lobby Bar. And whatever you are in the mood for — no matter how exotic — chances are they have it. Definitely a place to go out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Lame. Overpriced (expected for a hotel) with poor service. We asked our waiter for waters with our drinks not once, not twice, but three times. And it wasn’t even busy.
Beautiful spot though. I’ll be back when I have time to just stare at the ornate ceiling. But not to drink.

Recently stayed at the Palmer House courtesy of a recent visit and using a hotel website search engine (looking for a reasonable cost downtown). Before that I have never heard of the Palmer House.
Well do you know that the original family that owned the Palmer House is one of the first families to own a business in All of Chicago way back in the 1800’s.
In addition — the BROWNIE was Invented here!!! How cool is that? I am not even a huge brownie fan but those two facts are a great 1 — 2 punch!!!
WORD OF ADVICE TO MANAGEMENT, Picture this at Checking In —
«Hello Welcome to The Palmer House home of the Brownie!!!»
Uhhhh, Food Network (if it has not already been here) and a SH*T load of foodies would come here to at least try the Original Brownie!!! Had to get the Brownie which comes with ice cream and a mouse all on the side, not bad at all! Highly recommend. At least go to the bar for desert or a stay.
While sharing the brownie desert plate — I mentioned the Brownie story to a gentleman and his two pre teen kiddos who have been at the Navy Pier all day. They where totally pumped and appreciated that I took the time share the Brownie story.
Keep in mind the service is surprisingly off– the servers/​bussers are not clearing tables in the lobby bar fast enough. Nothing worse than seeing a middle aged couple dressed to the nines, going to the theatre sit at a table with someone elses old dishes because staff is a sleep at the wheel. That is what I witnessed — oh and they left out of self respect for each other.
Wouldn’t be ashamed of the décor as I read somewhere in the hotel that they went under a $ 170M renovation.
So the rooms are up to date and clean and there were glasses but no water in the room, ever and we were here for several days.
Tip: Ask ahead of time about outside noise, like other reviewers. Also, the walls in the hall way are pretty thin.
As for the Lobby Bar — Yes it is ornate, impressive but if you have been anywhere in Europe it is meh. For the States — Pretty cool though!
Have that Brownie!!!

The Sistine Chapel ceiling immediately captures your attention as soon as you walk in. Then as you sit at the bar and gaze around the lobby, you can’t help but picture what this place was like back in the 40s. My first time staying at the Palmer House and i made sure to grab a drink in the lobby and just appreciate the beauty of it.
I was enjoying my glass of wine and engaged in a conversation with a gentleman named Richard, who told me how he used to dream of once staying at the Palmer House when he was a kid in the Navy back in the 40’s. He’s been coming to this hotel for the last 50 years and he says everything has changed but he’s glad the lobby hasn’t.
This review is mostly about the atmosphere around the bar but as for the bar itself, the drinks are pretty pricey to go with the atmospehere but they’re well worth it in my opinion. Cheers!

I agree with both Thadd J and Alex D. It’s a relatively standard hotel bar but with more elegance and higher prices. It’s also a hit or miss experience depending how busy it is. When it’s quiet, the service is great, but when it gets busy it can be hard to get a bartender’s attention or find a place to sit. There use to be nice leather chairs which were replaced with more tables and seating… so that is a double edged sword of giving up comfort and class for convenience. I wouldn’t recommend stopping here for a drink… but if you are in the hotel anyways… and don’t mind high prices, it’s there.
Oh, you can actually get a drink then go the escalators to find slightly cozier/​quieter places to sit… but don’t expect a server to find you.

The Lobby Bar in the Palmer House has to be one of my most elegant places in the world for a bar. Combine with the fact the hotel was initially built in 1875, it’s quite the historical place. Although the bar itself is not that old, the Lobby is. And it’s a wonderful sight to see.
The bar and lobby area is very causal and inviting. Which is one of the things I love about this bar. Great place to sit and have a few drinks with friends. You have people coming and going from literally all over the world, so the people watching is very interesting.
I have stayed at the Palmer House on several occasions and the lobby bar service has been quite good during those visits. The drinks are priced higher than the average bar, but you have to expect that since you’re in a luxury hotel lobby, no different than other upscale hotel bars.
They have a respectable selection of liquors, wines, and beers. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding something you’d enjoy. But for the most part, the drinks are average at best. As it depends on who the bartender is for that day. I’ve had some truly great drinks here and a few that were just so-​so.
During the busier times, there’s wait staff waiting the different seating area within the lobby.
If you’re in Chicago, it’s worth a stop for a drink or two just to absorb the elegance of the hotel lobby. But it’s not a regular watering hole for that daily drink.

This is your pretty standard hotel bar.
The drinks, and especially the food are pricey. They are OK. Service was a bit slow at times, which was challenging since we didn’t have a lot of time before the theater, and there were very few customers at the bar — so no excuse.
Also we had a terrible experience with parking at the Hilton. You valet out front, but actually have to pick up the car downstars, and there was no one there to give us the keys to the car! We waited for over 20 minutes… totally unacceptable.
Will not be returning anytime soon!

Nice bar with Goose Island on tap. That’s good enough for me.

As others have said… beautiful ceiling. Hotel prices for drinks. And worst of all, the service is truly horrible.
Will not return.

Went there several times for their Bloody Mary! I also took a few bites (food is pretty good too).
The lobby is a really pleasant place, the architecture is beautiful, the atmosphere is great despite the fact that the bar is in the middle of the lobby.
The only reason why I am giving them a 2 star rate is because of the service. Every time I go, I have either one of two bartenders. One of them (the bald one) is really nice and makes very very good drinks.
The other bartender, the one with an accent (unfortunately I seem to end up in his section more often than not) is really rude, is not that good a bartender and has no customer service qualities whatsoever. He is not a people person (now correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is an essential quality for a bartender). Weirdly enough, I think I overheard him say to a guest that he has been working there for years and years now.
I guess they cannot manage to get rid of him, that’s my only explanation…

I stop in here once in a while on weekday evenings to do a little work on my laptop or occasionally meet a friend. Gorgeous room, the conventioneers behave themselves and the drinks are tasty (though at hotel prices).
Decent free munchies – I think it was popcorn the last time I was there. Comfortable seating – I sunk into an upholstered chair, put my computer on top of my lap, and did my thing peacefully. Clean bathrooms too.

Bar staff was short and rude. Do not go there…

I never was one to go to a hotel bar. But this one is pretty good. Lots of cushy chairs and sofas to use if you don’t want to sit at the bar. The place is nicely lit… not too bright and not too dark. They have a cool drink called the treetini, it’s basically a really fruity martini. The great thing about it is that they will plant a tree with every order! Yay to being environmentally friendly! There weren’t any creepers around, which was a plus. I hate it when guys troll around for ladies. Can’t they just leave us alone so we can enjoy our drinks?
I had to knock off a couple of stars because it took a while to grab the bartender’s attention. She wasn’t making drinks or making something for customers, so I didn’t understand why we had to wait so long to get serviced. Also, the snack mix that was served was a tad stale. Yeah, it just tasted like it was left out in the open, or it was a mixture of old snack mix left behind by other patrons with a new batch. Uhh, that’s a little gross. They closed pretty early for my taste. I went on a Friday night, and they closed by midnight. I mean, what kind of bar closes at midnight on the weekend? Oh well.
Overall, this place was decent. I would definitely take advantage of this lobby bar next time I stay at the Palmer House.

Went here with coworkers before a work dinner.
Beautiful room/​ceiling and feels like you are in some European parlor.
Not too busy when I went and the drinks are average priced but they did have $ 2 absolute martini specials! (Too bad it was too strong for me)
They also had great appetizers. My colleagues and I tried the lobster dog, truffle fries w/​roasted tomato aioli and mini burgers.
I’d recommend it for pre-​theater drinks and snacks but would not suggest making a stop there if you are not in the area.

This might soon become one of my favorite hotel bars! I mean, it is the bar «under the world’s most famous lobby ceiling» according to their own website, which I find hard to contest!
Very lively for a Tuesday evening with a very diverse range of patrons! Great place for an after-​work drink or to meet with someone visiting from out of town — equally appropriate and a great fit for a social meeting and a business chat!
Most people were dressed up in suits etc, but nice jeans would totally fit right in! Also loved the fact that while it was very «classical» it wasn’t dark or stuffy — very spacious and very warm!