Base Bar

Yeah, so I went here one evening for a few drinks, and maybe to grab a bit to eat. I had my brother in from out of town, so I figured, why not hit Michigan Ave and stop by here. Wrong. The service was completely rude. They just didnt care, and thats too bad. There in a great location…
The bar is small. The menu was small. The service was horrible. I can honestly say that I dont think I will ever stop back in.

I’m from Vegas, so I’m at the Hard Rock Hotel in my hometown a lot. So when I hit Chicago for Lollapalooza, I wanted to check out the lobby bar for the Hard Rock. I went with a couple of new friends on Friday night, and we walked past huge lines and into the bar. What were the lines for? Oh, I guess Kei$a was upstairs in a VIP suite. Thanks, I’d rather hang out in the bar. I got 3 cocktails for $ 27, which I guess is normal for Chicago. Our server Bailey was awesome. She was always ready for us before we were finished with our drinks, and had a great attitude. I was pretty stoked that we even found a couch to sit on in the first place as I figured the place would be packed. It was full, but not packed. They had a DJ rockin’ some good tunes, too. Unfortunately, Bailey told us that was only because of Lollapalooza and that the bar wasn’t always that cool. Glad I caught it on a good night then!

$ 22 class of house wine and $ 8 club soda… that’s all I’m saying.

seemed to me that this place was trying too hard. isn’t the hard rock supposed to be rocking? If you’re into the fancy martini’s and mojito’s seen check this one out. The Dow Jones special is sweet though. A couple of drinks priced at $ 5.00 and then the price is adjusted based on the Dow’s closing price. So if the Dow goes up 50 points the drink is $ 5.50 and if it goes down 200 points the drink is $ 3.00.
Might be a good happy hour spot if you’re still in your work clothes and in the area

Is it possible to just rate the bar at the Hard Rock? Well it must be okay cuz I’m doing it!
Stopped in to have some drinks with friends who were in town and staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. On a weeknight– this place is packed with business travelers and on my most recent visit– all of them were men. (Either the women are too smart to sit in a hotel bar or whatever convention is in town is predominately male!)
Service was slow, the drinks were good, and the place was noisy. You also get some olives to snack on but our server didn’t bring them until our second round of drinks.
We grabbed a couch and some settees in the corner and proceeded to catch up. I liked the set up with grouped seating that gives the air of intimacy where there is none– and the large windows also give you great venue to people watch.
All in all– an okay place. Just don’t think I’d go there unless I had people in the hotel as hotel bars are not my favorite kind of bar to drink in. Too much drama!

I’ll admit that they do have tasty concoctions and friendly bartenders. But it is still the Hard Rock and can’t help but notice all the Britney wannabees. Uuuugghhhhh.

It was my idea to meet at Base Bar before the Kathy Griffin show. I walk by it nearly every day and it looks swanky and cool.
I was looking forward to having a fancy, expensive drink (or two) all week. It was pretty crowded at around 6:30 on a Tuesday. Luckily by the time my group showed up a table had opened up and we were able to snag it and pull up some extra chairs. I ordered some type of martini with Paris in the name and the waitress later informed me that they were out of the specific type of vodka (you can’t substitute another one? okay) so I just randomly picked another drink. These «martinis» were $ 14 and on the small side. After having 2 of these, I left with nary a buzz. What?
By 7:45pm, the place had cleared out and we were the only ones there. I’ll give Base Bar another try but I don’t think I’ll get a martini off their martini list.

Nice place. Drinks are expensive but strong. Good to go with friends for drinks after dinner. A bit of an older crowd though.

This review is for the lobby/​cocktail lounge only:
I’d like to start this review by saying the only thing saving the Hard Rock from getting 1-​star is the extra bonus for having imaginative bar snacks — the fried wontons with wasabi coated peas were awesome.
We were here for the Looptopia festival, which might I add was very disappointing! Although I spent the early part of the night watching the Cavs/​Celtics playoff game, afterward I was not overwhelmed by the amount of events taking place in the loop — In fact, I couldn’t find one thing. Luckily, I had friends who spent a good hour walking the loop without finding anything to warn me not to waste my time.
They ended up at the Hard rock as it was the only place honoring the Looptopia drink specials. Not sure what was in the martini, but it was good. Our waitress was quite strange and told us the other specialty drink selection of the night tasted like «butthole.» Honestly, honey, 1. if you’ve tasted that, please keep it to yourself and 2. There are plenty of other unsavory tastes we can all relate to… PLEASE, make up anything else you can think of, but honestly, don’t tell me it tastes like butthole…
I guess you shouldn’t expect much from a hotel lobby bar, but this one is almost too large to be personable. It’s very open, so I guess if there were more people to fill it up it would feel more cozy. One plus of the huge space is that you don’t have people on top of you, but with the large open space and lack of seating, the next group pretty much jumped into our seats before we had fully stood up. Maybe put some tables in the middle to fill up the blank space?!? Also, there was a strange crowd… I think there may have been a concert about to start… I don’t know. There’s much better ways to spend your time (and money).

After a party at the Hard Rock gone horribly wrong, we decided to go to the Base Bar where it was free instead of paying a $ 20 cover.
The décor was very nice and sleek, and the couches very comfy. I got my Ketel One and tonic and it was very well made by a nice bartender.
We ended up going elsewhere, but I agree with others that this is definitely a good place to get the good times rolling. I’d love to come for an after-​work drink one day.

Base Bar is a decent choice for getting the Good Times started for an evening out on the town, or just a place to take the edge off after an exhausting day/​week at the office. I was first introduced to this not-​too-​conspicuous lounge (and it is more a lounge than a bar) last year during a weekend stay at the hotel. Since then I have returned several times for the pre-​club drinking and socializing whenever in the loop.
Base is located on the street-​level of the Hard Rock Hotel. The layout is PLUSH, appointed with well-​cushioned, slightly over-​sized black leather couches and ottomans, and small monitors showcasing various videos for your viewing pleasure. (The monitors are throughout the hotel and are part of the HardRock’s motif. usually featuring little snippets of music videos and performances). The lighting is warm, yet diffused enough to call dim. The space is very open and uncluttered, maximizing the see and be seen factor.
By day, you’re likely to pass it without noticing on your way to the hotel front desk, but this place gets festive at night. The atmosphere between 10PM and 1AM on weekend nights is bustling with conversation, smiles, and clinking glasses as top-​40s play in the background. Base draws a fashion conscious, chic, well dressed mid-20’s to early 30-​something crowd. Nice shoes, flat-​front slacks or fitted designer jeans, and fitted button shirts for men; and anything with clean lines and elements of shimmer or sheen for girls is the way to go. Casual blue jeans and sneaker wearers may feel more at ease walking to the Bennigan’s across the street.
There is only one bar for ordering drinks, and it is relatively small; however, the two bartenders manning it in the evenings are efficient enough to never have you wait more than 5 minutes for service on the busiest nights. The drinks are usually well made, pricing is decent, and bartenders always friendly.
If walking around, being seen, and mingling in the way only a true social butterfly is your thing, then the somewhat limited seating will present no problem. But if you’re hoping to sit and visit with friends or colleagues, breaking only to refresh drinks, then I suggest arriving early enough to claim the best seats — those on right as you enter from street. Actually, there are really no bad seats, but those on the right side are closest to the bar area, so reduces the amount of foot traffic to contend with when ordering subsequent rounds.
PROS: Great venue for mingling and networking! Drinks are always well-​made. Efficient bartenders. HAPPY HOUR discounted drinks! Good for smaller groups.
CONS: Limited seating on busier nights.

Where is a chic place to grab a drink in the lower 100’s on Michigan, you ask? Here. It’s got that Hard Rock vibe and terrific drinks. Wear your best ripped premium denim and Chrome Hearts anything. Though, if you smoke, i’d recommend looking elsewhere until 2008 when ALL the bars shaft you. So much for rock n’ roll…

Admittedly, I have never stayed at the hotel but I do like to frequent this bar. The bar itself is small but patrons can choose to sit in the array of plush couches, chairs and ottomans scattered throughout the entire lobby.
The Base Bar is great place to meet colleagues or friends for a happy hr or to pop in for a night cap when you are in the area since it is never too crowded. The added benefits are that the bellman will gladly hail you a taxi so there isn’t any braving of the elements & the occasional drunk tourist can provide free entertainment.
The drinks are made well and delivered by a courteous staff. Also, the food is mostly appetizers or mini sandwiches, but great to subside numbing hunger.

Had some drinks at the bar last night. I agree with the poster below. Ok drinks and service. The whole place seems to be living off the Hard Rock name.