Lobby Lounge

Big fan of the Lobby Lounge. Never mind the bad reviews here… you can’t please many Unilocalers. Some of them just live to hate.
Love the sliders. It’s a nice change of pace from the regular popcorn, which isn’t great. They have good paninis as well.
The service is solid and usually very quick.
It’s a fun spot.

Came in last night, Friday, for a quick dinner before seeing Sicario.
One thing I thought that stood out was the immediate attention the hostesses were when my Boyfriend and I arrived. They were very nice and welcoming, no doubt it was genuine. This was the moment that began to set the experience and expectations pretty high. Unfortunately it all fell pretty flat very quickly!
The lounge wasn’t packed at all and the lounge seemed like there was way more than enough staff to attend to the guests… That said, it was hard to believe the service after getting our drinks would be so terrible!
We had one waiter who took our drink order and then completely disappeared?! A different waitress came, after some time, to take our food order, with no explanation. Considering their menu, we waited quite some time for sandwiches & chips, and even quesadillas… None of this made any sense.
Serving sizes are pretty small, though I can’t deny the sandwiches were quite tasty. The chips (side dish to the entrees), their claim to fame, weren’t anything special. They were warm and aside from that I can’t see the appeal.
Once we got our food, that was pretty much the last time we had any interaction with our waitress. My boyfriends drink was empty, my water was empty, no refills at all. We ended up splitting his water, WHO DOES THAT!!! I could’ve used a little more sauce but our waitress, yet again, nowhere to be found!
I noticed the staff gathering and chatting in the corner for a good chunk of the night, while our glasses were clearly empty. Shouldn’t they be checking on their tables? I guess this is how this lounge works! Beware of what you’re getting into, you’re better off sitting at the bar or better yet going to Chop right next door!
We left the lounge and grabbed drinks at Chop, what a relief to salvage what was left of our dinner!
The only good thing I took from that lounge was the spectacular skyline view! Aside from that, I feel like this lounge is trying to be something they are clearly not! It’s clear they are trying to appeal as an upscale lounge… Unfortunately the lack of quality service does not reflect what they are trying to be. It is very sad that the service falls very short, it’s such a shame considering it’s amazing location and atmosphere!
I can honestly see this lounge losing its appeal with CHOP downstairs and new coming restaurant on it’s way to opening. It’s a shame if they continue running the way they did last night! Wouldn’t recommend when there are other places around the corner!

Convenience. convenience, convenience. The bacon popcorn was BEYOND salty. (This from a lady who salts everything). My tongue shriveled back into my mouth from the pound of salt they put in it. I also had cosmos which were dark red and super sweet. (Way too much cranberry and lime juice). But who are we kidding, no one is coming here for perfect cocktails. This place serves adequately priced drinks and food you’d expect from a joint in a theatre. Way dated décor… all black and red.

Piss poor service worse than a shitty dive. First it took awhile for anyone to acknowledge me while they had a group discussion about some shit and a manager type asked if I was being helped after looking at me a couple times. Nope. I’m just sitting at the bar for kicks. That’s all. I finally got my drink order in and the bartender asked if I’d like any water also. I said yes please. I had to hold back not saying out loud to her: so is my water ever going to come that you asked if I wanted? It never came. Never. Why bother asking me if you’re not going to give me any ya dummy? Waste of my fucking breath. Check please, I’m done. Fucking atrocious. NEXT.

I had the best experience dining here after a movie this past Wednesday. I visit this theater frequently and usually have decent service, but this past Wednesday was exceptional. I recently became Vegan and there were no options on the menu other than a pickle/​olive appetizer and chips and salsa. Not great. I mentioned I was Vegan to the bartender, Quinton, and he said he could have a Vegan pizza made. He explained what was in the pizza crust, and the veggie toppings he could add, minus the cheese. It was fantastic! Kudos to Quinton and his service. They should really think about formally adding this pizza to the menu! It’s a healthier alternative that I’m sure people would enjoy. I came back today and a different bartender had no clue how to make it… informing all of the wait staff about this option until it is added. ;-)

The lobby lounge, theater is a great place to relax, have a drink before the movie starts. The bacon popcorn is to die for. The involvement is very safe, pleasant. People are very warm, friendly a must to do in Chicago.

Great service from bartender Arianna! Super happy super fast and quick funny conversation while I had to wait an hour and fifteen minutes for my movie to start because it my first time option was sold out. But so happy they have this spot in the theater adults only and convenient for people like me who get there to early and have to wait around. … but now I can wait at the bar yahoo win win!!!

I came up for a drink and grab a drink before meeting my girls to see a movie on a Wednesday evening.
The bartender was extremely busy working alone serving drinks. I ordered a wine, not as easy and typical as a beer, but it took her a long time. She was very nice so I did feel bad, but for advertising the lobby lounge as a place to go before seeing a movie– they should hire more staff. I wanted to order a pizza but it would have taken 15 – 20 minutes so I went with an appetizer that took 10 minutes. I was starving– but I definately would not come here for dinner but only to meet with people for a drink if you have enough time to lounge. I don’t know how it gets later through out the evening but instead of buying a 11 dollar glass of wine or an expensive cocktial– save the money and just get popcorn, nachos, or whatever when you go see a movie.

I came up for a drink and grab a drink before meeting my girls to see a movie on a Wednesday evening.
The bartender was extremely busy working alone serving drinks. I ordered a wine, not as easy and typical as a beer, but it took he

Took my girl here the other night… big mistake.
The décor is tacky, nothing special. Felt like a child decorated the bar for adults.
Food was terrible and service was not worth my overpriced badly made drinks.

Worked here as a line cook two years ago. For the most part, when I started, the crew was made up of professional cooks with a pro chef at the helm. As the pro cooks dropped away it became the policy of Lobby Lounge to use and promote candy counter workers in the kitchen. Since I left the chef and sous chef have left and have not been replaced. I went back to see a movie and sample what the food has become and it is just awful. I would strongly recommend that you have a nice dinner prior to going to the movie and just have a drink with your film.

The management is consistently top notch. I’ve always walked away feeling satisfied even when servers have been spotty.

This lounge is a very trendy and hip place to have a drink before your movie with your group. The hang up is becaue of the bar, no one under 21 allowed, which is understandable but any minors in your group will have to wait downstairs. There was quick seating the night we went. The bar food options look great! You wouldnt go out of your way to come hang out here, but do visit before or after your movie at ICON.

I dined here recently for the first time and loved it! We arrived during prime time and were told that the wait would be about thirty minutes but it was actually only about five minutes so we were stoked!
We ordered Florentine pizza w/​a couple of glasses of Chardonnay…
My only complaint would be that the pizza was a little floppy and thus a little messy, it would have been better a little more crispier… other than everything was delicious, iur server was great, bartenders were fast and we made our movie on time! Can’t wait to be back!

No pre-​movie location needed when a lounge is included at the venue. Great idea on paper but in practice it was a failure.
The the Florentine pizza had a great thin crust with fresh ingredients and a unique tomato sauce. The bruschetta was compiled with warm toasty bread and a blend of garlic, fresh tomatoes, parmesan, all atop balsamic vinegar. All great except for the appetizer and pizza came out at the same time. Eh, I think as a server you can account for some lag time between the two. This is where things got off on the foot and the last time we saw our server for the next hour.
Empty plates sat for a good half hour no one was to be found for a fresh drink. Tried asking bussers, and they replied «I’m not a server», and other wait staff were clueless. No help in that regard. We ended up flagging our server down for the check and that concluded the shitty service giving us just a few minutes to get to the show. We debated walking out on the check to give you an idea of frustration from this Houdini act (which I have never done).
I enjoyed the food and the drinks were reasonably priced. Disappointing when the service has to ruin it. I am sure its hit or miss on a Sunday evening but this was a clear miss.

Excellent lounge. The food is not so great. My friends and I ordered food and 75% of our meals were deep fried. The drinks are really good though. They are small, expensive, but pack a punch. Just beware. You can dump a lot of cash there. 4 of us dumped $ 200 in an hour.

I’m a huge fan of this place. Great drinks and a large drink menu complete with movie themed cocktails, wines, and champagne by the glass. They have a selection of small plates, the food is okay, if a little over priced. They get packed on Friday and Saturday nights as early as 6pm, but the service is efficient and friendly. If you want to order food and get a table you should go at least an hour before your movie starts, if not more.

Menu is now a chuckfull of carbohydrates — panini, pizza, sliders, fried chips and dip.
Chicken Alfredo Pizza ($ 12) — sprinkles of chicken, flavor in the middle but not in the outer crust, thin crust was perfectly crunchy. One pizza for One person.
Coffee — super generic for a bottomless $ 3.
View from Window — NONE. You get an empty lot of dirt. In the future, there will be a garden.
Reserved Seating Cards — They are on every single table even though NO ONE was around. Maybe an attempt in pretentiousness.
Drinks — cute with the average price of $ 12. At least good liquor (Grey Goose, Smirnoff) is used, not cheapo well vodka.
You can get better value for your $ if you dine somewhere else in the South Loop before going to the movies. BUT, if you are hungry for a meal, besides buttered popcorn… then this would be the IT place.
Unlike the hyperimaginative review from UrbanDaddy… I totally missed the celebrity pictures. The pix are part of décor, not the centerpiece… just like in Kleiner’s Carnivale.

Mom’s birthday lunch at the Lobby Lounge? Why not!
It’s kinda fancy that the restaurant is completely separated from the theater level. Nothing like feeling ’”exclusive” or whatever. Seating is pretty ample (tables throughout the restaurant, seating at the bar), so I don’t picture this place ever getting overly crowded. The awesome hostess sat us by the window, which was probably the best thing ever as my dad became enamored with the view of the train tracks.
Food here is surprisingly delicious and semi-​upscale. Instead of your mainstream burgers and pizza, they have things like sirloin sliders and prosciutto pizza w/​pears. I decided to go with the chicken panini (chicken, pesto, artichokes, red peppers and cheese) on this AMAZING olive oil bread. It was fabulous (albeit a little pricey at $ 10). The sandwiches come with their homemade chips — which was probably one of the highlights of the meal. Definitely order the chips and sour cream and caramelized onion dip — it’s addicting!
The staff here are very friendly and accommodating! They gave us a list of all the movie times AND informed us that they could wrap up any/​all of our food if we wanted to eat it in the theater.
Enjoyable experience if you’re looking for something different before heading to your movie.
Oh, and shoutout to that amazing hostess I mentioned earlier. Why? She carded my sister and me! Wonderful!

While I do enjoy being able to kick back a glass of wine before a show… the Lobby Lounge just doesn’t do it for me.
1. The crowd is. Um. Just, um. Sort of a weird mix of older frat boys, groups of giggly girls from the ‘burbs, mom and dad on date night, and the occasional thug. It’s strange. Luckily, it’s at least all 21+…they card you at the entrance.
2. Having said that… it’s packed on the weekends. So, apparently the niche is a good one, and people want to get sauced before taking in a flick. The key here is, there is NOWHERE else to go even close walking distance to this place. IN the winter, that means… it fills up quickly.
3. The décor is «oh-​so-​Jerry-​Kleiner.» And while that probably kicked ass in 1995, I’m not feeling it so much in 2011. It’s red and black and trendy all over and I’m sure the suburbanites think its super hip to the tilt. I think it gauche and played out. OOooo, black and white photos of movie stars?! How creative! No.
4. Service is increasingly spotty. And, if you are attending a VIP showing of a movie, the entrances are up here through the Lobby Lounge. Great, except VIP means move your own damn drinks into the theater. I don’t find this to be a very smooth transition. Super awkward for the price one is paying to be «VIP» and have the luxury of buying one’s own drinks and moving them when the movie starts, and then trekking back to the bar to order more if that is desired. What is VIP about that?! Methinks not much. No service included in a steeeeeeep price? Um, fail. Especially when the regular tickets afford very nice cushy seats. I prefer Diet Coke with my movies anyhow.
So there’s the skinny… it’s fine, and in a pinch it’s OK for a drink, but I wouldn’t make it a destination, nor do I think it’s anything super-​duper-​special. It’s fine. They serve booze and people go there before/​after the movies because our winters are hellish, and people drown their sorrows before having to walk out and face the cold. Or large Hollywood movies. I can’t decide what’s been worse lately!

So, they were having «technical difficulties» with our movie and we were unable to watch it but we got two comp tickets for the movie of our choice… an hour later. We were hungry and the ticket seller suggested we wait in the upstairs lounge. Well, this was no ordinary lounge, people. It’s fawesome. The appetizer menu is a brief but sophisticated variety of upscale appetizers such as cheese and meat plates which boast assortments of Pecorino Romano, Gorgonzola Dolce, Dry Aged Prosciutto; an Antipasto plate that includes marinated olives, quince jam, toasted hazelnuts, dried fruits, and toasted currant bread. Obviously, this is no run-​of-​the-​mill hot dog and nachos menu.
For dinner, my date had the NY Strip Sliders, which were served elegantly on a rectangular sushi type plate. They were tasty but small; definitely more snack than dinner. I had the Basil Chicken Sandwich on Press Grilled Focaccia that came with homemade potato chips, which were crispy and heavenly.
Atmosphere is everything: the seating is plush, the colors vivid, and the décor so posh, it doesn’t feel like a movie theater lounge. It is a seriously cool and even trendy place with a stunning view. See my skyline picture attached. It was an unexpected surprise. Turns out Jerry Kleiner, the famous Chicago restaurateur is behind the boutique-​y concept. No wonder this place rocks!