Pops For Champagne

Good place for a romantic night or a girls night out. Great drinks. I had the black 75 and one other drink I don’t recall the name of it.
Also ordered the scallops and the cheese platter. I love, love scallops but didn’t care for the ones here. Stick to the drinks, food isn’t all that great.

Awesome spot for a date night or a GNO.
Try the cheese curds! They are «light» and flaky. Not overly breaded. Coming from a Wisconsin grad, so I like to think I know a thing or two about cheese curds.
Now, getting to the most important part, the champagne. Wide variety of champagnes and wines to choose from. Can get a little pricey, but worth it for a special night out.
We loved sitting at the bar, but the bigger booths/​couches looked great for larger parties.

Love the ambiance–
It’s the perfect place for socializing! It’s a lot more spacious than it looks from the outside but I do suggest making a reservation if you want to secure a table on the weekend. Otherwise, you could be waiting a while. You also have the option to hang out at the bar if you don’t care to sit. Came here with a friend last night and the champagne was fantastic! The sommelier did a wonderful job making suggestions given our preference. 2 half glasses of champagne ran us around $ 50 but they do have half glasses that start around $ 14.
Complaints–
Our sommelier reeked of marijuana and there wasn’t a hostess present when we walked in. Given that it was a Saturday night, we dismissed the hostess being gone, as it was pretty busy. However, being an upscale champagne bar, we expected more professionalism from the staff.
Overall–
Good experience. I would definitely come back.

Pricey and tourist-​y, but still romantic and fun for an occasional drink downtown. The oysters here are some of the best, incredibly fresh and come with a great apple compote topping. The deviled eggs with mascarpone and caviar were good. Drinks were pretty good too. Full bar, not just sparkling wine.

Very romantic type of joint here as I love settings like this in reference to champagne/​wine bars. Such a sexy mood here with the dim lighting and and the view of state street along with the mirror like TVs that was not turned on that gave me a reflection of the street from the angle I was sitting.
Me and a friend sat at the bar, but there were some comfy looking couches for groups as well as high tops. We drank nothing but rose’ champagnes and sparkling wines. My first glass was the Conard VII Rose’ which was phenomenal, but the J Brut Rose was awesome! We had maybe 5 glasses each and if we were smart we would have just grabbed a darn bottle, but its all good. The girl behind the bar Colleen was awesome in keeping us in the bubbles. I like this place and am shocked it took me so long to get a chance to try as I have walked by for years. Good stuff!

This was a cool spot for some bubbly-​focused drinks. The atmosphere is great for a Friday — Saturday night out as well as a fun, but more calm Monday — Thursday post-​work crowd. The area around it is also nice with lots of other bar and restaurant options so you can’t get bored.

I really enjoyed the setup of this place because it was loud and entertaining at Pops for Champagne with the live music playing but could go downstairs to Watershed if you were looking for a vintage whiskey bar.

Fantastic cocktail menu. Like. Wow. Wonderful service. Colleen was splendid! The rest of the waitstaff was friendly and efficient. :) Thanks for the lovely evening! We’ll be back!

What a fun place.
Where else can u go for champagne cocktails with a super cool staff and hip music.
From your modestly priced bottles to super pricey special bottles this place has it all. Fresh herbs and fruits for the innovative cocktails.
This place rocks!

We were in town for the holidays in Chicago and went for drinks after dinner on a Monday night at Pops for Champagne. I was surprised to see the place full on a Monday night. But, being that there was a live jazz band there made it a wonderful place to hang out. The setting is cool and modish with a bar right in the middle of the lounge.
Our waiter recommended to different bottles of champagne, both of which were not good. We resulted on the second bottle of the two he opened; however, I thought he did a bad job of recommending what he thought were good $ 150 bottles. I feel as if the waiter should have known what a good bottle of champagne should have tasted like.
I wish Dallas had places like this where you can just pop in, grab a seat, listen to live jazz, and have a reasonably priced bottle of champagne. The concept is great.

When you’re only in a city for 24 hours, you are careful when you select where to spend your time… Pops proved to be a right choice all around!
Three of us there for pre-​dinner drinks, and it was great. The atmosphere is just awesome: the décor, the waitstaff, the layout… And the drinks were inventive, well-​made, and memorable!
I wish I knew our server’s name… She was fantastic.

Sat at the bar with a co-​worker. We enjoyed smoked duck sliders and cocktails. I had the Corcovado– which was champagne (proseco), honey, lime, and verb Acai spirit. Not sure what my co-​worker had but he enjoyed it! Great crowd for a mild snowy night!

I’m very torn on my opinions of Pops. It’s definitely one of those places you have to either be in the «mood» for, or you’re dragged along with a Bachelorette party, birthday, etc.
First, it’s trendy. Like really really trendy. Spending $ 14 on a glass of wine in a space that’s impossible to maneuver isn’t my idea of a great time. I feel like the crowd is a mix of wannabe millionaires and people on the prowl. It’s an uncomfortable vibe and not one that I personally care to frequent.
That being said, IF you’re looking for a trendy, loungy type spot to celebrate a birthday or engagement, you’ll probably find Pops to be a good experience. However, call ahead and reserve a table for your group, otherwise you’ll spend the evening trying to dodge everyone standing around you.
Honestly, Watershed below Pops is way better, so if you’re in that area anyway, skip the pretentious vibe of Pops and walk down to a more fun and inviting spot.

Dim, bubbly, and jazzy vibe in modern Chicago.
Live music (after a certain hour? maybe 9pm?) makes this place great. Great place to sip a glass (or bottle) of sparkling wine smack dab in the niddle of downtown. As a tourist, I enjoyed some people watching from the window, stealing away from the chill, and enjoying the music in a chill atmosphere. The service was attentive and I felt a bit under dressed.
Great place for a date, a birthday drink, or to catch up with an old friend, which is what I did.

I had the samosas and my friends order champagne. It was good. Service was fine. Everything was a bit on the pricey side. Atmosphere was a bit snooty but what you would expect for a champagne bar. There appears to be a hidden restaurant in the basement which totally peaked my interest.

We had a great dinner at Quartino across the street, wanted the evening to continue. Ryan our waiter recommended Pop’s! He said ask for Christine she will take care of us, we did and she did. Snagged a great table near the windows up front, great people watching, great cocktails, great music. Service was a bit slow and we had to go to the bar to pay our bill, could not find our server. but all in all a great experience. Love the location.

Pops for Champagne is the total opposite of the resident bar downstairs, Watershed. The ambience is lively and the space is more open.
As the name implies, their menu consists of champagne. It may range in price from affordable to expensive. There are also champagne inspired cocktails, sparkling cocktails, if bubbly isn’t your thing. Along with that there is also beer, scotch, cognac, some wines, and some tapas you can savor on.
I had the 95 Decatur Street; a rye, cognac, and champagne concoction. Although it was good, it was nowhere as good as some of the cocktails I had at other establishments in Chicago.
Overall, it was a nice stop, as I’ve never been to a champagne bar. But it bordered on expensive for me. One visit was good enough.

I had walked passed Pops many times in the past and had wanted to check it out for awhile. Unfortunately, I think it looks like a much cooler place from the outside than the actual experience you have inside. It is brighter and much more bar-​like than I had expected. I was hoping for a more loungey feel but I was getting happy hours vibes from the place. There was definitely a large number of people there at 10 pm on a Friday night in Nike sneakers and Northface fleeces…
We ordered a bottle and the desert sampler. The deserts were nice, but nothing out of this world. The stemware was beautiful and the waiter was attentive enough – our glasses stayed full. I appreciated that they were playing fashion shows from Paris Fashion Week on the two tv’s above the center bar – that was a unique touch.
There were a few incredibly obnoxious and loud men there that kind of dominated the entire experience. Actually, I’m uncertain how they were possibly able to even get that drunk just off of champagne, but these guys managed to do it and made sure everyone else in the room knew about it.
Overall, I was underwhelmed. Champagne is champagne. I don’t need to come back to Pops to have another glass.

we stopped by here for a quick drink after a second city show. It was cute and perfect for what we were hoping for. The atmosphere wasn’t as much fun as I was hoping for, but the company made up for that. The service was prompt, the bubbles cold (and plentiful!) and the location convenient. We enjoyed pops but I’m not sure I’ll be running back anytime soon unless it just happens to be on the way home. Nice, but missable.

I cannot say enough about Pops! This is not a chain, it is the only Pops location. Let me just say that I love champagne (like if my body could live on just coffee and champagne I wouldn’t need anything else). I came here a year ago when I was in town for business and loved this place. Fast forward a year to September of 2015 when I came back to Chicago and one of the first things on my list was to drop in and hope it was everything I remembered… well, let me tell you it was all that I remembered and even more! I brought a friend who I talked nonstop about this place to. And we came here everyday except the day we flew back home.
Atmosphere:
It’s nice and modern but still casual and comfortable. There’s a nice mix of people coming in after work that are locals as well as tourists stopping in so you can be dressed up or down and not feel out of place. There are 2 rooms so you can actually close off the back room and have a private party of you like. There’s a bar when you walk in as well as some high top and low top tables, along with a couple couches and coffee table if you prefer that. The décor is not overdone by any means but there are some very nice touches throughout the place. Along with a wall of refrigerators in the back room stocked with champagne bottles (is this heaven?!). It also has a wall of windows that look out on State Street so it lets in a nice touch of natural light during the day and the city lights and sky at night… this also makes for some great people watching! We sat at the bar and chatted with other patrons as well the bartenders each day.
Menu:
There’s obviously a large variety of champagne by the glass or bottle. There’s also beer, liquor and a champagne cocktail menu. I’ve sampled quite a few of the cocktails, my favorite is the Mulligan. It has gin which I usually can’t stand but you can’t taste it in this drink, it also has citrus and mint flavors… a must try, I promise!!! They have some apps as well. Oysters, raw or steamed. The tiger shrimp is fantastic… it has the perfect amount of sweet and spice to it. The charcuterie menu has a great selection as well… the Montchevré honey goat cheese and St Angel Triple Crème along with the hard salami will knock your socks off!!! That’s everything we sampled. They also have desserts and a nice variety of other bites.
Service…(the biggest percentage of their 5 stars):
Michael was bartender each day we were there. Michael was great!!! Super nice, extremely attentive (not just with us, we were able to observe his interactions with everyone at the bar). All the staff is dressed well and very polite. Michael had great knowledge of all their drinks and food if you weren’t sure what you were in the mood for or had any questions. He chatted up everyone a little and was very easy to talk to. His drinks were spot on. He would get food orders in immediately and clear any plates or glasses as soon as you were done. He really helped to make it such a great experience each day and everyone he talked to felt the same way.
5 stars for service, atmosphere, food and drinks! I am already planning another trip back! Definitely check out Pops if you live in Chicago or are traveling through!

Review for 2 dinner visits at Pops.
Pops is fun. The window tables are great, the service is great too and it’s fun to sample.
We went with half-​bottles both visits. While it’s true that champagne (and frying) makes everything better, Pops is a lot of fun.
We had the 6-​item cheese/​meat board the first night.
Each time we went downstairs for a drink at Watershed.
Note: a small band sets up in an alcove at Pops maybe at 8 or so. We missed them both visits, to our regret.
You’ll like Pops whether you sample by the glass or indulge in a bottle.

I really like this place. Its atmosphere is the perfect combination of upscale and trendy. While I might not think of it as an overly romantic place for a date, it is an awesome location to catch up with friends over drinks and some bites. Their cocktails are all delicious and have funny names. My personal favorite is «Bad Girl, Drunk by Six» and I usually order it right after work at around 5:30PM just for a laugh. Don’t expect real food real food here though — it’s mostly small plates of bar food (cough cough cheese curds and charcuterie).
They have $ 1 oyster deals every Tuesday and Thursday from either 4 or 5 o’clock till 7PM, which is one of my fave things to go to.

This is an update after visiting on May 16, 2015. I love this place for its atmosphere and vibe. Great crowd and great place to hang out. Every time I take someone to Pops who has never been, I get the thumbs up.
I hope they are considering expansion plans to other cities. Keep in mind (If you can after several glasses of bubbly) it is a bar similar to what you find in other cities but it has a different vibe because of the type of customer they are able to attract. Be sure to be there on your next trip to DT Chicago.

Pops for Champagne is the best way to blow up your Saturday afternoon or really any afternoon or evening. We were wandering around Chicago looking for a cookie of all things when we came to a corner and looked across the street and saw Pops for Champagne. Being inquisitive and some of the biggest fans of bubbles in wine we had to check it out. We were greeted so enthusiastically we had to stay. It was 3pm and we had 9:30 dinner reservations (I love a big city). So what better way to while away the hours than putting smiles on?
We were sat in the back by the Champ display (coolers) and I wished that this was my kitchen. I wanted to go home and throw out my fridge and replace it with glass front coolers full of every sparkler ever made. I couldn’t stop staring at this grandeur, probably one of my favorite Museums in Chicago. The modern design and layout adds so much more to my Pops’ experience.
After navigating the intimidating and extensive bubbles list I settled on one of my favorites from back home (Northern California) that I haven’t seen in quite a while. A Domaine Carneros with a dessert trio to substitute the cookie we weren’t able to find. The wine was handled expertly by our fantastic and knowledgable server. Opened with a hiss and not a pop and chilled to perfection. The dessert trio is everything they have to offer that day on one plate and they pairs perfectly with the sparkles. We sipped and forked at the dessert until there was nothing left. Our server recognized that we had not had enough of this place and said she would bring us a couple of glasses they had that on offer that would be the same profile of what we were already drinking. We said HELL YES, PLEASE (because bubbles) and ordered a Triple Cream and a Honey Goat from the cheese menu. The cheese was served with thinest broken giant cracker so you’re sure not to get full off bread and to not overpower the cheese greatness. Bubbles make us (anyone) chatty and after hanging out with our expert (and two more glasses) we were invited back that evening after our dinner reservation for a table and more bubbles. Being powered by smiles we greatly accepted but starting at 3pm doesn’t make for a long evening. Thank you Pops, next time for sure!

Came here for like a 5^th time with a large party of 5. We got there early (5-​ish) and were seated nearly right away. Host was so gracious and gave us a larger table even though we were only 3 ppl at first.
We were literally there all night from like 5 till 11 or 12 pm! I’ve never done that before but we all had a fantastic time.
Food is always so great. Service is always excellent. Vibe is so great. I think I thoroughly impressed my friends by choosing Pops.

This place is a great place to stop in for drinks and some light food. That’s exactly what my friends and I did on our recent trip to Chicago. A few of my local friends recommended it the night before and we were kind of hungry before our dinner reservations and wanted to grab some drinks before we headed back to the hotel to get ready. We were probably there around 5:30pm on a Saturday and easily got a table on the main floor.
They have a large drink menu, which is great; unfortunately, my friends and i just stayed in our comfort zone. Two of us had vodka martinis, one ordered some wine, and the last a rum and coke. I know many of the reviews mention that the food is just average, but we thoroughly enjoyed what we ordered. We wanted to stay light since we had dinner reservations for just a few hours later, so just ordered the Frites and the Tempura fried cheese curds. I am STILL craving more of those delicious little cheese curds and I want to attempt to mimic them at home soon! And, I love truffle anything, so their fries were AMAZING. Whatever aioli they served with the cheese curds was DELICIOUS and the parmesan mayo served with the fries was just as good!
Our actual server got really busy, so Ashton was helping her out, and boy are we glad she was! She was great! Super friendly, talkative, explained everything really well about different wines for my friend, and gins since my friend and I were drinking vodka martinis and not too open to trying gin ones. She brought us gin samples (honestly, I’ve always said I can’t stand gin but have never had it)… unfortunately, I can still say I don’t like gin and now I’ve had it — but I really appreciated her taking time to let me make an educated opinion ;)
Overall, had a great time and can’t wait to come back next time I’m in Chicago!