The Living Room Bar W Chicago City Center

I stop by here after work for happy hour fairly often. Am a huge fan of their bang bang shrimp on their happy hour menu and they make good cocktails. I usually get a dirty martini. I always see a coworker while there as is right in the financial district and conveniently located by my office. Staff is always great!

We stayed at the hotel so stopped here before heading in for the night. It was a Friday night and busy.....like 4 deep to the bar if not more. We really struggled to get near the bar or past the crowd to the lobby. We waded through like salmon trying to swim upstream and finally bellies up. We each had one drink and they do not skimp on the booze. The hubby had a Hendricks and tonic. I had some type of champagne mimosa which was strong and good. The atmosphere is dressy. I mean you had sports fans and casual folks that were staying at hotel, but the overall theme was dressy.The photo I posted was taken in a Saturday afternoon so not busy.

STRONG DRINKS..... A little on the pricey part we ate here our first night at the hotel because it was right downstairs int he lobby which was a good thing. We had slid and soup with drink overall it was really good but the drink is what made us stay longer, and our bartender was great. This is a great spot to go if you don't want to venture far away from your hotel, not a lot of space for sitting but they have food late night that you can order which is great.

Not a bad place! It is sort of a large, extended living room with a bar as well as high boy/tall tables in the middle. Service was friendly, food was what you'd expect and I liked their champaign mimosa type drink - though it packed quite a punch for me, more than I expected. It was one of the few places in the loop open past midnight, so this worked for me and my jet-lagged crew :)

I was meeting an old friend for a drink, we needed a place that was relatively close to both of us and where he could get a nice glass of wine. We definitely satisfied the first criterion, the second one I'm not so sure about.I haven't been to the W for drinks in ages, but it seemed like a decent place to grab a drink and chat on a Tuesday. I planned on meeting at Whiskey Blue, but since it's under renovation we met in the lobby bar aka The Living Room. The lobby area is sleek, sexy and beautiful. There is a curvy, snake-like cream leather couch with little nooks, appropriate for a little tête-à-tête or a little nuzzling. Complimenting the main area were tables and chairs off to the side by the main bar area. Two disco balls grace the high ceiling peppering the lobby with little dots of light and warm pink votives are sprinkled throughout. If it weren't for the check-in counter off to the side you'd forget you were in a hotel.If I were a guest I'd have mixed feelings about the lobby bar; it's not a bar in part of the lobby, the lobby is a bar. I'd think dragging my luggage past people canoodling could prove annoying, especially in winter months. However, it is a nice spot to kick back, relax and feel special.As pretty as this place is, there are a few things I feel that it is lacking. For starters, wine selection; while I don't expect a destination like this to have a huge beer list, I do expect them to have a decent wine list. If they did have one, they were keeping it a secret. My friend, a wine snob, was given the red wine choice of Cabernet, Merlot or Shiraz with no indication there was more than one variety of each - really? Second, the music was too loud; I know that makes me sound like an old geezer, but I don't care. The music should set the mood, not overpower it.I can't comment on the prices since I didn't have to pay, but it was pricey the last time I was here; I'm willing to bet it still is, most hotel bars are.Bottom line: 3.5 stars. Sexy, loungey feel with a nice atmosphere, just not all that ideal if you're looking to have a serious conversation or conduct some business.

Came for their cocktails, and they are AMAZING. $15 each. MAI TEA (North Shore Gin, Grand Marnier Peach, Orgeat Syrup, Lime, Earl Grey Lavender Tea) - It's extraordinary. Perfectly balanced flavors, the peach gives it a nice tropic hint, almost lychee like. They even topped it with a cute sunflower. Oh did i mention SUPER STRONG? I had a hangover at the airport to say the least. METROPOLITAN (Michters Rye, Raspberries, Grapefruit, Fresh Lime Juice, Basil, Peychaud's Bitters) - Too sweet for my liking, not as strong as Mai Tea, perhaps good for the inexperienced. Tasty but almost syrupy sweet.LEMONGRASS DROP (Tito's Handmade Vodka, St-Germain, Lemongrass syrup, Fresh Lemon, Pineapple, Mint) - Another winner, outstanding, delicious, strong, so refreshing but also good for night. Possibly some of the best cocktails i have ever had in my life. You don't have to stay here to come. Just GIT!!!

Stayed at The W Chicago City Center for a couple of days and figured we would check out the bar downstairs to grab a drink and watch the games. The atmosphere is very intimate which I liked a lot. For those wanting privacy they had cute and cozy tables towards the back with leather seats. For those like myself who simply wanted to sit at the bar and watch the game that was available also. Let me start off by saying our bartender was very sweet and even offered us complimentary chips as we decided on which cocktail to order. The selection of liquor bottles they had was also impressive. I ordered "The Southside" drink for $15 and was not impressed. My drink was too juicy and did nothing for me. Charging $15 I was expecting something a bit more especially it being in this area of Chicago at The W. Thank you for the service but no thank you for the specialty cocktails. If you do find yourself at this location stick with the usual beer or something else. I wouldn't spend $15 on these drinks.

For this review, I did not stay in the hotel overnight, so my comments does not cover lodging. Hotel look amazing on inside. Very trendy. Lobby and restaurant resembles a very modern night club. Located on a very busy corner right on the lake. Very disappointing experience. Arrived Saturday evening for an event. Valet parking is not clearly marked and door/bell staff was non-existent. After leaving car with valet, directions to lobby/check in was not clearly marked. Stood in line at front desk just to ask where "living room" was. Front desk clerk looked at me if I was stupid and pointed saying "it's over there." After looking "over there" I couldn't find a retaurant hostess. So I waited for my party in the bar area. The bar service was decent. Finally our party arrived for which we had dinner reservations. We were greeted by one scantily clad server. I was disappointed in what she was wearing compared to the scale of restaurant/hotel we were supposedly in. As far as dinner service, this is where the nearly decent experience turned disastrous. Again, we had reservations (at least 20 expected) and this was Saturday night in downtown Chicago! Our single server was responsible for not only our large group, but the rest of the dining room and outdoor patio with, what appeared to be, the help of one other server that was pregnant (I only mention that because of the concern for her well being, though she was moving very fast and totally outworked our server). The menu was very limited, basically offering one steak option, one fish option, etc. I ordered the fried chicken. It was very good. The horseradish sauce had a tremendous kick, which I loved. But the others that ordered it was turned off by it, not expecting it to be so strong. Others ordered the salmon and raced over it. From the time we ordered to the time we paid, 4hours had elapsed. Empty, dirty dishes sat in front of us for literally hours. Though it wasn't offered, I asked for the dessert menu. I wanted to order dessert, but wasn't willing to wait another hour or so for the service. The basics that comes with good restaurant service were simply not there. This experience was a complete travesty. It was embarrassing for our hostess and for our party. I would never pay money to this hotel again based on this experience.

Excellent drinks if you can get one. Our first bartender was very quick and professional and talkative - a good thing. The bartender who took over, not so much. She was more busy talking to another staff member than slinging. drinks. 'Living Room' is a misnomer though since it barely resembles any living room I've ever seen. Surprisingly, the W didn't put much or any thought into the decor of this room. The seating and small tables reminds me of the tables people reserved at night clubs in the 80's.

Like Alice from the fabled children's book, I felt that I had drank from the "Drink me" bottle and shrunk as I walked in the door of the W Living Room bar. For there before me were two of the tallest "floor lamps" ever, reaching two stories into the atrium and setting the stage for the new bar that replaced the old Whiskey Bar. Quite the spectacle! Surrounding these two focal points are plenty of sleek and comfortable banquette and chair groupings with plump pillows (in amazing colors like silver, hot pink and cobalt blue), low tables and stools, and high backs, all to give the illusion of privacy although you are basically in the lobby of a hotel. We went to celebrate a birthday with a little pre Opera bubbly and a nibble or two. Happily ensconced in the corner, our server, Victoria, was quick to find us and quickly had us toasting life with a couple glasses of our favorite sparkling wine. We also ordered two of their sharable plates- the tuna and salmon tartar (served with seaweed salad) and some Parmesan truffle fries (a bowl big enough for 5!) Both were quite good. But the real surprise came when our server returned, unprompted, with a plate of pear beignets with Happy Birthday written in chocolate script! Happy Birthday, indeed. Not a cheap date by any means. Veuve Clicquot ran about $23 a glass and appetizers are in the same range. Valet parking is available, if you drive, for about $24. While I doubt it will ever be a destination type bar- the Living Room is great at what it does- offering up a contemporary place to grab a drink, or to catch up with friends at the start or end of an evening. And with it's proximity to the Opera House, it goes on my list for a pre theater stop in. But back to Alice and her adventure . . . . . we could have used the White Rabbit and his pocket watch as we got so caught up in our celebration, we almost missed curtain call. Curiouser . . . .and curiouser!