Reviews of The Milk Room (Restaurant)

Aarti Bansal

While the Milk Room exudes that "coolness" factor as an authentic prohibition-era speakeasy cleverly disguised as Milk Room in the Chicago Athletics Club. The pricey cocktails don't live up to the legacy. The cozy bar has only 8 person seating, so you won't want to linger around too long! To make a reservation, you'll need to put down your credit card online or in-person (there's a $25 cancellation fee/person). Although reservations are hard to come by, we made a reservation a couple of days in advance and snagged a late night 11:30pm slot on Sat night. The cocktails are around $40 a pop. My hubby and I paid a hefty price of $272 for 5 cocktails (2 Gold Rush, Pimps Cup, Manhattan, Old Fashioned) and an artisan Cheese Board with 20% gratuity included. We've been to 20+ speakeasies all over the country including Manhattan, and this was by far the priciest. If you're looking for a speakeasy with a cool vibe, head over to The Violet Hour in Wicker Park, while The Berkshire Room has the best cocktails with "Dealer's Choice". The cocktails are good, but not memorable as my mind is drawing a blank on the flavor profile. I enjoyed the bubbly welcome punch Kir Royale with Crème de cassis topped with champagne. The Pimm's Cup was the most cocktail and most expensive at $48. While it was refreshing, it wasn't extra-ordinary or premium ingredients with just Pimms Cup, apple brandy, lemon, ginger, and orchard syrup. The Gold Rush was simply Bourbon. honey, and lemon. My hubby's Manhattan and Old Fashioned were on par with other cocktail bars. The artisan cheese board at $21 is a bit of joke with a few dainty pieces of cheese and crackers. None of the cocktails hit the mark and not worth a pretty penny. Hannah, our bartender didn't provide the depth of service we hoped for and seemed superficially nice. While she quickly rattled off the ingredients of our drinks, I wish she could provide a more detailed explanation of the cocktail. The hospitality didn't measure up to the pour. The Milk Room is a great place to impress a date or reminisce how Al Capone operated his business here. Fun to try, but over-hyped and over-priced. My hubby and I preferred grabbing drinks in the more casual lobby area.

kdyorn

Sat and chatted with Tia for about an hour. Personality was on point and I would gladly go back because of her customer service skills. The drinks were also extremely well made.

Bonnie Gebhart

Wow. The Milk Room is a little expensive but my, my, my - the cocktails are so very thoughtfully put together. Since there is also limited seating, the bartenders are very attentive. So very worth it if you love cocktails.

Mike Petritis

Hands down the most incredible alcoholic experience I've ever had. The wide selection (sans vodka but that's okay) of liquor and incredibly knowledgable bartender took my taste buds for a ride. Julia was easy to talk to and super helpful in guiding my choices. Sure it's a little disappointing you have to get tickets ahead of time and you only have two hours, but I think it's a well balanced experience. I will be back.

Jordan Lazaruk

This is hands-down the best cocktail bar in North America. Every step of the service process if executed thoughtfully and flawlessly. Hannah was a gracious and highly-knowledgable host. An unforgettable experience.

Justin Shaw

Samantha was an amazing curator of their unique and rare selection of antique and allotted liquors. If you are a cocktail enthusiast this is the pinnacle of your bucket list.

Emily Tolan

With only 8 seats its a very intimate bar. The food and drinks are fantastic. The bartenders are a dream come true. Conversation, drinks, etc. It can be very pricey, but with some rare liquors its quite worth it.

Matt Dowell

Spectacular cocktail experience. Knowledge and perfection.

Devin Ruddy

A really rare and magical bar that's completely focused on quality, hospitality, and unique experiences. Great for special occasions.

Mike Trombley

Excellent drinks; true craft cocktail

Bryan Dunk

The experience is worth a visit, but I'm not convinced the prices reflect the quality. If your really interested in rare and vintage spirits, then there is no better place. But if you just want a good cocktail, there are many much more wallet friendly options.

Stephanie Bianci

Awesome range of hip coffee and tea drinks. Just wish they had matcha tea. But a perfect accompaniment to the game room next door!

Christopher Mcneil

It's so delicious. The service was sociable and attentive. It has a nice atmosphere.

Mikey Griesbaum

Unique experience. Have wanted to go since it opened in 2015. It is certainly a niche idea. Bartender was great, friendly and knowledgeable. Even though it is small, it is not stuffy or awkward. The rare spirits interesting and worth the experience. I do not necessarily believe the 1948 bourbon I had was any better than it was back in 1948 after it's 6 years of aging, but I do know that there is not much left and that is possibly the only bottle left in the world. That being said it was very good. The cocktails are very good. The bartender will make whatever you want with minimal direction or ideas. Might not go back, but worth going once.

Emily Shen

Note to self—if you plan on coming here, be prepared to drop some big bucks. It's definitely worth doing some research on the Milk Room before coming here. Here's the lowdown: Where it's located: like many others, I had trouble finding the location and had to ask three people before finding the door. It's located on the second floor and your best bet is to ask around. How much cocktails/spirits cost: cocktails range from $28-60, and spirits are priced by the ounce. Gratuity is included. How reservations work: you must have a reservation prior to going. If you cancel, there's a $50 fee. What the experience is like: upon arrival, we were greeted by our lovely bartender who gave us each a drink while we browsed the menu. The room is small but dark, cozy, and INTIMATE. I definitely recommend coming here with someone you know well. Our bartender explained each of the drinks to us and left the bottles in front of us to whiff/look at. Our drinks tasted amazing, but I really couldn't justify the cost of the cocktails. Overall, it was a lovely experience, and I could see it being a wonderful place for the spirits/liquor connoisseur. Personally if you're just coming for a special occasion, I think there are places that are just as special that will cost you much, much less.

Paul King

You need a reservation. The drinks are very expensive. But you likely knew both of those things if you have heard about this place. One of the most unique and fund experiences I have had.

Rand Hager

Very cozy place; seating only eight total. Staff was very friendly and is able to focus a lot of attention on each customer. The drinks are amazing.

Maddy Osman

You’ll need to reserve your spot, but to warn you, it won’t come cheap. Tickets are $50 per person and must be reserved in advance, though the total will be applied to your drink bill. You’ll have a limited time slot for sitting in this eight seat micro bar, so make sure to plan accordingly. Look forward to drinking rare ingredients and liquors—and that’s all I can say.

paul gilman

Best whiskey experience I've ever had. Rail was a great host.

Meredith Zink

Unique experience I do not regret but will probably not repeat. Cocktails are created with rare and vintage spirits and therefore average around $40 which I was not expecting. Several small plates available as well. You have to make a reservation with a deposit in advance to secure a spot at the bar. Bartender was knowledgeable and skilled in her craft.

Rod Russell

Always an amazing time. The bartenders are extremely knowledgeable, and the selection of rare spirits cant be beat in Chicago

Julian Ratcliffe

Words cannot describe how unique and fabulous this place is. Spend a couple of intimate hours drinking rare and unusual liquors, some of which may be the so obscure that once it's gone there is no more.

Adrien Binet

Intimate and cozy, friendly staff and top notch alcohol. Liquor selection was heavier on whiskeys, mainly bourbons but there was also a very good collection of rye, scotch, and japanese whiskeys. Other spirits included brandy (cognac and armanac and more), tequila, gin, rum... Talk the bartender and let them know what your taste buds would like and let them take it from there. Be prepared to spend a nice amount of money, typical ounces to include in your drinks are between $40 and $100 but there are options to spend less or more. Had the carrot cake, it was a good supplement and end to our event. Will come here again at another special occasion.

Graeme W

ok

María José Rojas Latouche

Awesome

Ricardo van Dijk

Excellent cocktail bar at the Loop! It was an actual speakeasy at the Chicago’s Athletic Association. It now specializes in vintage spirits, offering pretty rare bottles. The oldest one was a Bacardi with over 100 years old. The barmen is very knowledgeable and willing to share the stories with the few (max. 8) clients seating at the bar. The old fashioned with a twist of 1970 Fernet Branca (instead of Angostura) was delicious!

Kevin Scott

Great experience, knowledgable friendly staff, many rare drink selection

Tim Iles

I give this place an A+ for show (hand crank for grinding ice, candles, very personal touch). Having 2ish staff for 8 people makes for great service. However, for the price I was not wowed by our drinks. We had the old fashion with vintage fernet and the Armelita Chico with mezcal.

ARR

Extremely rude host. On my birthday my party of 4 attempted to go to the Milk room for drinks as we 5 hours to kill before a show. We saw that walk ins were accepted after researching online, we knew that it was possible we would not get in however since it was only 5pm, not 11(all the reviews warned us not to try then bc it was the most popular time.). I waited 45 min for it to open in the game room. then walked over to the desk and asked if we were able to have drinks. He first words were "I thought I already told you..." Then he proceeded to explain their were only 8 seats and it would take 2 hours and only reservations were accepted. His attitude was rude and he was very short drinks at the ccr were not much better as our waitress was not attentive and forgot to bring my mother her drink and I felt like I was bothering her. First and last time here, but it appears I wasnt welcome anyway.

Trent Knesper

Love CAC one of the best clubs in the city great feel to it!

Victor Fernandez

Great bar u must go and see

Madeleine Daley

I really wanted to like this place, but the service was slow, all the games were crazy busy and being bogarted and the bathrooms had long lines. Probably wouldn't go back.

Jake Hanegan

Perhaps it was the mass-produced coup glasses, used at all the bars under the Athletic Association roof, that fell short of my expectations. Maybe it was the faux flicker of the medieval-esque electric chandeliers (conspicuous on the otherwise exquisite second floor), or maybe it was having to move my dinner reservation because ‘we could definitely only be seated at 9:45’, only to arrive at an empty bar that made me regret my $50 per-person deposit. My girlfriend, a Chicago native, had wanted to experience the Milk Room for quite a while, and we felt her 30th birthday was a perfect excuse to go. While the complimentary vermouth spritz to accompany our menu perusal was a nice touch, it was one of only a few such details that, especially for the exorbitant price, made this a special experience. We both had a cocktail with a 1960s Cynar, which was smooth and round, with refined complexity, in a way very few cocktails I’ve had have been. We arrived at this spirit choice after a short discussion with the bartender of our preferences. She however didn’t ask us any questions of our budget (something she went out of her was to do with an older couple that invaded our private bar about 20 minutes into our visit). I realize that we went to a vintage spirit bar, and were certainly expecting to pay top dollar for cocktails (I assumed $25-30 per drink), but I just feel as though a full unique and exciting dining experience is required for a drink that is $55. There are so many top notch bars in Chicago (definitely thinking of something like Violet Hour), that I don’t think I’ll ever be giving Milk Bar another $100 deposit. It wasn’t one thing that, regardless of the deliciousness of the cocktails, left us with a bad taste in our mouths, it was the sum all the little disappointments that leads me to give this low rating. Sit by one of the three beautiful fireplaces on the second floor lounge on a gorgeous leather couch surrounded by elegant dark wood millwork and enjoy a $13 cocktail, truly the best experience to be had at the Chicago Athletic Association.

Brian Good

Nice quiet low-key quality drinks

Jeremy Kun

Expensive, but so unique that it's worth going at least once in your life.

Dan Simpson

Somewhat disappointed. Service was fine, underwhelming. Virtually no explanation of the menu was offered at the beginning of the evening, yet the two guys who wanted to discuss Pappy got the full treatment. The bartender seemed knowledgable yet admitted that he normally didn’t serve at the Milk Room. I guess the regular bartenders weren’t available so someone else in the hotel filled in. Drinks were very good yet nowhere near worth the price unless you value the difference between older and new spirits in a way that’s not normal in any sense, imploring you to spend an extra $50 on a single cocktail. Our tab was $200 Plus tip for 4 cocktails and bread/butter. I’d be remiss to not mention that the Milk Punch was incredible. I loved the shaved ice. Bartender made me a Hanky Panky, off menu. Very nice. We also had a Daquiri riff (on menu) and a Corpse Reviver #2 (off menu), both expertly made. Compliments to the bartender filling in. Drinks were great. For the vast majority of cocktail lovers, you would love this place were it not for the bill at the end of the night. Save this up for something very special, if at all. I don’t know if it it was the shouting of people playing pool in the room adjacent to Milk Room, the flickering of fake candlelights, or the obscene bill at the end of the night, yet I wont be returning. Long story short: go to Scofflaw in Logan Square if you want amazing cocktails. You can have 13 cocktails for the price of 4 at M.R. Lesson learned.

Adella Deacon

Excellent drinks. Very knowledgeable staff

Raymond Tan

Amazing bar.

Joshua Pniewski

Awesome old school place

Jonah Orr

Truly a remarkable experience all around. The bartender is knowledgeable and friendly, and he took time with us to explore the menu. The drinks were the best we have had; all based on classics but with a new (or vintage) and beautiful twist. Everything contributed to the atmosphere, from the dark wood panels, the candle light, the hidden door, and the calligraphy receipt, the entire experience felt like an exciting secret that, for a moment, only we knew about. Absolutely recommend the Milk Room.

Arthur Clark

Good drinks but absurdly expensive. For 3 cocktails we paid over $110. I’ve had cocktails that were just as good/better for a third the price. Glad I went once but will definitely not go again.

Lauren Kelly

We have a lovely, intimate experience at this small bar. The surround bar is a little crazy, but once you enter the Milk Room, the doors cut off all outside sound and you’re at a gorgeous bar with super helpful and friendly bartenders. We definitely indulged with some pricey cocktails, but it was well worth the price. I can’t say I’ve had a better drink! We’ll definitely be back and explore a little more with custom cocktails off the menu.

Jen Halberg

Love the cocktails here, so good!

Jacqui Kleinhans

With only 8 seats its a very intimate bar. The food and drinks are fantastic. The bartenders are a dream come true. Conversation, drinks, etc. It can be very pricey, but with some rare liquors its quite worth it.

George Adam Savvas

As fancy a bar as you will find anywhere in Chicago. Really unique and delicious offerings

Emma Pfister

One of the coolest places we stopped in Chicago!

Alicia Lynn

Great cocktails and awesome venue

Karen Ivy

How could this experience be anything other than 5 stars? The bartenders were amazing and knowledgeable, the room small and focused, the drinks sublime.