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Food: B-Service: B-Atmosphere: A-Great historic spot in the old Marshall Field's/Macy's Building. Classy dining with good food that had well balanced …
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The Walnut Room is open for Casual Dining. The Walnut Room serves American dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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9 Reviews on “The Walnut Room”
Food: B-Service: B-Atmosphere: A-Great historic spot in the old Marshall Field’s/Macy’s Building. Classy dining with good food that had well balanced flavors. The special coconut shrimp salad with quinoa and habanero was tasty. Lovely walnut finish to the large dining room.
The food was great. The soup of the day woke my soul. It took a little while for the food to arrive but that only means the food is fresh and just made not reheated. The service was friendly and efficient and the place has personality and beautiful views of Chicago’s Loop.
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. ~ Humphrey Bogart in the movie CasablancaA classic by any other name is still a classic. Casablanca will never get old. Tolstoys War & Peace will never get abridged. Mozart will never stop being melancholy. A classic by definition is judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind. It is of a simple elegant style not greatly subject to changes in fashion. Classics come in all forms: music, books, movies, designs. And yes, even restaurants. Perhaps you are lucky enough to have a true classic place in your life. You know the one: it serves childhood memories and stands the test of time. That place where you come to be comforted and to celebrate. Maybe it evokes the spirit of your grandmother treating you to afternoon tea: your small chubby hands covered in jam, while she sits across from you impeccably dressed in her Sunday best.When I think of classic Chicago restaurants, the very first name that immediately pops into my head is The Walnut Room at Macys. Located on the 7th floor of Macys on State Street, The Walnut Room has been a Chicago tradition since 1907. Thats almost 110 years, if you are counting! Talk about standing the test of time. Not much has changed in its design over the last century. The Walnut Room is pure understated Old World elegance, with dark polished wood paneling and crystal chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the streets below. Yet it is comfortable enough for a quick bite while shopping or an after work cocktail. Restaurants come and go, yet The Walnut Room quietly remains. I told you, its a classic.Some things within its mahogany colored walls have changed, however. 2007 brought with it a solid walnut wood wine bar. For my money, this hidden gem is the best bargain around, considering downtown Chicago drink prices. Who would have thought that you can get a $5 glass of good wine in the Loop? Not me! Yet here is The Wine Bar at The Walnut Room, offering $5 glasses every Friday. There are excellent bar specials here most every day for those in the know. Thats YOU now, my friend! Tell them I sent you. The wine bar offers a few small plates and snacks, with hopes to bring more food choices to its clientele in the near future.Yet another change has come to The Walnut Room about three weeks ago. Chef Sharon Cohen came to be at the helm of this classic, bringing with her new energy and enthusiasm for the menu. I want people to think of The Walnut Room every day of the year, not just during holidays, Chef Sharon says. I am taking a different approach than my predecessors. I dont want to make this place anything it doesnt want to be. Its a classic for a reason. This is no place to try haute cuisine. I want to keep it timeless and classic, with maybe just a little twist. I can tell that Chef Sharon is excited about things to come. So, what direction is the menu going, Chef? Well, I will never take some things off the menu. Fields Special Salad and Peach Nest are mainstays for ladies who lunch. Our chicken pot pie is world famous, as is our meatloaf. What she wants to serve in addition to The Walnut Room classics are simple elegant dishes made with fresh products. I like the simple approach: protein, mash, veg. Everything fresh and executed perfectly. With maybe just a twist here and there.On my visit simplicity and execution reign supreme. My lunch kicks off perfectly with a cocktail. Blueberries are in season, so Blueberry Punch arrives, mixing house-made blueberry lemonade with vodka, mint, lemon and blueberries. On this warm day it quenches my thirst. Carrot and scallion soup makes the best of fresh carrots and verdant green onions, sprinkled smartly with black sesame seeds. The traditional Peach Nest is perfectly fine, and I can see why it is a mainstay for ladies that lunch, but strawberry goat cheese salad is better suited for my taste. It comes with creamy warm goat cheese medallions, candied walnuts and fresh strawberries atop the tangle of greens. My companion and I enjoy the flatbread appetizer: grilled naan bread topped with fresh and oven roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula and basil vinaigrette. Each bite is redolent with an unmistakable zing of freshly made pesto, almost spicy. Sweet chili glazed halibut is delicious, but on this day the highly recommended sea scallops steal the show. Following her pattern, Chef Sharon serves these jumbo beauties perfectly seared (crispy on the outside, velvety soft and barely cooked on the inside), with a side of mashed potatoes, crunchy bacon lardons and roasted fresh green beans. Simple? Yes. Simple to do? Hardly. For a twist, Chef tops the mash with a jewel hued pad of cabernet-shallot butter. As it melts, it changes the flavors of the dish into something all together different, more complex.Are you ready for a slice of history? Chef Sharon produces a single slice of Frango mint ice cream pie. Desserts are not my forte, but I oblige. Taking a bite of history tastes cool and smooth and very chocolatey. We savor it atop of bustling State Street, sipping iced coffee and lingering in this beautiful room, history washing over us. If these walls could talk, they would have some stories to share.I think about all the people who have dined here before us. I promise myself I would be back to once again be a part of The Walnut Rooms rich history over a plate of something simple yet perfectly executed. And return I do. The very next day. Why should I wait for the holidays? Today is tomorrows history.{This review was originally published on August 7th, 2014}
Stopped by today to check out the warm fuzzy buzz I hear so much about. I don’t get it. The place is dirty. Filthy chairs in disrepair. Stained ceilings with water damage and chipping. Sloppily dressed waitstaff. The food was okay at best. I really expected more. As mediocre as the experience was, it’s hard to sit in that beautiful space and not appreciate the rich wood paneling. Ignore the windows and you feel like you’re on the Titanic (sans iceberg). …tried for a lettuce joke in there, but couldn’t make it fit well.
Try to visit at non-peak time very relaxing and enjoyable. Great value for a restaurant in the city. The food was good the service impeccable. Gray holiday tradition. Beautiful room wherever you are seated! Pot pie was tasty as was the pasta and fish. They also have a wine bar!
Love the Walnut Room!. Such a great spot with hearty food and delicious drinks. The open faced turkey sandwich was amazing with whipped potatoes. They are known for the chicken pot pie which seemed more like a soup, def needed a spoon! Everything was wonderful and filling and our waiter was so nice! The eggnog drink was great and the coffee with (whatever the alcohol was? its on the menu) was grand!!!!! Def a must!
Amazing. Went there for lunch while on vacation. We were treated very well for being obvious tourists. Had a great salad, soup and the around the world cheese sampler, finished off with the apple struesel. Delish! This definately lived up to it’s reputation!