Martini Park

Wow I had no idea this place closed 6 months ago. I went there twice in its existence and really enjoyed myself both times! Pity.

I have been here several times over a 3 year period. Each visit went something like this:
Drive around aimlessly looking for a place to park.
Reach the door of Martini Park and hope to get in free.
Check my coat then scout out a table.
Look at the martini menu then wait for a server.
Place my order then watch my server ditz around for 10 minutes or so.
Drink my tasty but too expensive drink.
Wait for drink #2 as I watch old women and creepy old men get drunk.
Stick around for the dj to play off music after a weird cover band.
Leave Martini Park cold, confused and unfulfilled.
I’m glad the place closed. I would like a refund of my time spent there, thank you.

I recently relocated to Atlanta but really wanted to celebrate my milestone birthday at a fun, hip & happening venue! Martini Park was always a place that I wanted to check out when I was living in the Chicagoland area but never got around to planning an outing with friends.
I started my birthday party planning by contacting the sales/​event manager Eileen D. at Martini Park. She was a true delight. She communicated all details regarding my table reservations and answered all my many questions I had to ensure that my guests would have a blast Saturday night!
Contrary to all the other reviews of Martini Park, all 20+ friends had a blast dancing to the IPOP cover band and just enjoying the tasty martinis served by our lovely but patient cocktail server.
I was impressed with the décor and layout of the bar. You definitely feel like you’re at a more «upscale,» HIP, trendy bar atmosphere!
My party guests and I were pleasantly surprised with how much fun we had and really appreciated the energy level we felt while sipping on our flavorful martinis!
A definite 2 THUMBS UP from me & my crew!
If you’re hesitant to check out Martini Park, give it a visit and decide for yourself! Everyone has an opinion but without actually experiencing the venue yourself, how would you know if Martini Park is a 2 star bar or a 5 star bar? *wink wink*

The concept is great… every martini your heart desires and the space is unbelievable… but the food is below average for the descriptions it’s given on the menu.
everything sounds worth ordering but when it arrives it is misleading. they should update the menu to read descriptions correctly and prices need to be dropped!
the kareoke nights are fun and when there is a live band you can dance the night away but as far as food goes skip it…
the martinis are rare and unique but not worth the trouble.
i think this place was great when it first opened but since has been slipping away on service.

I have to agree with the below review that said that all the bartenders are «too cool to be working» at this place. It’s totally true. They’re like door guys in South Beach, except I don’t think anyone’s on the list.
That said, this place is really great for private parties. There’s a platform area in the back, and they gave us open bar for an hour. This was on a Thursday, and there was some awesome Karaōke going on! They have a stage and everything for courageous drunks to get up and belt one out. I’m into that.
The bar was filled with well-​dressed yuppies who are willing to pay a buck or two more per drink to get some nice atmosphere and a bathroom where you can get a mint and some hand lotion on your way out (and, presumably, to be around other like-​minded yuppies). If you could care less about those things, stick to your local dive.
Added bonus: 90’s alternative rock dominating the Karaōke playlist. I’m REALLY into that.

Martini Park is very reminiscent of Las Vegas type of place. I love Las Vegas and each time I go to Martini Park, I think about my many trips to Las Vegas. People who go to Martini Park dress up. And that means, I have perfect reason to dress up and try on different dresses in my closet.
One of the reasons why my fiancé and I like Martini Park is the bands that play there. Every night a different band performs. And for some reason, the different bands at Martini Park play songs that we like. One night when we were there, the band played hits from the 90s. Think Green Day, Blink 182, Goo Goo Dolls. I like.
There’s cover charge for guys though. We try to get there early right after dinner for two reasons: 1) Get a table 2) Skip the cover charge. And then we just chill and enjoy the night at Martini Park.

I passed on Martini Park a couple years back (when it first opened) after reading some not so rave reviews on Unilocal.Decided to make it a last stop for drinks after Valentine’s Day dinner with my husband to meet up some friends for a bday get together.
I should have listened to Unilocal.
$ 10 for guys. Not a huge fan of the cover charge. I’m almost 30. I’m over it.
Overpriced (about $ 12 for martinis), watered down, drinks. Lychee martinis are my ultimate fav for their subltly sweet and simply clean taste. At Martini Park you basically get a lychee slushy mix, absolutely disappointing. My sister had a mango martini that was also a martini fail. Tried an app of fried risotto balls (a small plate of 4 for $ 11). Decent, but what fried food isn’t. I“m such a hater.
The atmosphere is definitely cool downtown sleek. Beautiful bar, huge dance floor. Loved the live band. They basically played top 40 stuff which was awesome, a little weird when the male lead singer sang Poker Face, but still entertaining!

This is my first time writing a Unilocal review and I’m jumping in with both feet right upon returning home from Martini Park because I was so unbelievably appalled by my experience there that I was driven by all that is right in this world to do so.
This place sucks for a number of legitimate reasons, none of which probably haven’t already been stated before. Nevertheless, I’ll continue on with my personal take on why it sucks.
1.) First off, I’m drunk. However, it doesn’t have a goddamn thing to do with the drinks I was served at Martini Park. All worthless substance and zero hard alcohol. It’s an old gypsy trick to make old people think that they’re going out and partying hard when, in fact, they are getting once hard earned money that could be better spent on medication to make their sex lives existent ripped straight from their pensions.
2.) Back to the old people. They can go to this place, stay out all night, drop hundreds of dollars, and wake up without a hangover. Why? Because there’s no alcohol in their shitty martinis. Hence, they feel young again because they can «consume alcohol» and not hate life the following morning. It’s a smoke and mirrors fountain of youth. Reenactment: «Oh hey, how was last night?» «Great! We went to Martini Park. Stayed out all night. I dropped a shit ton of money and, believe or not, I’m not hungover!» Oh, and if you don’t like martinis, don’t worry… they’ve got Miller Lites at 6 bucks a piece… sweet!!!
3.) The service. Every single bartender there is too cool to be working anywhere…
I’ve wasted enough of my time going on about this place. Tired. Bed…

I need to separate this into two separate reviews: Martini Park as a bar on an average night and Martini Park as an event space. As a bar, I think I’d give it two stars. But as an event space, it would get 5 stars all the way.
Let’s start with the bar part: honestly, it’s just not my scene. Way too expensive. I realize that the prices are on par with the other bars in the area, but I find them too expensive as well. The patrons skew towards the older side. The best part of the experience is the live music.
As an event space (where someone has reserved the whole bar), Martini Park gets 5 stars. Wonderful to work with, accommodating and the staff is wonderful to the event planners and to the event attendees. I’ve been to two events here and wouldn’t hesitate to go to another!

I went here for my friend’s 21^st birthday. I read a few reviews before going, and a few things were right on target. For one, the service was not good. Apparently, my friend called the bar a month in advance to make sure we could get tables. The night before, she called and said she was expecting 30 people. The night of, she only had one table and they marked her down for having 10 people.
When ordering drinks, our martinis would sit on the bar while the waitress did… who knows? It was a little ridiculous. We shouldn’t have to wait as long as we did for drinks.
But about the drinks. At $ 10 each, they were a splurge, but also were tasty. I had the strawberry basil first. Good at first, but the spice was just too weird for me after a while. After that, I had the Cherry Park Martini. Tasty, just like a cherry pie. Throughout the night, me and my girls all sampled each other’s drinks… coconut, cucumber, cosmopolitan, pomegranate blueberry.
The band was iPop, a great cover band. When they covered some songs, they sounded exactly like the original. They covered everything from Lynyrd Skynyrd to The Killers to Kanye West (I’ma let you finish, but iPop had the best covers of all time.). They left at midnight, and the DJ played both popular music and some older music. Also favorites like Sweet Caroline and Oh What A Night were played.
The crowd was in their 30’s and 40’s. We saw a woman nearby celebrating her 50^th birthday. They were going crazier than I was. That’s embarrassing. We were the youngest in there. If you wanna see a bunch of cougars let loose, come here.
There is a $ 3 coat check and a bathroom attendant.

This place has turned totally trashy since it opened. However, it still has a few redeeming qualities to make it worth your time. The location and size of the place are good so you don’t have to wait in line to get in. The drinks are fun and tasty (although probably loaded with extra calories and a bit weak). It’s easy to get to the bar and get a drink, which is always a plus.
Now the dislikes: I’ve never liked the music here, whether it was a live band or a DJ. Saw way too much gross bumping and grinding last time I was there. The crowd has turned much more trashy, but you can ignore it if you go out with your own group and still have a good time.

Sweet! New jack swing! I’m buzzed! Dance floor!
Er…“Dancing Queen”? Time to head back to the bar.
Wait…hip-hop? All right, back out there.
«Girls Just Want To Have Fun»? I need to be at a new, undefined level of drunk for this.
This bouncing back and forth pretty much went all night, until near the end of the night when it took a nosedive into the realm of heavy techno. They play current stuff, along with a nice amount of old school stuff. I actually appreciate that they worked in some Bee Gees here (probably to satiate the cougars prowling about), but yeah, you’ve been warned.
It’s decently spacious and somewhere I wouldn’t mind returning to, even though they’re one of the few places in Chicago I’ve been to that charges guys cover and not girls. Apparently walking in with five girls still doesn’t spare you… bastards.

5 stars for the location and size.
4 stars for the ease of service during happy hour.
3 stars for the drinks and wait time.
I’ve been here twice for happy hour and both times, Martini Park was busy, but not too stuffed to be uncomfortable. Service was fairly quick, but we had to wait a bit for our drinks. Maybe this was because we went during the rush of the after work crowd, so I can’t complain too much.
I’ve tried a few of the martinis, which weren’t bad. A couple of the fruity mixed drinks were too sweet for my taste, and really just tasted like juice — was there even any alcohol?
I’m sure Martini Park is a great venue given the décor and location, but I guess it has it’s hit and misses too. I’ll definitely give it another try! Maybe I’ll even be able to bump it up to 4 stars next time!

As some bimbo wailed «So What?» on the karaōke stage, I saw a white ‘roided out bodybuilder with t! ts bigger than Dolly Parton and a spray tan that made him darker than Wesley Snipes.
Is that cute?
My friends and I sat/​stood next to a table of wh0res — complete with pimp/​fat John. Seriously. The madam rolled up in her Bentley, double parked outside the bar, gave the girls the what for for not working with the client and getting out there and making money — and then she took off into the night… no doubt on her way to lead Pat Benetar down the path of marching an army of street walkers to rise up against the gold toothed.
Ok, the madam was sorta awesome. One more star for her.
But, for real for real — who *are* these people? Do they really live in Chicago? Is this some sort of experiment? What is this place? It’s as though I paid $ 10 to drink expensive juice and witness the Viagra Triangle form an unholy union with River North sports bars. This is the place to be to see skunk hair, skanky women, fake b00bies and guys with big asses. It’s true. I have never seen so many men with huge a$$es in one place. Does Chicago have an obesity problem or is J-​Lo spiking Lake Michigan?
The band transitioned from «Rock Your Body» («Heeey!!») to «Sweet Home Alabama» (not «Heeey!!») seamlessly. That’s not a compliment. Somehow, Miami met Carbondale on the way to Las Vegas. When keeping it chill goes wrong, there you have Martini Park.
This place makes no sense.

From what I’ve heard via word of mouth since Martini Park opened I wasn’t expecting:
–To like it as much as I did
–To be amongst the median age range
–To see a good ten-​piece live band
Y’all have been, like, «blah blah blah Martini Park is full of 20-​something byotches waving daddy’s credit card around in their Forever 21 sale rack dresses and… oh no she di’n’t!»
It wasn’t like that at all. The median age on a Friday after work seemed to be about 35! The outdoor patio was open so the windows let in a warm breeze as I enjoyed a cuke martini at the orange lucite bar while our mohawked bartender provided excellent service! What’s annoying about all of this? Not a damn thing.
We stayed for one long drink, then the band was starting as we left. The area for the band is optimal for viewing from anywhere in the bar. And it’s a huge stage, as a ten-​piece R&B outfit cranked it up. Given that their music was a bit like being at a second wedding for some 40-​year olds, it wasn’t the most daring music I’ve ever heard. But it was a damn tight band, laying it on the «one».
I’m so glad all the «cool kids» have moved onto other bars! I am uncool. And can therefore enjoy Martini Park at my uncool leisure.

I enjoy this place. Even though they do have a sister location in Ohio, there is creativity and detail splashed all over.
I’m a fan of martinis in general, even though if consumed too quickly, your head will hate you in the morning.
Martini Park is really huge space and usually huge spaces feel «empty» but I have never once gotten that feeling here. The vibe is very sleek and sexy. The design of the bars is stunning. The staff is fairly good looking as well.
I’ve never tried the food here, but the martini list is quite extensive. The Pomegranate Martini is divine. It’s made with belvedere vodka, pama liqueur, fresh pomegranate juice, and with fresh blueberries that sink to the bottom.
If you’re looking for something fresh, try the Cucumber Martini, made with cucumber infused 42 below vodka, cucumber essence, fresh lime, and garnished with a cucumber wheel.
I always assumed that Apple Martinis were a thing of the past, but Martini Park proves that statement is a myth with their Apple-​Tini. It’s very tart, as you can imagine, but everyone needs a bit of sweetness in their life.
If you love Champagne cocktails, like me then you would be pretty fond of the Pomegranate Royal, made with moet champagne, pama liqueur, and pomegranate seeds.
Whenever I’ve been in this spot though, the crowd tends to comprise of cougars and men who look like they belong in the Viagra Triangle. So, if you aren’t out to meet people, and you are just with some friends ready to have a good time and dance the night away with a fabulous martini in hand, make your way out to Martini Park.

A quite solid, 3-​star venue.
Now, granted… I attended a private event here, so perhaps I cannot gage the crowd as aptly as usual. However, I can comment on several other elements…
Coat check: $ 3. Hmmm. I feel that to park a coat in the dead of winter, it should be free… tips encouraged. Especially on a weekday. Just my $ 3.02.
Bartenders: quite friendly… and, cute. Bonus.
Bars: Many. I think 3? Lots of bar space to belly up, grab a drink, etc. Makes it easier for the ‘tenders I’d assume…
Space: Big, with pretty good layout. Dark woods, clean.
GARBAGES: please get some. At least one.
Drinks: No martinis on a Wednesday for me… but the mixed drink was strong and served quickly. I could be persuaded back to try something off the list…
Not usually my part of town to mingle in, but it’s not a bad option. I assume the crowd impacts the experience quite a bit, but hey… bring your own crowd then!
I’ll be back for cougar watchin’ and cocktails.

I gave Martini Park another shot for after-​work cocktails on my birthday, which fell on a Tuesday. We sat inside this time, and our group really enjoyed the swanky but not stuffy ambiance. On Tuesdays, they feature a live band, $ 7 old-​school cocktails and complimentary passed appetizers. The server came around a few too many times and we inadvertently made a meal out of our hor d’oeuvres– everything from mini cheeseburgers on pretzel buns to Swedish meatballs to chicken satay and everyone’s favorite, mac n’ cheese bites.
Apparently a lot of ladies had the same idea… gentlemen, if you find yourself in River North on a ‘school’ night, take a second look at Martini Park. Glad I did.

I love the look of this place (I’d love to get some of those wine glass chandeliers for my condo) and the martini list is pretty phenomenal, but as soon as the live band starts playing «Baby Got Back» and «Sweet Caroline’ you’re guaranteed to have a few doubts about Martini Park. Then again after a few of those martinis I often find myself singing along…

Rip-​off for food. FYI — their $ 5 appetizers for happy hour no longer exists, even though it was advertised in the Red Eye like last week. Therefore, I feel that six nacho chips with steak and lobster pieces should not cost $ 15, four fried mac & cheese sticks should not cost $ 8, and one long eggroll (which is incorrectly labeled on their menu as a spring roll; FYI — spring rolls are wrapped in rice noodle and not fried!) cut in half should not cost $ 7. For $ 32, I had 1 martini, ½ an eggroll, 2 macaroni & cheese sticks, and 3 nacho chips. WTF?!
The bartenders are arrogant and aloof; they are too busy talking to each other and people watching. But I guess if you do come here, just stick to the drinks. The martinis will cost you $ 10 – 12.
They charge cover on weekends, probably to attract the existing older crowd (i.e., cougars).

Wait… did I just stumble into an extention of the Viagra Triangle? Because it sure felt like it at Martini Park. Chock full of men in their 40s wearing blazers trying to get a little sumthin’ sumthin’ from the ladies dressed in their finest Forever 21 minidresses, it is the definition of a scene I try to avoid at all costs.
Waaaaaay overpriced shots. $ 22 for two lemon drops? Seriously?