The Walnut Room - Chicago Restaurant - Chicago, IL

The Walnut Room - Chicago

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Address:
111 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60602

Neighborhood:
Downtown / Loop

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Cuisine:
American

Price: $30 and under

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The Walnut Room - Chicago Details

Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Website: http://macysrestaurants.com/walnut-room/
Email: brian.rojek@macys.com
Phone: (312) 781-3139
Hours of Operation: Lunch: Daily: 11:00am - 3:00pm;
Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday: 3:00pm - 7:00pm
Payment Options: AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Cuisine: American
Executive Chef: Brad Saylor
Dress Code: Casual Dress
Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Beer, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine, Wine Bar
Catering: Off-site catering provided by One Eleven Events Catering. Visit 111events.com for more information.

Getting there

Cross Street: Randolph
Public Transit: CTA Pink, Green, Orange, Purple and Brown lines at the Randolph / Wabash stop. Both the CTA Blue line (Washington stop) and CTA Red line (Lake street stop) are less than 1 block from the store.
Parking: No
Parking Details: Discounted parking for Macy's shoppers at the Randolph / Wabash parking garage. Validation available at Macy's express desk on 1st floor.

A word from The Walnut Room - Chicago

The world famous Walnut Room has been a Chicago tradition since 1907. Located on the 7th floor of Macy's on State Street the Walnut Room is the first restaurant ever opened in a department store. With Circassian wood paneling imported from Russia and Austrian chandeliers, the 17,000 square foot… dining room is both elegant and comfortable. Conveniently located in the heart of the Chicago theatre district the Walnut Room is an excellent choice to take a break from shopping or for a meal and a glass of wine before the show. And don't forget about the Wine Bar at the Walnut Room. Opened in November of 2007, the Wine Bar features a small plate menu as well as more than 20 wines by the glass. After all, in our store, we have been feeding the shopping tradition since 1905.
Enjoy a classic Mrs. Herring's Chicken Pot Pie, French onion soup, or choose from the more contemporary menu offerings created by some of the country's best known chefs as members of the Macy's Culinary Council.Continued

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Diner Reviews

"The Walnut Room takes you back in time upon seeing it and if you can tag a window view do so for the overall experience!! The food was perfectly prepared and better than I had expected from reading some of the reviews. The only issue we had was the slow service and it was not very busy. It seems they need to work on this issue and hire more staff. Otherwise, overall our meal was great !!"
Dined on 4/12/2014
"Great place for lunch before matinee at the theater"
Dined on 4/8/2014
"The Walnut Room has been on my "Bucket List" of places to eat for a few years, so I finally got there for lunch the other day when I had a layover on a train trip to St. Louis. Chicago friends had talked about it as they grew up there, and told me what to order, so I was well-prepared. It was a bit of a splurge, but a nice way to break up a trip and get some exercise walking up to Marshall-Fields (Macy's) from Union Station. Everything was great; I had a reservation for early in the lunch hour, so was waited upon promptly and attentively. Because I ordered a salad and one came with the lunch (quiche), I took the second to eat on the train. The waitress was great and boxed it up for me and gave me a bag in which to carry it. Will return!"
Dined on 4/8/2014
"The ambience, the service, and the food was great. I took my co-worker to the Walnut Room for a belated birthday lunch. We had the quiche and it was close to, if not, the best quiche that I have every tasted. Compliments to the chef. Our waiter was friendly and the service was fast. Overall a very pleasant experience."
Dined on 4/4/2014
"We love the Walnut Room. I used to go there mainly for lunch as it is near my office but was happy to learn it is open most evenings as well. So we get dinner there often after work. It is always a relaxing environmnent, quiet and usually with some good background music quietly playing. The food is reasonably priced and the specials are always good. Service is as good as a far more upscale restaurant. It gives the upscale feel without the upscale price. I would highly recommend the Walnut Room to others."
Dined on 4/2/2014
"The food was good. The service was very slow as usual."
Dined on 3/26/2014
"I booked a Macy's tour (that was great) Made a reservation a week in advance for the Walnut room to avoid waiting. However, we waited 20 mts to be seated. The waiter took a long time in between his trips to our table before we finally got our meals. The soup was sent back because it was not hot. We had to ask for the check twice before we got it. The second time we had to ask a lady who seemed to be the manager. We will not return to the Walnut Room. There are other groups coming to the flower show and I will have to suggest a different option. Unfortunately, our experience did not end on a positive note. We also had to wait about 20 minutes for someone to come to the visitor center to give us our coats. Called twice for that."
Dined on 4/1/2014
"The food at the Walnut room was excellent, especially the pot pie and anything on a pretzel bun, but the service was terrible, at least from our waiter. The amount of time between his appearances was totally unacceptable, and the only thing that kept us from walking out was the "bus boys", who made sure to keep our water glasses full, and even filled hot water for tea very regularly. The waiter only appeared at the end because we asked for him so that we could pay the bill to leave. Very disappointing experience."
Dined on 4/1/2014
"Last Sunday 3/30/14. I stopped by with my family and surprised to see the place extremely busy. We had to wait a bit (not Long) for a table. The food was fantastic. The chicken pot pie was worth the wait."
Dined on 3/30/2014
"We returned to the Walnut Room for a Saturday lunch. The room itself is drenched in a warm ambiance. At first our server, was energetic and helpful. However, our meal took almost 45 minutes to prepare, the Salmon Nicoise salad was the guilty culprit which took so much time to prepare...really, a salad? We ordered 4 dishes: fish & chips special, was overcooked cooked and only a few fries. The cheeseburger, was to be cooked medium but, came well done. The famous chicken pot pie was only "ok", frozen carrots, peas and corn were used in the pot pie, not good. When the Salmon Nicoise came, we had to ask for dressing, none was on the salad, it was good but only 5 bites of salmon. There are many other restaurants in Chicago to spend your $."
Dined on 3/29/2014
"I have gone to this restaurant many times but this was a terrible experience. The service was terrible. We waited 20 minutes for water and bread. Then, it took over 30 minutes to get our food. The waiter asked me three times if I wanted more coffee and finally he brought the coffee. Not a great experience. I told them when we first came in that this was our lunch hour and we needed to get back to work."
Dined on 3/24/2014
"That the Walnut Room is an unsung gem (for locals) in Chicago. My friend, who is an octogenarian, chose the spot and I knew the landmark restaurant would be fine, but I never expected it to be really good. While the median age of the average diner is high, more office workers in the area should give it a try. The specials included Alaskan Salmon and each dish sounded delicious (I'm not kidding). My Salad Niscois was actually excellent!"
Dined on 3/24/2014
"The room is beautiful. There is a nice selection of food and wine. The server was knowledgeable, friendly and thorough. The prices are very reasonable and the food was delicious."
Dined on 3/15/2014
"I had recently gotten married before coming to the Walnut Room for lunch afterwards. The service was fantastic. Our waitress had great recommendations for our large party to eat. She was very attentive. The manager gave my husband and I some champagne to celebrate. The food was excellent. I'm a huge salmon fan and I think almost all of us had ordered it. The flatbread was amazing! I had wanted to come here because I used to come every year for Christmas with my mom. It's a special place int heart and I'm so happy to see that it is still a fantastic place to dine!"
Dined on 3/15/2014
"I had read reviews which were disparaging of the service. I was pleasantly surprised at how attentive our wait person was, as well as the various bus boys who brought drinks, checked on food, took food away - very politely and efficiently. And, the food was delicious."
Dined on 3/14/2014
"This was the second time I've had a meal at the Walnut Room. It's already my favorite downtown spot. In fact, it's become a destination. And I'm a bit of a foodie. The room itself is gracious and elegant. The food is fresh and beautifully presented. (The onion soup is fabulous.) I've decided to eat my way through the menu. The service is lovely. The prices are incredibly fair. You can actually talk to your companion(s)."
Dined on 3/15/2014
"This is one of Chicago's gems not to be missed. Great during holidays or before theatre."
Dined on 3/14/2014
"Basic & reliable Not quite as good as I remember it but OK Slow service.... Particularly considering place was almost empty Clam chowder had lots of clams,but too many potatoes and very blandly seasoned"
Dined on 3/9/2014
"The Walnut room is very popular for Christmas, but is often overlooked the rest of the year. It is a solid 4 star restaurant and, being in the theater district, a perfect choice for dinner before a show. Also, an excellent value for the food and service you get."
Dined on 3/8/2014
"I brought my nieces there at Christmas time and my sister for her birthday. Both times the service was just great. The waiter's are helpful and attentive. They don't crowd or rush you while you are dining. The food is absolutely fabulous whether you have a salad, sandwich or plated lunch. With our group we each tried all three types of lunch. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. Coming to the Walnut Room will now become a Christmas tradition for our family"
Dined on 2/15/2014
"Only had to park once. Service was efficient. Food was verty tasty and reasonably priced."
Dined on 3/6/2014
"We dined at the Walnut Room on Feb. 28 at 6 pm. Our server, Fawn, was outstanding. There were three of us in our party and we each tried a different entree. All were excellent (Chicken Pot Pie, Asiago Crusted Chicken, Almond Crusted Atlantic Cod). We also tried the Frango Toffee Pie for dessert. It was heavenly. The prices were quite reasonable, especially for downtown Chicago. All in all it was an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend the Walnut Room."
Dined on 2/28/2014
"Great food, good prices, interesting atmosphere, annoying store announcements."
Dined on 2/28/2014
"Food was excellent.Ambiance was great.Server...not so much!"
Dined on 2/28/2014
"The Walnut Room provides such a great dining experience. It's elegant and refined -- and very spacious. The menu is constantly evolving. My favorite mimosa -- with a splash of cranberry juice -- is served here. It's always an enjoyable experience to dine at the Walnut Room and I try to do so on a monthly basis."
Dined on 2/23/2014
"This was not our first time at the Walnut Room. We were meeting friends for lunch and had a large group, made a reservation for 8, but weren't sure if there would be 7 or 8 of us. When we got there, the hostess was rude. She was on the phone and couldn't be bothered with the 6 people in front of her. We eventually got to tell her we had a reservation and our name, then she asked how many in our party - doesn't she have this information, what was the point of making the reservation? She seemed perturbed that we still didn't know if the 8th guest would be joining us, then walked away for a long time. After 5 minutes we could only assume that they hadn't set up a table for us. The restaurant was 2/3 empty, very disappointing..."
Dined on 2/25/2014
"This is always a special place to take my mom for her bday. This time I invited her sisters and nieces. Service was OK. Food great as usual. One aunt pulled in her chair and cut her finger on a nail sticking out. They just put a bandaid on it. Would have thought there would be more attention and maybe a dessert for her. Disappointed in that, as I picked the restaurant and they all traveled quite a distance for lunch."
Dined on 2/22/2014
"A Chicago tradition that we just had to try at least once. Would be even better with a Christmas Tree, but always too busy during holidays."
Dined on 2/23/2014
"Service was amazing! I had a party of ten and we all loved the bread and butter. They kept bringing it ,Everytime without asking. I say the food is only good because I had the steak-medium rare and it was not the best. So, i asked for it to be cooked a little longer and he took it back with no problem. The steak still was not very good. So, I expressed that to the waiter and he took it off my bill! The Jam Burgers my friends had were very good though ! Also, the salads were to die for ! Just no steak!"
Dined on 2/22/2014
"Servers are kind, but service is slow for the lunch hour and the place was not even busy."
Dined on 2/19/2014
"We were looking for a place to dine before going to see Phantom of the Opera. We picked the Walnut room because we went down town early to shop and it made sense to dine there due to the cold weather. I hadn't been to The Walnut room for about 12 years and only for a Xmas tea so I was a little worried that this would be a stale place for dinner. To my surprise, it was very good!! My mom ordered steak and I ordered cheese encrusted chicken that was the best meal I've had in a long time. My mom said her steak was excellent! It wasn't crowded at all so it was missing the ambience, but the food was so good!"
Dined on 2/15/2014
"YOU HAVE A RICH HISTORY. WHY SPOIL IT BY UNDERSTAFFING. IT WAS 35 MinutesTO GET A GLASS OF WINE. EVERYTHING CAME OUT OF ORDER. WAITER VERY NICE BUT COULD NOT DELIVER DESIRED SERVICE FOR SPECIAL OCCASION."
Dined on 2/14/2014
"Took my wife there for lunch. It was a very nice experience."
Dined on 2/16/2014
"My boyfriend and I chose The Walnut Room because the last time we were in Chicago (around Christmas time) it was too full for us to get a table. When we were back in the city for Valentine's Day weekend, we were trying to think of a cute, but classy, restaurant we could go to where the food was good and the wait was short. We made a reservation at The Walnut room, didn't have to wait at all, and were seated right away. The atmosphere was quiet, the food was delicious (he got the BLT burger and I got the almond encrusted chicken, and we both split the cheese plate appetizer). We had a great server who was friendly and attentive. I couldn't have asked for a better evening."
Dined on 2/15/2014
"I found the floor plan very strange. The tables were adequately spaced, but it felt like sitting in a ballroom. The floor is carpeted, and every table is visible from every other table. There is also a feeling of openness because the surrounding walls are very low. At times, various people can be seen walking outside of the restaurants within Macy's. This restaurant may not be suitable for a "fancy date.""
Dined on 2/15/2014
"Top rate food; New York Sirloin and Flank Steak were excellent. Service was attentive and special request for a desert was addressed well."
Dined on 2/14/2014
"SO hadn't heard of the Walnut Room before, despite living in the Chicagoland area for over 25 years, so I suggested we go there for Valentine's Day. Our appointment was at 5:15 and the place was pretty empty at this time so the incredibly friendly hostess got us a table by a window. The server we had seemed rather absentminded for someone who wasn't busy enough to warrant it. We asked for two glasses of wine; he gave us one and we had to let him know the next time he came by, which wasn't for a while. He'd ask how everything was, but did so while walking past our table without stopping. Besides the bumbling server, the meal was good. SO is a celiac so he got the chicken entree off the gluten free menu. He's still alive now so well done!"
Dined on 2/14/2014
"The Walnut Room is a good place for a date, business or social outing. The ambiance is nice for any occasion and the service is impeccable. The food was good and I plan on returning to try other dishes."
Dined on 2/14/2014
"For Christmas, I purchased my grandson tickets for us to attend Phantom of the Opera. Each year we visit Macy's to view the Christmas tree and when asked where he wanted to dine before the show - The Walnut Room was his choice. We enjoyed the Chicken Pot Pie and Meat Loaf, the staff was professional and properly attentive. My grandson is 14 years old but felt he was King of the World with this experience. We will be back."
Dined on 2/7/2014
"Areas of the decor are quite old and run down. I realize that the fountain area will never rival the beauty of the Christmas tree but it certainly could be improved. The tables, chairs and table linens are quite nice. Serve was slow but friendly. The food was good and well priced. Very nice having a gluten free area on the menu."
Dined on 2/11/2014

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The Walnut Room - Chicago Details

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