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Recess, Chicago, IL

Recess

4.1 (1478)
$31 to $50
American
838 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60642-6532

Make a reservation

2 people
9:00 PM
Booked 6 times today

About this restaurant

  • Lively
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Great for happy hour
Located in Chicago’s West Loop, Recess (838 W. Kinzie St.) offers a vibrant, playful, escape to the daily grind. Home of Chicago’s largest patio, Recess encourages guests to adult…like a kid, while serving up delicious American food and drink. The Recess menu taps into the cravings of everyday life, offering casually elevated dishes with playful Chicago swagger, while our beverage program takes a bright, ingredient-driven approach with cocktails both classic and original. In addition to the energetic adult playground vibes and menu offerings, Recess also offers a nostalgic array of indoor and outdoor activities including giant Jenga and Connect 4, all of your favorite board games.

Recess is a 21+ establishment.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service, Contemporary American
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Wed 4:00 pm–12:00 am Thu, Fri 4:00 pm–2:00 am Sat 11:00 am–3:00 am Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Boo Kim
  • Private party facilities
    Our sister venue – City Hall – is an unparalleled choice for weddings, private functions, live events, conferences, product launches, commercial video & photo production, and fundraising galas. The building’s industrial character is preserved with touch points inspired by historic municipal buildings, while classic details and finishes, enhance the space’s timeless decor. With your vision, our team is ready to expertly host your event of a lifetime. Learn more about City Hall at their website: https://thecityhall.com/
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Neighborhood
    West Loop
  • Cross street
    Green Street
  • Parking details
    A paid parking lot is available across the street on Kinzie.
  • Public transit
    Green or Pink Lines to Morgan StopBlue Line to GrandI-90 to Racine (right off of the exit)
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Dancing, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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What 1,478 people are saying

Recess reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.1
4.1 based on recent ratings
  • 4.0Food
  • 3.8Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 3.8Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Recess offers a lively atmosphere with "fun vibes" and "delicious" food, making it a great spot for brunch or casual dining. While service can be inconsistent, the smash burger and kid-friendly environment with games are highlights. Perfect for those looking to enjoy a meal with friends in a relaxed setting.
1,478 Reviews
  1. Cassie VIP

    Chicago / Illinois9 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on June 29, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    The service here sucks!! I wasn't greeted when walking in, had to tell the boy host I had a reservation, walked me to my table, asked where the restrooms were and he just waived his hands toward the direction I think the restrooms were. So many servers greeted our table, didn't really know who our server was. Pepperoni pizza came out burnt after waiting 30 mins for our food. Took forever to get out server to let them know the pizza was burned, she really didn't know how to handle the situation. So another server came 15mins later and took the pizza and took our order for something else.

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  2. Steve VIP

    Chicago / Illinois51 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 28, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Overall, we enjoyed the experience. Food and drinks were good. Smash burger was solid!! The service started super slow but got better as the meal went on. Our server was having to work tables plus a private group upstairs so not entirely her fault. Finally a manager came by and got our drink order after about 15 min or so.

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  3. Ariel

    Phoenix / Arizona1 review

    2.0

    Dined on June 21, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    Music was blasting, couldn't hear the waitress, no fans so it was in extreme heat and no way to cool down. They sat my group in the sun during a heat advisory and the food was not worth it. Spent 40 minutes in there altogether and won't be going back.

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  4. Christina VIP

    Chicago / Illinois8 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on June 15, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    We came to Recess for a Father's Day lunch, and when we walked in were greeted by a very intimidating lady who asked for all of our IDs. Our experience did not get oof to a friendly start to match the joy of the day. The food was average and I had stomach upset the next day from eating the chips and queso. This restaurant is fine for doing a lot of drinking and eating processed food but not for families.

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  5. Archie

    Unspecified1 review

    1.0

    Dined on June 14, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    We went for brunch at Recess. Our service was so slow and poor. After appetizers we waited for 30 minutes for our waiter to come to take order for brunch. Finally we spotted her and called her over to order that’s when she says oops it’s 3:04pm and brunch is no longer offered. She forgot to come and tell us 15 minutes ago. We were so disappointed that we left.

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  6. aimee

    Washington, D.C. Area3 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    We came here for drinks and apps for a birthday party and were underwhelmed. Our server was not very busy and not very attentive or nice. We asked to divide up the checks and she refused to do that. We probably won’t be coming back

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  7. jenise VIP

    Chicago / Illinois8 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on June 6, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Had two reservations for 10 and we called twice to make sure they would allow our guests to split bills. They said we could just pay at bar and that didn’t make sense to us because how would the waitress make money? So We called a few days later they said no we have to order from our waitress because of the reason we said. And that we would be able to split checks. Great! Well, the end of the night we are only allowed to split it two ways as you can imagine how stressful that was after we told everyone they would be able to split it. So then the waitress didn’t know how to handle the situation and had to go get her manager to talk to us like she, the waitress who that told us we could split. Her name starts with an S I’m not gonna put her whole name on here because I’m not like that but people need to not be allowed to do things like that. But this originally we had two waitresses they asked us if we wanted to combine it. I said sure as long as that makes it easy for them at end and they both make money. I said it I don’t know how many times as long as it makes it easy those two agreed and then this happens. The waitress that stood with us that starts with an S said she agreed to give the other waitress her table. I’m sure me describing this so thoroughly everyone involved is going to remember who I was and remember the conversation. So double check, take names of who you talked to. Or better yet just email them to get things in writing so they can’t play the switch. Not cool at all Recess. I don’t ever complain but this was sneaky and unprofessional. We have no problem paying the bill, but you know how messy that can get at the end of the night after people have had some cocktails.

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  8. Corentin

    Chicago / Illinois1 review

    2.0

    Dined on April 6, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Really not sure that we appreciate the service charge (18%) discretly included in the list of consumption and then asking for a tip to get double. Will be really careful next time we have to come.

    1 person found this helpful

  9. Pamela

    Wisconsin1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great time and great food. We stopped for brunch on our way out of Chicago. I'd love to come back and day drink. Food was delicious. Fun vibes

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  10. Joe

    Chicago / Illinois1 review

    1.0

    Dined on March 14, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    Potential discrimination when trying to make a reservation

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Recess does offer delivery in partnership with Uber Eats.

Recess is rated 4.1 stars by 1478 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Chicago / Illinois
  4. Chicago
  5. West Loop

Make a reservation

2 people
9:00 PM
Booked 6 times today
Google Map for Recess

838 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60642-6532

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Green Street
  • Neighborhood
    West Loop
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Wed 4:00 pm–12:00 am Thu, Fri 4:00 pm–2:00 am Sat 11:00 am–3:00 am Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service, Contemporary American
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    A paid parking lot is available across the street on Kinzie.
  • Public transit
    Green or Pink Lines to Morgan StopBlue Line to GrandI-90 to Racine (right off of the exit)
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Boo Kim
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Dancing, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • Private party facilities
    Our sister venue – City Hall – is an unparalleled choice for weddings, private functions, live events, conferences, product launches, commercial video & photo production, and fundraising galas. The building’s industrial character is preserved with touch points inspired by historic municipal buildings, while classic details and finishes, enhance the space’s timeless decor. With your vision, our team is ready to expertly host your event of a lifetime. Learn more about City Hall at their website: https://thecityhall.com/
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