Cindy's Rooftop Bar in Chicago Illinois

I was first introduced to Cindy’s when the Northwestern Football program had a charity event at this location. This place instantly stole my eyes and heart. I was in awe at the views and interior design. Cindy’s is a rooftop bar and restaurant located near Millennium Park in Chicago. Millennium Park is a popular tourist attraction better known for the Bean. I had been wanting to go to Cindy’s Rooftop since March of 2020, but COVID-19 derailed my dreams of going there for a while. Thankfully, on June 25th they reopened! I was glad to hear that they were reopening and following all CDC and local guidelines in regards to COVID-19. I was also glad I happened to be in the Chicago area when they reopened. Immediately I told my boyfriend, Rashawn, and we booked reservations for the first available Saturday night.

DRINKS: 

Pictured:

"What's the Tea?": haku vodka, sweet peach noir, green tea, lemon ($16)

Pictured: Left: "Submission": don julio blanco, del maguey vida mezcal, campari, lillet rosé, lemon, lime, sparkling water ($16)

Right: "Old Fashioned": russell's reserve 10yr bourbon, angostura, demerara ($16)

I was most excited for the cocktails, because I recently turned 21 and it's a bar, so I figured cocktails were their specialty. We tried three different cocktails. Two out of three were not our favorite. However, the last one we ordered won over our hearts. We wished we had ordered it first! First, we ordered the Old Fashioned and Submission. I really encouraged Rashawn to order the Old Fashioned because it's traditionally a "man" drink. Additionally, $2.00 of each Old Fashioned purchased was donated to a small business relief fund for Black communities in Chicago called My Block My Hood My City (I love that!). I knew that it wouldn't be my style of drink, so I opted for Submission. It sounded super delicious and the presentation looked aesthetically pleasing on the menu. In my opinion, Submission was drinkable, but it was not my favorite. In some ways the drink reminded me of cleaning solution. However, I will give it this: it was presented beautifully. The Old Fashioned was a bit strong for Rashawn and I agreed with him, but the quality of alcohol was evident. I expected it to be strong and not masked by other flavors. Therefore, I won't discredit the Old Fashioned, because it's supposed to taste like bourbon. It just wasn't either of our styles!

On a positive note, the What's the Tea cocktail was absolutely amazing. I could have ordered 5 more (my wallet would have hated me!). It was extremely refreshing. It wasn't too sweet and it didn't taste like alcohol (this could be a bad thing for some). I'm a huge green tea fan, so it was right up my alley. I should have known this from the beginning. The sweet peach noir really brought everything together and almost reminded me of the south. The attention to detail with the ice was impressive and delightful. The ice was nugget style, which also gave me southern tea vibes. If I closed my eyes, I was on a front porch swing watching sunset sipping sweet peach tea. I would go back to Cindy's just for this cocktail. It was so unique and wonderful for summer time drinking.

FOOD: 

Pictured:

Local charcuterie: selection of cured and dried meats, house-made preserves, grilled bread ($25)

Due to COVID-19, the menu was very limited. The Local Charcuterie was the only vegetarian-friendly menu item. The bread and the mustard really stole the show (and filled my stomach!). The bread was warm and PERFECTLY toasted. I'm super picky about toasted breads, because more often than not they tear up the inside of my mouth, but this bread was mouthwatering and extremely fluffy. The chargrilled marks that lined the bread really brought it together for aesthetic purposes (I wish the bread had a longer lifespan, so that I could have captured its beauty for you). The mustard was made in house and was by far one of the best I've ever had. The mustard was perfectly tangy and powerful. If I had the mustard recipe, I would use it on literally everything! It was the last thing I would expect to take away from this meal and be obsessed with. As for the cheeses, I didn't think they were anything to write home about (so I won't). I think they were comparable to the average cheese you'd buy and eat at home. For the meats, I can't say too much because I am vegetarian, but my boyfriend enjoyed them. He said they were a little fancy for him, but they were good. We both agreed that the best part of the Local Charcuterie was the bread and mustard.

I would be interested go back when they have a full menu to fully explore what they offer. When we went they only had 3 appetizers on the menu and no entrees.

ATMOSPHERE: .

The view is why Cindy's Rooftop originally attracted me to visit. I can 100% say that these views were unbeatable. I had never been to a rooftop bar before and this one made me want to go to all of them. It was relaxing to enjoy these views paired with the remarkable high class service.

Unfortunately, I was unable to capture the beauty of the interior on camera because guests were not allowed to dine inside.

PRICE:  

This restaurant was definitely not the most friendly for a college budget, but I think it was completely worth it for the atmosphere. I think it's good to splurge every now and then. To be fair, COVID-19 had in some ways hindered our birthday plans, so this was one of our belated ways of celebrating with each other. I think I would find more value out of my money if we would have went to Cindy's Rooftop when they had a full menu. I would feel better about buying a meal in the $20-25 range versus what we paid for an appetizer.

SERVICE: 

The service was phenomenal! During COVID-19 they were enforcing all approporiate adjustments to adhere to the CDC guidelines to protect customers and staff. I was extremely impressed. I felt comfortable and safe. We were told the policies about three times before we were seated. I liked this because I think it showed how they valued the customer and our well being.

As far as food and drink service, I was also impressed. At first we were wondering why the drinks were taking so long to arrive, but after looking at the bar and realizing there was only one bartender, it all made sense. This is a respectable decision by Cindy’s to limit the amount of people working for safety reasons. The drinks were made perfectly and had great detail, so overall I was more than content with the service. The food took a reasonable amount of time and was presented very well. 

The waiters and hosts were extremely friendly and welcoming. They were always alert and ready to assist us. We were even seated before our reservation time, because we got there early.

UPDATE: While writing this blog post, I received some unfortunate news. Cindy's decided to close again due to COVID-19. Hopefully once COVID-19 is more controlled, you will get to enjoy the amazing views, service, food, and drinks offered at Cindy's in Chicago.