Recess

Love the huge spacious patio for both summer, winter, and to keep in line with covid guidelines!! Food and drink menus rotate regularly and I love that the restaurant supports a lot of local businesses. Some of my favorites are the seasonal burrata and buffalo chicken rolls but the dinner food is great too!

This spot can't go wrong! Great for brunch, birthday parties, celebrations, family gatherings. Great food, DJ friendly, and staff very attentive and overall a great place to enjoy some good! The prices were also good! I can't wait to return!

Such a fun place! We went out there in winters, patio seating was closed. Its actually more fun in summers Loved the chilli lime fries and chicken sandwich. Perfect place post work to hangout. All kinds of seating: standard, bar patio etc. Huge drinks menu which is actually good. Shout out to cindy for serving us so well.

Wasn't sure what to expect but I really liked this place; from the set up, to the decor, the music was on point on down to the big restroom sign that you can't miss. I had the friendly filibuster w/o CBD drink and salmon with the red skin mash potatoes. Delicious 😋 Kevin was a nice waiter and he recommended the friendly fullibuster and I was not disappointed. The only issue I had was they didn't have Tito's vodka. However, Recess is a really cool place that I would definitely return to.

This place is a winner! At the recommendation of my Soror sistafriend, we visited RECESS! I unapologetically like this place. Vibrant, friendly, creative drinks & good food. What else do you want in a social setting?! Very spacious both inside (bar space & seating) & out, which is ideal for the COVID that we are living in. I look forward to returning for brunch & the bottomless mimosas! Heads to the future! Cheers! 🥂 2nd Visit on 7/17/21 with hubby…Francisco C. is an excellent waiter! Great experience! Thank you! 3rd visit on 9/11/2021…with hubby & friends…Francisco C. was our waiter again! We desires more attention from him but nothing demanding….next table shared a glass of their Sangria with me (no picture). Sangria is a great buy! Very tasty! My favorite is “Machine” shot coupled with Royko’s! The Burrata is excellent as well! This was the Summer of 2021!

Fantastic cocktails and a lively atmosphere! There are plenty of games to enjoy with your friends, and ample space to relax.

Sweet vibes under a beautiful night sky. What more can you ask for? Many rooftops try to create what this beer garden does naturally and flawlessly. Their staff will take care of you from start to finish. Make your way to Recess for cocktails or a quick bite. This is Chicago’s best beer garden with a sustainable design.

Great music , good food and cocktails with some amazing customer service. The staff was super attentive and a delight ! Highly recommend this place for a group gathering ...plenty of space . Dog🐕 friendly patio seating is a definite bonus!

Great tater tots and chicken fingers. Big drink selection. Friendly staff. It can get a little crowded so make sure you have a reservation. The tables are socially distanced well for COVID. I like the area that it's in. It's kind of industrial by the warehouses and factories and highways. I've been here twice and will be back again!

Amazing atmosphere! Must see spot in Chicago. Just think of how much you enjoyed recess as a kid. This place is the adult version. Giant Jenga, Connect Four and many more yard games. You can borrow other games and decks of cards from the hostess booth. There is both indoor and outdoor seating with childhood favorites on the menu like tater tots! Must try menu items include the Turkey Burger and Pizza.

First time patron. It was happy hour on a Friday but early enough to beat the crowd as it was a beautiful day to enjoy the patio. The food was creative and flavorful; however there was some confusion about the pizza recommendation. What was suggested by a regular and what received were not the same. We expected thin crust and received pizza with a crust as thick/tall as a 1 layer sheet cake. Apparently the pizza vendor changed from the previous year. The pizza was tasty, but needed a side of marinara, garlic butter, etc. to dip the excess bread. Overall, the food was a hit and the drinks were creatively fun and tasty. Looking forward to another visit.

Food is pretty good, bottomless mimosas are great. Staff and service is great!! Cute vibe. Some patio games and such.

Such a fun vibe! Drinks and food were all a 10/10. Definitely recommend coming with a group.

We spent a friend’s birthday here and it was a great time. The chicken biscuit was delicious. Our server was Mannie and he was attentive, friendly, welcoming, and nice. He made our friend’s birthday a great one and we would consider coming back for another birthday. Mannie made our experience a great one! We enjoyed our time at recess.

Our office hosted our summer social here and it was fantastic! Great atmosphere, extremely organized, attentive staff, and fun lawn games to play too. Our server, Lucia, was especially incredible. She was so patient with our group, coordinating and communicating with me as the event organizer the whole time. She made the experience run so smoothly and took a huge weight off my shoulders.

I've been to this spot several times now for work happy hour events, and it never disappoints—it's become one of my go-to recommendations for group gatherings! The food is consistently excellent, with flavorful dishes that go beyond typical bar fare; everything from the appetizers to the mains hits the mark and keeps everyone happy. The service stands out too—the staff is friendly, attentive, and efficient, even when the place is buzzing with a big group like ours. What really elevates it, especially in the warmer months, is the outdoor seating area. It's a fantastic spot for summer events: relaxed vibe, plenty of space, and just the right atmosphere to unwind after a long day or enjoy a casual celebration with colleagues. Whether you're grabbing drinks and bites or making an evening of it, this place delivers every time. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a reliable, enjoyable spot for happy hours or outdoor hangs!

One of my favorite brunch places. The food is always immaculate. The bottomless mimosa are nice and strong (and they make sure to keep your glad full). The servers are always delightful.

This place was amazing! I had the best experience and the owner was beyond helpful and original. I ordered tye cheeseburger and it came with fries and a salad. It was juicy and so much flavor. Incredible! My husband had the mac and cheese with mushrooms and pulled pork. He's called it surprisingly and unexpectedly delicious. Exceeded all expectations

The vibes here are really great. The space is huge and great for big parties. Food and drinks were good too.

I've been wanting to check this place out for a long time and I got to head there on a Saturday night. They have very limited spots for walk-in (thought there might be lotta tables unoccupied and unreserved). When I was there and did not find any open spots for walk-in, I looked up reservation options and spots were available for every 15 mins. So I made a reservation while I was there and got a table. I was there only for drinks and pero much tried all their whiskey/scotch cocktails and they were all pretty good. Service was also good! They seem to be open fully during winters also. With such a large outdoor area, not sure how they would manage in the winters. I would be interested in checking them out during winters. It's a very fun place, definitely great for large groups/parties. They've got fun games. Indoor area has lots TV. So, it world be good for watching games as well! I would recommend this place.

Great indoor and outdoor space for small or large groups. It’s a dog friendly bar as well so your furry companion can tag along. Cocktail selection was great. Highly recommend the Duck Duck Drunk- refreshing with a great punch! Visited on a Friday night and it wasn’t busy at all. Was able to walk right in and find a table.

Tried this place yesterday. Food is delicious, vibe is amazing, music playlist is good, price is expensive but I would totally go again. I had the elote burger which was so good with a kick of chilli oil. The appetizer was the Hawaiian leaves wrapped sausage with sweet chili sauce. Everything was amazing. Four stars because of the price.

Recess has a great look to it. With most of its seats in its outdoor side. The place was filled, I highly recommend reservations to ensure you get a table. We order the $98 cooler which was refreshing and had about 12 cups. The menu is limited so don’t expect a large array of food options, in fact the food menu is one page. Parking can found on the street or across the street at paid parking lot which was $7 in evening at the time of this review.

Fire and Ice at Recess. Outdoor space large enough to keep COVid at bay. Wear insulated socks or boots, if seated at a fire table, which can be chilly for most. The warm drinks and specialty cocktails are some of the best around. Really enjoyed the warm cider and Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate. Drinks came, our food didn't but we had a great time. Music and the staff made this a four star despite the hiccup. Come early as this shipping yard gets bustling.

This is a great place for hanging out and enjoying some nice cocktails with a group of friends on a sunny day. The ambiance is fun and couldn't ask for anything better. I wish I would've taken more advantage of it during the summer months! Parking is easy to find. Also service is great too.

Good drinks and food with friendly staff. It was a little crowded when we came, so it took quite a while to get our drinks but thankfully it was good. Food was a bit pricey for the quality but overall fun place to hang with friends.

Went on a Wednesday and it was pretty chill. Good cider and decent prices. Would love to come back on a weekend to see the vibe. Only thing that kinda sucked was that our server forgot about us and it took us calling someone over for them to remember we were there lol.

I went to an event last night. This place is nice. The area is nice too. I didn't have any food or drinks. The drinks are pricey from what I've seen. The only thing I'll take away is no chairs with tables. What's the point of having tables with no chairs. I saw the chairs stacked up. Please fix that.

No Tito's Vodka????? This is the only reason why I took 2 stars off. Went during happy hour. What a great looking place in a great location. Plenty of photo opps here. The wait staff were very attentive as well. I didn't have much time so wanted something quick so I ordered the tater tots. Very tasty!!! My coworkers had the Chicken Parmesan sandwich. That was very good. You can tell this place uses quality ingredients.

I visited this establishment the night before NYE and had great expectations. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad which the waitress stated was a new item and taste really good. The salad was a big disappointment. For my drink ordered the “The Friendly Filibuster” I couldn’t finish it, it just didn’t taste good. I love vodka so that’s why I ordered it. Hopefully in the near future I can give Recess another chance.

Food is good, drink is ok, service is not that good. We went there Saturday evening, it was busy but not super busy, only when the first time, the waitress came early and ask for what you wanna order, later it was so hard to find her, every time it took about at least 10mins to get another order. So we only get one round and left. Actually the food is good.

We went to a party with some great DJs, and I was really looking forward to it. I like the location and how the bar is set up. My friend and I wanted to step outside, so we followed the sign that said “Exit.” Suddenly, a security guard ran up to us and started yelling, saying we weren’t allowed to be there. He was very rude and aggressive. I want to emphasize that there was only a sign saying “Exit” and nothing else. If he had told us politely, we would have immediately turned around without any questions. There was no sign saying “Staff Only,” no divider, nothing to make it clear. How were we supposed to know that, especially since it was our first time there? That being said, the music was amazing, and the cocktails were great, but this incident really left a very unpleasant impression on the whole evening.

Floors were dirty and the bartenders ignored me when I waited for a while. I don't recommend this place. The drinks we got used artificial dyes and was too sweet. Also, music is too loud can't talk even when it wasn't even late. This place sucks.

The place is fine, the food is good, the waiters do a good job, but if you have any problems, the manager really does a bad job. She just tries to make you spend more money instead of providing better solutions for customers.

This security guard was doing her job by telling not to smoke my posh but she failed by being rude and then comin gab k to shove me and being disrespectful and using curse words. I strongly believe if I was a women. She would have not acted the way she did .

I really wanted to like Recess because the space itself is fun and creative, but the service completely ruined the experience for me. The bartenders and managers were incredibly rude, and it felt like I was inconveniencing them just by asking for something simple. Instead of feeling welcomed, I felt like I was being talked down to. For a place that markets itself as a lively, social spot, the dismissive attitude from staff was disappointing and unprofessional.

They have a bottomless mimosas ad. Servers were awesome btw. But bottomless means bottomless so buyer beware. If you actually take advantage of the offer, the owner will find ways to block you from ordering more. Lmao. This might sound nuts like how much can you drink. But that’s the deal, and after only 2 bottles they blocked the entire group from ordering more. Buyer beware!!!

We went here for my cousins birthday brunch, party of 7. But our experience wasn’t great. Our server took a very long time for everything. Like To order, I had to ask for straws twice And apparently napkins too. Waited like 5-7 minutes For each mimosa refill and apparently they stop the refills 15 minutes before 3pm so be aware of that. They won’t tell you. So we had to rush when they’re the ones taking long. I’d say take your money somewhere else like La Cocina in Uptown Oh it was weird seeing kids in an environment where people are drinking. I would never bring a kid to a place like this

I was visiting from Texas and was excited to come to Recess. After our experience, I left feeling everything but that. We were seated promptly, but it took 15 minutes to be greeted. Our waitress kept passing by us until we had to literally stop her and ask if we could place an order. While giving her our drink order, another waitress came up and they began to go back and forth about who would serve us. That left us feeling very unwanted mind you. She eventually “placed our order. I put quotes around “placed” because after 30 minutes, nothing ever arrived. The food, the drinks, or the waitress. We saw her deliver food and drinks to the tables around us, 4 of which came after us! At this point we had enough and stopped our waitress to cancel the order. She just said “okay” and walked away. Not an apology or “let me see what’s taking so long”. Nothing. Very upsetting experience and will not be returning.

Was just there! Arrived at 4pm too watch the bears game! The waiter had an attitude and so did the bartender! It was like they were annoyed the fact they had too work! Place is very nice ! But employees not! All the hype about the place and was very disappointed! Had too leave! Go Bears!