The Aviary

The Aviary has a hotel lobby vibe, lots of hard surfaces with high ceilings. Very sterile in general. The cocktail menu has many choices and denotes spirit strength as well as which cocktails are high in presentation. This is key to the Aviary where presentation is clearly important. The cocktails were good and some of the presentations were clever but the prices clearly reflect the upcharge for these presentations. Overall, kind of fun to experience once but not likely to go back again.

Wonferful cocktails with different flavors and vibes. The 3:10 Yuzu was sweet and sour (just the way we like it). We made reservations ahead of time so no wait and service was good. Make sure to also book The Office while you're there. Different atmosphere and so much fun. Keith, one of the best bartenders we've met and will remeber. Next time, I'd like to order the dealers choice because he knows his cocktails. Thank you for a wonderful first evening in Chicago!

This used to be my fav cocktail spot to take out of town guests, or meet with fellow foodie friends 2-3 times a year to try out new drinks. Their drinks are still good, but don’t bother with their expensive food pairings! I’ve done the food pairings at least 4 times, each time hoping it was just a fluke that it was underwhelming, but each time has been disappointing. My pre-COVID Alinea experience was also very disappointing, so maybe Grant just has too many restaurants going at once to be able to maintain the quality he used to. Still like Roister. Next is fun. Check out the Office if you can, and order a foie snickers if they have them on the menu. One of the best things I’ve ever eaten period.

While visiting Chicago, my partner and I wanted to celebrate an anniversary in style and chose to splurge on a five course cocktail/food pairing. It was a little pricey, but a great experience. We booked ahead for a weeknight reservation and we were promptly seated upon arrival. The open lounge style is a bit odd, but it didn't ultimately detract from our evening. (The volume level did get a bit high as more guests arrived.) Overall, the drinks tended to be more on the sweet side, though the flavors were innovative and paired very well with the food offerings! Everything was beautifully presented. My favorite course overall was the peach aperol and duck. Most surprisingly good was the carrot margarita! All of the wait staff that visited our table were cordial and professional, answering any questions we had about the offerings. The pace never felt rushed and we progressed through the courses in our own time. I'm not sure I'd come to The Aviary for a casual cocktail, but I would certainly recommend it for a special event.

I can honestly say this is a great place and I wouldn’t want to stop anyone from going in and enjoying the experience. I just wish it was more tailored to the customer. As Barmini by Jose Andres We had the 5 course food and drink option, wish the popcorn came with it because it’s a must. Each drink has a special twist and the presentation was great.

Booked the 7-Course Kitchen Table to celebrate a birthday. We loved it, it was such a special experience. I was worried from other reviews of having not enough food, too sweet of drinks, being rushed etc but we didn’t experience any of those! The first drink was sweet but the rest weren’t. There were all kinds of drinks with all liqueurs, definitely something for everyone and showed the range of what the Aviary can do. We were so so stuffed after, and they didn’t rush us at all- our reservation was 2 hours and we had plenty of time to enjoy each drink and food before they brought the next one. When they had time, the chefs stopped by and chatted with us, it was really cool. Really fun to watch the chefs work, reminded us of the show “The Bear”, without the hectic yelling. They have so many systems and they run like a well oiled machine. Can’t recommend it enough for a celebration. Definitely recommend hydrating before and after though, they do not skimp on the drinks. 😂 Amazing job Aviary team, thanks for making it a special Birthday Celebration!

We’ve wanted to try The Aviary for a long time, and were excited to finally get the chance to stop in for drinks one evening. The interior felt a bit odd, like what you might find in a hotel lobby: open concept with an attempted update. But the drinks were fantastic! Definitely something you wouldn’t be able to find somewhere else, with presentations (and the price) to match. While this may not be a regular stop on our list, I could see myself going back at some point to show friends how fun the drinks were.