My husband and I stumbled upon The Play Room this summer while we were just driving in the neighborhood looking for a place to eat and have a drink. It was a fresh night so we sat in the outdoor patio area. My husband was very pleased with the steak and I enjoyed the calamari and asparagus appetizer. We went again this weekend. It was too cold to sit outside so we enjoyed the live music and cozy indoor environment. My husband had the porterhouse again and enjoyed it even more than the first time. I had the chicken vesuvio which was excellent. Also, we split the pumpkin ravioli as an appetizer and that was DELICIOUS! I'd definitely recommend this place!
Review Source:really quick. i have to inform you yelpers once again about my favorite neighborhood place. you guys have to check this place out. daily food & drink specials are awsome, the football menu is in session. fall specials are coming soon. just a quick mention for my guys at the playroom lounge.  keep up the good work i know your coming up on 3yrs. there   "yelpers try an tell me i'm wrong"
Review Source:I have family that lives nearby and have often driven by this place - late on a Friday or Saturday it's quite a busy bar scene there. But it's also a restaurant earlier in the day.
So I met up with the aforementioned family at the Playroom for dinner on a Thursday night and was pleased. Decent sized menu with a number of options; mostly Italian. I ordered the cream of chicken soup which was good, albeit a little rich. The chicken and mushroom risotto was pretty good as well.
Everyone in our group seemed to enjoy the food. The owner was present and checked in with us a few times to ensure we were satisfied. Our waitress kept the beverages flowing, which is always a plus with me.
Since this is a bar, the seating is more on stools than ordinary chairs. Had my mom been there, she probably would have had a little difficulty with it over the hour and a half that we were there. There is outdoor seating in standard seating however for those afraid of heights! Â
Worth a try if in the area.
We live blocks from The Play Room and are thrilled that we have such a great place walking distance from home. Â We went as a large group tonight and everyone enjoyed their meal. Â I have had the chicken mushroom risotto and it is to die for. Â Tonight I tried the filet sliders and they were outstanding. Â Service can be a little slow but when enjoying good food and good company, you don't mind. Â All of the staff is friendly and I will say that the couple of tweaks we asked for on our orders came correctly. Â Dinner was also very reasonably priced. Â Can't wait to go back!
Review Source:I bought a Groupon for The Play Room because I was intrigued to see a restaurant with such a trendy vibe in this neighborhood. I went with my boyfriend for dinner on a Saturday evening around 6:30. The bar area was pretty crowded but most of the tables were open so we were seated right away. I ordered a French martini, which was wonderful and my boyfriend got a mojito, which he really enjoyed. We ordered the grilled calamari and our waitress warned us that it was spicy and offered to tone down the spice, which was a nice touch. For my entree, I had 'medallions of filet' with a portabello mushroom sauce, which came with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley. The sauce was delicious and the vegetables tasted very fresh. My boyfriend had a 14 oz porterhouse, which was a great deal for $14! Our waitress was very attentive and concerned about our needs. The music was a bit loud and we were seated close to a rather loud birthday party but that was not the fault of the restaurant. The Play Room is a really charming little restaurant and bar, and a hidden gem in this neighborhood that is not exactly a dining destination.
Review Source:Better late than never, we went for the 1st time on Valentine's Day. Â My husband had the Ribs and I had the Hamburger. Â Both had mixed drinks as well. Â Everything was very good. Â We were treated so well, high quality customer service and a good diverse crowd. Â The menu has some great choices and I'm looking forward to trying the pizza place next door, which they own, very soon. Â I'm also looking forward to the outdoor patio. Â Every time we drive by, the staff outside smiles and waves at the people driving by. Â Great atmosphere. Â Parking is not an issue, they have valet and you can park off the street on Belmont or Pacific Ave.
Review Source:I love this place. Â No, I really do. Â The food is great, the drinks are great, the place itself can get a little crowded and cause service to be slow, but with live music there as well as sports on the television, you really cant beat it. The dolce vita pizza is fantastic (ask for extra grana padano cheese on the side, you won't be dissapointed) and the beef fillet sliders are terrific. Â Regardless of how busy it is they never try to rush you out which is also a plus. Â In warmer weather they have outdoor seating with a fire pit. Overall a great place, I'll continue to go here often.
Review Source:I've eaten here 10 times and never been disappointed. The service can be very slow sometimes but it's a small family run place so it gets slack from me on that. Every single thing I've ordered has been downright delicious.
Sometimes they have Confirmation parties, big birthdays, and such.. at those times, seating is scarce.
Most definitely make a point to go during any Chicago sports game - they usually have a complimentary (2 drink minimum) all-you-can-eat buffet during the game, featuring delicious little gourmet chicken parmesan sliders, excellent pizza, and other snacky, but filling, munchies.
The decor inside is dark and upscale Italian. I always feel underdressed walking in wearing jeans, but the owner has assured me that my money is green no matter what clothes I'm wearing. Funny, but I still wouldn't walk in wearing shorts.
For a change of pace, go for brunch on Sunday and try the Lox and Bagel platter... Oy! It's fantastic.
Great dinner can be found at the Playroom without breaking the bank...it's far beyond what you might expect at a local bar. Don't let the cheesy sign keep you away - go inside and check it out. Â They know what they're doing in the kitchen and I highly recommend the playroom salad and grilled calamari. The bar is simple and cute. My husband and I like the weekly specials and outdoor seating in the Summer. We've always left before the live entertainment but are aware that it's offered. Tends to be mostly patronized by the 30+ year-old crowd and one of the owners is always there.
Review Source:This neighborhood is in need of a great neighborhood restaurant lounge. Â And THIS IS NOT IT!!! Â Â The only thing that may be good is the sitting/smoking area outside in the parkway (next to the parked cars). Â
We have been here 3 times and each time was disappointing. Â The worst part of it has been the service. Â You are lucky to get noticed and served within the first 20 minutes. Â And then when you want another drink you are forced to walk up to the bar to get another drink. Â The wait staff seems to disappear into the little back area by the bar (2 of the 3 times we were there - the other time we sat at the bar for drinks only at that time the bartender did provide good service and engaged in conversation). Â We have eaten light appetizers twice and he food was fair but doesn't make up for the lack of service. Â There are better places to spend my money with wait staff that is interested in making my experience worth paying for and coming back for.
What a fantastic place!! Â I went there a few nights ago and had a feast and a half! Â I'm not sure who that little sissy Francis C thinks he is, but he didn't order half as much as me. Â The grilled calamari was fantastic, the pizza was great, I had 2, I skipped the salad because that is nothing but a filler and takes away from having more room for other food. Â The fish special was great, I also ordered the pasta special and the sicilian steak. Â You may be wondering why I ordered so much, but that is how a real man eats. Â People think I am crazy so sometimes when I am in a classy establishment like this one with lots of nice couples, so I bring a ladies jacket with me and put in on the other chair. Â This way, when my waitress makes a comment on all of the food, I just tell her my date is in the bathroom dropping chocolate grenades. Â This way they don't think I am some fat slob eating by myself! Â But everybody at the play room is quite accomadating and nobody seems to judge me so I will be back again and again!
Review Source:So I decided to stop by for dinner. Â I felt comfortable eating alone at the bar and barman John was very helpful. Â I had the chix soup, goat cheese, Sicily salad, beef sliders and lamb chops. Â Washed it down with pelligrino. Â John was inpressed, and gave me a mento. Â There was a lot of action around me, real nice womans. Â But just my luck the only girl that talked to me looked like Tony Soprano in a dress...Long story short, first thing this morning I kicked her out of bed and told her if she ever comes near me again I will have her arrested.
Review Source:Just had dinner at The Play Room, and it was delicious! We started with the grilled baby octopus, that was served with an amazing sauce. We soaked it all up with the good crusty bread that Lora, our server, had brought to the table.
My husband had the salmon with pesto risotto, which was the best risotto he's ever had. It was very flavorful and perfectly cooked. I ordered a pizza with prosciutto, arugula, and pecorino romano cheese. Just the right amount of sauce and cheese, and chewy, yet crispy crust, perfect!
Finished off the meal with the cannoli martini, which was just the right amount of sweet at the end of a good meal.
We recently moved to Portage Park and have been having a difficult time finding restaurants that we really enjoy. Here the prices are reasonable when you taste the quality of the food. We're tired of being disappointed when we go out, especially as we really want to support restaurants on the north west side of Chicago.
It's not a big place, so I suggest you make a reservation, especially weekend evenings, as they have musical acts on those days. The decor is nice, just saw that they are now doing brunch on Sunday from 10-3.
The Play room is now on our list of go to restaurants!
Really great place. We went here on Valentines day - the bar area was where most everyone was sitting and although they were full the staff was very friendly and cleared off a place at the bar for us to wait. Â Before we were done with our drink they seated us and went through the specials. Â We got the baked clams for appetizer - very good - and the two fish specials they had. Â Everything was VERY good. Â We will definately be back.
Review Source:love this place period.................  The daytime sever melanieiflat out amazing.  The food is always good.  i would suggest the cream of chicken noodle and  the chicken Vesuvius sliders.  at the same time.  the owner is really cool as well and down to earth. added plus!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The bathrooms are immaculate  and there is parking.
Review Source:Very good Italian cuisine!!! Â A little more upscale than the other restaurants in the area. Â Now for the night life. Â Place is packed on Fridays and Saturday nights. Â Must be wild kingdom, because seemed liked alot of Cougars inside. Â Prices were a little high, but not bad. Â Everyone there seemed to be more dressed up, than the regular jeans and t-shirt crowd. Â Looking around this place was like a scene out of Goodfella's. Â Was a fun time. Â Would go again, even though the nightclub music isn't my taste. Â Nice touch was the available valet parking. Â Management and staff were very friendly.
Review Source:I have been here about 6 times...service, food & atmosphere is consistently great. Owner & wait staff are very outgoing, fun yet professional and helpful with menu & wine choices. I love the fish tacos, little lamb chops and the risotto. Its nice that you can order a bunch of ap size dishes so you can have a taste of all while sharing with friends.
The live entertainment is great - please do not take that aspect away...it really is nice to be able to go out for dinner, drinks & entertainment in this area without having to go downtown or out to the burbs. Only suggestion is to please turn down the volume a bit...maybe after 10-10:30pm go all out but its a little loud for during dinner/drinks.
Just had a sample of the pizza to come...they were testing out the new ovens on a recent night & sent out slices to everyone for feedback...the crust is thin but not too thin (important) and CRISP on the bottom (very important) & has a nice Chewy middle (very, very important) & the sauce is savory but not over the top or sweet. Thank you for not killing it with oregano!! I don't know why people think they should use oregano on their pizza??!! I hope they'll do a Margherita version.
I think The Play Room has done a great job at providing great food, entertainment and service...Its a one of a kind place that is long over due!
If I heard it once I heard it a thousand times-Where do we get good thin crust Pizza? Well its about time Frank Amanti (former owner of Babalucci Wicker Park) opened a new place that will serve his tasty authentic thin crust pizza!
The Play Room moved into the old White Lounge space a few months back. A lot of work has been done inside- Flagstone behind the bar ,a 3 sided fire place, live entertainment Weds-Sat and yes a new pizza oven! Last night we had a chance to taste the first Pizza to come out of his new oven and it was so crisp and tasty for sure it will be the neighborhoods favorite and I bet they will do a lot of Rosemont hotel deliveries the Za is just that good.
A complimentary valet and weekly food & drink specials will help keep the place busy. I like the Monday night special 1/2 price bottles of wine and All you can eat Pasta. Loved the Blackened fish tacos, Chicken Satay, The Play Room Salad and the Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus had a Red Rock Merlot that was pretty tasty with my small sample slice of pizza.
We had Dawn wait on us she was a treat because of her old school attitude and service. The bar stays open until 2am on weekdays and 3am on Saturdays and they also cater food and have Sundays slated for Private party's.
I hear Frank plans on doing a bit of "old school Italian" in the back of the space serving Italian ice,Cicci and Lupini beans along with slices of pizza walk up counter style. Â I like the old school feel along with the good service and dug the pizza so I will definitely go back.
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