Bin 36

The Scene – This lofty, casual space takes the fear out of wining and dining with a user-friendly menu and patient, whip-smart servers. Rowdy professionals crowd up front at the oval bar and "Tavern" area, while the low-ceilinged, intimate "Cellar" beckons formal diners. – – The Food – The contemporary American fare is bold and hearty: Wild mushroom risotto is a near-entree sized bounty of garlic, Asiago cheese and chanterelle and black trumpet mushrooms. Entrees wow as well: zinfandel-spiced pork chop is delicate in a grain-mustard chantilly, while grilled lamb T-bone…

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Editor's Tips

The Extras:: The cheese bar offers 50 artisanal cheeses from around the world served at a 12-seat Carrera marble bar or 18-seat communal dining table.
What to Drink:: Select one of 12 wine flights ($13-$18), a grouping of four half-glasses. The list offers a diverse assortment, with a reserve list for true oenophiles.
Where to Sit:: The upper-level loft seats 86 people, 125 standing. Call (312) 327-0459 info.
Save Money:: Sunday-Thursday for $36, dine on a three-course meal featuring dishes like seared scallops or chicken pot pie.

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User Reviews (40)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“The restaurant is a big loft space and may seem a bit overwhelming and not too cozy but don't let that stop you.” “The food is fantasic and the atmosphere is incredible.” “Not my favorite atmosphere (I like a wine bar to be a bit more cozy), but they have an interesting wine selection.” “The wine flights are fun, but the larger 'bible' is more than a bit intimidating to the novice.” “It is just a fun atmosphere, good location, and great no incredible wine.” “Service is usually good - a friendly, cool environment, lots of fun, not too pricey either.”
drinks	98.61000061035156% positive	“had very good service, but I didn't want a table so we sat on the cool couches and ordered apps and sampled several wines.” “The wine was truly excellent.” “Loved the downtempo on the speakers and the prices and wines were lovely.” “Good wine selection.” “This is a great place to meet for a few drinks with a significant other,friend, or a large group but only order some appetizers and stick to the drinks.” “after one member of our party declined to order wine.” “was warned before coming to Bin 36 that the food and wine were superb, but the place was pretentious.” “Went here to enjoy the wine and we were not disappointed.” “The wine flights are a decent value.” “The wine flights are fun, but the larger 'bible' is more than a bit intimidating to the novice.” “love wine and when great food is added to that equation it's even better.” “My wine pairings were great and the overall wine list is extensive.” “The server was great at helping us navigate through all of this and we ordered 4 flights of wine.” “The food is always good, the wine is great, the service is great and the cheese menu is fantastic.” “The bar menu is great, some of the best burgers in Chicago The cheese plates are also very nice.” “If you like white wine, I highly recommend their Bin 36 Chardonnay.” “The food was good, the wine list was savvy, and the prices were reasonable (for both the food and wine).” “The tasting menu was amazing, although if I had to do it over gaain I might not get the wine with it.” “It is just a fun atmosphere, good location, and great no incredible wine.” “We would definitely visit again to enjoy the wine selections.” “Not my favorite atmosphere (I like a wine bar to be a bit more cozy), but they have an interesting wine selection.” “made a reservation anyway (family was in from out of town), and we had a really good dinner with great wine to complement it.” “good food, good wine, good times” “The wine and the information about supplied was nice but, the food was less than steller.”
food quality	73.33000183105469% positive	“started with the beet salad which would have been delicious however it was drenched in dressing.” “The bar menu is great, some of the best burgers in Chicago The cheese plates are also very nice.” “Thankfully, another waitress was on hand to bring us steak knives in replacement of our butter knives to cut through our overpriced rubber roast.” “The food is very good, the prices are appropriate and the space is really cool.” “The wine and the information about supplied was nice but, the food was less than steller.” “For dinner I had the scallops which were amazing and perfectly cooked, however the broccolirab on the side was extremely bitter and inedible and the fingerling potatoes were undercooked.” “great food” “The menu looked quite enticing, lots of interesting dishes, when dinner arrived the 4 dishes at our table were very visually pleasing, not so to the palatte.” “The food is always good, the wine is great, the service is great and the cheese menu is fantastic.” “love wine and when great food is added to that equation it's even better.” “Terrible service, medicore food” “The food is fantasic and the atmosphere is incredible.” “Prices were fair and food was tasty.” “The food was good, the wine list was savvy, and the prices were reasonable (for both the food and wine).” “The food was overpriced, undersized and average at best.” “good food, good wine, good times” “If you like good food and want to be entertained by people who seem to think they're at the Oscars, this is a great place to go.” “was warned before coming to Bin 36 that the food and wine were superb, but the place was pretentious.” “The service was horrible, the food really, gosh, I can't even describe how much I was disappointed with the food.” “The regular menu is more pricey but the food is very good.”
menu variety	85.0% positive	“The tasting menu is very pricey, so save for a special occasion.” “Good wine selection.” “The tasting menu was amazing, although if I had to do it over gaain I might not get the wine with it.” “The menu looked quite enticing, lots of interesting dishes, when dinner arrived the 4 dishes at our table were very visually pleasing, not so to the palatte.” “The food is always good, the wine is great, the service is great and the cheese menu is fantastic.” “The regular menu is more pricey but the food is very good.” “Not my favorite atmosphere (I like a wine bar to be a bit more cozy), but they have an interesting wine selection.” “The bar menu is great, some of the best burgers in Chicago The cheese plates are also very nice.” “My wine pairings were great and the overall wine list is extensive.” “We would definitely visit again to enjoy the wine selections.”
overall	100.0% positive	“If you like good food and want to be entertained by people who seem to think they're at the Oscars, this is a great place to go.” “This is a great place!” “This is a great place to meet for a few drinks with a significant other,friend, or a large group but only order some appetizers and stick to the drinks.” “good place to find interesting gifts, too.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“We always have great service, (or trust me, we wouldn't be back), I brought my wife here for our anniversary last year and we ate in the more formal dining room and it was a perfect evening.”
service	57.810001373291016% positive	“The service was horrible, the food really, gosh, I can't even describe how much I was disappointed with the food.” “We then ordered a few appetizers Rhubarb Chix Wings, (the only disappointment, just not very good) Peeky Toe Crab Salad and House Smoked Fish Sampler (both delish) We were getting a bit full and decided to split entrees, I've been to many places that frow” “The bartenders are friendly, though they could be a bit more descriptive in helping you pick a good glass.” “The server was great at helping us navigate through all of this and we ordered 4 flights of wine.” “Our reservations were for 6:45, so the restaurant wasn't very busy, yet we managed to get TERRIBLE service.” “The staff was friendly and helpful.” “Service is usually good - a friendly, cool environment, lots of fun, not too pricey either.” “Thankfully, another waitress was on hand to bring us steak knives in replacement of our butter knives to cut through our overpriced rubber roast.” “The food is always good, the wine is great, the service is great and the cheese menu is fantastic.” “Terrible service, medicore food” “One drawback was the service, it was acceptable but not what you would expect at such an expensive restaurant.” “Our server was very friendly and was attentive without being overbearing or rushing our dinner.” “had very good service, but I didn't want a table so we sat on the cool couches and ordered apps and sampled several wines.” “If you like good food and want to be entertained by people who seem to think they're at the Oscars, this is a great place to go.” “We always have great service, (or trust me, we wouldn't be back), I brought my wife here for our anniversary last year and we ate in the more formal dining room and it was a perfect evening.” “Our waiter was extremely rude, and even asked "Is something wrong?”
value	54.16999816894531% positive	“Thankfully, another waitress was on hand to bring us steak knives in replacement of our butter knives to cut through our overpriced rubber roast.” “Service is usually good - a friendly, cool environment, lots of fun, not too pricey either.” “suggest starting with a cheese plate (even if dining alone), the plates are affordable and a pretty good sized portion for the price.” “Loved the downtempo on the speakers and the prices and wines were lovely.” “The food was good, the wine list was savvy, and the prices were reasonable (for both the food and wine).” “The food is very good, the prices are appropriate and the space is really cool.” “The wine flights are a decent value.” “The regular menu is more pricey but the food is very good.” “The tasting menu is very pricey, so save for a special occasion.” “The cheese flights though aren't such a good value.” “One drawback was the service, it was acceptable but not what you would expect at such an expensive restaurant.” “The food was overpriced, undersized and average at best.”

10/28/10

ultra-chewy risotto, substandard service

by melissamizel at Citysearch

Ultra-chewy risotto (can you say styrofoam peanuts?) and inferior service. Told our waiter that we needed to have a timely departure to make a theatre curtain, then went ahead and ordered an extra course at his urging. You guessed it: despite the waiter's initial and interim assurances, the main course didn't arrive until about 10 minutes before we had to leave. Then our waiter messed up the bill (in the restaurant's favor, of course) and ignored all my subsequent efforts to attract his attention. I finally had to walk the bill to a cash register, where a manager rudely threatened to make the bill even higher before acknowledging that I was right all along and correcting the bill. No apology for the rudeness, however. And no allowance for the taxi we wound up needing for the 2-block ride.

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07/23/08

Great hang-out spot

by Lombardo22 at Citysearch

My friends and I have been frequenting this place for the past 5 years, it's one of our favorite spots. We always have a great time, plenty of wine, plenty of cheese....need I say more?? I love choices and that's part of what keeps me coming back, I always get to try something new. Service is usually good - a friendly, cool environment, lots of fun, not too pricey either.

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07/23/08

Best Cheese Menu in the City

by rightfielder at Citysearch

My coworkers and I come here at least once a week to nosh on cheese and drink wine after work . We always have great service, (or trust me, we wouldn't be back), I brought my wife here for our anniversary last year and we ate in the more formal dining room and it was a perfect evening. We made the reservation online through open table and wrote in that it was our anniversary, well they sent over 2 glasses of sparkling wine (it was great too, not cheapo) to start our evening, completely unexpected, but what a nice touch. The food is always good, the wine is great, the service is great and the cheese menu is fantastic.

Pros: Cheese & Service

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07/20/08

I can't believe anyone would recommend this restaurant.

by Ricksrule at Citysearch

Really, what are people thinking. I was so offended. The service was horrible, the food really, gosh, I can't even describe how much I was disappointed with the food. The flavor just wasn't there! The service was far below par, and I just can't imagine that place has been open for 9 years. There are far better ways to waste your money, DON"T GO TO BIN 36!!!

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07/19/08

WINE LOVERS DELIGHT + GREAT FOOD

by eatzout at Citysearch

I love wine and when great food is added to that equation it's even better. I went to BIN 36 last week with a couple of friends and will definitely be returning. I honestly can't believe I've never been there, it's been open for 9 years! The restaurant is a big loft space and may seem a bit overwhelming and not too cozy but don't let that stop you. We were seated after a bit of a wait (we didn't have a reservation) While we waited the hostess served us a sip of their featured wine (cool huh?) The server arrived promptly and launched into quite a description of the menus, of which there are a lot, a cheese, dinner, chef's tasting menu and 50 wines by the glass! The server was great at helping us navigate through all of this and we ordered 4 flights of wine. I had the Express Yourself Flight, I couldn't resist and was glad I didn't, it was great, my friends were equally impressed with their choices. We ordered the BIN 36 Cheese Flight, 6 cheese you can't live w/o is how they describe it and it's true, they were yummy, wine & cheese duh! We then ordered a few appetizers Rhubarb Chix Wings, (the only disappointment, just not very good) Peeky Toe Crab Salad and House Smoked Fish Sampler (both delish) We were getting a bit full and decided to split entrees, I've been to many places that frown on this but our server was so cool about it. We had the Seared Ahi Tuna and the Hanger Steak, our server paired a glass of wine for each of us for these choices and we had a great time trying each others with the food. Did I mention we were full? Well we couldn't resist dessert, we had the Lemon Cake and the Chocolate and Banana Pudding thing, To wrap it all up - We had a great time and will be back! Come for the wine, stay for the food, don't miss the cheese!

Pros: Wine, Cheese, Service
Cons: It was chilly bring a sweater

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Bin 36

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What People Are Saying About Bin 36

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Editor's Tips

10/28/10

ultra-chewy risotto, substandard service

by melissamizel at Citysearch

07/23/08

Great hang-out spot

by Lombardo22 at Citysearch

07/23/08

Best Cheese Menu in the City

by rightfielder at Citysearch

07/20/08

I can't believe anyone would recommend this restaurant.

by Ricksrule at Citysearch

07/19/08

WINE LOVERS DELIGHT + GREAT FOOD

by eatzout at Citysearch

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