The Violet Hour

03/13/10

Great Cocktails

by JaneD2010 at Citysearch

Love this place! The cocktails are amazing and the room feels GREAT!

This is the spot to go when taking an evening of cocktails to the next level!

• Pros: Amazing drinks
• Cons: Long lines

11/17/09

Excellent place for drinks!

by capuccino1 at Citysearch

My husband and I visited the Violet Hour a couple of months ago and this is a place that if you go solely on outward appearances you'll probably pass up a gem. From the outside it resembles some type of wooden shack. Inside the decor is nice with a mysterious feel to it. Was very impressed with the bartender, who created a fabulous drink for me based off of a poor description of what I thought I liked . Appetizers were tasty, and the music was right on target. Lighting could have been a little brighter but overall the Violet Hour is a very nice place to go and have really really good drinks with friends or a significant other!

• Pros: Bartenders were very creative.
• Cons: Lighting could be just a little brighter

07/04/08

Customer Service NIGHTMARE!!!!

by Lampshade47 at Citysearch

I was at the Violet Hour not too long ago. I was in town visiting my sister and she suggested we go. The website made the place seem mysterious, and the entrance to the bar was no exception. I was impressed upon entering.

Since it was a Friday, there was a wait. Which was fine, so this doorman comes out with a clipboard to take your name, # in your party and a cell #. We were a party of 3- he said the wait was probably 20 minutes. Fine. So there was another party of 3 ahead of us and then one came about 10 minutes after we did. He comes out and gets the group of girls that arrived AFTER us! Which was baffling because they weren't even cute people. They were wearing Gap sweaters frome like 2002. I digress.

One of the people I was with decided to approach the doorman and ask why we were overlooked- apparently she had this issue twice before with the same doorman. He seemed really uneasy that a customer was voicing concern, like he didn't know what to do- so he just apologized. We finally get inside and the person who was voicing concern asked the hostess the manager's name because she wanted to relay her displeasure to them. The hostess said she couldn't give out that information- she wouldn't even give out the phone number. So then my partymate says she will just call the Btr Bus Bur. and ask them the information. The hostess who was about to seat us tells us to hold on. The doorman reappears and says "We have talked about it and suggest you find another bar to go to". This irritated me because I'm from out of town and really wanted to go here. I pull the hostess aside, explain the situation and pretty mch begged her to seat us. So she gives us this big ottoman in the back room. Of course I heard her tell our waitress we were "difficult" and service was the worst I have ever had ANYWHERE.

I just found it odd that if you are voicing displeasure with an establishment, they would kick you out.

Excellent cocktails though.

• Pros: Interesting drinks, sidecars, atmosphere
• Cons: doormen, servers, hostesses

05/16/08

Best drinks in the city

by fashionfromlondon at Citysearch

It's quiet, dark, and intimate. If you want to get a drink with a friend and not be annoyed by loud people AND you want to get the best drink you have ever had, go to Violet Hour. If you are an idiot, do not.

Not great on the wknds, unless you want to stand in a line.

04/24/08

It's great if you've never been to the real deal

by trwii at Citysearch

I visited the ?Violet Hour? and experienced several different reactions. At first, the place was difficult to find and obviously designed to be that way with the speakeasy concept. The boarded up entry is I?m guessing the way to stand out so I was curious. As we entered the place it had a very nice feel. Nice decor, nice music, and a bit dark. So far, so good.

Cocktails were order and despite claiming a ?full? bar, the selection of liquors was somewhat limited. I have read other opinions about the prices but not too bad for the concept they were trying to achieve. The bartender took pride in the fact that they were different and not aware that he was annoying. He actually told a lady at the bar that they didn?t have her type of vodka and but she could get it across the street and some other place.

The space provided for the party was not large enough and so six of us sat at the booth and the others stood near the bar. Because we were sat at the last booth and near the end of the bar, this didn?t appear to be a problem. Apparently they have a no standing rule there. I?m just glad I didn?t have to line up to use the washroom with the other kids in my class.

The menu was a version of a chef driven home economics class. Deviled eggs, waffle fries, deep fried green beans, etc. It was comfort food but at the lowest level. Very ?County Fair? comfort.

As the first hour progress, the service got worse, the music went from classy 1960?s Basa Nova to Waylon Jennings, and the attitude got nasty. For a place in Bucktown that wants to have the atmosphere of the Four Seasons or the Park Hyatt, it?s really missing the mark. The part that is missing is at those other places, the customer is the main focus. I?ve never received a bad attitude or poor service at the five star venues this place is desperately trying to mimic. This part of town is great and if you want intended pretentious, you can find it all over but with good service and food.

• Pros: Great concept
• Cons: Staff, Food, Management