Pump Room Restaurant Review
PUBLIC Chicago
1301 N. State Pkwy. (Goethe St.) 
Send to Phone
Chicago, IL 60610
312-601-2970
Pump Room Restaurant is one of our 2012
| Top 10 Chicago New & Notable Restaurants
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Cuisine
Open
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner dailyFeatures
- Private room(s)
- Full bar
- Reservations suggested
- Open late
- Valet parking
- Casual dressy
* Click here for rating key
 It’s back---it’s really back. But the storied Pump Room isn’t what it used to be. The menu, designed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is an exhaustive, all-day affair. The setting, now at home in Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC Chicago, is impressive with orbs of light and a gray palette augmented by a scene-y crowd. The dishes, executed by Bradford Phillips (LM) pretty much run the gamut, though they’re inspired by New York’s farm-to-table ABC Kitchen. In the mood for pizza? Order the wheat version. Craving pasta? It’s made in-house. Much of the menu is crowd-pleasing to the point of feeling watered down. Take the tuna tartare, done up with gingery dressing. It, like much of the menu, walks the line of fine---but not fabulous. We’d advise you to order the roasted carrot-avocado salad with toasty cumin seeds, sour cream and citrus vinaigrette. It stands out, when most other dishes do not. Whitefish gets a hint of heat from chiles, though its potato and spinach companions do little to elevate its status. Ditto the grilled beef tenderloin, which is plated with crispy onions and tame hot sauce butter. If you’re looking for a blast from the past, sneak a peek at the old black-and-white photos or order the handful of Pump Room classics, like wiener schnitzel. In all fairness, it has big shoes to fill. We’re just not sure peanut butter and jelly donuts and Billy Dec-designed cocktails are going to do the trick.
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