The Violet Hour: User Reviews

I love Chicago. I love the amount of great restaurants and bars that I can immediately walk into in Chicago. That's why I was so surprised when arriving at the Violet Hour, there was a bit of a line out the door. Now, I can't remember the last time I waited in line to get into a place. I wasn't too worried. The line wasn't that long... wow, was I wrong. After waiting an hour, inching my way into the front door, only four more people in front of us, I saw a rule list posted on the wall. Some of the rules included, must have proper attire, do not order beer, do not order grey goose, no reservations. Weird. After investing a full hour of my life waiting in line I was determined to wait a little longer to see what this was all about. The place was at full capacity, meaning the only way the line would move forward was if someone left the club. The guy in front of me said " this place better have freaking cherubs servings drinks in there!"... My thoughts exactly. Well, there was no way we were getting in anytime soon. Suddenly, at the hour of 10 pm there were about three groups of 4 to 5 girls walking right past the line, saying to the doorman, "we have reservations." I was shocked. Right next to me there was a rule list that stated 'no reservations'. And to my doubled shock the door man let them in!! Suddenly, I went from having only four people in front of me to having twenty people in front of me! I turned to my date and said, "lets get out of here." We promptly left the line, walked into a hoppin' bar half a block away and ordered ourselves two Grey Gooses, straight up. It was great. Listen, I will never waist my time waiting in line like that again. Chicago has too many great places for me to enjoy... without the line.

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I have never before been compelled to write a review on Metromix or any other review page but my experience at The Violet Hour last night has forced my hand. Ultimately, any potential patron of The Violet Hour must understand that just for once their evening is not going to be about them. The Violet Hour is about one thing and one thing only, the most perfectly crafted cocktails you will ever drink. If you are looking for a raucous good time DO NOT come to The Violet Hour. If you are NOT open to new things, DO NOT go to The Violet Hour.
I arrived and was almost immediately turned off by the level of pretentiousness at the door but I decided to give it a chance anyways and was seated rather quickly at the bar. The bar is where you want to sit, the bartenders are very intent on performing their craft and are not necessarily there to be your best friend. If you understand this you will enjoy your experience. If you come thinking that this is like any other bar you will be very disappointed. Once again this bar is all about the cocktail. Just to clarify, a jager bomb is not a cocktail, a cosmo is not a cocktail, a vodka redbull is not a cocktail, a grey goose dirty martini is not a cocktail, and why anyone would come here looking for any of the above is completely beyond me. Violet Hour is the cocktail equivalent of fine dining, the greater your willingness to try something new and different the more you will enjoy your experience. I had three perfectly crafted cocktails and after the first sip of my second cocktail I experienced a paradigm shift in my understanding of cocktails in general. Any idiot can mix a drink, at the Violet Hour the bartenders are determined to make each drink so that is is not only perfect, but perfect for YOU. You WILL wait a long time for each drink, but you should also realize that these cocktails are not meant to be guzzled quickly, rather every sip is an experience unto itself. I put myself into the bartenders hands and told him what I do and don't like, he immediately made me a cocktail based on the those things that I didn't like and it was fantastic. I almost never drink bourbon or whiskey of any type, yet the bartender made for me a Harlan County, a Bourbon based cocktail which was quite possibly one of the best cocktails I've ever had in my life.

In short, if you understand what a cocktail truly should be then you will enjoy The Violet Hour. If you are looking for a "clubby" experience look elsewhere, if you are a frat -type looking to guzzle Jager Bombs, look elsewhere, if you are a shot and a beer person, look elsewhere, if you want to sip cosmos and apple martinis with your brood of cackling hens look elsewhere, BUT, if you are looking for a cocktail which is perfectly executed and a "No Standing" room free of idiots yelling into their cell phones and more worried about their appearance to others than the quality of their drink then The Violet Hour is the place for you.

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Enjoyed the food and drinks, but the service was terrible and the price too high. Violet Hour would be good for one drink, but if you plan to have more go some place else!

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I've had drinks at The Violet Hour on several occasions and have always found it quite enjoyable. The attention to detail with the drinks, the host, the bartenders and servers have always treated me and my party with white gloves. To me the best part of the bar is the pretentiousness behind it as well as the fact that cell phone conversations are not allowed. All too often you can see people out together at other establishments and both parties are either texting or talking on their cell but not to each other. What's the sense of spending time together. This place is intimate and promotes "gasp" actual conversation!! I've recommended Violet Hour to several friends and have not yet received any negative feedback. I think I'll go have me a nice drink this evening.

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While I absolutely LOVED the atmosphere The Violet Hour provided, the staff was very pretentious (aside from the door guy) and the wait for drinks was ridiculous. This was my first time going and I met some friends there and didn't have to wait for a table...but after ordering my first drinks, it still was no there 20 mins later. I'm not accustomed to having such a long wait for drinks and it did bother me that the server didn't come back and inform our group of the long waits for drinks. When our drinks finally came they were good (nothing out of the ordinary) and the appetizers we got were delicious (shirmp/won tons). I would recommend this place to others but warn everyone about the crazy wait for drinks.

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Awful experience. Waited in line for 40 minutes, then waited in another line. Once seated, it took approximately 40 minutes before we got our first drinks, no exaggeration. And, after all of that waiting, the drinks were just OK. I do not plan to return.

For an overall better experience, I would recommend Chi Bar inside the Sheraton Hotel downtown. Much better atmosphere, service and drinks. Very upscale as well.

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I love this place. I started off the evening with a sweet glass of wine followed by a nice delicious juicy steak. The service was superb. I wanted to move onto a hard liquor because i was starting feel the buzz from the wine. The waiter suggested this new cognac that everybody is asking for these days. Its called Landy it was smooooth! love it

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I love whiskey and i love speakeasies. So you'd think The Violet Hour would be a win win spot. It's not. The atmosphere is great and their drink list is fairly impressive. But waiting over 10 minutes for my first drink was not enjoyable, nor was the drink. If you're up for watching a bartender mix ingredient after ingredient into a shaker and sample it 15 times before you get your first taste...The Violet Hour is for you. Personally, I sit at a bar to drink and socialize. The Violet Hour is a place with potential, but is a huge disappointment.

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The Violet Hour was highly recommended to me by a girl friend, so I had to find out for myself. On Saturday, my boyfriend and I tried this wicker park speakeasy. This is not your normal bar. The other reviewers said you have to wait. Yes, you will probably have to wait (this is Chicago after all) and because there is no standing. Get there early. Everyone must wait to be seated, just like a restaurant. Personally, I enjoyed being seated to enjoy my gourmet drink. The drinks are outstanding. The menu changes with the seasons and the bartenders are extremely knowledgeable about the drinks they prepare, as well as, the individual private label liquors. Every bartender takes great time and care with each drink. My boyfriend and I sat at the bar so we got to watch the attention the bartenders gave towards an individual drink. I've never seen a bartender care so much. The atmosphere is a casual elegance. My favorite rule of the establishment is no cell phones. You are allowed to text but not talk. How refreshing! So the next time you want to try something unique, look for the yellow light.

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Seriously everyone...Violet Hour is absolutely terrible. We went there last night and I had to write this review, hoping to save someone else from my pain. If I can help just one person the time it took to write this review would have been worth it.

We went to Violet Hour last night as my brother and sister-in-law were in town from Los Angeles....we were looking for some good drinks and quality atmosphere. We waited for 20 minutes in a drizzling rain (and were finally allowed in only to find the place marginally occupied). OK, so nothing way out of the ordinary there...a classic move...but always from hot spots more concerned with 'curbside appearance' than catering to their actual clientele.

We were greeted by the host / door man and, basically, that was the beginning of the end. He began by listing the 'rules of the house' which included the directive that we were not to use our cell phones. To get caught with our cell phone in our ear, would result in explusion. We were told by the door guy to hang out by the front bar area. He suggested we grab any available seats there and wait for something to open up. We tried to order a few drinks. Sapphire and tonic..."sorry no Bombay Sapphire." Vodka Red-Bull? "We don't carry energy drinks of any kind here sir...the well-practiced disdain on the bartender's face was noteworthy...almost as if I offended him by asking" My brother went to the bathroom...there a sign reads something as follows: "We don't have Grey Goose...We don't have Cosmopolitans...We don't have Jager...We don't have Jager Bombs... In fact, we don't have bombs of any kind here...And don't bring anyone here you wouldn't bring to your mother's on a Sunday afternoon." Shortly after my brother returned from the bathroom (and all of us having a good laugh at this ridiculous, self-indulgent and pathetic sign), we decided to try to find some seating (which the staff wasn't helping with at all).

Two people in our group peeled off to scope out a table, and my wife was then approached by the same door guy. He said to her that we should not be "roaming HIS floor" and something about "I told you to stay at the bar area." After my wife returned to the group...the choice was clear. Pay our tab, get out of there and never come back.

The management / door guy here have it all wrong. Between the rules at the door, 10 Commandments in the bathroom, and the door guy with literally the worst, most disrespectful, arrogant attitude ever...this place added up to a miserable experience.

Wow! You don't need to be insulted and given a list of rules to feel like you are having an exclusive experience...which is obviously what Violet Hour is going for. We were laughing this morning about this place....it's almost like a high school guy trying hard to be cool and hoping to lure empty-headed girls into an abusive relationship with his laid-back / too cool for school / 'I don't care about you' attitude. But, with maturity and experience, you see him (and this place) for what they truly are. Do not go here. It really is a disgrace to Wicker Park.

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