This is a great place for ambiance and groups. This is an even better place if its warm out and you have a dog- DOG FRIENDLY!!! Normally, a space like this is not my first choice because it is a huge space with a lot going on. However, I had such a good time and whether you're there in a large group or a party of 2, you'll enjoy. I highly recommend the poke nachos (much better than I was expecting) and the mushroom pizza. I will be back. read more

If you are a football fan or a Chicago Bears fan, recess is a place to go honestly. Was at recess with a friend last Sunday to watch the Bears play Green Bay.The environment was amazing. we played games answer football questions win gift. mimosa 8/10. Krispy buffalo chicken rolls 6/10. chicken and waffle 4/10. read more

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Would not recommend for dinner. The menu wasn't very expansive. I wasn't particularly impressed, but the hot honey pepperoni pizza was good. The drink menu was impressive and yummy, so maybe eat dinner first then come here for drinks. I liked the games that we on the tables which was a nice touch. We went at a busy time, so service was a bit slow. read more

Overall the food was amazing and great ambience! Will be back for sure! Although the service could've been better as we waited 42 minutes for a seat when we had a reservation. It was overall a great experience apart from the wait read more

Recess is a great spot to come for a weekend brunch. Not only do they have bottomless mimosas, they've also got ample board games and an entire outdoor patio which is ideal for Chicago summers. Our servers here have always been friendly and we have never had a bad time. We try bringing friends and family here whenever we can! read more

My friend's dog was turning 1 so we had a doggie birthday party here on a Saturday at noon. We did not have a reservation but we're able to get seated at a big table. I'm giving this review 5 stars because everyone was so great and welcoming to our dogs! This place is extremely dog friendly and you can definitely feeel it. There were plenty of other dogs in other sections. The frozen aperol spritz was extremely refreshing on a hot day and I had 2 slices of pepperoni pizza, also great. read more

Recess - Frozen Aperol Spritz - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Recess is what I picture myself in my early 20s enjoying. No matter when I have visited it has always been a vibe. The way they repurposed shipping containers to create the patio is very cool. The repurposed shipping containers are used to create a wall and create a second level of seating. The patio is the biggest draw of Recess. It has several bars, yard games and a DJ that played when I came for brunch. It has a ton of seating that can accommodate small to large size groups. I was able to easily get a reservation for my party of ten for a few days before I wanted to visit. They have a inside seating that is equally as large. The menu at Recess is straightforward and what you would expect from a popular restaurant. The menu has almost more drinks listed than food options. I ended up ordering the cheeseburger sliders during my most recent visit. They were priced close to $20 for an item that is presented on a Hawaiian roll. You get a decent sized meal but you are definitely paying the Fulton Market tax. The sliders were okay but I loved the waffle fries. The biggest con of Recess is that it is always very busy, especially on a beautiful day. Which means the wait staff will be all over the place due to them servicing so many tables. During my most recent visit it wasn't too busy on the patio and the inside was nearly empty but my waiter was extremely slow. He took a long time to take our order and skipped over someone at the table to the point that he needed to be flagged down. The waiter took so long to come back that I started out buzzed and ended up completely sober. Trying to get the waiter's attention added an additional 30 minutes to the visit because he could not be found so my table could cash out. I think Recess is a great place to go for brunch when you are wanting to be outside while drinking mimosas and you don't have immediate plans afterwards. I would definitely go back but only in the Summer. read more

This place was an absolute joke. Rude staff, overpriced food. I wouldn't go near this place. So many great places in the city to waste time at this bar. read more

Came here for bottomless brunch with a group of friends on Sunday and it was a blast! The area was very open with hightop seating all around the bar area and lots of light. There are tons of tv's around the entire venue so it's a great place to watch sports. Our server was Carole and she was truly the best! She made sure that our mimosas were truly bottomless and continued to check on us to make sure that we were good on food and drinks. Service was a 10/10! We ordered the crispy Buffalo chicken rolls and then chicken and waffle fries to start. They were both very tasty and great for sharing! I then ordered the cheeseburger sliders which was a lot of food, but very very yummy. After a few rounds of mimosas, we played some beer pong at the table next to us. There were other games like connect 4 and giant Jenga which is such a fun way to spend brunch. I definitely recommend this place for a fun weekend brunch! read more

Recess - City Hall Cheeseburger Sliders - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great spot to come to chill with friends and family. The atmosphere is great. Such a chill vibe. Came here with 3 other friends and the receptionists sat us down at a small ass table. Once the food arrived, we were so crammed in. The food was decent. It's nothing crazy to be over about. The drinks were great. The frozen drinks are so delicious and perfect for hot summer days. Definitely give that a try. read more

Recess - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food and ambiance was amazing. The drinks really tasted really good. This was a good date night to enjoy. read more

Recess - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Food was nice I wouldn't say 10/10 but good and service was ok maybe on Sunday's they aren't amazing but it was a fun atmosphere. Games everywhere and also an outside area read more

Libra Szn! Came to celebrate my birthday at Recess with friends and fam! Best experience ever! TY to our amazing server Naomi!

I went to Recess for an after party after a concert. Parking is street parking and can be hard to find depending on how busy it is. It was definitely busy due to it being the official after party with the performer. We found a spot hero lot right across. The line to get in moved pretty quickly. They checked ids as it was a 21+ event. Upon entering you have the bar to the right and then to the left is the outdoor hang out spot. It's definitely a good vibes place. The dj they had that night was amazing! The lines for drinks was super long and they must not have been expecting such a large crowd that but the time we got to the front they were out of certain ingredients needed for their signature drinks. The bartenders were polite enough and were able to make things similar to what was advertised. They have different sections including the floor and then you can go up a level. The venue is nice and they serve food late which is a plus. read more

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My friends and I visited Recess on a Friday evening. It was a good amount of people already there. We initially sat outside but it was chilly so we decided to move inside. We ordered a couple drinks and the Buffalo Chicken Rolls as an appetizer. The rolls were okay but a little too greasy for us and had too much cheese. I ordered the black bean burger which was okay. It was definitely a lot of good and we were not able to finish it. The service was okay. It took a while for our server to come back to us when we were ready to pay. read more

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Average drinks, really good food. Great spot for a group with a ton of indoor/outdoor seating

I went to Recess to enjoy some bottomless mimosas with some friends and it was a pretty great experience. The wait staff is very quick to refill your drinks and the actual restaurant space is large and spacious allowing you to actually hear the conversations you have with your friends. The best way I can describe the atmosphere is that it feels like an large open warehouse with lots of large screens for various sports--if that's your vibe, this definitely the place! Food: Pork Belly Sandwich: not particularly impressed by it, kind of lacked flavor Crispy Buffalo Chicken Rolls: this was a 10/10, maybe it's the mimosas talking but this was so good I would order like 3 plates of this the next time I go to Recess read more

Recess - Pork Belly Sandwich - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came for Sunday funday with a couple of my friends and we had a nice time. It started raining while we were there so we couldn't enjoy the patio for the entire time but it was fun when we were out there. They had house music and bubble blowers for their Sunday event which was fun. All of the tables had board games on them and there were some games outside as well. I could see this as a fun place for an after work happy hour or get to know you kind of event. They had a decent selection of beer on draft and overall the staff was friendly. They tried to take our photo and sell it to us which was a waste of photo paper and ink and kind of odd for the middle of a Sunday but other that everything was good! read more

Super neat spot in Chicago. I came here for lunch with a big group of friends and had a great time. The place is super lively and every table has a card/board game that you can play with friends. The food was equally as good. I got the BLT+E burger and it was 10/10. The bacon bits were coated in this sweet sauce and the egg was cooked to perfection. The waffle fries were crispy and even better, seasoned super well. The servers were also great and attentive to our big group. read more

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Looking back at it, I have to dock one more star off because of "hidden fees" that we ended up finding after we paid the bill. One of my friend paid the entire bill and we reimburse him the next day. When he looked at the bill, he had some unsettling questions. We were a group of 8 so we kind of figured that gratuity would be added onto the bill. That is no problem. However, we were charged 23% gratuity and charged tax on top of that. While this might not be illegal, this appears to be be extremely shady. I also have gone over their website from top to bottom and did not see anything about automatic gratuity on the bill for large groups. Restaurants specifically go out of their way to make sure this is a known fact. That does not seem to be the case at Recess. Unfortunately, I do not think anybody in our group will be back as we all were pretty mad about this bill issue. read more

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Had a great time here with my company. Bartender Ash was very friendly and helpful! Would enjoy returning.

This place is HUGE! Great for groups, brunch, and easy living. Get a pitcher of mimosa, order a fried chicken sandwich and be prepared to be full ALL day. The breakfast burritos were NOT as large as the friend chicken Sammy, so it was funny the different times that my friends became hungry while I remained full. read more

Recess - FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's a container bar with large outdoor patio space inside. Don't let being a bar fool you; their chicken & waffle fries are so good! Pretty neat spot to grab drinks and hang out during the summertime! Service can be a bit slow if it gets super busy, especially on the warmer days. read more

Recess - Chicken & Waffle Fries* (Tots substitute) - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Recess has a great, very spacious outdoor space and for a period of time they are only taking reservations (no walk ins). I came on a Sunday lunch with another friend and we were seated right away. Staff was attentive, weather was gorgeous and it was an all around good time. There's activities and a bar with TVs for watching sports. We only ordered some beers and the loaded tots. The tots were crunchy and soft with a dollop of sour cream and green onions. The cheese was light but nicely coated the tots. I liked the pickled veggies they put on the side - nice touch! Solid choice, but also hard to butcher tots, right? This place would be really nice for large groups and a place to hang out! read more

Recess - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Dog friendly alert! We went here on a puppy play date. So great! We were unable to get a reservation. But we did sit by the bar which was fine we just had to get up, go to the bar, and get our drinks ourselves. The space we nice and open. A perfect patio day. We had the sliders, pizza, and a few drinks. We had nothing bad to say at all about our food. Parking is always tricky in the west loop. But other than that we had a great time. read more

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My friend's wife made a last minute reservation change to Recess for dinner because she thought a bigger outdoor space would be a nicer venue, even though there was only three of us. It definitely tries very hard to have that fun outdoor feel but it was just a big outdoor food court area. I've been to other places like this where they had actual stuff to do instead of just sitting outside. They had giant Jenga but it was just one and it wasn't enough to support the crowds that were there. Their beer selection does have a good Chicago craft brewery focus, the selections were mostly IPAs and easy drinking lagers but I found a sour from Un Annee that was pretty good. For food, I ended up getting the Buffalo Mac and cheese that was topped with Blue cheese and flamin' hots. I guess because when you name a place Recess the food theme must mean it's what frat bros would end up eating? It definitely felt like it came out of a blue box and then was just topped with pre-cooked toppings and served to me. I also think the vibe is supposed to be fun, but it felt like if the Viagra triangle had someone annexed this part of the West Loop. read more

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Although I liked this place- food and beer menu were good, just make sure to check your bill I gave my card for them to run before asking for the bill (I am a trusting person and was in a rush). I thought the bill was high, so then I asked for the itemized receipt (which they didn't provide when bringing back my card - a red flag for sure). They tried to charge me $69 as a service charge so they could double dip on a tip. She didn't bring me the itemized receipt thinking I wouldn't pay attention. Sucks to have this happen - check your receipts. My pic is the before and after for the itemized receipts. read more

Recess - Make sure to check your receipts here - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Treated my family of 5 to this cool spot for a Saturday brunch. As always the food and service were very good. Our server kept our table clean, drinks filled and ask a few times if we had everything we needed. The place is large and can accommodate a large party. Will definitely be back. read more

Recess - Menu - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We went here to get brunch. This place gave off a upscale sports bar vibe rather than a restaurant. It was a little loud. The service was a bit slow because the place was crowded. The food and cocktails were decent though. We got the tater tots, avocado toast, grilled cheese, mozzarella taquitos and the pumpkin hummus dip. read more

Recess - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I brought my cousin here as we were waiting on our other dinner reservations. We were starving so we decided to order an appetizer (pictured) the chicken buffalo rolls and they were yummy! The flavor was all there and the richness of it all was indulging. We wanted to order more but as I said we already had dinner plans. May I add that this place is super cute! It's called recess for a reason - you feel like a big kid in a playground full of colorful aesthetics! The service wasn't memorable. The drink we had was okay, but could've been better/more creative for the price. Definitely think the menu in general could be more creative and that would knock this place out the park! read more

Recess - Cocktails - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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FEE - cess!! This place is a joke and a ripoff! Do not go with a group of 6 people unless you want an extra 20% fee tacked onto your bill.

Such a cool location with so much outdoor space, great food, awesome music and a safe space. A little off the beaten path but totally worth it. Our group of six enjoyed our 2 hours on the roof top table littered with drinks and lots of menu items. The pizza comes from next door but it is soo good. Loved the mushroom paired with a side salad was a nice and light lunch. My husband loved the hash, friends enjoyed the sliders and blt! Solid portions! And drinks were pretty good as well. They have a mimosa special which everyone was pretty happy with. Can't say enough about the space though. So beautiful, playful, and accommodating. Lots of bathrooms that were clean and a very attentive staff. Looking forward to coming to this place again next spring. read more

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Due to the fact that my school didn't have recess growing up, I came out a total rebel. Had I had those 20 minutes of fun in the sub, maybe I'd behave as an adult. That's why I knew I had to relive my youth at Recess. The drink menu is creative, and the food menu too. The pizza appears to be from an outside pizzeria that has a spot within. There are a few games for adults, but not a total video game emporium. read more

Recess - The Bookworm * - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Word on the street is that this place has the largest patio in Chicago...I can confirm that is pretty accurate. The joint has a huge outdoor spacing equipped with fire-pits at the table to keep you warm due to today's restaurant climate. Me and a good friend came by last Saturday for brunch to see if the joint was legit. Lots of tables here so making a reservation through Open Table should be easy no matter what time you want to slide through. Host staff is pretty cool and gave us options on where we wanted to sit. We got a table with fire-pit not too far from the entrance. Service was a bit slow at first and we started noticing people that were seated after us were getting their drink orders taken. Im not sure if our server was the only one working the area at the time or what. She got a little better as time progressed. We started out with the Bleeding Heart Mimosa as bottomless was $23 per person...not bad as we had more than enough pitchers. Made for a nice buzzed af Saturday! For my meal, I got the Cheddar Biscuits & Gravy which was very good and pretty filling. My homie got the Pumpkin French Toast which was good as hell! I liked my dish but the pumpkin french toast was all that. I definitely want to come back to check out their dinner menu as I see some god stuff there. The brunch menu isnt huge, but they got the right stuff in there. FYI...the place is dog friendly as there was a couple of pups destroying fallen leftover on the ground lol! read more

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The service was slow and the food was mediocre. This would have been acceptable if the vibes were good but they weren't. What was really the cherry on top was when I went to the bathroom and the employee went to the bathroom and left without washing their hands. read more

I really liked it here! Huge inside and patio. We got the Nashville chicken bites (very spicy), Bosco sticks, and the gyro taquitos (so delicious). I also got the nerd alert but wouldn't really recommend that drink, taste like a Danimal read more

Recess - Nerd Alert - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Recess was hands down the most fun I've had all year! It's what I expected; the young lady that called to confirm the reservation had good energy so I just knew. This is one of the largest outdoor dining spaces in Chicago. They have a generous mix of regular seating on the ground floor as well as elevated shipping container seating with a roof top feel. The food was so fresh and delicious; we all tasted a bit of each others food. We LOVED the pizza! As for the drinks, I suggest you take an Uber as they are not watered down. Don't forget to save room for dessert. We were celebrating a birthday and had so much positive energy at our table that we had a few people sitting close to us to stop and see if we were celebrating anything. The manager stopped by and gifted us with 'shots'. Very nice, thank you. The Event Sales Manager, Toula stopped by with well wishes and our server was amazing! Recess will bring out the FUN in you; an amazing space to release your inner child! read more

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We went to Recess for brunch and shared the BLT and E and the prime rib French dip sandwich with tater tots. The BLT and E was absolutely delicious, as were the home fries paired with the sriracha dipping sauce. There was not a thing on this plate I didn't enjoy. The prime rib French dip sandwich was a very close second. The meat was high quality and I enjoyed the dip as well. A+ meal for sure! My only regret is that we didn't get to play any of the games set up around the restaurant! Everything looked so fun, and I'm sure it's a party here for happy hour. read more

Recess - BLT & E - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great place for food and drinks with friends. It's hard to find if you're not looking for it, but there's plenty of street parking around and the place is huge! There is a good variety of indoor vs outdoor seating, although most of it is patio style. Oh, and they're pet friendly! The food is varied and most cocktails have a non-alcoholic option. We got the green goddess salad and chopped salad, both with steak, and they were delicious. One salad serves two, unless you're really hungry. We algo got the crispy buffalo chicken rolls (a must!) and the loaded tots (not worth it). My only complaint is the sweetness of the drinks. It might've been because we all did non-alcoholic, but the drinks were unbearably sweet. read more

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This place has the best patio dining around. We were staying in the west loop on a trip and wanted to eat outside since the weather was nice. We came to recess because they are known for their patio. We were there with two families and the kids enjoyed it because of the Giant Jenga, Cornhole, and connect 4 games. Although they have a kids menu, they didn't have any copies of it available, and we were told to look at the website. They had grilled cheese on the kids menu, but said they were out of it and couldn't do that when we ordered it for my daughter. Our adult meals were all delicious though. Just a little disappointed with the kids menu situation. read more

Recess - Aerial view - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois