Bar Mar - Chicago (IL)

5 /5 Daphne L. Kinzig: A friend recommended that I try this place for NYE. Decor was tastefully done. We loved all the dishes. My eye went to the cold tapas style selection. Very good - we had coconut ceviches in a half coconut half shell, nice touch; salmon crisp - great, hamachi cones; seafood platter - good & nice presentation; Cesar was excellent; hot octopus - VERY tasty; deconstructed key lime - great. Then they gave us a spiced caramel square. Definitely would go back. It was tasty! And Amber was great waitress! Highly recommend for fresh seafood in the Midwest!

5 /5 Lawrence Lockhart: My goodness and WOW! My wife and I went expecting good food and views but the VIBE, the energy of the place really caught us off guard in a great way. If you dont like restaurants where everyone "talks out loud" you may not enjoy this spot but we loved it. The fare focuses on seafood and all courses were delicious. Our server was attentive, helpful, and friendly. Well definitely go back when we return. A tad pricey but expected for such a nice place.

4 /5 Erin Meadows: I have now been to Bar Mar twice. Overall, I give it a solid 4 stars because the food makes up for any issues we did have. Overall, we have enjoyed all the food we have gotten here. We have had oysters, the warm crab cake, hamachi cones, lobster bisque, Joses Chicken, the grilled shrimp salad and the key lime pie. Also some other forgettable dessert the first time we came that I only remember now because I found a picture of it. The grilled shrimp salad has changed since we last came. It is still one of the tastiest salads I have ever had. They need to bottle the green godess dressing and sell it. But the first time I had the salad, it came with confit tomatoes and blue cheese. And this time there were grapes and no cheese. Like I said it was still an amazing salad and I would order it again, but those confit tomatoes were apart of why the salad was so memorable (reviews from just 4 months ago with pictures of the menu still showed it the way I had it in January 2025). The hamachi cones were a delicious one bite. I thought based on reviews and pictures they would be 2 decent sized bites though. The lobster bisque was really good. Nice tomatoey seafood broth with a surprising amount of lobster in it. The creme fresh never fully incorporated into my soup though. But that was definitely not a deal breaker. I ate/drank every drop. The warm crab cake was good and different from the typical crab cake. But it wasnt good enough to repeat given the other yummy sounding things on the menu. Service both times was good to great. Our server the first time was friendly and very helpful when deciding on food and drinks. The bartenders were very attentive but very busy so no typical banter with them like I would typically expect. Some things Bar Mar needs to work on... From Jan 2025: We were sat by the door that leads out to the patio. Obviously closed for the winter. But they did not have it adequately sealed. We should have been asked to move but we didnt. My ankles were freezing all evening. From Dec 2025: The restaurant was not prepared for a Sunday that had 2 evening shows running. We showed up about 30 minutes early for our reservation. We were told we couldnt be sat till closer to our reservation time (fair). So we went to the bar and got a drink near our reservation time we hadnt gotten a text that our table was ready so we ended up ordering food at the bar. We had also heard the bartenders that food was slow because the kitchen was overwhelmed. Our table ended up being ready at 30 minutes past our reservation time. The hostess did not initially indicate that we would have a wait that far after our reservation time. Im glad we were able to just stay at the bar. We would have been late to our show! We are highly likely to return. Maybe we will try it in the summer.

3 /5 Manana Asatiani: Bar Mar has a great vibe — the décor is stylish and fun, with a giant octopus installation that immediately grabs your attention when you walk in. It’s the kind of place that feels thoughtfully designed and energetic. That said, the bathroom situation is less impressive — it’s downstairs and honestly kind of gross, which felt jarring compared to the rest of the restaurant’s atmosphere. Service started off strong — our server was super insistent and attentive at first, maybe a little too eager — but when we actually needed him the most, he completely disappeared. It went from over-the-top attentive to impossible to find. The food itself was interesting and creative overall, though definitely hit or miss. The Neptune Pillow was fantastic — spicy with just the right touch of wasabi, really unique and memorable. The Hot Octopus, on the other hand, was strange. You couldn’t taste the seafood at all — only the spices. It wasn’t bad, but not what I want from octopus. It could’ve been beef or chicken and I honestly wouldn’t have noticed the difference. It even seemed almost deep-fried. The Ceviche was beautifully presented in half a coconut over ice — a really cute touch — and the plantain chips that came with it had the perfect crunch and paired beautifully with the flavors. The Steak Salad was a huge disappointment, though: tiny bits of mediocre steak, giant sad leaves, and basically no taste. You can get a better salad at Sweetgreen. Since they have a steakhouse upstairs, I really expected more. Thankfully, the Scallops redeemed things — they were amazing. Simple, flavorful, perfectly cooked, and the pear-onion combination was a really nice touch. The Braised Short Ribs were okay — tasty enough but nothing special or memorable. The caramel taffy dessert was decadent. Nice portion size, it was almost too sweet, but definitely nice after the dinner. I wish i had ordered tea only coffee to go along with it, but it was too late once it arrived. Overall, Bar Mar delivers on décor and creativity, with a few standout dishes (the Neptune Pillow and scallops, especially). But the inconsistency in both food and service keeps it from being a truly great experience. Still, I’d give it a 4/5 — with me being nice.

5 /5 Eda: Bar Mar is a magical restaurant sitting in between the Loop and West Loop, its worth your while in paying them a visit. From their open patio dining space in the summer, to their bedazzling golden aquatic interior in the colder months, youd surely impress a crowd in here. My experiences have alway been very pleasant. My waitress, Jessica, was especially a sweetheart in helping me celebrate a birthday dinner. I will always remember her kindness and warmth. The stars of my meals have been the seafood dishes such as the octopus, scallops, and even the burger on a soft bun were all delicious! The ambiance of Bar Mar is upbeat and will surely put you in a good mood if you werent already in one.