What to Eat

What to Eat at the Pump Room

The Pump Room is back in business.
The Pump Room is back in business. Photo: courtesy of Facebook

It’s finally here — sort of. As was astonishingly predicted from the very beginning, the grand reboot of the Pump Room in Public Chicago is now in soft opening mode. (According to Eater, the official opening date isn’t until October 11.) This also means that we can finally have a look at the menu designed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. We should warn you, though, it’s kind of long.

There are menus for breakfast, lunch, after work/happy hour, dinner, dessert, and late night supper. Whew! This shouldn’t be too surprising, especially since it’ll be the main dining option for visitors of the Public Hotel — which used to be called the Ambassador East. Of course, we’re imagining that most people are interested to see how the dinner menu turned out.

As was also predicted, the menu is laid out much like Vongerichten’s ABC Kitchen in New York. The first category is Market Table, which includes small bites like marinated olives ($5) and roasted beets with homemade yogurt ($8). Second comes appetizers, which are slightly more expensive — most are in the $10 range — and seem more composed than the Market Table offerings. Then comes homemade pasta, whole wheat 10” pizzas, and entrees. The prices are remarkably low, with only two dishes costing more than $30. (The most expensive dish, the grilled bone-in ribeye, tops out at $38.)

The biggest difference between the two menus is the Pump Room Classic Entrées section. That’s where you’ll be able to score Wiener schnitzel ($27) and the oven roasted lobster ($27).

Reservations can currently be made online by clicking here. Before you do that, though, take a look at the full menu below, along with the slightly confusing hours.

Pump Room Menu [PDF]

Pump Room, 1301 N State Parkway, Chicago, IL 60610; 312-787-3700

Hours

Breakfast 6:30am-11:30am
Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm
Dinner 5pm-10:30pm Sunday-Thursday
Dinner 5pm-11pm Friday and Saturday
After Work/Happy Hour 5pm-7pm
Late Night Supper 10:30pm-1am Sunday-Thursday
Late Night Supper 11pm-1am Friday and Saturday
What to Eat at the Pump Room