Welcome to Chicago’s Premier Food Hall
Chicago’s Revival Food Hall opened in 2016 as a great option for a great meal in the the downtown Loop area, with some permanent and some rotating offerings from a dozen different restaurants.
Conveniently located in the middle of Chicago’s chief business district, it’s a great place for lunch, offering everything from bagels to poke to pizza to gelato, and everything in between.
They also host events such as trivia on Wednesdays, and have a wide, welcoming space with plenty of seating and a well-stocked bar for anyone looking for a convenient happy hour.
On top of that, Revival Food Hall offers catering, private events, and live music events. It’s decorated with floating lightbulbs hanging from high ceilings to feel both casual and classy.
There’s no dress code, but the vast majority of the crowd are working, so expect a lot of business casual. But you also won’t feel judged for coming in wearing a T-shirt. If you want your choice of delicious cuisine with the option of a drink or two (their Boilermaker special is a steal at $8), then you’ll enjoy yourself at the Revival Food Hall.
The food is great, but what is the bathroom situation?
A food hall is always a hit-or-miss proposition when it comes to their public restroom. Given the amount of people who enter the hall every day, their men’s room is on the smaller side, but it typically is not crowded, and is definitely well maintained.
There are three urinals, three sinks, two bathroom stalls, and a decent amount of space to navigate the area. It’s well-lit and the floor has an interesting pattern that isn’t distracting, but also makes it seem a little more high-end than your typical bathroom.
When I used the bathroom during happy hour, a crowd never formed, and despite the fact that most of the people there were attending the bar, the patrons were well behaved and the bathroom remained essentially spotless.
Honestly, the state of the bathroom is a low-key miracle. I’ve seen enough bad bathrooms to know how hard it can be to keep a place smelling fresh and clean in a high-traffic spot, but either the patrons are well-behaved, or the staff is very attentive, as this bathroom got no complaints from this humble poopable writer.
How Does the Food Affect the Poo?
Revival works with many restaurants, which means there are lots of potential instances for your meal to cause some tummy rumblings. Of course, they keep every station pristine, so the only concern would be ordering food that normally doesn’t agree with you.
Thankfully, there are plenty of options, so if you know your gut, you’ll be perfectly fine. I’ve gotten Aloha Poke here dozens of times, but if you don’t react well to sashimi grade fish, you can switch to Smoque BBQ.
If spicy food precludes you from enjoying Hot Chi Chicken, you can pivot to Bianca’s Burgers. No matter what you’re craving, you can find it at Revival. And you’ll be greeted by a clean bathroom to boot.
Is Revival Food Hall Poopable?
It is! Clean and spacious, despite only having a handful of places to take care of business, it’s never crowded. Not only have the folks at Revival Food Hall built a perfect place for a workday lunch or happy hour, but they made sure to be very Poopable.
Neil