Bar Mar Chicago

Bar Mar sits on N Wacker Dr, tucked away from the heavy foot traffic near the Willis Tower. It holds a Wine Spectator Excellence Award, placing the focus squarely on a cellar that outpaces the casual bars nearby.

The room runs smart and elegant, but the seafood-forward contemporary fusion menu is why you choose this over the more generic corporate dining options in the surrounding buildings. While it shares the same high-rise district as many of its neighbours, it manages to feel less like a lobby afterthought and more like a destination. You go here for the precision of the kitchen, which treats its raw ingredients with a clinical intensity that the busier, flashier spots along the river simply ignore. It is a calculated alternative for when you want a serious meal without the frantic noise of the central shopping districts.