The Exchange

“We recently hosted our daughter's Quinceañera at The Exchange downtown Chicago, and we are...”

We recently hosted our daughter's Quinceañera at The Exchange downtown Chicago, and we are absolutely thrilled with our experience. From start to finish, the venue provided an unparalleled level of elegance and meticulous attention to detail that truly stunned us. The historic and architecturally spectacular setting of The Exchange, located in Daniel Burnham's Railway Exchange building on Michigan Avenue, provided the perfect backdrop for such a significant celebration. The event spaces were beautifully utilized, and every aspect of the decor and ambiance was flawless. We cannot praise the staff enough. The team of event professionals at The Exchange demonstrated exceptional service and a genuine passion for making our daughter's special day unforgettable. Their expertise and dedication were evident in every detail, ensuring everything ran smoothly and beautifully. They truly went above and beyond to bring our vision to life. The culinary offerings were also outstanding, and our guests were thoroughly impressed. If you are looking for an event venue in downtown Chicago that combines breathtaking beauty with an experienced and dedicated team, look no further than The Exchange. They delivered an absolutely magical Quinceañera for our daughter, and we are incredibly grateful for their hard work and professionalism.

Steve Horrighs

Nov 2025

“Stopped by for lunch on my way to the airport and the guy who greatest me at the bar was great.”

Stopped by for lunch on my way to the airport and the guy who greatest me at the bar was great. He suggested I sit in the courtyard and glad I did, it's absolutely stunning. I wasn't in a hurry, so I enjoyed the servers not being overbearing and pushy for me to leave. The vegan curry I had was pretty good. I enjoy more spices and a bit more flavor. The rice was cooked perfectly and overall the meal was very high quality.

Andrew Crane

Nov 2025

“This place is amazing.”

This place is amazing! If you want a cool vibe and great food I highly recommend The Exchange. The listening room concept is really cool. They stereo system they have praying music is top-notch!

joe williams

Oct 2025

“Great food, fair price, service was good and the food came out quickly.”

Great food, fair price, service was good and the food came out quickly! They also had several good options for mocktails

Allison Causey

Sep 2025

“Took my 15 year old goddaughter and her best friend here for her birthday lunch.”

Took my 15 year old goddaughter and her best friend here for her birthday lunch. Everything was delicious (hummus plate, poke bowl, grilled cheese+tomato bisque, and cheesecake) but what I really want to comment on was how gracious and friendly our server was to the girls. He made them feel very welcome and they both had a wonderful time. He even brought her a complimentary cheescake slice with a birthday candle! So thanks for making sure a couple of our city's teenagers know that they belong and are welcomed downtown ❤️

Katherine Cavanaugh

Aug 2025

“Future Chicago Brides look no further.”

Future Chicago Brides look no further! My sister's wedding took place at The Exchange last weekend, and I cannot say enough positive things about our experience. Alyssa, the Director of Sales and Venue Coordinator, is A+ at what she does. Her hospitality mindset means that she is always striving to get to a 'yes' for the client. She has a keen eye and attention to detail. You know you're in good hands while she oversees your big day. It's also a huge plus that she's kind and just a joy to work with. Chris is a Director on the restaurant side of the business and is phenomenal as well. He went above and beyond to ensure our guests felt welcomed and comfortable, and that philosophy carries over throughout the entire service and staff team. The two are part of memories from the day that our families will cherish forever. As for the venue itself: - It's GORGEOUS. Upon entry, you're greeted at the Listening Room. This is a quaint bar and restaurant that serves as a gathering space for early ceremony arrivals and as a cocktail hour spot for guests during the room flip. This is where our couple featured Mariachi entertainment during cocktail hour, and was perfect for this use too. The main atrium will simply take your breath away. The soaring glass ceiling allows in soft, natural light that makes for perfect photos on your big day. The marble clad venue offers a neutral palette that is suitable for any decor and design of your liking. While the overall decor aesthetic is modern and minimal, they have tastefully preserved historic features such as ornate lighting fixtures that adorn either side of the signature grand staircase. Theo's is a bar on the other side of the venue that offered an area for guests to order their drinks with ample space and enjoy conversations on the thoughtfully arranged furniture when they weren't on the dance floor. - Not only is it a beautiful venue, it's rich in Chicago history. Originally built in 1904 and previously the Chicago Railway Exchange, this building was designed by Daniel Burnham, one of the most prominent names in Chicago architecture. - The food was great. Chicken vesuvio and mushroom rigatoni were on the menu and both were equally excellent. The caesar salad was a great starter, and don't miss out on the bread and extra fluffy butter spread. - The drinks were also excellent! I would highly recommend the strawberry gimlet served as a signature drink. The team was great at preparing some in advance of cocktail hour to minimize the initial wait at the bar. - You can't beat the location. Odds are that you will have out of town guests visiting for your Chicago wedding. What better location to show them than this prime spot on Michigan Avenue, directly across from the Art Institute. The location also serves a perfect opportunity to take advantage of garden photos at the Art Institute while minimizing travel and logistics. Overall, I would gladly recommend The Exchange, Alyssa, Chris and team to any bride in search of their perfect venue. Thank you for a wonderful experience from start to finish.

Lindsay Martinez

Jun 2025

“Beautiful hidden gem.”

Beautiful hidden gem! Right in the heart of Chicago …. EXCHANGE RESTAURANT is so exquisite! You must try their extended and amazing menu, very friendly staff and of course a beautiful venue to enjoy while you eat. Come and try Happy hour Wednesday- Friday 4pm-6pm

Briseida Martinez

Apr 2025

“Okay Brides, Grooms, & anyone else planning an event, look no further… THIS IS IT.”

Okay Brides, Grooms, & anyone else planning an event, look no further… THIS IS IT! Venue - iconic and historic just like your event will be. Venue staff, specifically the event director, Alyssa - the best! We sent her approximately a million questions over the last year and she answered every one of them in a timely manner and in great detail. Even when she was in the depths of an event heavy weekend or going out of town, she at least let us know she received our email and would get back to us ASAP. The communication was unmatched, especially after our experience reaching out to other venues and never hearing back! On the day of our wedding, we also had the pleasure of meeting Christian, who was SO helpful with a lot of our last minute questions and requests! The food - great! We had multiple of our pickiest/most particular friends and family call us to rave about the food after. We did the filet, chicken, & salmon for reference. Experience - 10/10! All around, we felt so comfortable to reach out when we had a question which sounds so small but was actually huge. We visited the venue multiple times to help us envision the layout and show people the space without feeling like we were a nuisance - another win. Also, the way the staff matched and exceeded our expectations was so refreshing after all the work we put into planning. We requested a layout they hadn’t done before and they made it happen no problem. In summary, the aesthetics, communication, flexibility, and overall professionalism made wedding planning seem easy and we had the best day. We can't recommend The Exchange enough!

Meagan McConnell

Nov 2024

“What a gem! Excellent excellent excellent. We went for lunch 2 days in a row. Healthy options....”

What a gem! Excellent excellent excellent. We went for lunch 2 days in a row. Healthy options. Lovely space with multiple rooms to choose from. Just beautiful! *the hostess could be friendlier and smile, but I can ignore that. It would help the atmosphere and set the entry tone better! Personality matters in service. But still… come here folks! Reasonable prices and you won’t be disappointed. The servers are great.

Ceebo

Sep 2024

“Delicious food. We had a great time dining in the atrium and the people were nice and friendly. The...”

Delicious food. We had a great time dining in the atrium and the people were nice and friendly. The Vegan yellow curry bowl could've had more yellow curry in our opinion. We didn't have the appetite to try desserts after a heavy meal but definitely going back to dine-in again.

Aravindh Murali

Aug 2024

“My husband and I had our wedding reception at The Exchange and we could not recommend it enough.”

My husband and I had our wedding reception at The Exchange and we could not recommend it enough! We received so many great compliments from our guests, and they even said the food was the best meal they ever had at a wedding. The atrium is breathtaking to begin with so we did not have to do much decorating. Alyssa and staff were so great to work with and helped to make the wedding process smooth. We could not recommend The Exchange enough!

Allison Leopold Halliday

Aug 2024

“We had our wedding at The Exchange and I cannot speak highly enough of this restaurant and its staff.”

We had our wedding at The Exchange and I cannot speak highly enough of this restaurant and its staff. We could not have been happier with how everything turned out, and Alyssa and team made everything so easy. We heard so much feedback about how the food was the best many of our guests had ever had at a wedding. Everything was incredibly fresh, flavorful and unique and you can tell that the quality of what the chefs and restaurant serve is so important to them. We also loved how unique the venue was and how cool each bar area is - a lot of our guests commented on that as well and said it was the coolest and most unique wedding venue they've been to in Chicago! Of all the vendors I worked with throughout the wedding planning process, Alyssa was the most organized. She was quick to respond to everything, very accommodating and took care to make sure that everything about our day was exactly how we envisioned it. She is incredibly kind and I felt she was genuinely just as invested in our wedding day as we were as a couple, and she made everything so, so easy. Being my own wedding planner, I felt super confident in how things would turn out knowing that she was the person I'd be working with. They even made us a custom "Just Married" pizza! The staff was great the night of the wedding as well - the drinks were amazing and the service was top notch. If I could get married again, I'd do it all over at The Exchange. And even if you aren't looking to plan an event and are just looking for a great place to eat, definitely go here! We've eaten here a bunch leading up to the wedding and we've had great service and excellent food every time we've been. We will definitely be back. :)

Randie Speir

Aug 2024