The Pink Squirrel - Chicago, Illinois

Jen B.

I’m normally not one to leave a 1 star review, but this was such a bad experience I don’t want others to make the same mistake as I did. I made reservations for a Friday before Christmas to experience their Tinsel Town pop up- all photos I saw were spectacular. The only option to reserve required a prepayment for a $35 per person ($47 after required tax and tip) cookie decorating experience that had 1 cocktail and one shot.

The drink looked like a radioactive Mountain Dew drink from Taco Bell Cantina and tasted like a Halls cough drop. The “milk and cookies” shot tasted like Lemon pledge. I think the prepackaged cookie set came from Amazon. Not all bars should create their own cocktails if they are this bad. When the server asked how the drinks were, I said “like a Halls.” She never asked us how we were doing after that. We made the most by decorating our cookies by how we felt about the experience.

Really a disappointing overpriced experience.

Maddie H.

Fun cocktails, cuter atmosphere! So fun for bowling and trying a fun old fashioned cocktail. We came for the tinsel town pop up. My mom loved it too! Definitely will be back to try some more fun drinks or when they have a fun themed night again!

Isabelle B.

It is my 21st birthday and I paid over $40 almost a month ago to book a lane for today but when we showed up, it was CLOSED with the door locked and the windows covered. How they let me book the lane and then never said anything when we came all the way out here was absolutely ridiculous. I have never in my life had this happen and I have never been so upset.

Maria R.

The Pink Squirrel is so cute! I went during their Christmas "Tinsel Town" pop up and LOVED the decorations. The bowling is hilarious and the specialty drinks are over-the-top, but for the vibe perfectly. This is a fun spot to enjoy a drink!

Verneal C.

My friend and I went there for the holiday cookie decorating pop up. We booked our reservation online and it included the cookie decorating kit and 2 drinks, a shot and a cocktail. The outside looked abandoned. We got seated very quickly and it was clearing out by the time we got seated. We had 2 different servers. The first server brought our cookie kit and took my friends card and specifically told us that it wouldn’t be charged they just kept it in case we ordered more drinks. They took like 45 minutes -1 hour to even get us our shots. They came to our table 5 times asking if we’ve received our drinks and what did we order. I’m not sure what the confusion was but by the time we did get our shot and cocktail the drinks were warm and frankly not good as far as taste. The Elfd up shot tasted like cough medicine and the cocktail was way too sour. I forgot the name but the server said it was supposed to be sweet. When we left my friends card had been charged for the drinks that were supposed to be included with our reservation. We didn’t order anything else because they took WAY too long to even get us that. Definitely will not be returning.

Avery S.

I was hoping for a fun evening with friends, but I was rudely turned away at the door because they do not accept vertical driver's licenses in accordance with "state law." Such a law does not exist. My California license is valid, and I am 24 years old, yet the manager treated me like a petulant teenager. It was a very uncomfortable interaction. My friends and I immediately left and had a wonderful time at the Welcome Back Lounge across the street.

Lindsey

Only certain races are asked for ID: if you're white and underaged, you can walk in and order drinks here without being carded! What a beautiful privilege.
From the moment I walked in, I was met with hostility and suspicion: “I need to see ID. Do you have a reservation?” The tone made it crystal clear—I wasn’t welcome.

Contrast this with my white friend, who arrived just before me. When I mentioned how aggressively I was greeted, she looked genuinely confused: “What? They didn’t say anything to me. I just sat down.”

I decided to confront the bartender about this obvious discrepancy. I asked, “What’s the criteria for asking someone for ID?” The response? “Anyone who walks in that door.” So I pointed out the glaring issue: “My friend literally just walked in and sat down without being asked anything.” The bartender fumbled with a weak, dismissive excuse: “Well, I’m sorry, but she should’ve been.”

This is more than just bad customer service—it’s systemic bias masquerading as “policy.” The dismissive attitude, the double standard, the lack of accountability—it’s all a loud reminder that places like this perpetuate exclusion under the guise of professionalism.

Avoid this place if you value basic respect. They’ve made it clear who they want in their space—and who they don’t.

M C. (.

We did the Frankenstein cocktail event and it was nice being able to make our own drinks. We also had a chance to do the duckpin bowling; which was a lot of fun. The place was pretty much empty at the time that we went and our waitress/ host was very awesome and attentive to us and others in the place