VU Rooftop: the skyline from the south, on the 22nd floor
A lookout near McCormick Place
The South Loop, south of downtown, is home to McCormick Place, the city's enormous convention center. On the 22nd floor of a Hilton hotel on Cermak Road, VU Rooftop spans about 13,000 square feet: an indoor lounge with a living wall, retractable glass panels and terraces furnished with long sofas around fire pits. Its location, away from the towers, is its big advantage: the entire skyline unfolds in a single glance to the north, while Lake Michigan stretches out to the east. Open year-round, the venue moves indoors when the wind picks up.
An award-winning chef and house cocktails
Taken over by Atomic Hospitality in late 2025, VU has put its kitchen in the hands of Debbie Gold, a James Beard Award winner. The dinner menu mixes oysters, a seafood platter, salt and pepper shrimp, Korean-style chicken wings, marinated skirt steak, pasta and a burger. The signature cocktails, $17 or $18, play on local humor, like the Lower Wacker with gin and violet or the 22nd Floor S'more with bourbon. In the morning, breakfast is served from 6am on weekdays. Live jazz livens up Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and happy hour takes place in the early evening.
Practical information
Breakfast from 6am to 10am on weekdays and from 7am to 11am on weekends; dinner from 4pm (3pm on Friday and Saturday), until 11pm Sunday through Wednesday, 2am on Thursday and 1am on Friday and Saturday. Online reservations are recommended; groups of more than ten by request. Cermak-McCormick Place station (Green Line on the “L”) is about 300 meters away.
VU Rooftop: frequently asked questions
VU Rooftop: what is the address?
VU Rooftop is located at the following address: 133 East Cermak Road 22e étage – Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Place, IL 60616 Chicago.
VU Rooftop: how expensive is it?
On our scale, VU Rooftop has a price level of 4 out of 5 ($$$$).
