Press & News​

In a city famous for its architectural landmarks, the Godfrey Hotel is one of Chicago's newest. Opened in February 2014 in a recently constructed 16- story building designed by the local architecture firm Valerio Dewalt Train, the upscale hotel boasts a Cubist-inspired facade and a marble-clad elliptical lobby.
 

Why should tourists get to have all the fun? Chicago's many chic hotels offer so much more than warm beds and kind concierges; they're home to some of the city's best bars and lounges, too. From killer views to artisan cocktails, these hotel bars are worth a visit.
 

Steps from Chicago's top shopping district and across the river from the Loop, River North is smartly positioned as the city's "where business meets pleasure" hood. The dining and drinking scene is an exciting amalgam of places suited for post-work imbibing and post-shopping refueling alike, including an ambitious cocktail bar and a posh, celebrity-owned steakhouse.
 

Business travelers want a fresh new take on a hotel their stays, and The Godfrey Hotel Chicago provided it. This boutique hotel is chic (opened on February 1, 2014). And its Cubist-influenced exterioir adds to Chicago's famous architecture.
 

Chicago's getting its own offshoot of the Miami-based Italian restaurant, which recently appeared on Bravo's Best New Restaurant. Like Anita Ekberg, Dolce Italian (Godfrey Hotel, 127 W. Huron St., no phone yet) plans to make a splash in early summer when it opens in Italian-crowded River North. 
 

The most defining feature of the Godfrey Hotel's newest addition is in the name—there's a huge outdoor lounge. Chef Riley Huddleston (The Aviary) presides over a menu of hotel fare, like truffle mac and cheese, Wagyu steak sliders, burgers, sandwiches and a variety of entrees, desserts and cocktails.
 

Riley Huddleston, chef of I|O Urban Roofscape: My resolutions are to earn certification as a level 1 sommelier or specialist in spirits; cook at least half of my meals at home (I didn't cook one meal at home in 2014); travel to eat at some of the best restaurants in the country and world; and join a sailing club to have the freedom to sail.
 

Get ready for New Year’s Eve bubbly during I|O Urban Roofscape’s end-of-the-year Champagne Tasting Holiday Party at 6:30 PM. Sip selections from seven of the top champagne houses, while chatting with a variety of representatives.
 

WGNT TV - LUNCHBREAKCHEF RILEY HUDDLESTON MAKES WILD MUSHROOMS AND GRILLED CORN.
 

When the Godfrey Hotel opened earlier this year, its artsy, cubist-inspired architecture wasn’t the only thing turning heads in River North. The 15,000sqft IO Urban Roofscape, billed as the largest indoor/outdoor "roofspace" in the city, is the real dome twister. Giant retractable roof?
 

For cocktail-sipping with a view, it doesn’t get much better than this self-proclaimed “roofscape” perched on the fourth floor of The Godfrey Hotel. The indoor/outdoor lounge features a retractable roof, comfort fare like triple-cream truffle mac and cheese, and jaw-dropping views of Chicago’s skyline, as well as an alluring beverage program overseen by Aviary vet Riley Huddleston.
 

I|O Urban Roofscape will be holding an end-of-the-year Champagne Tasting Holiday Party. Guests will be able to meet with representatives from the best champagne houses, and will be provided with a glass of champagne upon arrival.
 

I|O Urban Roofscape isn’t limited to summertime revelry. The stunning views make its New Year’s event the one to be at. For $5,000, you and 20 friends can jump to the front of the line with expedited entry before settling into a private booth where spirits and Champagne will keep on coming.
 

A Yelp user looks at reviews for the Godfrey Hotel. The Chicago hotel subscribes to CheckMate, a mobile platform that allows hotels to track the social influence of its guests.
 

There are only two weeks left in 2014 and if you haven't started thinking about New Year's yet, it's time to get moving. Most places will be open on New Year's Eve offering guests special prix fixe menus or blowout bashes to ring in 2015.
 

This Cubist-inspired building was designed to catch the eye–and indeed, the Godfrey was Chicago’s most anticipated hotel opening of 2014. Each of the bright, mod rooms feels like a sanctuary. But it’s property’s IO Urban Roofscape–a lounge featuring uninterrupted views of the Chicago skyline, a two-level fire pit, retractable roof, and cabanas–that is utterly swoon-worthy.
 

That's (no longer) a wrap....
The 16-story, 221-room Godfrey Hotel finally opened in February after a decade-long odyssey from design to completion. Orginally topped out in 2008, the structurally expressive Valerio Dewalt Train-designed building spent much of the Great Recession impersonating a Claus Oldenberg-wrapped art installation on LaSalle Street in River North.
 

Sample bubbly from renowned Champagne houses during The Godfrey Hotel’s I/O Urban Roofscape (127 W. Huron St., 312-374-1830) tasting party from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Dec. 27.
 

Local Social Media Ambassadors "Chicago Food Authority" dined in Dolce Italian posting their enjoyment of many dishes.
 

CHICAGO MAG - LISTED DOLCE #1 ON THEIR AUGUST 2015 HOT LIST OF RESTAURANTS

Good news! Dolce Italian (127 E. Huron St., River North, 312-754-0700) is adding a daily breakfast service from 7–11 a.m. and a lunch service from 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Menu attractions include a Bolognese burger with meat sauce and Swiss cheese, perfect for when you’re in the mood for something light.
 

A little more than two months after opening for dinner service, Dolce Italian in the Godfrey Hotel has now added daily breakfast (7:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.) and lunch (11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.). Read chef Paolo Dorigato's full menus below.
 

It's time again for my Summer Eating List. Patterned after the summer reading lists that haunted my school days, this list tells you the recently opened, soon-to-open and hoping-to-open restaurants to keep in mind for a summer of dining enrichment.
 

So, it should be pretty apparent by now that I’m kind of obsessed with Dolce Italian in the Godfrey Hotel. I’ve previously written about their fabulous secret pizza and today I’m writing about their new brunch service.

Dolce Italian in River North will be offering a $60/person prix fixe menu on Thursday from 2 to 9pm. Diners begin the meal with antipasti starters (chestnut soup or salad), followed by pasta, including butternut squash ravioli. The main course will include roasted turkey, plus additional meat-centric dishes. Desserts include an apple tart with vanilla ice cream. 

Brunch, not quite breakfast or lunch, is often overlooked but we're here to give it all the attention it deserves. The Eater Chicago Brunch Heatmap has been updated to show the newest places that are doing great things with their brunch menus. This month's additions include Mexican farm-to-table eatery Cantina 1910, stylish Dolce Italian and the newest location of Lettuce Entertain You's popular Beatrix.
 

Dolce Italian has taken the leap to up the ante on its breakfast menu with a full-fledged weekend brunch menu. Expect items like the Dolce "Benny" with poached eggs and ciabatta bread and the brunch pizza with sausage and egg. Bellinis, mimosas, and Bloody Marys are on hand for imbibing. There's also a "Bubbles Package" for $19 per person.
 

But just over the hill, straight-to-room keyless entry allows guests to check-in to their hotel, select a oom and receive an encrypted passkey that is sent to their smartphone.
 

I remember clearly the first time I had breakfast in a hotel dining room. There was a certain magic to taking the lobby elevator to another floor and getting off in an elegant carpeted hallway that led to a host desk where a uniformed person with a welcoming smile and quiet tone greeted me. I entered a sun-lit, serene and sedate room, with well-spaced tables covered in heavy damask, with not a crease in sight.
 

Diners enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with an Italian flair. The meal kicks off with antipasta starters and Chestnut Soup or the Autumn Salad, followed by a variety of pasta dishes, including Butternut Squash Ravioli. The main course offers a Roasted Turkey. An assortment of four desserts is offered, including Apple Tart with vanilla ice cream.
 

On Saturday, a few celebs couldn’t stay away from the Haunted Hotel party at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago on Halloween. Here’s a list of the stars spotted at the upscale/trendy hotel this weekend!
 

We all make “giant” cocktail pitchers for parties in our own home, why not have them as an option when going out? A growing trend in bars and restaurants across the country is group cocktails, or alcoholic drinks large enough to share among a small, or sometimes even large, group.
 

Fashion and Cocktails will feature a fashion show, music and plenty of food and drink at Godfrey Hotel's rooftop lounge. 
 

Elena Delle Donne put on her mean face for Nike's new "Snow Day" commercial. It didn't come easy. The Chicago Sky star and 2015 WNBA MVP said she and U.S. women's soccer star Sydney Leroux had trouble mean mugging for the camera.
 

Sophia Bush who dressed as Uma Thurman's over-dosing character from "Pulp Fiction" and her "Chicago P.D." co-Stars Jesse Lee Soffer and Marina Squerciati were spotted Saturday at Nellcote and IO in the Godfrey Hotel.
 

For New Year's Eve 2016 at I|O Urban Roofscape in The Godfrey Hotel Chicago, guests can enjoy bottle service, a late night snack, live music and more.
 

With the restaurant's grand square footage, IO Urban Roofscape’s booths have plenty of leg room to enjoy as you tackle items like lobster Benedict, smoked salmon salad, and brioche French toast with maple syrup and caramelized bananas. There’s also nothing stopping you from ordering prime beef sliders with bacon jam once you’re a few bellinis deep.
 

A couple of my favorite outdoor hotspots are the IO Urban Roofscape at the Godfrey Hotel and the patio at Kirkwood. The Godfrey Hotel’s rooftop is great for a swankier downtown experience, while Kirkwood’s patio is great for a more casual and laid-back vibe.
 

IO at the Godfrey Hotel is definitely a sleek and stylish bar every man must visit in Chicago. IO, located on the fourth floor of The Godfrey Hotel Chicago, presents the largest indoor-outdoor lounge and bar space in Chicago. IO offers year-round, dramatic south-facing skyline views, which are unobstructed due to the unique design of the hotel’s retractable roof.
 

Kelly Keegan, revenue manager at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago, says she started using HotelTonight about a year and a half ago and found it to be an “instant success.” She incorporates HotelTonight into her everyday strategy.
 

Wander up to the swanky fourth floor "roofscape" at the Godfrey Hotel, cozy into one of the spacious white booths, and have your pick of sweet and savory eats like grapefruit brulée, lamb lollichops crusted with bourbon-smoked paprika and orange, brioche French toast decked in caramelized bananas, and more.
 

Spicy Watermelon at IO Godfrey. Available by both the pitcher and the glass, this shaken sipper is one of several chef-created cocktails offered at this airy urban oasis.
 

Tweets show pictures of One Direction’s Liam Payne and bandmate Louis Tomlinson at Lolla in Grant Park Saturday. Payne and bandmate Niall Horan watched the big Ronda Rousey-Bethe Correia fight that night at Rockit Bar and Grill. Tomlinson opted for the Lolla after-party at The Godfrey Hotel's IO.