South Branch Reviews

Not even 2 weeks ago my fiancé and I had our wedding ceremony at South Branch followed by a cocktail reception with appetizers. If we could do it all over again, we wouldn't change anything. We cannot thank the team at South Branch enough. From day one, Rachel made us feel completely comfortable and that whatever it took to make use feel stress-free and at ease, they would take care of. Their level of professionalism is outstanding - from the early days of planning to the execution of the events, they never once failed to accommodate. All of our guests commented about how delicious the food was, and couldn't get enough. We can't thank the team enough for the time and effort they put into making this truly, the best day ever.

Our wedding reception at South Branch was amazing! We worked with Melanie, who was a delight to work with from beginning to end. The venue itself is the perfect space for a Chicago wedding. We loved having the combination of indoor and outdoor space. Guests were able to be cool and relaxed inside for dinner and eating, but go outside and take in the city lights and river for cocktail hour, drinking, and dancing! Our guests were so impressed with the location. In addition to people saying that it was an absolutely perfect venue, we had several people compliment us on the execution, the flow, and timing of the reception.

The staff at South Branch were so easy to work with and so accommodating. They got dinner out quickly and efficiently. We even had one guest who was stuck at work and running late. The servers brought his dinner out to him on the dance floor when he got there later in the night. They set up all our decorations themselves and did a wonderful job. They played two different videos/slideshows for us that worked perfectly on the TVs inside and outside. They were so accommodating for all the things we wanted to bring and the things that just showed up (lots of glow sticks).

The food was absolutely amazing - the steak was wonderful, it was cooked perfectly, and I think everyone loved their meals. No one ever had to wait for a drink all night. The bar staff were amazing, helpful, and quick to serve everyone.  

We didn't have to worry about anything, it was stress-free, and we could focus on hanging out with our family and friends. I think that's all due to their team and that they are all exceptional at what they do. 

We had our wedding at South Branch this August, and it could not have been a more perfect night. We wanted a more relaxed, cocktail style reception but we wanted to make sure that our guests had plenty of food. We also wanted an outdoor wedding and reception with a solid indoor backup plan in case the weather was terrible. South Branch hit it out of the park on all counts. We ended up having great weather, so we were able to have the entire night out on their awesome patio. Our guests raved about the food, the service, and the fact that they never had a wait at the bar. The staff were wonderful to work with, and the venue's day-of coordinator kept the whole night running smoothly. It ended up being the absolute perfect venue for our Chicago wedding.

From the beginning with our very first e-mails, right down to our wedding day and the days following, working with South Branch was an absolute pleasure. We first worked with Gabi, who was so attentive and helpful, and made our wedding tasting a fun night out for us.

Then two months before our wedding, Christina returned to South Branch from maternity leave and took over for us. She jumped right in like she had been working with us from the beginning and she never missed a beat. She made sure every silly little concern or request we had was addressed, always with a hug and a smile.

My main goal for our wedding day was to not worry about the little things and just enjoy the day, and Christina made that goal a reality. The venue looked absolutely beautiful (as always), the servers were so polite and welcoming to our guests (on the hottest day of the year), and Christina and her team brought my vision to life. Our guests are still ranting and raving about the delicious food and the endless drink options, and the city lights made a wonderful backdrop for a late night dance party.

South Branch even made our pickup the following Monday seamless - they even kept my bouquet in water and our cake in the freezer, and had everything else packaged up and ready to go upon our arrival. I cannot praise Gabi, Christina, and the South Branch staff highly enough, and I will recommend this wonderful venue to anyone who will listen.

THANK YOU SOUTH BRANCH!

We used South Branch for our wedding on August 15, 2015. Jennifer Williams and her team are completely amazing. The entire event was flawless, from the ceremony, to dinner, to the reception afterwards. Throughout the planning process, it was a pleasure to work with Jennifer to finalize any and all details before the big day. I met with her 3-4 times throughout the past year for walk-throughs, food tastings, and pre-event meetings. She always had an answer for any of my questions. One of the reasons we picked South Branch as our venue was due to her confidence, calm demeanor, and organizational skills. She assured us that everything would go perfectly on our big day and she was exactly right. Our guests commented that the food was outstanding, the service was excellent, and even the security guards were friendly. We made a last-minute decision to extend our event from 11pm to midnight and her whole team graciously accommodated our request. Compared to other venues in downtown Chicago, South Branch is relatively affordable for an outdoor, Chicago Loop wedding. The value of the event compared to the cost was on point. We cannot say enough good things about the events team at South Branch.

My son and daughter in law had set their minds on a venue located in the heart of downtown Chicago. Originally, I wasn't to thrilled about the venue - but as their special day arrived 6/22, I soon discovered how wrong I was in my thinking. We were so impressed how attentive, accommodating and respectful everyone was to us - especially the director of the event - Erin Carroll. She was so pleasant and professional throughout the entire event, consequently this took pressure and stress away from us. She ensured us by having "top notch security" which kept wandering admirers away from our venue. These people were "outstanding" and did a terrific job. The bar and kitchen staff were also very flexible, pleasant and responsive to everyones request. The day went absolutely perfect - and I mean perfect. Everyone had a terrific time and my son and daughter in law felt like royalty. A thousand thanks to Erin and the entire staff for making this day so special.

Beautiful venue with indoor/outdoor options. Fantastic service and event coordination.

My husband and I held our ceremony and reception at South Branch. Overall, we were very happy with our experience!!

From the beginning, South Branch staff was responsive and helpful. We worked mainly with Jennifer and Christina. Both responded to emails in a timely manner and were available to meet in person at our request. The tasting was lovely and they were extremely accommodating of any requests we threw there way.

The venue itself is beautiful, tastefully decorated and incredible location in the heart of downtown Chicago and right on the river. We had a cocktail style reception with passed appetizers and stationary food items. All of our guests raved about the food and said that there was plenty to go around. Our guests also loved the open bar. If you have family and friends that can drink, this is the bar menu to go for! Great selection of beers and liquors. The servers and bartenders were all incredibly professional and on top of their game.

For being a downtown Chicago venue, South Branch is more affordable than the other options we looked into. We planned our wedding from the west coast and needed a venue that could pretty much handle everything....it was too complicated finding caterers, linens, etc., from across the county. It was so easy and painless with South Branch, they really did take care of almost everything.

The only very small downside was that there wasn't much direction given to our guests when we had our receiving line. However, it also started raining so the staff was dealing with moving the entire wedding indoors when we had planned on it being outdoors. So they definitely were dealing with bigger issues! That being said, the transition indoors was seamless and I appreciate their flexibility and coolness under pressure.

I seriously cannot recommend South Branch enough! We received so many compliments on our wedding, especially the food, venue, and open bar!

without the cooperation of mother nature, this place is still very city chic, but the 4000 sq ft patio really gave the feel we were looking for. having your guests outside on the river surrounded by all the buildings downtown constantly reminds people that they are part of the skyline in the greatest city in the world. plus, it will look like you cost a fortune to ensure they have a good time! because south branch is set in the business district, being a saturday night, everything surrounding us was pretty quiet. when we left to take nighttime pictures, all we could hear through the whole neighborhood was our band rockin it out. it was more important to us that we have good food rather than pretty food, so for us, the only option for our reception was a restaurant. the staff is great and manager erin will make sure that everything is going smoothly every step of the way.