Pinot's Palette — Attraction in Barrington Township

TL;DR: Worst Pinot’s Palette I’ve been to - zero real teaching, worn-out brushes, limited drinks. Ruined a date night. Go to a different location.

Full Review: This was unfortunately the worst Pinot’s Palette experience I’ve had, and it ruined what was supposed to be a fun date night.

At other Pinot’s Palette locations, the instructors have been fantastic: checking on each painting at every step; showing how to try techniques if you’re nervous; and even demonstrating how to use brushes for certain details. Those experiences were fun, encouraging, and I proudly display the paintings from them.

Here, the instructor spent about 80% of the session working on her own painting with her back to the class. She gave us maybe 6 minutes of guidance total + a few quick walkarounds in a 2-hour session, most of them without any comments. Instead of helpful tips or encouragement, the “teaching” felt like a scripted routine: repeat the same basic instruction 3-4 times (“use this brush, this color, paint this area”) and move on - no details, no technique, no advice on mixing colors, no real help. It felt like a call center script.

The supplies were also disappointing. We didn’t get small brushes until another class ended, which felt strange since they were clearly needed for the fine details at the end. At the start, we were told we wouldn’t need them - then mid-painting, the instructor changed her mind. And maybe I’m wrong here, but the brushes themselves felt worn out: not pointy, hard to use for detail work. In other studios, I’ve had no problem painting small details with their brushes.

The bar was another letdown. The menu was limited to just bottles of wine and a few canned drinks - nothing resembling a real “bar.”

Overall, this location completely missed the mark. Maybe I was spoiled by another great Pinot’s Palette location, but this one doesn’t compare. If you want the fun, interactive, and supportive Pinot’s Palette experience, I strongly recommend choosing a different studio.

P.S. The location I’ve visited and enjoyed several times before was Pinot’s Palette...

Fun outing with kids. Thoughtful setup with the pre-stenciled image set up in advance. A break mid-way was planned in so it didn’t feel rushed. Everyone’s snoopy turned out really cute. The drinks leave MUCH to be desired. I got my friend a mango mimosa it was sticky and sweet straight from a bottle not mixed with anything. I would up the game there and at least mix a fresh simple drink. Real OJ, real sparkling wine and offer a fun mocktail for kids and those who do not imbibe. Sparkling water or tonic +juice, very easy. It’s the details that make the difference. I’d also rather sign my name with a sharpie I can never get it right with paint. 3.5 stars but I’ll round up since the kids were mostly happy and the staff was helpful and friendly. I do wish they had two paintings going on because if you go with someone you live with you really don’t need duplicate...

Not that it wasn't fun, but circumstances that are well within the control of the company. My back fatigues quicker than most due to surgery but even my group mates started complaining so it would be nice to see some investment in chairs with backs on them. Additionally, an investment in new brushes for all three sizes would make a huge difference so that they don't soak up as much water as well as not having bristles fall out everywhere and have random bristle strokes in a spot you don't want then because you have no fine line option or control with the current brushes. It can still be fun, but these improvements would make it a much...