Blue Water Lounge — Restaurant in Proviso Township

This is a VERY cute place. Decor is kitschy.... in a GOOD way. & as an older single female.... I definitely felt "safe" there. I also liked that it's open REALLY late because I am STILL a nightowl. I've only been there 2 times, both within the last several weeks.

BUT.... unfortunately there are some things worth mentioning (both times I went) that really rubbed me the wrong way. Their cocktail prices are OUTRAGEOUS compared to other comparable establishments in the vicinity. Example: Tequila (NOT a premium brand) & ginger beer (which is non-alcoholic, so it's just a mixer) & a wedge of lime. (Known as a Moscow Mule when made with vodka.) $10 BEFORE tax. $1.13 tax + $2.00 tip. That's $13.13 for a NON-premium cocktail! Even with recent price increases supposedly due to COVID, that price is NOT justifiable. a.k.a Price gouging! At my modest income level.... I can only afford to have ONE drink there.... which is hardly worth showing up for.... especially since BOTH times the bartender/manager wasn't even the slightest bit friendly & the "regulars" don't give you the time of day. I noticed both times that he would chat with certain other people there who I could tell were regulars. So maybe he was chilly because I was a new patron? Or maybe because he views older females as "invisible"? At least the other bartender smiled occasionally! After all.... for many people, including myself the primary reason for going to a bar is a little socializing... & maybe even commerraderie! In my experiece... not even a hint for that potential at Blue Water. Comparing this same drink to 2 other local places I've been to several times: G.S. in Forest Park - Their price increased from $7 to $8 several months ago. I can manage the cost of AND JUSTIFY staying for 3 drinks.... & not only because of the price. The primary bartender there is warm & friendly. That's the initial reason I wanted to go back again. The other patrons, including the regulars are also very friendly. They are more than willing to chat with a newbie. That has been the reason I have kept going back there ever since i discovered it 4 years ago. The ONLY recent downside to G.S. is that after the restaurants were allowed to re-open in 2020 (COVID restrictions eased up), they close ridiculously early... even on Fri. & Sat. nights. If night owls & 2nd shift workers want to go out, they have to find a late night bar which unfortunately are sometimes "seedy". Blue Water is definitely NOT seedy. But it sure is expensive...

We walked in and immediately we saw an empty table. However, there were more people there on NYE than I expected, so that was good. It's nice to have a decent crowd for the ambiance. The martinis were very tasty. They even had a free champagne toast for the countdown. Free subs were a plus as well.

We went to Blue Water because there was no cover charge. The martinis were $12, which I think is too high...especially for a martini bar. If you want people to drink lots of martinis, don't break their wallet. Lol. But I read other reviews that stated the martinis were $13-$15, so I guess we came on a good night.

The main thing I didn't care for was the overly friendly server, who insisted on touching my shoulders everytime he came by to take our empty glasses. Not to mention that I think he came straight (I use that word LOOSELY) in from a smoke break and blew his last wiff into my face and into my drink. As disgusted as I was by that, I think I enjoyed myself enough to come back. :-) I've been to much...

I took my son and his friends here and to one other bar close by for his 21st birthday. We did a mini pub crawl ending here since it's with walking distance from home. We had the MOST AMAZING TIME. The two staff we soooo patient with us since the "kids" had never been to a martini bar before and had no idea what to order. They took time to explain everything and made the ABSOLUTE BEST FLIPPIN MARTINIS I've EVER had. And I am a total Martini snob lol. Their Martinis are like WORKS OF ART and taste AMAZING. The turtle and jolly rancher ones were to die for. Yes it's a bit pricey for the fancy martinis bc like I said they're edible art lol but they also make a fantastic dirty martini. I Love this place and now my son does too. He's been properly educated on martini bar etiquette lol. I ALWAYS recommend this place whenever anyone comes into Brookfield. It's one of our towns highlights. If you ever come into town for an occasion I recommend ending the night HERE. You'll absolutely...