Mauve Cocktail Lounge — Restaurant in Shorewood

You are not in Kansas anymore. Not knowing what to expect, I decided to stop into Mauve to have a late afternoon cocktail. A new bar in town, so let's support local. From the moment you open the door, you feel something is different. The staff greets you with a warm welcome and a smile. Everything floor to ceiling is elegant, and the inside of this inconspicuous space in a small-town strip mall is dressed to the nines. At first glance, you see the bar lit up and simply beautiful. The back bar is filled with quality, as they say at Mauve, "Libations." All this before you even sit down. I decided to sit at the bar and was instantly greeted with another warm smile, a freshwater decanter, and the menu. Mauve's menu is full of craft cocktails, high-quality spirits, and mouth-watering food choices. One of the crafted cocktails was an Old Fashion which I ordered. I have some cocktail years under my belt, and I have to say that Old Fashion was spot on. The rest of the menu showed of not your average suburban spread. Spread meaning food, one-word WOW! Both Mauve Chefs have a long line of exceptional pedigree, and they have put together a fabulous revolving seasonal menu. The food items I ordered were like the cocktail outstanding. To sum Mauve up, it is an upscale Adult gathering place, not a typical townie bar. No loud TVs or 22-year-olds slugging Coors lights, no restless younger children (I love kids, but sometimes… you know ya just need a break). I have returned several times, and the experience has nothing but grown on me. Give Mauve a try and treat yourself to luxury in rural Illinois at a small town cost. I have to say the Village of Shorewood hit it out of the park...

My fiancé and I just showed up, excited to try this new place. We had our 4 month old with us, asleep in her car seat. Another lady had walked in in front of us. A staff member walked up and very rudely chastised the woman in front of us that kids were not allowed in the place. She didn’t greet any of us, say hello, or apologize for the inconvenience. Had she presented this in any kind of polite way, we’d understand and come back. However we will never try this place out now. And the lady in front of us didn’t deserve to get yelled at either. My fiancés birthday was 2 weeks ago and we spent the weekend in Chicago and went to several 5 star restaurants and had drinks at the Ritz Carlton. Weirdly, none of these places...

Went to Mauve last night for the first and last time. My boyfriend and I ordered drinks, an appetizer and 2 entrees. They ran out of appetizer which was no big deal. We tried the buffalo chicken panini and the turkey sliders, which neither of us were impressed with especially for $16-17/each. Our server not only ran my card without taking the appetizer they we didn't get off the bill, but made a rude comment to me when he got up to use the restroom “you’re paying for him?”… I couldn’t even believe that in 2025 we are shaming women for buying dinner? What a weird thing to say to someone you don’t know. We both make good money but it won’t be...