It happened fast. One day you’re sipping a $22 martini looking out over the Lake Michigan shoreline from a thousand feet up, and the next, there’s a laminated sign on the door saying it’s all over. People were genuinely shocked. For three decades, the Signature Room at 95th Chicago was the city’s go-to "special occasion" spot. If you were getting engaged, celebrating a 50th anniversary, or trying to impress a cousin from out of town without paying for the observation deck, you went to the 95th floor of the former John Hancock Center. Then, in September 2023, the lights went out for good.
The closure wasn’t just a bummer for tourists. It was a massive shift in the city’s dining identity. We’re talking about a place that served over 8,000 gallons of its famous white chocolate banana bread pudding every year. It’s weird to think that a place so iconic—a place that literally defined the Chicago skyline experience—could just vanish overnight.
What Really Killed the Signature Room at 95th Chicago?
Honestly, it wasn't just one thing. It was a "perfect storm" of bad timing and rising costs. Owners Rick Roman and Nick Pyknis pointed to a few specific culprits when they broke the news. First, the lease. Negotiating a lease in a skyscraper like 875 North Michigan Avenue (the building's official name since 2018) is a nightmare. Rents didn't go down, but foot traffic on the Magnificent Mile certainly did.
Safety concerns in the downtown area played a role, too. While the 95th floor felt like a sanctuary, the streets below were struggling with a post-pandemic retail slump. People just weren't hanging out on Michigan Avenue like they used to.
Then you’ve got the labor costs. Running a high-end kitchen a thousand feet in the air is expensive. Every steak, every bottle of champagne, and every bag of trash has to travel via dedicated service elevators. When the 10-year lease renewal came up, the math simply didn't work anymore. The owners basically said that the "economic issues" were insurmountable. It’s a recurring theme in the Chicago restaurant scene lately, but seeing it hit a giant like this felt different. It felt permanent.
The Famous Ladies' Room View (Yeah, We Have to Talk About It)
You can't talk about the Signature Room at 95th Chicago without mentioning the bathroom. It sounds ridiculous if you’ve never been there, but that south-facing window in the women’s restroom was legendary. It offered arguably the best view of the Willis Tower and the Grid without having to pay for a cocktail.
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There’s a funny kind of local lore about it. Men would try to sneak in just to catch a glimpse of the skyline from that specific angle. TikTok and Instagram were flooded with "restroom selfies" long before influencers were even a thing. It was probably the only place in the world where the bathroom was more photographed than the actual dining room. It’s those little quirks that made the place feel less like a corporate tourist trap and more like a shared Chicago secret, even if that secret was shared with three million other people.
Beyond the View: The Food Struggle
Let’s be real for a second. Most people didn't go to the Signature Room for the culinary innovation. You went for the view. The food was... fine. It was classic high-end American fare:
- Center-cut filet mignon
- Twin cold water lobster tails
- Seared diver scallops
It was "wedding food" executed at a high level. But as Chicago’s food scene exploded with Michelin-starred spots in the West Loop and Logan Square, the Signature Room started to feel a bit like a time capsule. It was competing with places like Alinea and Oriole for the "big night out" dollars, but it was relying on 1990s glamour. For many locals, the Signature Room was a place you went once every five years. That’s a tough business model when your rent is astronomical.
What’s Happening With the Space Now?
Since the doors locked in 2023, the 95th and 96th floors have been sitting mostly vacant. It’s a strange thought—some of the most valuable real estate in the world, just empty. The building's owner, a real estate firm called Hearn Co., has been looking for new tenants, but it's not as simple as just moving in a new stove.
The space is huge. We’re talking over 26,000 square feet. Whoever takes it over needs massive capital. There have been rumors about everything from a private club to a high-tech "experience" center, but nothing has stuck yet.
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Meanwhile, the 360 Chicago Observation Deck on the 94th floor is still booming. They even added "CloudWalk," a glass-floored walkway. It seems the "view" business is still profitable, but the "fine dining with a view" business is a much harder nut to crack. If you're looking for that Signature Room vibe today, you’re basically looking at places like Cite at the top of Lake Point Tower or The Metropolitan in the Willis Tower, but even those have different energies.
Lessons from the 95th Floor
The fall of the Signature Room at 95th Chicago tells us a lot about where the city is headed. Icons aren't bulletproof. To survive in the current climate, a restaurant needs more than just a gimmick or a great view; it needs a sustainable relationship with the building owners and a way to get locals to come back more than once a decade.
If you’re planning a trip to Chicago and were hoping to book a table there, you’ll need to pivot.
Where to go instead:
- 360 Chicago (94th Floor): If you just want the view. They have a bar called Bar 94 where you can get a drink, though it’s much more casual than the Signature Room was.
- The J. Parker: Located in Lincoln Park, it offers a stunning view of the skyline and the lake from a much lower—but arguably more beautiful—vantage point.
- Wicker Park’s Rooftops: Places like The Up Room at The Robey give you that "urban glow" without the Michigan Avenue prices.
It’s tempting to think that another restaurant will just slide into that 95th-floor spot and everything will go back to normal. But the reality is that the era of the massive, 300-seat "skyway" dining room might be over. The costs are just too high, and the modern diner’s palate is too fickle.
Actionable Tips for Visiting Chicago’s High-Rises
If you are still hunting for that "top of the world" feeling in Chicago, here is how you should actually handle it in 2026.
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Skip the mid-day rush. If you go to any observation deck or high-rise bar between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM, you're going to be surrounded by school groups and strollers. Aim for "blue hour"—the thirty minutes after the sun goes down. The city lights pop, but you can still see the horizon.
Check for private events. Many of the remaining high-altitude bars in the city get bought out for corporate parties. Always check their social media or call ahead before you take the Uber downtown. Nothing is worse than getting to the lobby and finding out the elevator is restricted.
Don't ignore the "lower" views. Sometimes the 20th floor is actually better for photos than the 95th. When you're too high up, the cars look like ants and you lose the detail of the architecture. Places like LondonHouse Chicago (22nd floor) offer a much more intimate view of the Chicago River and the "Canyon" of buildings.
The Signature Room at 95th Chicago might be a memory now, but the skyline it inhabited isn't going anywhere. It’s just changing. Whether the next tenant is a restaurant, a gallery, or an office, that view remains the crown jewel of the city. Just don't expect the banana bread pudding to be waiting for you when you get there.