Eater Inside

Accept The Mission & Tour SafeHouse Chicago, Importing Milwaukee’s Legendary Spy Fun

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by Ashok Selvam@Shokdiesel Feb 8, 2017, 11:24am CST

Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.

SafeHouse Chicago is a love letter to fans of spy novels, movies and television. It’s no secret that the owners of the concept had wanted to open a second SafeHouse after 50 successful years in Milwaukee. They’ve transformed their downtown Chicago space at 60 E. Ontario St. into a fun space for friends to hold special security briefings over food and drink that not even the president would dare miss.

First, let’s talk about the entrance, located along Ontario between Rush Street and Wabash Avenue. Find the gas lamp and guests will find the way inside SafeHouse’s front, International Exports LTD. Patrons will need a password, but it’s the same as the Milwaukee location. There’s no way to mention all the touches inside the massive space. But fans of Get Smart, the 1960s TV show that begot a movie remake in 2008, will swoon over the cone of silence table. The supposedly soundproof, umbrella-like cone is the only way to ensure sensitive, classified information isn’t leaked. There’s a giant bullet hole through a wall to honor 007, James Bond himself. History buffs will marvel at the wall covered with graffiti and other markings to look like the Berlin Wall.

There’s six sections—two bars, a dining room, lounge, dance floor and a “spybrary.” They’ll have magicians on hand every night at the gadget bar where they’ll have shoe phones and other innovations from Q or another egghead to add more to the experience.

But agents should do their own surveillance to truly understand the SafeHouse experience, so check out the photos below. SafeHouse will launch their first mission soon, as they haven’t yet announced an opening date.