Didn't know what to expect for this cocktail bar. The staff from the doorman to the server, Zee was…read morethe name I believe, were all great to deal with. Good place for low chill vibes and to get away from the younger bars Naperville has. Will be back.

It's hard to define The Northcott Liquorette. It's a bar but it's not a traditional American bar…read morewith TVs and comfort snack foods. It's not a bar with bad lighting and music. It's not a restaurant because you wouldn't just come here for the food although the food is good. It's close to a lounge I would say but again not exactly a lounge either. In any case it's a great place to hang out with a friend or friends or a date . The cocktails are made well and well thought out. They are not your traditional cocktails you find everywhere and I love an original place with unique ideas. Make a reservation, be on time, order a dish and a few drinks and enjoy yourself.

Altavida is a new addition to the downtown Naperville area as they have only been open for 3 weeks…read more It has taken over The Craftsman building which offers three floors. Altavida's concepts for the three levels are Publico, Rumba, and Altura. Publico (1st Flr)- A South American fusion of food and drinks that will be rotating. The cocktails will be more tequila and mezcal based and food will be subtly rotated based on trends happening in South America. The food menu currently offers tapas, empanadas, ceviche, guacamoles, larger format meat/seafood entrees, and more. They will have a front of our bar as well as a back bar that will specialize in more coffees/coffee cocktails. Rumba (2nd Flr)- The entertainment floor! There is a separate bar on this floor that will specialize in more Rum based cocktails. Additionally, they will have a wine bar area with wines in tap. Lastly, they will have an open area for live music as well as dancing. Their hope is to have a mix of jazz, club music, salsa dancing options available. Altura (3rd Flr)- This floor is still under construction but will have a rooftop patio. The hope is that this space will be an event space both for public and private events. Back to my experience! My partner and I stopped in for a cocktail and to see what Altavida was about. Our first bartender was very nice but was still getting used to the drink recipes and was leaning on their cheat sheets. While we waited, another bartender kindly told us all about the restaurant and its focus on hospitality. Unfortunately, each bartender had a slightly different explanation of the restaurant's goal concepts which was confusing. We ended up ordering the El Toro and Vaquero (both mezcal drinks). Both were VERY spirit forward to the point that it may have needed better balance. Both drinks had a nice presentation with garnishes, color, and a skull feature at the bottom of the glass. Lastly, we saw many people walk up and look confused as there was no formal host stand. They didn't know if they should seat themselves or wait for someone. Overall, there still seems to be some kinks needing to be worked out as well as some conceptual editing. I feel they are trying to achieve too much and it ends up being confusing for staff and guests. I hope with time, Altavida is extremely successful in the Naperville area and I hope to circle back after some time passes.

This place is a wonderful addition to DT Naperville! I was able to get a last minute dinner…read morereservation on a Friday night. I arrived at 6:30 and there were plenty of people already in the restaurant, but I was seated promptly. My server Richard came over to greet me right away. He went over the menu options and gave great recommendations. We put our order in pretty quickly because we've been to tapas restaurants before. I loved the modern decor and lively music being played. The place is truly colorful and has a very energetic vibe. The service was excellent. Everyone was extremely kind and happy to help. Edwin, the general manager was so friendly and accommodating by making sure that everything was to our liking. He is a gem. My husband and I ordered a few different tapas to share. We started with the empanadas and they were truly 10/10, highly recommend! We had the beef and chicken with the chimichurri sauce. We also tried the papas bravas and those were delicious as well. They are spicy and have a nice kick. The portion is pretty big and shareable. Last, we had chicken en mole. Omg, so good! They knocked it out of the park with this one. The presentation is very pleasing and the flavor is 10/10! I'm a hot sauce girly and even carry it in my bag just in case. The sauce they had in the dish was so good that I didn't even think about adding hot sauce! The rice and chicken along with the sauce is chef's kiss. I also tried the Brussels sprouts but they were my least favorite of everything. They should go back to the drawing board on that one. The drinks we had were solid. My husband had an espresso martini and dragonfruit margarita, while I had a mango margarita. All were good. Needless to say, I had an amazing evening at Altavida! The dancing on the second floor was also very fun and entertaining. I will definitely be a regular here!

My favorite Naperville restaurant! Pescado Frito and Coles de Bruseles for dinner. Our second…read moredinner did not disappoint. My first deep fried red snapper, so delicious. Paired with an Alto Adige Pinot Grigio. Divine. Skirt steak, with a side of tortillas, also highly recommended! Tip: ask for a side of corn tortillas to make it a complete meal.

Santo Cielo doesn't have a happy hour but they do offer a Tuesday $10 special and Thursday $10…read moreMartini special. I visited on a Tuesday when there are (5) cocktails and (6) food options for $10 each. They also offer half off MP Oysters. The restaurant has exterior signage on where to enter the building before going up to the fifth floor. The inside has a light and bright aesthetic and truly had some amazing views of downtown Naperville. For drinks, I got the Old Fashioned which was perfectly balanced yet spirit forward. My husband got the Spanish G&T which the rotating gin was an African gin with orange notes. The drink overall was refreshing for summer. For food, we shared the Papas Fritas which was seasoned fries with a salsa sauce and celery cream sauce. I surprisingly liked the sauces a lot and the portion was a perfect light snack for four. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my visit. The normal menu is a bit pricey but I would certainly come back for Thursday Martini night!

We came here to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had an early-ish reservation at 5:30pm in the…read moremiddle of the week so it was on the quieter side, which we absolutely loved. Service was great! Everyone was friendly and prompt and wanted to make sure we had a great meal. This is what we ordered: * Nonna's Meatballs * Pear & Fennel Salad (walnuts on the side) * Focaccia di Recco (requested with prosciutto & arugula) * Linguine alle vongole I also ordered an Almafi Spritz (zero proof) which was wonderful and bright a slice of Italy to Chicago's suburbia. The food was fresh and delicious. I recalled a Davanti location in Chicago but never had the chance to check it out, so this was my first time and it was great! The atmosphere is chic and the food was excellent, but not in a flashy, overdone, complicated way, just real good, made in house, hearty Italian fare. The Focaccia Di Recco was AMAZING. Yes, all caps. We packed up half of it to take home and it was still great the next day (reheated and then toasted in our mini counter oven/fryer). If you order just one thing here, let it be this focaccia dish. I understand why it's popular and I blurted out loud several times while eating this in restaurant: "on my god" it was truly divine. As my husband said, "this food might be better than what we had in Italy..." and I don't disagree. The kitchen does not do split portions for pasta but they were able to bring out 2 plates for us to split ourselves. This is a great spot for date night, a ladies night out, or a solo wine & dine at the bar. I can't believe I didn't come sooner. Plus, it's located right next to a parking garage which made our night out really convenient! We can't wait to come back! Five shining stars.

Always perfect pasta, fabulous service, and a great location. Julia was our server and was so…read moregracious and funny. She also treated us with a Lemonchello shot for my birthday.

Stopped in to sit at the bar on a biz trip. Really friendly…read morebartender and good prices. Was surprised just how empty it was; it deserves a visit.

5 stars for Tony the manager!…read more We were watching the Bears game and our server had an off night. She was definitely trying, but there were some hiccups that affected us to the point of needing to speak with someone. Tony happened to be walking by, so I flagged him down. He listened patiently, spoke to his staff, and took care of us. Mistakes happen, we're all human; but the way he went about it was definitely appreciated. We'll be back!

Held Rehearsal dinner there recently and was perfect! Well…read moreworth the stop not just for dinner as well.

When was the last time you had homemade pasta at a restaurant? Honestly, I don't even want to eat…read moreItalian anywhere else after coming to Vai's. Unless it's in Italy. Walked in with starving teenage boys on a Sunday after noon. The place was packed. Ordered a Margarita pizza with 6 slices for an app. We have high expectations of this one and we were all so busy eating it and looking up. Wondering is this really this amazing. Hell yes, it was. The sauce, the crust. The amount of sauce. Etc. all hit it just right. Second app was a plate of fresh cut fries. Once again this place does not cut corners. Perfectly fried with a crunch and sea salt on top. That was a busy plate getting gobbled up before our entrees showed up. For my entree, I got the mushroom parpadelle with shrimp. I had no clue until I started to eat it that it was homemade pasta. In my head I kept thinking there is no way this is not made in house. I asked the waiter and yes indeed he said they are making pasta all day long. With the amount of people in this restaurant. I can only imagine how busy that kitchen is creating this soft and fresh beautiful pasta. If you have ever made pasta. You know how much time and work it is. Sorry, back to my dish: the shrimp we cooked to a perfection. Quality high, the mushrooms were fresh and I could not wait to find more. If you want Italian. Skip the chains. You will not get this quality and love like this place.

We are from out of town and the first 2 times we went to The George the food was excellent, flavors…read morewere amazing and the staff was really friendly. The staff are still amazing! This visit one of our orders came back wrong (asked for the crispy chicken Caesar sandwich, minus the bacon and provolone). It arrived with chicken and plain lettuce, no Caesar dressing, parmesan etc. No big deal this happens, so we nicely told our waitress who looked at it and said, " yup you're right and we will remake it," she came back to our table 5 minutes later and said my manager needs to see it to make sure it was made incorrectly," we thought that was an odd response, however, they do bring a new sandwich out that is correct. Our waitress then says "per my manger if you want to keep the old one too (one bite out of it) we have to charge you for it, and if you don't want to pay for it we are throwing it out." My questions are; why didn't the manager approach us personally, which is what every other restaurant does, and why were we made to feel that we were somehow scamming the restaurant for 2 sandwiches? There are so many other wonderful Restaurants in Naperville that unfortunately we won't be back anytime soon.

Not local to the area, but this is a new joint to the neighborhood according to a friend. Overall,…read moregreat vibe and good food/drink options. What I snagged -Easy drink -Salamon with mashed and green beans. Flavor was perfect. A little over done, but the sauce made up for it. Bartender was nice and attentive. Recommend some a date night on the patio or just for a quick dinner.

Closed in, claustrophobic, and no room to move around in or even dance as your shoulder-to-shoulder…read morewith so many people trying to squeeze through or lounge around. This happens very often on weekends that it almost feels like a potential hazard waiting to happen.

We came out to Two Nine recently for a birthday party and had a good time but it was overly…read morecrowded. I think something they can do to minimize this is to have wait times for when your party can arrive or be more strict about how many people they let in at once. Things that are unique about this spot is the ambiance and the iron branch-like artwork on the walls and throughout the bar. It's a cool atmosphere when the lights are dimmed as they have fun colored up-lighting to set the mood. There's a little outdoor bar called "the shanty" and it is the best spot to be if you visit in the summer. The DJ is usually always spot on for the crowd; usually a mix of modern EDM and early 2000's hip hop throwbacks. The dance floor is small but was packed. There is a semi-private table area by the bar that you can reserve for a group party. If you ever are planning to come here for a birthday or any type of celebration I'd recommend you reserve this table/booth area so your group has a place to sit or at least stand. You also get a server assigned to your table! Like I mentioned, on a busy Friday or Saturday night, this place is packed shoulder to shoulder like a college bar. If that's the scene you're looking for, you're in the right spot! They should staff at least 6 bar tenders for the influx of people but they only have two or three tops. You can tell they are hardworking bartenders but it is impossible to serve that many people. The women's bathroom was rough. It's small and there's hardly any room to wait inside or outside the bathroom. Because the place is so crowded, I got bumped and spilled on multiple times just standing outside the bathroom door. The garbage was overflowing and something from the ceiling was dripping and of course landing on me. Maybe it was a rough night for them to keep up overall but this experience wasn't what I had in mind to help a dear friend celebrate her birthday.

We attended the American English tribute band performance and was absolutely pleased with the…read morevenue, seating and more importantly the service we received. While we did not eat at the venue, we did our share of having beverages. We will go back for other events without a doubt.

Why haven't I found this place sooner. There aren't places in Naperville with live music for us…read moremiddle age folks & this is a good one. The room is very cool. The prices for both food & drink are very reasonable. We paid a $10 cover which was fine for a 14 piece Steely Dan cover band. They brought me back to my old school. The only knock on the place was they only had 2 waitresses & they tried their best to take care of everyone but they really needed a third. The food is typical bar food but it was very tasty. If you're looking for good live music you'll enjoy Frankie's. SECOND REVIEW NOT SO GOOD SERVICE VERY VERY SLOW DONT COME HERE TO EAT. We've waited almost an hour for food. They need more help!

John did a perfect job at our recent housewarming party…read more He showed up early and eager to prepare the bar prior to the arrival of our first guests. Not only was he great at the bar, but he also helped out by walking around with a platter asking guests if he could swap and refresh their cocktails. He kept the bar stocked (and restocked from our basement) during the party so that we could enjoy time with our friends. He also did a great job cleaning up at the end of the night. John is a true professional who treats others with kindness and care. Not only will we be using his services in the future, but multiple friends mentioned that they will be hiring him as well for future celebrations!

We had John for a wedding reception and he was the most thoughtful and helpful service industry…read moreworker I've ever interacted with. He went above and beyond his job description by far and even was bussing tables when he had a free moment. He helped with set up, break down and everything in between. I cannot praise him enough and have recommended him to everyone I know. Guests were actually asking me for his information throughout the night. We can't wait to work with him again!