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Caffè Oliva

3.1 (260 reviews)
Open • 11:00 am - 10:30 pm
Updated 3 weeks ago

Caffè Oliva Photos

Business Info

CAFFÈ OLIVA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Touristy
Moderate noise
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Caffè Oliva

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Right off the dining area
Caleb J.

Caffè Oliva had the best indoor/outdoor experience I've seen in the city. On a nice summer day, you can relax at your table and still be right by the water. The sand extends from the beach to inside the restaurant, and feels like you're at a resort. The truly punch bowl is very tasty, especially if you like twisted tea. I thought the bacon bbq burger was very good, paired with a side salad and tons of fresh veggies. The menu has many beer options including local drafts, which, you can't beat! My friend and I rode our bikes here from Lincoln Park and the views are breathtaking on the way. Perfect summer evening!

Fish and chips
Melanie T.

As the only restaurant and bar on the cute little Ohio Street Beach, it surely delivers on the vacation vibes, seaside fare, and drinks. The cocktails are actually a great deal!! I couldn't believe that many of their cocktails (fun ones, not just classic ones) ranged between $10.50 to $12.50. They also did not skimp on the liquor so definitely great deal and tasty! We got the palms of Gracie and a DJ margarita. NOTE: They only serve water in bottles, so expect to pay $3.25 for an ice cold bottle of water. It doesn't seem that they offer glasses of water. My partner and I shared the fish and chips and the fish came out nice and crispy and steaming hot! The fries were actually very good, perfectly salted and lightly crisped texture. It was a nice surprise given the color was a bit pale but the taste was great. It came with some lemon wedges to squeeze on top, and tartar sauce for dipping. Excellent combination and a great snack by the beach. I love this beach, so this cafe is so perfectly located. Mostly because the view is unbeatable. You have a full view of the beach, the lake, the lakefront trail, and a gorgeous skyline of the city. We came here after sunset and when thunderstorm clouds were rolling in, so the humidity and the lights on the water, and the brooding clouds and lightning in the sky was just a wonder. Really felt like vacation on some tropical island! It was great they were seating people underneath their covered patio, so if it started raining we wouldn't get wet. But they also have umbrellas that they can open or close on other parts of the patio. I also saw they had cabanas that large groups can rent to dine and drink. Such a cool gem!! Definitely will be taking friends and family here and whenever I feel like I want to pretend im on vacation 15 minutes away from home!!

Went for the air and water show today and it is the absolute worst place. To spend the money we did for crappy drinks and gross food, would never go back again. The service was terrible, bathrooms gross, servers didn't pay attention to even walking. One slammed right into my daughter!! One of the most unorganized place I've been too. Don't waste your time or money!! Also made us wait in line at one spot to tell us after 30 mins we were in the wrong spot and advertised food at 11 and didn't have it till 11:30. He said I was wrong and when I proved that I had screen shot the menu stating 11 he changed it after!!

Good drinks good music and the beach
Ishani B.

I saw the rating but I also noticed the view. Perfect place to hang out after work by the beach with the breeze. The drinks are good and they offer shots to make it as per your preference.

Hummus
Ayad F.

Nice Patio by the beach. Great drinks. Daily specials. Friendly service. Strongly recommend.

Mojito

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Great location on the lake , prices are much better than other lakeside bars in Chicago

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9 months ago

Tyler's energy and attention to our needs was unmatched! Made an amazing day at the beach even better! 10/10 recommend caffe Oliva

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9 months ago

Great experience watching the air and water show here. all you can eat and drink was a great deal and the food was good value!

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Caffè Oliva Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Caffè Oliva

Can you access the swimming area from your cabana rental at cafe Olivia?

Yes! We are located right on the beach, so access to the water is just steps away!

Do you have to reserve a Cabana??? Their website makes it sound like a booking type thing, with a minimum food charge.

Yes. Up to 10 ppl can fit in a small cabana. Weekday minimum is $100. Weekend is $250. To for 4 hour blocks.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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3.9(83 reviews)
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My husband and I came here for our 26 year anniversary. It was my first time in Chicago. A local…read morefriend of ours recommended NoMi. It was a great recommendation. We were so happy with everything! Our server was wonderful! The entire staff was so friendly and on top of their game! We never waited for anything. They were immediately refilling our waters, offering more bread, removing dirty plates, replacing silverware, and offering the next course. It was perfect! The views!!! I think there's not a table in NoMi that doesn't have an amazing view. The main, large window faces the lake (East). Arriving just at 7, you get the full affect of the city, and lake, and then the sunset and lights of the buildings. It was absolutely magical. I couldn't get enough of it. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful and clean, but honestly it could have been a pit and I wouldn't have noticed. You'll be focused on the views for the entire evening. The food!!! Everything is very fresh. It's all well-prepared. Everything was delicious. There's a good variety of dishes to choose from. Plenty of healthy, low-carb options. We each ordered our own appetizers. I had the crispy Maitake mushrooms and my husband had the mussels. We both loved our food and left nothing on our plates. Excellent choices, that we highly recommend. As our main course we shared the sushi platter. The seafood was fresh and the sushi didn't have too much rice. It was the perfect amount of food with our appetizers. They have an extensive wine and drink menu. For drinks I had a glass of the Sauvignon blanc and my husband had a red blend. For dessert we weren't really hungry enough to eat anything else but my husband wanted a pallet cleanser. They have a few sorbets. My husband settled on the cherry cola sorbet. They brought it out with a little chocolate that said "Happy Anniversary" in French. They did not add it to our bill. Very sweet of them. It was probably one of the best anniversaries we've ever had. The bill was about $230 before tip. We highly recommend coming here for any special occasion.

My husband and I popped in here to escape the cold and found that NoMI was doing a hot coco…read moreexperience! It was SO awesome! We were able to choose between an alcoholic or non hot coco and load it up so many different toppings. It warmed us up and was decorated so beautiful! My husband then snagged a lobster roll which was so good. We are so excited we found this lounge and will be back!

Photos
NoMI Lounge - View from our table

View from our table

NoMI Lounge - Crispy Maitake mushrooms

Crispy Maitake mushrooms

NoMI Lounge - Sushi Menu

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Sushi Menu

101 Sky Terrace - French 75 and Gin

101 Sky Terrace

4.0(17 reviews)
0.6 mi•Near North Side

Let me start by saying that the views were 5 star and the place has a cool vibe - although the…read morehouse music they were playing was a bit loud for the small number of people eating when I was up there. That said, this place just completely disappointed. The food was just not good. I had the burger sliders and for $9 a piece you expect them to be something special. They were not. Overcooked with a little sauce and two pickles slapped on the bun with a tiny little dab of fake cheese - it was like a bad and way more expensive version of McDonald's. The onion rings were the frozen crumbly kind not the fresh beer battered kind and so that's a big "no!" for me. The dipping sauce was okay. Service was friendly and I think the guy was new but it wasn't good enough for a place like that at the top of the building. There were two servers so I'm guessing one was training maybe. They didn't make it to my table to check to see if everything was okay while I was eating and it even took them a while to notice that I was done eating. It's was slow so I don't think they were stressing with too many tables. That kind of place should knock your socks off - but it was on the low end of mediocre. I wouldn't go there again for food. Maybe it's a decent place to go to the bar but since I don't drink I can't help much on that end.

Great food, drinks, and view. We came on a Sunday and ordered some drinks to start, as well as…read moreBrussels sprouts. There were a small portion but delicious. Not too crispy but still tasty. We also shared the half chicken and Ceasar salad with shrimp. There were only 3 pieces of shrimp for the extra money we spent; but otherwise the food was delicious. Definitely on the pricier side because of the rooftop and area.

Photos
101 Sky Terrace
101 Sky Terrace
101 Sky Terrace

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Seasons Bar

Seasons Bar

4.2(5 reviews)
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Adjacent to the Four Seasons' Adorn Restaurant, the Social Lounge is an excellent stop on which to…read moreget one's day drink on and feel classy while doing so. The lounge features not only an eye-popping crystal chandelier but also a tea service in the afternoon and luxe bites and crafted cocktails. I convened with my drinking companion during a break in his conference presentations. Since his conference hotel did not have a bar or restaurant on premises, I decided nipping into the nearby Four Seasons would be a good call. The bar area was convivial and welcoming even to non-hotel guests. I was feeling festive so ordered a glass of Prosecco. My drinking companion ordered a rye-based cocktail. The ice in the craft cocktail was an eye-catching sphere. I was transfixed as this was my first time seeing this outside of an LG refrigerator commercial. We had fun sipping our drinks and catching up. I missed the little bowls of snacks but probably that is a concession to covid and all the uncertainty of untended nibbles. Already planning my next visit back here after a play I am scheduled to attend in this area.

Potentially country club/gentleman's cigar haven stuffy but a fantastic bartender made it…read morecomfortable and enjoyable. Cost to worth it ratio: 3 (pricier but expect that at the Four Seasons) Highlights: - Paul: our bartender. Irish, chatty, and cool. Excellent service and made it fun to hang out in the near empty lounge area. - Atmosphere: large area with big chairs and a piano player. We ended up there cause it was cold outside and close to where we were, but was one of our favorite evenings out. - Drink menu: not just your average martinis. Had drinks like the auditini with elderflower liquor in it. Good and not too sweet. - Snacks: they give you nuts and a rice cracker wasabi peas mix. Lowlights: - Closes at 1: earlier than most and deserted come midnight at that. I'd stop by here again for a mellow few drinks... and to say hi to mr. bartender. :-)

Ila's - Happy Hour bites at the bar

Ila's

4.9(60 reviews)
0.8 mi•Near North Side

Our family ate dinner here in April and were very impressed with the quality of the food and the…read moreservice. We had the empanadas to start and then the short ribs, a burger, halibut, and lamb birria pierogies. Everything was delicious, beautifully spiced and elegantly presented. Honestly, the ambiance was a bit loud for us, but our server was extremely helpful and moved us away from a table with one incredibly boisterous fellow. They did so discreetly and quickly and our experience was much improved as a result. The restaurant itself is lovely, with beautiful decor and lighting.

Very cute interior, great service, lively atmosphere, definitely hit the mark on elevated casual…read more We were able to get dinner reservations on the day of. For parking you definitely should use Spothero or ParkWhiz, as it's in a very busy/lively part of River North. We loved meeting the owner who was chatting with and checking on guests in the dining room. The menu was really creative and sounded amazing, totally up my alley, so was super excited to try Ila's out for the first time. Unfortunately, and it pains me to say this, but the food itself was a miss for me, and the prices felt steep for the portions. We ordered the empanada duo, grilled scallops, birria lamb pierogis, and sweet corn agnolotti, then the Japanese cheesecake and drip coffee. The positives were that everything tasted fresh, and the flavors of the dishes were good ~ especially the empanadas, scallops, and agnolotti. The main issue was the texture of some of the foods. Other than the empanada (which had a great texture and flavor), the agnolotti and pierogi dough were not right ~ thick, rubbery, and dry, which was exacerbated by not having enough consommé for the pierogis. And the coffee - it honestly tasted like Folgers (though I'll give them the benefit of the doubt) - which took me aback as it was a $7 drip coffee. I'm not discounting Ila's and I truly wish them success. But I think there's some work to be done in terms of execution.

Photos
Ila's - Nico collin's & hugo spritz

Nico collin's & hugo spritz

Ila's - Assorted Savory Kabobs: Paneer, Chicken & Leek, Pork Belly

Assorted Savory Kabobs: Paneer, Chicken & Leek, Pork Belly

Ila's - Happy hour $10 sparking rose. fantastic!

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Happy hour $10 sparking rose. fantastic!

Caffè Oliva - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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