The Lytle House was the perfect venue for our summer wedding…read more The owners, Michelle and Robyn, stood out from the rest from day one. They got to know us and helped guide us through the entire process. Our goal was to keep things fairly simple, but high-quality. They took our general ideas and helped craft the perfect atmosphere for our wedding reception. The day of the wedding reception, Michelle knocked it out of the park getting the flowers, photos, sound system, and other decorations all set up. We also hired Michelle to handle our photography and she did a phenomenal job with that, as well. It was a blast watching our guests walk in and say, "Wow... this place is incredible! I had no idea this was here!" The Lytle House really is a special hideaway in the city, and we'll be recommending it to friends and family every chance we get. - Vanessa and Matt

This recommendation is long overdue! My husband and I had our micro-wedding at the Lytle house this…read morewinter. We could not have asked for a more perfect day! Robyn and Michelle were so easy to work with and helped make our day so special. Michelle's photography was stunning!! We highly recommend this venue and working with Robyn and Michelle!

This is a nice, dimly lit lounge tucked in Andersonville with great drinks and food! We tried their…read moreseasonal Peachy Green and RHU-mance drinks, and they were really good. The Peachy Green reminded me of a green tea shot in drink form, perfect for spring and summer. I got my favorite mac and cheese with crispy chicken, and my friend got Brussels for her appetizer, which were delicious. For our entrees, we had the teriyaki burger and shrimp tacos. They were pretty good, just get a side of teriyaki if you love sauce like I do. We ended the night with a cookie skillet and brownie, perfect! Chris was an amazing server, can't wait to return.

Another fantastic cocktail bar! The drinks here are unique, interesting, and nuanced…read more I'd ordered the Sage Society, and it took slowing down, but I did detect the light whisper of Ancho Reyes. It was also approachable, lightly herbaceous, with a little sweetness and acid. Between us, was this among my favorites? No. However, this is more a matter of personal taste than something technically or otherwise wrong. I prefer cocktails that are bolder and more spirit forward. My advice is to talk to your bartender and find something you will enjoy most. To help not drink on an empty stomach, I ordered the Crispy Shrimp Tacos. As far as bar (gastropub?) food, these were extremely respectable. The shrimp was cooked very well, and the use of greens and onions helped offer a balance and freshness. As a note, the space inside is small and intimate, and I've no complaints about the service. Final verdict: If you're looking for a unique cocktail, in a small and intimate space, the Elixir Lounge fits the bill. The menu has a couple food options too, so you won't be drinking on an empty stomach.

I have held two separate events in this building, which have gone so well. It's a great venue in…read moreChicago for anything from small meetings to large special events!

DO NOT consider a winter wedding here, and absolutely DO NOT expect transparency or flexibility…read morewith any hiccups in their formula. Also, they apparently blocked my account on Zola -- I can't find them in a search when I'm logged in anymore. Thankfully I was able to leave a review without being logged in, and am also sharing here. TLDR: they can't accommodate winter weddings, despite including those months as available on their website, and they aren't transparent about their inability to do so. They can only provide half a venue, with 40% decreased capacity, but still expect you to pay full price. I was appalled by their poor communication and business practices throughout our experience trying to book them for our January wedding. -- -- The issues started when booking a tour -- their availability is challenging if you work a day job, and we were also limited with my partner's 24/48 shifts for the city. But I rearranged my work to accommodate their schedule. The day of the tour we received a vague cancellation with 3 hours notice, saying they would work with our schedules to get a new tour on the calendar. They very much did NOT work with our schedules, declined several options I requested that would work without us making major concessions on our end, and only offered a small window later than their once-a-week evening slots. We were once again rearranging our schedule to work for theirs after their cancellation. When we finally had the tour, I'll admit it's a gorgeous venue. We were excited about booking there, but concerned about how they'd handle January events. Since their website includes Jan in their off-peak season rates, I figured they had a plan for accommodating cold weather (they have a tent for the yard, but it's insufficient for temps under 30 degrees and that's a heavy gamble for evenings in January). They didn't seem to have any ideas outside using that tent. They do have an upstairs to the venue that reflects the ground floor footprint, so I asked if they would include these in the base rate (they're usually an add-on expense) because we were losing space in the yard. They said they would "compromise" by including just one of the rooms, but would reduce capacity to only 70. We had been straightforward that our guest list was 80-90, and their website advertises up to 120 guests for a buffet or cocktail reception, which was our plan. I understand they don't do a ton of events in the winter, so I thought maybe they just didn't have a well-designed plan for colder months and we could find a way to work one out. But they refused to work with us to expand capacity beyond 70 guests AND made no concessions on price. I have no idea what they would have done had we moved forward and temperatures were too cold for a tent (leave our guests shivering? cut our guest list week-of? at the door?) -- I asked and and they couldn't answer. On top of it all, they made me feel like I was a problem for having these concerns. At the end of the day, I can't believe that a venue would expect clients to pay full price for half a venue and 40% decreased capacity, especially in a season they admit having little to no bookings. They clearly do not want business in their winter months, but will jerk you around for a month pretending they do.

Exceeded our (extremely high) expectations at every step, turn, and touchpoint!…read more We worked with the AMAZING Teddy and Sarah and from the start knew we were in the right place, space and best of hands. First of all, Firehouse is charming as all HECK. This isn't your drab hotel ballroom where partition walls, lighting rigs and bunches and bunches of flowers can barely start to cover the lack of character. This space has personality and soul, every last inch. Classic Chicago neighborhood setting, we didn't want to leave the beautiful courtyard space. Everything about the venue is built to make your guests feel at home, comfortable and intimate to the party. Did we mention the firepole?! Best entry ever for a groom to make. We can't recommend enough - Teddy and Sarah listened to all our thoughts/concerns/ideas and custom built a space and flow that complimented the night in every possible way.

Anyone who knows me know that I love live musical theater. I love the live music, singing, and…read moreacting. While growing up in New York City, a part of me wishes that I could perform. With that said, Joseph got tickets for us to see "Tik, Tik... Boom" for Valentine's Day. This show has so much meaning for me. Just like in his other play, "Rent", the late Jonathan Larson set "Tik, Tik... Boom" in New York City. With all the previous performances behind them, this gives the ensemble a chance to sing their hearts out and make the last show very memorable. The ensemble and the band blend together very well. Just an amazing show. The director of "Tik, Tik...Boom" mentions that the Edge Theater supports trans theater. Shows such as this help support the trans community. The theater looks smaller than the other theaters around the Chicago. Even though the seats feel comfortable, they remind me of the AMC theater seats. Located near the 36 bus route and Bryn Mawr Red line, the Edge Theater brings art and culture to the area. An added bonus comes from it being walkable to Andersonville.

I've been here a few times for different companies and love it! A nice intimate space, nice…read moreservices, modern and accoustically well done. If only the older patrons could figure out how to turn off their cell phones we would be set (maybe they could make a more definite announcement and assist those who cannot complete the task. I hope to come back for future shows when I see a good one!

UNPROFESSIONAL OWNERSHIP Update: an indication of the lack…read moreof professionalism is the suggestion that I rallied my friends and family to leave low reviews in search of a refund. We already know we aren't getting a refund. The owner made that clear when we tried to remedy the situation with her over the phone. Nicolle was informed of the lack of AC during the event by a staffer who told me herself that she'd contacted Nicolle. Another indicator of her lacking professionalism is the angry emails she sent me regarding my Yelp review - no apology, just anger and threats to have my Yelp account blocked and shut down. She says we toured the venue 6 times... we saw it 3x. Finally, she dismissed the fact that her staffers were unprofessional and didn't know how to tap kegs/mix drinks just because my dad provided a generous tip. If you read the review my dad left (HJ), you'll see that his generous tip does not reflect his dissatisfaction with the service. He's just a generous tipper. I want to start by saying that I had an amazing wedding; definitely the wedding of my dreams thanks to my wedding parties and family. However, the service from the owner Nicolle was just terrible and so unprofessional. When it came to securing a contract or receiving payment, she was on top of the communication. It wasn't until after she met my now-husband and wedding parties that her friendly and responsive demeanor entirely changed. She was condescending and treated us like children. Prior to meeting my entourage, I asked about security and she said that we wouldn't need it unless we wanted it. After meeting my entourage, she told me that since my crowd is mostly younger (it wasn't) she would be contracting security for our event to ensure that we weren't serving alcohol to minors. What an assumption! Whatever age we are, we are paying her and deserve to be treated with respect. Her contract stated that a week prior to the event we would communicate any accommodations or other details for the event, including possible early drop off or arrival of decor. I called her twice and emailed her a follow up - never received a response from her except for her to tell me that she was unable to accommodate us any more - 6 days later & 2 days before my wedding. Her lack of attention to detail could have ruined my day. Bartenders who couldn't tap a keg (she knew we'd have kegs 6 weeks prior to event date) and refused to mix drinks, and her "industrial strength AC" that she promised didn't work throughout the entire 80 degree day and showed "service required." She refused to honor any of these mistakes and stated that there was an event the day after and everything was fine. Maybe a smaller crowd would have been fine but 80 people in suits and cocktail attire were drenched with sweat. Fortunately I had fantastic family and friends who made sure my day was magical. The space is cute but the professionalism is nonexistent and a HUGE headache.

Lovely venue! Attended a dance event here many years ago, and selected this space for an offsite…read morework meeting. We had ample space for 15 of us, with different "work zones" for our meeting activities throughout the day -- and probably would have still felt this way with double the people. It was spacious enough for us to spread out, but still feels cozy with the mix-and-match decor. Appreciated the option to have some light catering to sustain us, without having to do all the legwork for that - and Nicolle was attentive to requests during the contracting/ setup phase. For a corporate meeting - we challenged the wi-fi capacity as we had a lot of folks joining video remotely; if A/V is your top need, this may not be your ideal spot without some additional technology brought in. For a fully or mostly in-person workshop or meeting in a unique space, go for it! Looking forward to hosting here again.

We enjoyed using Loyola conference services. Janie KIlgore and all staff were very helpful to our…read moregroup. The golf cart rides were very much appreciated. All staff were very responsive to our requests. Some challenges to be dealt with. Airport travel needs to be easier and cheaper. Go Shuttle not available w/o reservation. Tell folks staying in Regis they need hangers and small lights for reading in the rooms..

From the owner: Loyola University Chicago Conference Services provides two unique campuses, Lake Shore and Water…read moreTower, in which to host your next overnight conference, day meeting, training, special event, or wedding. We have many elegant venues that vary in style and size with lake front and city scape views. Conference Services also has several auditoriums, electronic classrooms, and multi-purpose rooms to meet your event needs. Coupled with a full range of audiovisual equipment, seasonal summer housing, and an exclusive on-premise caterer your next event is sure to be a success. Our experienced meeting planners with assist you from the preliminary stages of planning through event execution to ensure seamless event execution. For further information, to schedule a site visit, or book your next event call us today!

Gus Giordano Dance School teaches all of the the ideals and qualities I want for my kids…read more They work to treat all people the same and treat them well, they are positive and happy, community involved, fun and they make kids pay attention and listen all while being nice. Our 5 year old started nearly 2.5 years ago and we have been very happy with the program and what she has learned. She is not a dance pro but has basics down and still wants to go to class. She is super excited about her big show each year and is confident on a HUGE stage and being in front of people. She feels important and feels proud. I went to college with many ex dancers and have heard how awful balet can be and Gus has ballerina looking kids, smaller kids, bigger kids, boys who can dance, boys who can't dance and all kinds of kids all having fun. Her teachers Nicole Weingarten, Lauren and Amy have all been so sweet and amazing. I just cannot say enough about how thankful I am that they are in Andersonville and part of our community. I am not a person who intrinsically trusts people's intentions and I have made the mistake in the past of thinking nice people cannot really be that nice but these people really are. I have been late to pick up and they are amazingly nice. I am on the board for our school and they support our local school. These people are good even when they don't have to be. I appreciate them as a place that teaches children, as a local business and as a community member.

My 16 year old son visited from NY for their summer jazz intensive, and it was the most incredible…read moreexperience for him! He was challenged with working with the best choreographers, and can't stop talking about it. He really felt like he was part of a family after the first day! He's already looking forward to next summer!!

The best suya I've had in Chicago! The portion was HUGE with plantains and onions and everything…read morewas seasoned to perfection. I called ahead but still had to wait a little while but it was definitely worth the wait. The owners were super sweet and accommodating. So much food for such a good price!

I love it. It's always good to go and support family and the food and ambiance is amazing !read more