Planta is soooo amazing. I came here for my birthday & was nervous to bring my non vegetation…read morefriends but they love it too!!! It truly is somewhere you can bring anyone and they will love it too. Everything we got was amazing but my all time favorites are the summer rolls, crispy gyoza, and the torched and pressed roll. Great drinks too.

it was okay. went for work, all vegan!! most items were not bad but i wouldn't go again if i…read morecouldn't expense it. not enough protein i liked the texture of most dishes but a lot of them were kind of bland tbh. we ordered a bunch of stuff family style, some i didnt take pics of but here's what i remember: gyoza 6.5/10: served super interesting shape, almost like a pancake with stuffed pockets of veggies. was ok crispy potatoes 5/10: mid! i liked the texture, it was crispy on the outside and i liked the potato layers. but tasted okay. truffle udon 8/10: prob my fav thing on the menu but i love truffle! super fragrant summer rolls 6/10: fresh spring rolls. nothing special bang bang broccoli 7.5/10: liked the texture! crispy, broccoli inside was kinda mushy. but tasted okay, not super flavorful. not too greasy. again, kinda bland... spicy tuna roll 7.5/10: good but no protein LMAO. feels illegal to eat dragon roll 6/10: mid mid mid... mushy, i only remember avocado and cabbage. pepper steak lettuce wraps 8/10: this was one of my favs along w the udon. one of the only things w flavor kimchi brisket fried rice 2/10: no little to no taste. little to no kimchi. don't get. singaporean noodles 8/10: i really liked these. chicken was good!! noodles were good too. my coworkers also liked the crispy rice but i didnt try service and ambience were great!

Making this short. Amazing service. Carlos was almost too nice and hospitable. Food was FIRE!…read more Plantains app wasn't anything we were expecting. A pleasant surprise. Tacos/burritos were all great. Finished it off with the churro dessert. 10 out 10 would recommend again.

WOW! Decided to try a new restaurant tonight and I'm so glad I did! Ayaya is a great place to grab…read morea bite to eat and catch up with friends, with its busy atmosphere and lively music. They were very accommodating to my very early arrival and seated me immediately. I ordered the Tenderloin Carne Asada Tacos (9/10), Cheesy Fried Yuca balls (7.5/10), and House Margarita (8.5/10). The tacos were honestly one of my favorite entrees of the week! They were amazingly juicy and tender, quite literally melted in my mouth. The fried Yuca balls were alright- Just a little greasy in my opinion but enjoyable. Of course, I had to end the night with a margarita. I'll be thinking of those Carne Asada tacos for a while :0

Chris!!! And family!!!! Our first time there was awesome…read moreand beyond!!!! We made it home safe!! Thanks for the tea recommendation. The fabulous food , and drink will have us coming back! Phil and Isaac (Cincinnati )

I had the Beef Doner Wrap and the Lahmacun oven special. To be honest, I've tried much better…read moreplaces for wraps and pide. The wrap was extremely dry and hard to enjoy, and the meat had a strange smell. We ordered beef, but it had a very strong lamb smell and taste for some reason. The pide was also disappointing. Even though it had parsley inside, it lacked flavor. It mostly tasted like bread with a bit of tomato paste. Considering the high prices, it's definitely overpriced for the quality. Very disappointing experience overall. PS: But service is amazing. Thank you for our waitress for the best service.

I came here before the Bulls game and was dead set on the steak frites but it wasn't meant to be…read more I started out with the Casablanca (with no grapefruit) and ordered the steak frites medium rare with well done fries. The drink was refreshing and tasty but the meal is where things took a turn. The meat was a bit tough,fatty, had no flavor, and overall wasn't very good. The fries were perfect but I couldn't get with the steak and unfortunately, sent it back. I tried to do it medium but got the same result. I was hurt because everyone's pictures of this dish is what led me in here but they couldn't get it right! Maybe they were having an off night? I have to commend the staff as they were incredibly friendly and went out of their way to make sure everything was to my liking. While they couldn't nail the steaks, they excelled in customer service and care. I'll def make a return visit next time in the area.

Good meal, good service. Drinks could have been better a little bit , but nice establishment…read morelocated in one of the Marriott's. New England clam chowder was excellent- really good flavor depth. Jumbo crab cake had some decent flavors. Green circle rotisserie chicken was delicious, perfectly crisp skin, great flavor profile, however truffle mash was a bit bland for my taste. Apple cobbler topped with some ice cream was the perfect finish of the meal. Overall- good experience.

I've come here with my boyfriend a handful of times and we love it. We like to try different…read morecocktails every time. The mimosa on a nice summer day on the patio is my happy place. The entrees are amazing too. The rice with the chicken skewer is my favorite so far and my boyfriend loves the beef and lamb skewer. The service has always been great as well. We've had the same server a couple times now and she's friendly and gets the job done. (Wish I could remember her name!) The ambience is great. With natural light coming in and the soft lamps, it's calming. Truly a beautiful restaurant.

So disappointed. I…read morecame about 5 years ago and loved my meal, especially the sticky date cake, which lingered in my memory as my favorite all time dessert. This year I was so excited to bring my family and Ema was the only restaurant in Chicago I couldn't wait for them to try. I booked it as our final meal in Chicago and lay awake at 4am being so disappointed in my choice. Our server's greeting was monotone and emotionless, which I realize now, would be foreshadowing the meal to come. Ordered the following 1) Smoky eggplant- arrived appearing as an unappetizing curdled purple grey mush. This was the worst tasting baba ghanouj I have ever eaten. It was acidic and had the texture of cottage cheese. The only redeeming thing about this appetizer was the warm naan. 2) house made stratciatella with side of green falafels- The stratciatella was bland and stringy. I would not order this dish expecting the creamy interior of typical burrata. However, if you like string cheese mixed with heavy cream- you may enjoy this dish. The tomatoes and basil were good. 3) chicken kefta- kefta was bland, rice even blander . 4) short rib with polenta- bland and the meat and polenta had the same texture, which seems impossible but somehow the plating was over complicated by the addition of mushy dates and grapes. 5) buttered noodles- my 8 year old ordered this. It was decent with a good amount of Parmesan and cooked perfectly al dente. By the end of the meal, I was so shocked by how terrible the food was I didn't even want to order the sticky date cake that was my main purpose for returning to this restaurant. Ema, what happened to you?!

New favorite! Came downtown from the 'burbs for a show - my sweetie called ahead and we got a GREAT…read moretable just inside the door, perfect for people watching. Tasty drinks - the grapefruit pilsner was a perfect choice for a warm spring evening, and our server was funny and sweet. Sticky ribs appetizer was spot on, with just enough heat to keep it interesting. We shared the fish and chips - perfectly cooked, crunch and sweet, great fries! House made slaw and tartar sauce was out of this world! Gotta make one comment on something we didn't have. The next table over, two middle aged women order cheeseburgers. When they came out I almost regretted ordering the fish. They were huge, juicy, and looked incredible. This two ladies, drinking their Chardonnays polished them off, that's how good they were. Next time... Dessert? Why not? Sticky toffee cake please. Perfect with a cup of black coffee. Out the door and on our way - we'll be back! Thanks!

We dined at the Dearborn on a Saturday afternoon with my family. Our reservation was strategic we…read morearrived hours before we assumed it would become very crowded. The seating was tight. Overall I was having a good experience. The food was OK. The menu was limited. Oh btw, the special that day was a $70 wag goo burger. That interaction between me and the server reminded me of a car salesman trying to sale me undercoating for the car i just purchased. REALLY I can't make it up. The experience dropped to a single star as our dining experience was nearing an end. The manager of the front of the house. Made a conscious effort to make it clear that the table we were dining was needed by waiting customers. I've never ever experienced this before in any restaurant in the Loop. I can't and will not recommend dining here. This is why I'm giving 1 star. I my opinion The Dearborn maybe they need to be in a different location. Maybe located far west of the Loop. I would suggest instead of Dearborn maybe Halsted St. and probably change their name to The Halsted. Im not going back. OH btw good luck in your new location.

For lunch, I'm not sure there's any better chill spot to grab a bite in the Loop. Low-key,…read moresophisticated, refined. I popped in for a quick solo lunch and indulged in the croque monsieur + fries. The rest of the menu had enticing things but I knew what I wanted and would not be swayed. After a small wait, which I mention only because it really wasn't busy, my food was served. The look matched the flavor: delicious! It's nice that the other French place, offering nearly the exact same offering here in the exact same spot, was replaced with a worthy newcomer. Bandol checks all the boxes you'd want.

Bandol is good for lunch, but the breakfast I had today was terrible. I ordered a chocolate…read morecroissant, and like in a lot of American restaurants, it was a fake croissant, more like gummy white bread in a croissant form. It was ultra-soft, with a minuscule dab of chocolate. The poached eggs were completely flavorless. They might have been old eggs six weeks away from the farm, I don't know, but all I could taste was the chalky whites. And by the way, poached eggs should always be served with a spoon without the customer having to ask. How do you eat poached eggs with a fork? I asked for my English muffin to be "burnt" (crispy.) They were soft and gummy, just like the croissant. And no jam or jelly was offered. The waiter was polite but inattentive. It's annoying to say, specifically, "I'll have two poached eggs with crispy bacon" and then have the waiter come back and say, "do you want sausage or bacon with that?" And like most restaurants these days, they've switched to that thick-cut bacon that can't be cooked crispy. The breakfast came with a very small side of potatoes, which tasted fine. And I had some green tea that was...okay, but not even remotely like the delicious green tea that most Japanese restaurants offer. I asked my waiter to clear away my plate when I was done, but he either didn't hear me or misunderstood, because he left the plate sitting there. Lastly, when people are eating breakfast, especially on a weekday, they usually have some place they need to get to, and don't want to linger. It took too long after I put my card down for the waiter to pick it up. Every one of these things is a minor complaint (except for the tasteless eggs.) But add them all up and it makes me think -- even though I'm in the area frequently -- "I'll never go back here for breakfast." Overall, a disappointing experience.

Happy hour on a Saturday? Sign me up!…read more We landed on Boleo as our option for early dinner for four of us before a tango concert and performance because it's South American, and we love a theme. We never expected happy hour to be relevant for us, but our wonderful server pointed it out. Since none of us had tasted pisco before she brought us a pisco sample to try. Three of the four of us ordered pisco cocktails, and they were great! The chilcano is a pisco variation on a Moscow mule. I'm not a big fan of mules, but I liked the chilcano a lot. Whenever I'm back, I'll probably go for the pisco sour, which one of our party had and also really enjoyed. The arroz chaufa was a nice satisfying dinner that wasn't too heavy for the early hour. The loma saltado and vegetable saltado were both very much enjoyed as well. Flan was just okay. The orange was a wonderful touch that probably saved something much too custardy for me to think of as flan. Service was absolutely great. Everyone we interacted with was super professional and easy going. We didn't know what to expect for the space, and when we arrived before sunset, it felt weird how bright it was in there. After sunset, the whole space felt a lot more swanky. Prices are a good value, even apart from the happy hour offerings. This is a great option for pre-show dining in the loop.

Recently had the opportunity to try this restaurant located in our hotel. Upon walking in, you are…read moreexposed to a dim, romantic atmosphere with a beautiful skyline view. When it snows, you'll see the magic come down during your dinning experience. Based on what we heard, they at times, have a DJ playing jams and people can dance to the tunes. Sometimes, they even have a live band is what I've heard. Sounds like a really cool spot for major events or holidays, like New Year's Eve. Staff was attentive and great with recommending options to us. We love it when they engage and share their thoughts on current dishes. From a food perspective, everything tasted decent. There are areas of opportunity that could have been better. Octopus was a bit overcooked and you can definitely taste the chewiness of it. Flavor is ok but text for this dish did not come through. Ceviche "Jipijapa" de Manabi was a bit salty also, but not to the extreme. Scaling back the sodium level to achieve balance would made this a good dish. If sodium is needed, salt can be introduced afterwards. Lomo Saltado was paired with an aioli sauce instead of the green Aji verde sauce. It would have been a better pair with the verde sauce to balance out the savory profile. Overall meal was ok. Love the vibe which made it a great place to catch up or go on a date.

Excellent food and service. I really like these updated Chinese restaurants that focus on one…read moreregional style and do it well. Get the noodles with yellow peas.. so good!!

Great food! The fried rice is fantastic for any skeptics on ordering fried rice at restaurants…read more Just make sure they give you what you paid for online. We've been shorted our food a couple times now. For example, it says 8 pieces of shu mai when ordering but I only got 6 pieces (the shu mai isn't good btw, tastes like the frozen ones in stores).

Just got back from Dublin and Liverpool, had fish and chips all over Chicago, this is and will…read morealways be #1. The rest of the menu is ok, but if you're craving a proper UK/Irish style fish & chips, this is the one, trust me, I've done the research. Get a pint of Old Speckled Hen or Guinness to par with, and I usually get the double portions, amazing!

Another great addition to our favorite places list! Cozy atmosphere, delicious food, and friendly…read moreservice. I tried the fish and chips, and it was honestly the best I've had in Illinois. Highly recommend this spot if you're looking for great comfort food and a nice vibe and especially fish&chips!:)