This is my third time visiting. Our server yesterday was super friendly and attentive. She…read moreconstantly checked on us and asked what cut of meat we wanted. (Didn't catch her name but our receipt said "Alexis") my previous experience wasn't too mention worthy but last night it was better than ever. The meat was cooked perfectly! I would come here just for the bread! You can also get the bread to go for 7 dollar. Very good atmosphere and perfect for any occasion.

I am extremely disappointed with my recent visit. This restaurant has been one of my favorites for…read moreyears, and my husband and I dine here every couple of months. In fact, just a few months ago, the service was excellent. Unfortunately, this visit was completely different, which makes me wonder if there has been a management change because the experience was night and day. What upset me the most was that my husband and I came out for a date night and were hoping for a pleasant, more private dining experience. The hostess seated us at the very front of the restaurant, directly next to the salad bar, which is easily the busiest and most crowded area. I politely asked if we could wait for a quieter table, but was met with a blunt "No" and no effort whatsoever to accommodate our request. We decided to stay, but the experience only got worse. The servers carrying the meat trays seemed rushed and careless, repeatedly dropping the trays down hard at the tables. At one point, food was shaken off the tray and ended up on my dress. Not only was this frustrating, but it also showed a lack of attention and professionalism. What was most surprising was that none of the friendly servers we had come to know over the years were there anymore. The entire atmosphere felt different, and the level of customer service was nowhere near what we had experienced in the past. It is sad to say this because this used to be one of my all-time favorite restaurants, but after such a disappointing experience, I do not think I will be returning. When loyal customers leave feeling ignored, uncomfortable, and frustrated, something has clearly changed, and unfortunately, not for the better.

Finally got to go back to this location and oh how I should've never strayed to other locations…read more This particular location never disappoints on food or service. My friend and I went for lunch and service was too tier. It was friendly and efficient including the guachos. The meat was not over/under cooked and they made sure to ask me which cuts I really wanted and came out with those cuts.

Once in a while, you get the courage to splurge on a family dinner. My family and I decided to do…read morejust that on July 4th at Fogo in downtown Chicago. Seven people, $700 all in, and so much regret. Service: 3/5 I'll start with the positive: the customer service was overall pretty good. It was raining hard, so after walking a few miles and exhausting other indoor options, we popped in 30 minutes early to see if they could seat us. They could, and they got us in quickly. So far, so good. I'm only giving this three stars because, at the start of our meal, servers poured out of the kitchen all at once. Normally, that would be great--better to be overwhelmed with food than wondering where it is--but the situation resembled chaos more than efficiency. They were in and out so quickly that I barely knew what I was being served. That said, I'll give them credit where it's due: they checked on us several times and kept our drinks full and the table stocked with bread. Food: 1/5 It was just bad. No amount of good service can make up for bad food. The salad bar was "meh." A decent assortment of options, but nothing to write home about. The meat--which is the whole point of the experience--was honestly terrible. It had no flavor, none. Somehow, even the fattier cuts were bland; I wondered if they forgot to season them entirely. It didn't help that almost every piece of meat we received, regardless of what we requested, was well-done and bone-dry. I tried so hard to enjoy it, but every bite was just a reminder that I was out $700 for food you'd usually have to pay me to eat. It was my birthday, and while I was surprised when the staff brought out a lava cake and ice cream, it was a bit odd that half the ice cream was already melted all over the plate by the time it reached the table. Atmosphere: 3/5 It was fine--nothing to brag about, but about what you'd expect from Fogo. My one critique is the smell; it was a lot better outside than inside. There was this weird, clinical scent--I don't even know how to describe it--that permeated the dining room. Otherwise, it was acceptable. Cost: 1/5 Way overpriced considering what we actually got. It really stings to waste our "once-a-year" expensive family dinner on such awful food. We're done with Fogo, unfortunately.

Outside of the language barrier, my experience at Brazil Legal is always so heart warming. Somehow…read moreI am able to order each time and wait patiently at a table to bring it out. The food is homey and comforting if you have not been yet. The shop/cafe is small but cozy and inviting. We usually come on the weekends to get feijoda along with coxinha and the pao de quejo. Sometimes we pick up a few groceries and/or sweets. We are soo happy for this grocery store / cafe as we can introduce our girls to Brazilian food - where their dad was born.

Great service, food is delicious, authentic Brazilian food. Got some picanha and coxinha must buy…read moreFarofa & pacoquita

I think this is the best restaurant I've ever been to in America. The food was impeccable…read more Everything is made by one wonderful grandma who is so sweet and greets everyone with a smile. The service is amazing, everyone is so accommodating. And it truly felt like I was just at a house party or a dinner with friends or family. You know that one scene in ratatouille where the food critic snaps back into life when he tastes the soup for the first time and feels an overwhelming sense of nostalgia? Yeah, that's exactly how I felt eating here. I will definitely be back.

My college friend was visiting from out of town and I made reservations to Sinha Elegant Brazilian…read moreCuisine for Sunday brunch. Sunday Brunch has 2 seatings: 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Brunch is also BYOB, no corkage fee. Parking: a private parking lot on side of the house. When one arrives, establishment sign states ring the bell. We were welcomed with a warm smile and a huge welcome! I felt like welcomed with the beautiful colors and smells. Appetizers were already available on the main floor along with hibiscus tea and water. When all the guests arrive, the owner welcomed us and shared her menu along with explaining how she prepared the food. And oh so much food! Steak, beans and rice, shrimp, salad, vegetables plus options for vegetarians and gluten free. Dessert was red velvet cake with flan. Brazilian and Indian decor was beautiful! Staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Small parties and large parties are welcomed. All guests chose to eat out back in patio area. It was a beautiful Chicago day to enjoy such a wonderful meal. We had a wonderful time and an incredible experience! Cheers!~

Best meal I had in Chicago. The Portuguese-inspired menu left my whole group wanting to plan a trip…read moreto Portugal. Also, such a well designed space. My group was hyper fixated on one of the wall mounted fixtures. We did the $90 tasting menu, which was a great way to experience the menu -- but come on an empty stomach. You'll be full by the third course and there's still plenty more coming. PSA, everyone at the table must do the tasting menu in the group; can't be one person out of the group. The cocktails were good, but the food was great and absolutely the reason I'd come back. Our server also clearly loved his job and the restaurant, and it was palpable. That kind of genuine enthusiasm makes such a difference in a dining experience. Great food, great hospitality, and easily one of the highlights of our trip.

Brasero was a random restaurant I found that isn't putting Chicago on the map but I think should…read more The vibe is great, the menu's simple enough, and the food was amazing! Beautiful plates. You can see them roasting meat in the open kitchen and it makes you want to get your food right away. Steak was a perfect medium rare, chicken was tender, and the pork hock had a great balance of flavors. But the showstopper for us were the oysters! You can order them in whatever quantity you want so I suggest everyone in your party have at least 1! I haven't tried anything like it and it was a good sour spice they got going on. New, not the typical cocktail sauce, just an explosion of flavor. Olivia was a great host. Recommended bars and food around the area which we really appreciated going to after dinner.

Cute spot that offers empanadas, sweets, sandwiches & drinks…read more WiFi worked well! Good spot to grab an empanada and get some work done.

We LOVED Bacuri! It was a perfect start on a chilly rainy Sunday to walk into this warm cozy…read morebakery. The staff were friendly and gave us helpful recommendations. We tried a few of the empanadas--the guava and cheese is a must get! The coffee and espresso were the perfect pairing. Highly recommend, there are way more items more we need to try!

We live out of state but we try our best to book a minimum of two reservations per year at…read morePenumbra. If we lived closer we would eat there more often. We love the excellent food consistency and quality. We also love how they treat us there every time! Our favorite romantic hidden gem.

This establishment is amazing. The husbae and I decided on Penumbra for our Sunday date night, and…read morelet me tell you, we were not disappointed. From, the service, to the food, to the ambiance, everything was near perfect. Our reservation was at 6pm but we arrived about 10 minutes early. We were greeted and seated immediately. We were seated in one of their semi-private tables surrounded by sheer curtains. Alex was our server, he greeted us right away, and started us with waters. Alex gave us time to look over the menu before taking our drink orders. We did let him know it was our first time dining at Penumbra and would like anything recommendations he had to offer. He provided his recommendations, which were the jalapeño shrimp, the ribeye, and the salmon. My husband went with the surf and turf (ribeye and lobster), and I went with the salmon. Before our meal they serve you a complimentary sipping soup (potato rosemary bisque). We also ordered drinks. He had a mojito and I had a caipirinha. It took a little time for our meal but not more than 10-15 minutes. Everything was prepared as we ordered it, hot, and delicious. If you're in Chicago and looking for a good meal, nice romantic ambiance, and good food, you will not be disappointed with Penumbra.

Carinvale is such a fun and lively restaurant in Chicago's West Loop! This spot was recommended by…read morethe hotel I was staying at, and the decor alone makes it worth it. The space is incredibly cool, colorful, and full of personality. Our waiter was friendly, attentive, and really made the experience enjoyable. The food was okay overall, but the pecan banana butter cake was definitely a highlight. They also provided a side of free cotton candy. How fun! There's a parking lot directly across the street, just a few steps from the restaurant, and they also offer valet. The valet was actually cheaper than self parking but I went on a week day so you may want to compare pricing before you park.

Such a coolly decorated place!…read more Had a work dinner event and happy hour place and was blown away when I walked in. The design is very in your face, with bright colors and large fixtures. Super cool. Staff was amazing, both the bartenders and servers. Very attentive and out of their way to accommodate. We had a coursed dinner. Apps were good. Shrimp ceviche was not my fav, but the smoked mushroom croquettes were flavorful and good. Carnivale Salad was great with little cheese bites and great dressing. I got the filet. Didn't ask for temp, but the crust was flavorful. Not a cake person, but the chocolate dulce de leche cake was one of my favorite things. Would come back for a drink, salad and dessert.

We had a pleasant dinner on a Sunday evening out on the patio. Luckily it's covered so the little…read morebit of rain we had did not bother us. They had a very nice bread server with four individual oval French loaves with very tasty butter. We tried the provoleta with peppers because we like that a lot in Argentina, but this was nothing like it and I guess that was to be expected. There they have a bunch of drier version of provolone and they grill it directly on the grill grates and it doesn't really melt too much. This tasted like standard provolone cheese and it was melted in a bowl. It was tasty, and unfortunately they probably can't get the Argentinian version of the cheese they would need to do it correctly. Our friends got the beef brochette with asparagus and the outside skirt steak and both were fabulous. Well seasoned and grilled and tender. My husband and I got the 2 pound stuffed fillet! It supposedly had ham in the filling but I couldn't taste it or see it anywhere. Unfortunately it had a really strongly flavored sauce along with the portobello mushrooms. We expected something with fewer herbs, which kind of overpowered the beef. It's a shame because the way they described it on the menu is not what came out. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't what we were expecting and unfortunately, the beef flavor was hard to discern because of all of the herbs in the dark brown sauce. We brought our own wine and they didn't even have a corkage fee, which was amazing! We saw other plates go by with copious amounts of tomatoes and onions on salads and the filet mignon platter, it seemed like it was three or four pieces of fillet it had to be nearly a pound for one serving. The prices are pretty steep for the beef and they do charge $10 for sharing, however it might be worth just getting one of the larger plates and spending the 10 bucks to share as opposed to getting an entrée each and taking home lots of food which we did.

We love a BYOB with no corkage fee. Also, warm table bread!! Pretty easy to call in and get a res…read morefor a Sunday night. The warm table bread and butter was pretty good so it was an effort to keep from eating too much and ruining our appetite. We split a chicken empanada to start which was really good, especially with the chimichurri sauce. For mains, we split the parillada para dos - a large meat platter meant for two. It was came with a little house salad and was a super good deal with all the meat they gave you (we ended up with lunch the next day, too!) The best part of the dish was the short ribs. Super soft and sort of fatty tasting, but not in a gross way, in a really yummy way. We also really liked the chorizo sausage. The flap tastes good, but was a little tougher than the other meat. The beef sweetbread and blood sausage were different, a little bit of an odd texture, but still good.

Quick food with a friendly staff. Everything is good but I like the steak and cheese empanadas the…read morebest.

I recommend this spot to anyone who wants a smoothie or chicken bowl. The chicken bowls are fresh…read moreand tender, the rice is cooked perfectly. The acai bowls are well portioned, and the cooks are quite generous with the toppings! They offer snacks to purchase at the counter as well and the employees make sure that you are well taken care of with your order. Pictured: acai bowl with granola, strawberries, and a honey drizzle.