Wonderful service, food out of this world, Ambiance and atmosphere was great, they bring the main…read morecourses to your table and cut the meat off the large portions

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

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!~

I cannot recommend this restaurant enough!! The story behind it and the woman who runs it was so…read moresweet. She is a social-worker turned chef, and it feels like she has really opened her home for guests. We went for a charity event where for the price of your ticket you got unlimited apps, fun drinks (nonalcoholic too! like hibiscus!), wine making explanation, participating in grape cutting, dinner, wine, dessert. I was so full by the end! We started with appetizers on the first floor, which was very cozy with couches - very much like a living room. I'm not even sure what the appetizers were but they were really good. There was also hibiscus tea and a lime drink (I can't remember the name). After that, we spent some time in the backyard which honestly didn't even feel like Chicago. It was a warm night, there are fairy lights all over, and the entire place is covered in grape vines! The grapes grown here are used to make their very own Sinha wine! We brought scissors and got to experience the process of wine making. I was worried that there might not be a ton of options for me as a vegetarian but I was so wrong! There were beans without pork, rice, greens, corn, plantains, okra, cheese bread balls, marinated mushrooms, beets, and more! They use in season veggies a lot, and everything was seasoned well. It was a serve yourself buffet and then we sat at long tables, which was a really good opportunity to get to meet new people. This was probably one of the best dining experiences I have had in Chicago. I can't recommend it enough!

Very rarely do I wish I ate red meat, but this is one of those times - if I did, I would've done…read morethe tasting menu! However, I can only comment on what I tried. The hamachi cold appetizer was good, I liked the tartness of the lime. The red snapper hot appetizer was very good, especially with the dipping sauces, it was just a bit greasy. You MUST try the sweet potato, incredibly well done. The coconut soft serve dessert was a fabulous way to end. This would be a great place to come on a date or for a special occasion. Our waiter was very helpful in deciding what to order.

Great supper club pick! This is a Spanish inspired restaurant in west town. I honestly expected the…read moremenu to have more small plates, but it's a lot of big mains. We split a lot of the sides and the pork shank. We tried the noodle dish, the sweet potato, the potatoes and the little cheese balls. I loved the sweet potato so much and it honestly reminded me of a better version of the Maxwell trading one aka a really expensive potato lol. I also loved the potato side dish, and the pork shank was extremely flavorful and fell right off the bone. The cheese balls were delectable, and I could've eaten many more of them. The service was super kind, but ended up being really slow so they gave us four desserts for free??? So so nice!! We tried the sorbet, coconut sundae, Panna, cotta, and this passion fruit white chocolate one. All of the desserts were immaculate and genuinely I would come back just to have the desserts again. I also got the mule and it was a pretty good cocktail- nothing crazy. Overall, I was a fan of this place and although I think it's a bit expensive for the plate size, I would come back for happy hour or dessert!

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

This place is amazing! We were so happy to find coxinias and the pastries are so good. Everything…read moreis delicious!

I had the pleasure to dine at Penumbra on a Thursday evening. We were celebrating a graduation and…read morethe staff were very welcoming when we arrived. I was visiting from out of town and was not familiar with the parking around the area. I asked one of the staff members and immediately they reassured me that the side street would raking was totally fine to park just so long as it wasn't the front of the building where you have to pay. The food started with a complementary potato soup which was flavorful and lovely. We got a round of drinks and one of our party didn't care for her drink and it was replaced no question. We had the flat iron steak, the chicken, and the salmon and each entree was wonderful. The proteins were all very tender and juicy. I was also very pleased with the salad that came first which was lightly dressed and very seasonal. We finished our dining experience with a slice of cheesecake. It was a nice cap to the end of a wonderful meal. I would recommend this restaurant for any occasion - I would love to come back and try some of the other items on their menu.

**Hidden gem!!!**…read more Penumbra is SUPER sexy and low-key elite. This is one of those spots that will make you look like a total restaurant pro if you take someone there or recommend it. The ambiance is intimate, romantic, and just feels exclusive without trying too hard. I took my girl there for her birthday and she absolutely loved it -- which is always the real test. We had the ribeye and the Rotini Bianco, and both were excellent. The ribeye was cooked perfectly, tender and flavorful. The Rotini Bianco was rich, creamy, and done just right. Every dish felt intentional and well executed. Don't hesitate to book. If you're trying to impress or celebrate something special, this is the move.

Yesterday was my wife and I 21 anniversary and the chefs table didn't let us down, the food was…read moreamazing service was outstanding he made a custom menu just for us because my wife don't eat red meat and it was still amazing. I just want to thank the chef for an Amazing experience Thankyou.

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.