We recently had a dinner on a Thursday night at Bueno Terra with a group of ten friends. One of the…read morecouples in our group and frequent patrons and recommended this restaurant as our place to meet. I live in Buena Park, and I have driven down Irving Park Road, passing this restaurant one hundred times, but never gave it much thought. The space was originally a pizza restaurant called Hearth & Crust and owned by the same people. From what I understand, they closed their original Bueno Terra restaurant in Logan Square and reopened it in this Hearth & Crust space. In fact, the Hearth & Crust logo is still etched into the glass at the inner front of the restaurant. The restaurant was packed, especially with families, but they sat us in a semi-private, glass-enclosed room at the front of the restaurant. The sliding windows were open to the sidewalk and Irving Park Road. That kept the room pleasantly cool, but it was noisy. I could not hear anyone talk except the people sitting right next to me. We had one waiter assigned to our table--someone who knew the people in our group who frequent Bueno Terra--and he was personable and attentive. For the table, we ordered the arancini and fried calamari. Both were excellent. For my entrée, I ordered the Melanzana alla Emilia Romagna--eggplant medallions with a crunchy almond crust served with tomato basil sauce and topped with caramelized onions and goat cheese. Kind of a play on eggplant parmesan, but richer and better. My friends said that they often order it as an appetizer. It was unusual and delicious--I loved it. I do not drink alcohol, but I ordered a Berry Lemonade--strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry muddled with lemon soda. It was tart but refreshing. Platters were served with mixed of desserts--tiramisu, cheesecake and profiteroles. All excellent. The service and food were both great and we all had a wonderful time. Although it doesn't look like much driving past Irving Park Road, Bueno Terra is a gem that I highly recommend.

First time here. Son lives across the street and had a taste for pizza. Place is very simple and…read moreminimal decor. Ambient lighting. You have a view of the pizza oven and some of the kitchen. Was seated promptly on 8/25. Clean updated Bathrooms. We started off with a salad, ordered the puff bread. They serve this spread with the bread. It's legendary, roasted garlic with olive oil and maybe olives. It was amazing. We ordered pizzas. The food was good, but the price was a little steep. Overall, nice neighborhood place to dine. Casual and cozy.

This is one of the best spots in the city. Came here last week on a date and it was basically…read moreperfect -- has a cool ambiance, relaxed vibe, good music and at the right volume, excellent wine and small plate selection, and the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. I didn't get a chance to go to the patio outside, but I will definitely try it out next time. Special shoutout to the staff who recommended some amazing wines I would have otherwise never heard of.

Stopped into this wine bar on a rainy Sunday right when they opened with five of my friends. They…read morewere able to seat us immediately in the spacious corner booth. The ambiance is really nice without feeling too "stuffy". Bar was gorgeous and service was friendly and helpful, allowing my boyfriend to sample some wines before going in on some bottles. Prices were what you'd expect for a trendy natural wine bar. The complimentary corn nuts in the antique dish were a cute touch. The charcuterie board with mixed meat and cheese was really small though. Only three pieces of cheese for five people... it made it feel like an awkward fight over who'd get to try some. The gluten free crackers were appreciated though. We ended up ordering more food including the "party tray" which I would describe more as charcuterie nachos. We didn't really know what to expect with this one so we got the canned mussels but it really would've tasted better with the prosciutto instead. It included a whipped cheese, olives, and cornichons piled onto potato chips. Less of a tray and more of a nacho-style dish. If we return next time we're in town, I'd skip the food and focus more on the wine. Beyond that, it was a fun time!

Food is delicious And the wine selection even better, if wine isn't your think they do have bottled…read morebeer and on draft. It's a great place to for a nice semi fancy dinner or just a casual hang. when weather permits there's a patio. service and staff is always friendly. Every time i go i forget to take pictures of the food i do have these of the speciality pizza Fig and prosciutto it's so good i get it evertime i can. proscuitto, figs, goat cheese, garlic confit oil, arugula, mozzarella, pecorino-romano cheese, balsamic glaze, like come on that sounds good. the crab cakes are also good and the charcuterie is a great starter. believe you won't regret eating anything from their menu.

Honestly, I love this place. The Wednesday half price wine nights with life jazzy music is so…read morelovely. Tonight, we had the Al Passo Toscana wine (half price), tomato bruschetta, Caesar salad, cacio e Pepe (with bucatini noodles), and carbonara (w/bucatini). Everything was delicious! Gigi is the best sommelier, Axel is a warm bartender/waiter. I don't know why I haven't parked here at the bar more often. Sharing photos from past meals here...why not?!

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.

They have nice food and wine options, very cute and cozy place! The service was great too!read more

While the weekly wine challenge on Mondays was fun, my friend and I were put off by the service we…read morereceived here. After receiving our wine glasses, we felt like we were being ignored for the near two hours we were at Webster's. I understand being busy especially happy hour, but the fact nobody came to check in on us or asked if we wanted to order additional items created a negative experience for us. Our server managed to come around and ask the table next to us if they needed anything really sealed the deal for us.

Went on a saturday around 4 for some mid day drinks with my friends. The sparkling orange drink is…read moredelicious but a bit pricey. The bartender was awesome. I love how much space there is but it's better at night because when we got there it was super bright inside and no music was playing so the ambiance was a little off. Overall it was a great spot to chat and catch up while enjoying some drinks.

Such a fun spot! Great vibes and a funky, playful interior. They have a solid happy hour and great…read moredeals on wine bottles, which makes it an easy place to hang out. They currently have a Motorshucker popup. We ordered the charcuterie board, which was solid, and the disco chips, which were a little too greasy for our liking. The crab roll was refreshing and really tasty. Definitely worth checking out!

If you like cute and trendy wine bars, you have to go to Outside Voices. This was my first spot on…read moremy Chicago trip visiting my best friend. We met up here. I walked from the Blue Line and felt extremely safe. It's in such a pretty part of town. There are plenty of seating spaces both inside and outside. When you arrive, you find a table you like and then go up to the counter to order. They have QR codes everywhere so you can see the menu online. If you like natural wines this is the place for you. The people who work here are absolutely incredible. I came straight from the airport so had my suitcase and one of the bartenders offered to take my bag to the back which I adored. My friend also took a really long time to get there from work so I just hung out for a while and they didn't make me feel too weird about it. One of them even gave me a generous pour of the wine I got. I also ordered us a meat and cheese board which was simple, but nice. Do know that the prices are a bit high here. If you want to get a full bottle of wine the average price is about $60 for a bottle. The aesthetics of this bar are A+. It is really loud inside. The name says it all, you will be using outside voices. While we adored this place, the music was a bit loud so it was a little hard to catch up. That being said, we made the most of it. It also was the spot that I asked her to be my bridesmaid so it'll forever have a special place in my heart. If you're looking for a cute and trendy place, with fun music blasting, and a great vibe, this is it. I highly recommend Outside Voices.

Went for happy hour on a Friday and it was very cute! The place was a bit dead when we got there…read moreinitially but soon enough pretty much all tables were taken. They have plenty of board games and a disco diner vibe going on. Would recommend for a girls night out. Fav on the menu - dry rosé cider, fries with garlic aioli

Small Bar is soooo good They're bar service only, which honestly makes it super easy and casual…read more But the BURGERS??? Literally some of the best burgers we've had -- juicy, messy, cheesy, and just perfect. Omg so gooooood. The staff is amazing too and everyone was super friendly. We went in the afternoon and the vibes were HIGH -- such a fun, laid-back spot to grab drinks, eat way too much food, and hang out. And their happy hour deals are INSANE. Definitely one of those places we'll keep coming back to! 10/10 recommend.

food: good burger and beer deals, burger has a bit too much mustard for my liking and the patty is…read moremonstrous spilling out but still yum service: nice staff ambiance: nice outdoor seating but so many mosquitoes, great late night spot

This is a nice restaurant with great upscale decor, service, drinks, and food without feeling…read morefancy. Prices are very reasonable too, especially during happy hour (every day!). We came on a Saturday and sat at the bar to enjoy a variety of menu items. I first got a mezcal drink to start, which was refreshing with the appetizers we got. We had the papaya salad, dan dan noodles, and mushroom butter dumplings off the happy hour menu. We also had the short rib dumplings - both dumplings were so delicious, the mushroom butter dumplings were more creamy/buttery whereas the short rib dumplings had more of a bbq savory taste. The dan dan noodles were saucy and delicious, and the papaya salad was light and refreshing. The poached prawns were also tasty and refreshing, and the bulgogi steak was definitely our favorite dish with excellent korean flavors and tender juicy pieces of steak. The potato pave was a nice tasty side to it as well. I'm so glad I finally got to try this cute spot and had an excellent meal!

Still great and the same as I remember! Service, food, drinks are all great!…read more We ordered an appetizer, a dumpling dish, noodles, fish, and a dessert.

Very cute and cozy place!! They do a few events here as well. The food is rather limited but they…read moredo ironically have funeral potatoes which are very seasoned. I love!!! I love the bartender, very speedy service!!! Mac and cheese (not pictured) comes out in a cute little stainless steel frying pan. They also have happy hour!!!!!

Im so mad I haven't been to this place earlier cause its not far from where I live and it was so…read moregood!! Definitely a hidden gem in Portage Park! Street parking was easy to find which is a plus. Its walk-ins only but my party of 6 were able to get a table no problem on a Friday night. To drink, I started with the Oolong Martinez. It was good but way too strong for me so I just gave it to my husband lol. I opted for the Kiss & Tell instead except I asked for no mezcal. Much lighter and refreshing! I believe they have a downstairs lounge called "Nightshade" which serves their own special menu. My goal is to go downstairs next time! Their food is GAS!!! Everything I ate was a 5/5 for me - especially the party fries and the moon burger. We got the deviled eggs and funeral potatoes for the table and I was blown away (both of these menu items rotate flavors monthly). Also FYI - They have a photobooth!!!! I love photobooths!