Stumbled upon this gem on Valentine's Day and I lovedddddd every bit of my experience!…read more For starters, they had cute valentines themed drinks and they were so tasty! They also decorated for Valentine's Day and it was soooooo aesthetically pleasing, great picture props! The music was also a viiiiibe -- whoever was DJing understood the assignment that day! Our server's name was Alon, and she was amazing! Very attentive, sweet, and informative. I told her I needed her name so that people would know who to look for when they visited next lol. She maintained great service, even when it got busy and she had to help others! Now, let's get to the part that matters most: the food! My best friend and I both had their burgers -- so fillingggggggggg and the house made aioli chefs kiss! We already decided we'll be back to try the tacos bc Alon said they're fye and I trust her judgement! The drinkssssssss -- honey listen, the champagne drink was a cute starter bc that margarita definitely didn't come to play! Also -- we didn't have reservations and still were seated in a timely manner with timely service! I'll be revisiting them for sure!

Came here for the girl dinner and we luckily had the early reservation because it ended up getting…read morepacked in there. The serving sizes were smaller than what I imagined but still was enough and I cleaned my plate. The garlic parm wings were really good just wish it was 6 vs 4. The drinks were also tasty and glad it was 2 cocktails. Service wasn't really there for me. I've been to this location a couple times to eat and for nightlife and overall it's an okay spot.

We love Arbella!! Atmosphere inside was great, really large space! We sat at the bar, the…read morebartenders were super friendly and attentive easy to talk to and order from. LOVE the $6 cocktail of the day happy hour (M-F 4-6pm) . Our cocktail of the day was a watermelon lemon drop which was delicious!! Will be coming back next time in Chicago! My local friends new favorite staple bar.

(Kari's Rating 8.75/10)…read more Came with a friend late on a Friday night after dinner time We were able to be seated almost immediately at a nice little private Cove table. We ordered a flight of whiskey sours, which contained whiskeys from Japan, Vietnam, and Wisconsin. I also was able to order an amaretto sour, which they made with freshly hand beaten egg whites, which was a nice cherry on the top. As far as the whiskey flights go, I think the best one was the Vietnam flight because it had a slightly lemongrass twang and was a little bit lighter than the other two. The heaviest one was the Wisconsin which came with a little bit of a bite at the end, but it still wasn't bad if you're trying to blackout on a $15 budget. I would definitely come back with a larger group this seems like a great place, but is a little bit loud- so if you be prepared to yell or wear earplugs. The bathroom took my a second to find, which should have been intuitive considering it was on the opposite end of where you come in. I blame the lighting as things are already pretty hard to find in the dark, but eventually I made it there-Pat myself on the back.

The Franklin Room is one of our favorite restaurants in the city--and we're lucky enough to live…read morejust a few minutes' walk away! From the ambiance to the food to the service, you can tell they hold themselves to a high standard, and they consistently deliver. We love coming here for date nights and even celebrated our anniversary here. It's also one of our favorite places to bring friends and family when they visit. Great food, wonderful atmosphere, and consistently excellent service. A true hidden gem in Chicago!

The vibes were nice. Lighting wasn't too bright, a dressier atmosphere, and definitely felt like a…read moregood spot for drinks and dinner. Service was fine. Our server was nice and water refills came at the right times. The burger was honestly pretty mid. It tasted fine, but our server said it was one of the best burgers in Chicago and I definitely wouldn't agree. 5/10. The salmon was tender and had a really interesting crust. It wasn't charred like I expected, almost had a rubbery texture, but I actually enjoyed it. The lemony miso sauce was delicious, the pickled cucumbers added a nice crunch. 7.5/10. The prime bone-in ribeye was fine. Good flavor, but nothing really stood out about it. 6.5/10. Dessert was the highlight of the meal. The chocolate crunch dessert was sooo good. Loved the marshmallow pieces and all the different textures from the crunchy mousse. 8/10. The salted caramel gelato had a great texture, but it was way too sweet for me. It tasted more like straight sugar than salted caramel. 6/10. Overall, a solid last-minute date night spot with good vibes, but the chocolate crunch dessert was definitely the standout.

Great place for late dinner (kitchen open until 11pm on weekdays). I was in the mood for some…read morechicken wings and yes, No Vacancy for the win. Good draft, liquor and can/bottle selection and great menu for food. Buffalo style wings were suberb!

If you're coming here for drinks, it's probably a great vibe, but if you're coming for food, I…read morewould recommend elsewhere. I want to preface my review with the positives, Londyn was our server & was truly so kind, thorough, and friendly. The restaurant itself is clean & all tables have clear views of the TVs on game days. Now for the room for improvement- the food was very underwhelming. Being from the Chicago area previously, I regularly advocate for the Chicago food scene, and this unfortunately did not meet those standards. We ordered the Brussels sprouts, buffalo cauliflower, wings, and sesame ginger salad: -Brussel sprouts: tasted like they weren't seasoned just air fried and drenched in balsamic dressing -Buffalo cauliflower: soggy, unseasoned, runny buffalo sauce -Wings: PERFECTLY CRISPY, but no flavor (we ordered lemon pepper & buffalo) -Sesame ginger salad: sloppy mix of vegetables tossed in an overly sweet sauce with no sesame or ginger flavor in sight If you're not going to eat, this is probably a great spot, but from a food standpoint, there is room for improvement.

Had a reservation with two friends from out of town and had the pleasure of being with Vivian…read more Amazing service, so sweet and funny, very thoughtful. and we got free cookies! we got sat in a little private booth in the back, so quiet. will def come back again and again :)

The next brunch spot you have to try in Chicago is The Dearborn! The aesthetic here is upscale…read moreIrish tavern, with amazing vibes and service! I came here for brunch & most definitely need to come back for dinner! Their fish & chips beat Bobby Flay, & it's no surprise they did! This dish is perfection! The cod is fresh & flaky, and the batter has just the right crisp. The dish itself is huge & all the accompaniments are exactly what you want. The beignets are so fluffy and great for sharing a sweet treat to start or end your meal. The corned beef hash is packed with traditional Irish flavors and tastes delicious! You need to come here asap!

First morning in town, this was near our hotel, and not busy at 8am on a Saturday. (By the time we…read moreleft around nine it was pretty full.) Bright, open, lots of windows, comfy seating. Varied menu. We started with drinks: Sweetie said the coffee was good, Kid K got strawberry milk (made in house, maybe with fresh strawberries from the taste.) I got root beer milk. I've had it before in a bottle from a store, but never seen it on a menu. Not made in-house, they use Monin coffee syrup, but still good. I wasn't very hungry so I just got brown sugar bacon (very good, but not the best I've had.) And shared with K and Sweetie. Sweetie got hash browns and a fruit cup. Big fruit cup, with fresh berries and a little melon. Kid K got Belgian waffles, with strawberries, vanilla whipped cream, and maple syrup. She ate about half, liked it but it's a big portion for a little kid. I tried some and they were very good. Great music- '80s and '90s hits. Great service, start to finish. Pleasant atmosphere. Good location. I'd go back.

nestled at the bottom of aloft hotel, beatrix serves up great breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cafe…read morefare! they have lots of seating and seem to be always busy -- weekends can be hours of waiting! we grabbed an oat latte from the cafe bar alongside the lil breakfast sandwich and lil breakfast burrito. the latte is great, their beans are more smokey and roasted than others. the breakfast burrito was just ok, we liked the sandwich a lot better

Some friends and I were in town for a birthday and decided we wanted to do the riverboat…read morearchitecture tour. Our friend group is split between two groups. The 1st that plans ahead and gets to places early. And the 2nd that is there for a good time but always gets everywhere late. Those of us that wanted to come early and not worry decided that we wanted to go to a restaurant close by to wait for our tour time and that's how we found Ema. As soon as we walk inside we see how beautiful and modern the interior looks. They had a lot of seating available and we got a nice table by the window with a view We wanted to eat light before the tour so we shared a bunch of small plates. We ordered the mushroom escargot, lemon Caesar, crispy potatoes, a couple orders of hummus and some chicken kebabs. That mushroom escargot was one of my favorite things I ate during the entire Chicago trip. The mushrooms were creamy and rich. It tasted umami, bright from the lemon, slightly spicy from the Calabrian breadcrumbs, and paired perfectly with some warm pita bread on the side. The hummus was smooth and well seasoned. The lemon caesar was fresh and fairly standard. The crispy potatoes were perfectly textured and were soft and pillowy on the inside. As long as they sat on the table they never lost their crisp. The chicken kebabs were tenderly, juicy and garlicky. We were all putting together our perfect bite combinations with the pita bread. Everything we ordered I would actually order again. Though may want to try a different salad next time since the Caesar was pretty simple. Regardless, still no real complaints with the food Our server was charismatic and funny. He had a great attitude and entertained us throughout the meal. Everything came out promptly as well so we made it out and could take our time walking to the riverboats. Lucky for our friends the tour said they'd be docked for a few minutes after our scheduled start time to set everything up. As 3 minutes after our start time we see group 2 sprinting up from a couple blocks away Overall Ema was consistent, flavorful and reliable. Not a bad price point either for what you get. I'd definitely recommend and come back

You can't go wrong with $1 froyo. The line does get kind of long (it moves fast), and they do cut…read moreoff the line as it gets closer to 3:30ish. The froyo itself with no toppings is $1 then any additional topping is $2. They only have strawberry rhubarb and pistachio syrups as toppings though. The line moves fast and the inside is really cute to look at as you wait. If you time it just right, it's perfect as a Friday afternoon sweet treat!

Girl & The Goat has been on my Chicago food radar for a while, and sometimes the places with the…read morebiggest hype have the hardest time living up to it. This one did. The whole experience is built around sharing, which gave us an excuse to order like we hadn't eaten in three days. And there really wasn't a weak plate on the table. The goat belly was the WOW bite for me. Rich, tender, full of flavor and exactly the kind of dish you come here hoping to find -- something different that you'll actually remember the next day. Then came the grilled short rib. Beautiful char, incredibly tender, sweet and savory working together... this was the plate where the table got noticeably quieter for a minute. Always a good sign. And don't sleep on the chickpea fritters. I wasn't expecting them to compete with goat belly and short rib for attention, but they absolutely held their own. Crispy, flavorful and another example of how Girl & The Goat takes something relatively simple and makes it interesting. We tried several other dishes, passed plates around, argued over who got the last bite and basically did dinner exactly the way this place is meant to be experienced. Great atmosphere, creative food, strong service and enough unexpected flavors to keep the meal fun from beginning to end. Girl & The Goat was worth the splurge

The ambience is beautiful. All of our plates were scraped clean amazing experience.I'm…read more The food came out in a timely manner, one right after the other in unison the team worked really well together, and you can tell by the experience that was given