Buttercup in the South Loop is an absolute gem, especially if you're even remotely into amaro. The…read moreselection is unreal, like the kind of list that makes you pause and realize you're about to learn something whether you wanted to or not. It's curated in a way that feels intentional, not just "we stocked a bunch of bottles." You can tell whoever built it actually cares. And shoutout to Axel behind the bar, because she is amazing. Friendly, dialed in, and genuinely knowledgeable without doing the annoying bartender thing where they make you feel dumb for asking questions. You can tell she really enjoys working here. She makes a fantastic Negroni. Great vibe, great drinks, and the kind of place you immediately want to make "your spot."

I love finding cute neighborhood spots, and this one had been on my list for a while. I knew they…read moreoffered everything from coffee in the morning to wine and cocktails for lunch and dinner. I was in the area visiting Casa Tulum and decided to walk over to Buttercup. I thought it would be a hidden gem, but as soon as I walked in, it was packed. The atmosphere is quaint, cozy, and has a very chill vibe. I stepped outside my comfort zone and ordered a drink that was just okay, but the half salad was amazing. I loved the unique twist on it and would definitely order it again. The service was okay. It seemed like the waiter was juggling a lot and could have used some additional support. There is street parking available, one restroom, and the music was kept at a comfortable volume, which I appreciated. Overall, I enjoyed my visit and will definitely be back to try more items on the menu.

I arrived around 21:00 for dessert/nightcap on a Monday evening before heading back to my hotel…read morenear convention center. I had been enjoying the city after a day of shopping and dinner at Joe's. A friend recommended this lovely bar/lounge. We are not from these parts of the U.S. and love to explore. This lounge is on the second floor of the Chicago Athletic Association building. Part of the Hyatt chain. I was warmly greeted by host and placed next to an old fireplace in front of the bar area. I was seated facing the entire lobby. I was enjoying the Gothic architecture. It was dark and a soothing atmosphere. I appreciated the appropriate music playing as well. It was a perfect way to end my day. I had a glass of champagne and my server recommended the Basque cheesecake. Which was perfect cause I recently visited San Sebastian, Spain. The Basque region makes a great cheesecake. The burned caramelized top complimented my champagne well. There is a room/bar in the back room of where I was. A great bar with games and TVs for sports. After enjoying my nightcap, I walked downstairs and was able to order a ride-share and wait in the warm entry of the building. This hotel is directly across the famous Bean which is in the beautiful Millennium Park. During the day, I highly recommend checking that park out.

When my friend and I recently stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association, we made three…read morereservations for the Drawing Room (using Open Table), two for breakfast and one for dinner. The Drawing Room is in the lobby of the hotel. The first day at the hotel, my friend and I had a breakfast reservation (which we're thankful we did, as it was quite busy) and we sat at a table where the chairs were comfortable but it was too low to comfortably eat at the table. I felt like I was almost stretching and standing when eating. We requested a different type of table the next day when we can back for breakfast. We both ordered the Classic Breakfast consisting of two eggs, Nueske's bacon, breakfast sausage, breakfast potatoes, and sourdough toast. There were options available for gluten free toast and egg white though we didn't opt for that. I did ask for all bacon. The next day, I ordered a Breakfast Sandwich, regularly including chicken breakfast sausage, fluffy eggs, American cheese, house-made english muffin, and green salad (with gluten free toast option). I chose bacon instead of sausage and cheddar instead of American cheese. Both breakfasts were rather good. Unfortunately the dinner wasn't as delightful as a meal as the breakfasts. The chairs were fine and the place wasn't too busy (and we had a reservation) though when we sat down, it was as if we were forgotten as no one came to our table for quite some time. We then realized we weren't too excited about the menu, so we instead when to the nearby Game Room for a bite while watching a basketball game on TV. We were given welcome beverage certificates good for free bubbly at the Game Room though those were also honored at the Game Room. The Drawing Room lobby spaces are open 24 hours daily though guests can order breakfast daily from 7 AM to 11 AM, Monday through Thursday for lunch and dinner from 11 AM to 11 PM, Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 12 Midnight (though the kitchen closes at 11 PM), and Sunday from 11 AM to 9 PM. You can visit the Drawing Room website at https://www.drawingroomchicago.com, where you can find menus, private event information, reservations, social media links, and more. You can also sign up for restaurant updates at the bottom of the page. While I wouldn't discourage anyone to go to the Drawing Room, it wasn't among our favorite restaurants at the Chicago Athletic Association or nearby the hotel.

Hidden gem in South Loop. something for everyone on the…read moremenu. feels like home. great service!

Victory Tap was a work related larger group dinner in one of the private rooms upstairs…read more They have separate full bar upstairs, which is nice. For food, it was a buffet style setup. - Ceasar salad - Sausage and peppers: good flavor on the sausage - Rigatoni - Chicken parm: I appreciate that they had a lot of extra sauce for this - Cheesecake The downstairs area was packed with people watching the World Cup. Upstairs, it was much quieter. It has an old school Italian institution feel (though I think it opened maybe about 10 years ago). It's not quite a destination but was a solid work dinner.

Came in today with a group of eight friends over an hour after cocktail lounge opened (slower…read morehours). I'll begin by mentioning the drinks tasted great & the ambiance/overall esthetic and setup of this space is really wonderful. Unfortunately, my low review is because of the obvious distastefulness of some staff who are serving & bartending here. My guests visiting from out of state wanted a stiff drink in the afternoon & from the website photos + reviews, Vol 39 seemed like an awesome place that could accommodate our party with the large sofa seating. I even called ahead to ask about walk-ins of our size to be extra considerate. We received shocking dagger glares from a few staff members which made all eight of us immediately uncomfortable before even being sat. Like we were committing a major crime for thinking we could step foot in here. Empty stack of glasses slammed on the table with a water pitcher placed beside them; "I'll be right back." In a sharp tone. Ok. But not if we're paying $20 per person per cocktail. We were rushed and this attitude persisted, it is lazy.. especially given it was extremely slow.. super surprising for such an elevated establishment. Then, after a long while, we were all asked what we wanted to drink, like a fast casual burger joint. No, "any questions about our selections" or, "may I give some suggestions?" Never came by to check on us once despite the three other two tops inside. We wrapped it up fast since we definitely could choose another location with more attentiveness & basic kindness. We paid, a hefty gratuity in small print on the check which.. you guessed it.. was automatically included but no mention of this tidbit by the server. Maybe this is why we revived all this mean girl energy from the jump? Because they'll still get paid really well regardless? All eight of us have been a part of the service industry and this one stuck out extra frustrating & annoying. Never leave a low review, I'm writing today to management because they will ruin your repeat clientele, seriously. People can find another fabulous cocktail with way better service & vibes in the city. Overall, it was a shame my friends experienced this gross behavior today in the fabulous city of Chicago. Hope the staff does better in the future and works on improving their outlook.

Yelp steered me here while I was looking for a place to grab a quick cocktail, and they did not…read moresteer me wrong. The bartender, Rachel was knowledgeable and friendly, the cocktails were tasty, the oysters were OK. I was only there for about an hour, I had a cocktail or two and a glass of wine and the aforementioned monsters but I would highly recommend this spot if you're down by the Chicago board of trade area. Lovely ambience, wasn't too busy (it was early) and the staff were attentive without being overbearing.

Great experience, and kid friendly as well. The drink are good as well. We have attended with…read morefriends visiting from out of town and they also enjoyed it.

I was super excited to come to AO Hawaiian hideout after eating some other reviews on here. I…read moreinitially walked from my hotel which took me about 25 minutes thanks to Google maps spinning around like a carousel which helped me work up a healthy appetite for dinner. When I came in, the entrance is decorated pretty nicely and then there are some display cases with different types of tiki mugs. Many of which are for sale so you're able to take home a little bit of this paradise if you really want to. I had initially sat at the tables but it was a large table and I was by myself and didn't want to take up that much space. So I asked to be seated by the bar. Which is why some of the pictures I took had this blue glow to them that probably don't highlight the food as much as could have. The food wise was really good and the portions. My opinion were rather watch. I had ate dinner that night and took the leftovers home which was lunch. The next day. I had the Hawaiian BBQ chicken that I thought was very good and was recommended by the staff. For drinks, I had a Mai Tai which packed a pretty big punch. My first sip was a little strong, but after eating a little bit and coming back to it, the ice had melted. Just enough for the drink. Actually mellowed greatly and was very enjoyable. Tiki drinks tend to be very strong so I didn't really find this as an issue. All in all, when I travel I like to go to places that are new and I would say if I came back to Chicago I would definitely come here again, especially if I have my wife kid. I think they would love the atmosphere and it's definitely a little tropical getaway in a busy City.

Never a bad meal or service. We live right across the street from Half Sour and it's easily has…read morebecome one of our favorites. Their brunch with homemade bagels are delicious & truly have never ordered anything we didn't love.

This is a great little bar…read more The drinks somehow all had glitter--which I love--but didn't seem to match the vibe. My husband and I stopped in for a quick dinner and Half Sour fit the bill. Casual pub fare of good quality. Slow service, but it wasn't a huge issue. I'm sure we'll be giving it another shot.

I stopped into M Lounge for their Friday night happy hour after hearing about it from my friend's…read morecousin, who happened to be DJing a house set that evening. We arrived right at the start of happy hour, which made it easy to order drinks and grab a comfortable spot. There was even a caterer onsite selling food, it looked good, but we passed since we had just come from dinner. By 7 pm the crowd had grown, and the lounge was completely packed. The vibe was very local, with many people clearly familiar with one another, which gave it a laid-back, neighborhood feel. The drinks were strong, the music was on point, and the energy was just right for a Friday night wind-down. M Lounge is the kind of spot that would definitely be in my regular rotation if I lived in Chicago. Since I don't, I'll just have to make sure it's on my list every time I visit.

Great music, attentive bartenders, reasonably priced cocktails, specials, and a generous assortment…read moreof non alcoholic drinks--this place has it all. After a couple of brown liquor drinks, I wasn't ready to go so the friendly bartender whipped me up a mocktail with a zero proof champagne base and I'll say this: no drinks here miss their marks. I will absolutely visit again when I'm back in Chicago.

I loved Oliver's!!! The front seating area is super bright, lit with tons of natural light & has a…read morebeautiful bar. There is also a huge back dining area as well. We loved everything we ate! I don't think you can go wrong. The salad was super flavorful and I loved the stracciatella toast. I recommended making a reservation but I don't think you need to do it that far in advance. We came before a concert at solider field and it was about a 25 walk to the venue so great place to come before going to solider field!

Well color me surprised by the discovery of this hidden gem. We were at the C2E2 convention for…read more2026 at the McCormick Hyatt and we always like to have a nice quiet dinner on the Thursday after we check in. I always look for something nearby, and Oliver's popped up. The front of Oliver's is unassuming, but when you walk in, you are greeted by a lovely bar area and small two seater tables in the window. The dining area is down a corridor from the bar area. The decor is quite cute and elegant, with the overall vibe being quire chill. As this was our first time at the restaurant, Aidan explained the menu to us. We started out with the caviar service (Osetra noir caviar, crème fraîche, oyster chicharrón). Ok I love caviar but this is the first time I have had it with chicharróns, and that they were made with oysters. Traditionally, chicharróns are made from pork, but these blew me away to the point that I asked for an additional serving. Highly recommend this starter. We also got the Toast Royale (beef fat griddled sourdough and caramelized shallot butter). This was also yummy on its own and with the caviar. Be warned though, this is a huge serving of bread. I needed up taking half of it home. In addition to these two starters we got the Truffle Gnocchi (comté, aged parmesan, and burgundy truffle). The truffle was extra at $29, but was worth it for me. We also got the charred octopus with preserved peppers, fennel and a Szechuan chili oil. The octopus clocked in at $42, but again so worth it for me. It was prepared perfectly, the octopus was tender and melted in my mouth. For dinner, The Doctor and The Queen got the Black Cod with vegetables and they split the cucumber salad. I got the cheeseburger. They both liked their dishes as there was nothing left on their plates. I am not a fish person myself, but they both stated that the fish was well prepared. For me, the cheeseburger was very good and so were those fries. While there are other dinner items on the menu, that burger was giving life and I would definitely get that again. Although I will say I saw a table order the half chicken and that looked really good. I would consider that as a possible entrée as well. For dessert I got the coconut key lime pie to split with The Doctor and The Queen got the malted milk & cookies. I am a sucker for coconut and key lime, but together it was kismet. And we also got an order of the warm chocolate chip cookies on the house. Those were very good and I am saying so as I am not a big fan of cookies per se. Haley and Aidan were the folks that took care of us and they were so nice. They were very attentive and genuinely seemed happy to be working there. Oliver's was a great dining experience for us, but I will preface this review with some of the dishes are on the pricey side, but I can live with that because I simply want what I want. For the quality of the dishes, I felt it was worth it.