My husband had seen Q'Bo on Instagram recently, and since I am Colombian we made a day trip out of…read moreit from our house in the western burbs of Chicago. Let me tell you, it was absolutely divine and worth the hour into the city and hour back home! We both had 3 empanadas because we were so excited to try them (and we had been starving ourselves all day to save up for the trip!). We had the mechada empanada, the chorizo & potato, and the plantain & cheese and they were all phenomenal. I have tried so many empanadas throughout the US, and these are by far the best and most authentic empanadas I have had outside of my trips home to Colombia. The sizes are extremely generous, and you will not be disappointed in the crispiness of the crust made from authentic masa de harina. Plus the sauces including the Colombian aji were chef's kiss!! Every sauce was incredibly tasty and reminded me so much of home! I am considering placing a catering order for empanadas for my daughter's birthday next year! For drinks, I had the passion fruit smoothie in water, as well as a pistachio latte with actual pistachio cream dripped onto the sides, and my husband had an horchata latte with condensed milk and cinnamon on top. All of the drinks were unique, made with detail and love, and of the highest quality. We didn't sample any of the pastries for our lunch visit, but they all looked beautiful, mouth-watering, fresh and were handmade by Lilly. We were lucky enough to talk to the owners for a bit, and they are just the two nicest people you will ever meet. I can't wait to bring my Colombian family here for the arepas and tostones, and look forwarding to supporting this amazing business! Stop by - Q'bo and it's latin flavors, welcoming vibes, and excellent ambiance and food are what makes Chicago such a special place to live and play.

This is a new spot that I hadn't seen before. What drew me in was the passionfruit juice and boba -…read moretwo of my favorite things. When I stepped inside, I was greeted with the comforting smell of arepas and a large menu to choose from. The owner, Lili, was working the register, and the other owner was in the back making each meal fresh to order. EVERYTHING is fresh and made in house. All the baked goods (the alfajores, my favorite!) the empanadas, and even the juices made from scratch. Those were the best empanadas I've ever had in my life. They actually change out the frying oil every theee days to preserve freshness. They were so light compared to the usual heaviness of an empanada. They were perfect. And the sauces were divine. My favorite is the chipotle and the garlic sauce mixed together. Many Venezuelan places in the area tend to be "upscale" and therefore cost a pretty penny. This is well made "street-food" and is a nice way to eat food from the motherland without breaking the bank. The atmosphere is perfect. It's a well-lit place to get some work done without the music blaring like many other cafes. There is something for everyone there. I went back the next day and plan to take my family there soon. Buen provecho!

The owner welcomes you inside with a big smile and soooo much wisdom from being in business so…read morelong! He's got the best quality versions of so many classic teas but also some blends you've never seen before and you have to try them! My household is very snobby about our earl grey and this is the only place we'll buy it from. Also you have to try the chocolate covered espresso beans!

I was in the area and decided to pop in and check out the tea collection. Cute little shop with all…read morethe amazing smells! Owner Sam was friendly and helpful. Not that many decaf teas to choose from but I ended up with the San Francisco blend which I brewed up yesterday and it was delightful! While there, I decided to also try their coffee and couldn't resist adding another bag of tea. A little pricey but you're partly paying for the experience - you can't smell tea leaves online. I appreciated the bags are smaller so you can try a new flavor without overcommitting. I would definitely recommend this shop for all your coffee bean & tea leaf needs!

Owner was very responsive to feedback and encouraged a return visit and with this boost I have gone…read moreback several times and only had positive experiences.

Definitely on the expensive side but you can taste the quality. I'm sure some of it has to do with…read morethe packaging as the bottles are glass and the labels are nice. The coffee is pretty solid too and they are partnered with Intelligentsia. I still need to try one of their açaí bowls. The place itself is very clean and the staff is nice. No complaints from me!

New York bagels in Chicago. What's not to like? What's the difference you say? Read my previous…read morereview it still stands.

Bought an everything bagel with lox and regular cream cheese. I ordered it online and it was done…read morebefore the promised time. The bagel itself was good. Don't really ever taste fennel on an everything bagel, but their version has a decent amount of it, which made it taste different. They do however charge a dollar more for a different cream cheese and 50 cents per vegetable. I usually go with scallion cream cheese and some capers but decided to try it with plain cream cheese. There's definitely better bagel places in the area and would probably revisit those other places before returning here.

it seems to be a smoothie desert in Wrigleyville area, so I stopped on by to the only location that…read morewas showing up on my map - I love the theme here of each smoothie being named after an L route! It's a very cute idea and from walking in you could see that the employee was making each drink with fresh fruit and vegetables - I got the green line express and my friend got the purple line. we both loved our drinks and added the vanilla protein. I am about 85% sure that they forgot the protein in my green smoothie. - here's the thing. there was one woman working there who was running all over the place while talking loudly on FaceTime. she then plugged her phone in in the middle of the room and had her FaceTime on max volume. we waited as the only people in the place for about 10 minutes and she just like did random things. - there were boxes everywhere and it just seemed like they were in the middle of moving out? there were two stools nowhere near the counter on the side (that was where her phone was blasting) it was a total mess and definitely not passing any cleanly tests.... - so yes, tasty and yes, there's potential. definitely not any poison in the drinks, but?!? what's happening!?

Nothing better than fresh wholesome ingredients going into your body. The Smoothie Joint were in my…read moreoffice building set up as a vendor and I was able to try one of their juices, Black Line, which has watermelon, charcoal, lemon and cucumber in it and boy was it good! The juice is so refreshing. Sonya, the young lady working the event was so kind and sweet. I want to try them all now! Learned they opened up a second location by me in Berwyn so will definitely be stopping by real soon to grab more of these healthy and delicious juices and so should you.

Just found the PERFECT nutrition spot in edgewater and Andersonville! Everything about Rise Up is…read moreamazing! The owners are wonderful, the workers are helpful, & the drinks are amazing you wouldn't believe it's healthy from how great it tastes! So many options to choose from when it comes to smoothies, teas, & even coffee! Featured in photo: Lemon tea, Oreo smoothie, & Teddy Graham smoothie

The owner was very welcoming, responsive, and friendly. He had a lot of knowledge to share about…read morehis menu and products! The shake 17 g of protein and it was very delicious! (Sugar Free) The environment felt quiet and peaceful.

Newly opened café that offers a nice alternative to the Starbucks in the area. I stopped in around…read morenoon and was really surprised by how empty it was. I ordered a matcha latte, and it was good. I was hoping to grab a pastry as well, but by noon there was only one left (as you can see in the photo), which was a bit disappointing. The café itself is spacious with plenty of seating, making it a great spot to work or relax. During the entire time I was there, only one other customer came in, so it was very quiet. Hopefully as word gets out it will get busier.

9pmWe attended the soft launch tasting for Miramasa…read more They have some wonderfully delicious and healthy entrees on their menu. We loved the freshness and the combination of flavors in every dish. Our favorites were the better chicken and salmon clarity.

the prices were alright and the food came out quickly! it was a sunday late morning and it was…read morepretty full which made sense. despite that, our server, joy,was very attentive and very friendly and joyous, to her name. the pancakes weren't the best i've ever had, but they were still pretty good. the homemade corned beef hash was delicious. this was a good casual spot for a sunday morning brunch after a late night.

I've seen reviews and photos at various Original Pancake House locations on Yelp and finally had a…read morechance to try it this afternoon. The menu is extensive so it took me a while to figure out what I wanted. I got the veggie skillet with 3 buttermilk pancakes. The syrup that came with the pancakes was good/not artificial tasting at all. Aunt and uncle got combos from the senior menu which they seemed to enjoy. We were seated right away. Waitress was friendly and we didn't wait long for our food to arrive. Easy to pay at the front counter. Can't wait to try more items, especially pancakes!