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Kostali by Naha

4.1 (47 reviews)
Open • 5:30 pm - 10:00 PM

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My Big Fat Greek Tipsy Tea menu
Lisa C.

The food, DJ, drinks, our server Kayla and Patrick the bartender were fantastic! The place is beautiful, we had excellent service and an amazing time! I highly recommend hosting a tea party here. It was so much fun getting glammed up and the music was on point. We indicated a food allergen on our reservation and the Director reached out to us a few days before the party and the guest of honor had her own nut-free tea tower. I can't wait to go back!

Supposed "Nut Free" Platter
Leiyanne R.

*NOT NUT ALLERGY FRIENDLY* Food: My friend, with a severe nut allergy, mentioned to the servers that she was allergic to ALL nuts. We ordered the tasting towers so, for her, they brought out a "nut free" platter but she had an allergic reaction from one of the spreads. She had to leave and run to a drug store a block away to grab allergy medicine. When we brought it up to the servers, their only response was that they "guaranteed" that there were no nuts on the nut free platter. Service: No servers took accountability for potentially serving nuts to someone who stated they had a nut allergy. No complementary drinks or desserts to compensate for the traumatic experience. Waitress was also rude and hadn't been topping off our bottomless drinks.

Oh No She Didn't!
Neeketa S.

Review specifically for Tipsy Tea Party. **Vegetarian Friendly** This is absolutely a fun experience for any celebration - birthday, girls day, bachelorette. We did "Spill the Tea" - it's a 90-minute experience of snacks + unlimited boozy tea. We contacted the venue months in advance because this experience gets booked out quickly - it's only available on the weekends, with 2 seatings per day. We requested all vegetarian items for our party. When we arrived, the entire staff was wildly unprepared for our dietary needs - which was shocking considering we had to pay for everything up front. The table favorite boozy tea was "Like, Get a Clue!" and the lemon crinkle cut cookie. Things we didn't like: - Music was wayyyy too loud to enjoy conversation with the person next to you. We felt like we were at the club versus a tea party - The Tea Party snacks had more sweet items than savory. The items rotate seasonally, too. However, the items we did have were tasty. - The service was incredibly slow. It was one waiter for the entire Tea Party Experience. We were barely able to order 3 beverages in the 90-minute timeframe. The Tea Tower Snacks weren't served until 40 minutes in our reservation. I do not recommend this experience if your group is larger than 6 - only because of how slow it was. If there is a second server, this could be a smoother experience. Overall, it was a fun experience, and I would recommend it. Of course, take all of the consideration when making your plan.

Sorbet
Joy Q.

This place is a new gem Located in the hotel, with beautiful interior and not too crowded (yet). I have confidence that it will become a new trendy spot soon. Service was so friendly!! My favorites are the bread and dips, oysters, and prawns.

Natosha M.

I love the events that are thrown by Kostali. I've attended a tipsy tea party once before and it was loads of fun! So elegant and super cute. This time around there was a twist. They incorporated a performance which was drag.i didn't really read before purchasing the ticket so I was in for a surprise lol. I loved the performer. She definitely put on a show. They had different teas infused with liquor and I will say they were all good!!!

Anna H.

** Tipsy Tea review ** Dj was fun, server explained everything about the Tea tower. Drinks were strong especially the hot tipsy tea!

Alan D.

Had a great meal here and it didn't kostali an armi and a legi. Kostali is the new restaurant from the Nahabedians, the owners of the much-loved Naha and Brindille. Not surprisingly, the food was outstanding although it is covering culinary territory already done masterfully by Avec, Galit, and several other Mediterranean-focused restaurants in Chicago. Here's what we had: Bread with whipped feta dip. Bread is complementary and we added the feta dip. Well done but not an exciting taste. Lamb ribs. Very tasty and a good size portion. Ribs were meaty and well seasoned but not spicy or sweet. I'd order this again. Feta cheese turnover. Good but very small portion. Just two. Loup de mer (aka branzino). Outstanding. We had the kitchen debone it and it was cooked perfectly. Fish was moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. Highly recommend. The only downside to Kostali was the layout off the lobby of the Gwen Hotel lobby. We sat in the front room and it felt and sounded like a hotel lobby. There is an interior room that is quieter with a few plush booths and that's where I'd like to sit next time. Overall, really liked it and we'll be back.

a plate of lamb chops
Ashley A.

Excellent menu, everything I had was prepared with care and the flavors complimented one another. My favorite entree was the squid ink pasta service was knowledgeable and attentive!

Liza B.

After recalling a great experience at Brindille, I decided to have my birthday outing at what would be my first visit to Kostali by Naha. I booked a reservation on Tock for afternoon tea on New Year's Day and worked with Jason, the manager, to coordinate allergies and dietary restrictions for a party of 10. He was knowledgeable and timely in his response to ensure our afternoon tea was seamless. On the day of the afternoon tea, there was a snowstorm and I arrived fashionably late, but was relieved to see the few guests that had arrived were already seated and being served. The staff provided fun tea party accessories for us to wear and keep. Jason kindly provided an explanation of the hor d'oeuvres and teas. Then, our server brought out an array of sweet and savory hor d'oeuvres, accounting for the variety of preferences and dietary restrictions (I'm talking vegans and peanut allergies galore) The presentation alone was enough for us to figuratively salivate. The afternoon tea menu changes regularly and we ordered from the holiday menu. Some of the food options we had were cranberry and gingerbread scones with jams, homemade pita with hummus and prosciutto, and an assortment of mini tarts. All were freshly prepared and heavenly. A couple of the guests ordered extra food from the regular menu (no judgment) in addition to what was served with the tea and they also raved about that. There were no complaints from the group. None. That brings me to the tea and honey, the tea delivered! We ordered both alcoholic and non-alcoholic tea. Both were delicious to my squad of tea snobs. As a tea snob myself, I enjoyed the teas that were infused with spice and cognac (my favorite was called Buzz, Your Girlfriend Woof!). It made me feel warm and fuzzy in the midst of a snowstorm and I must say, they call it "tipsy" tea for a reason. Jason and our server went above and beyond to accommodate my bustling party of 10 and they did it with exceptional service and grace. I appreciate them and because of them, it was my best birthday ever. I will return to Kostali. 10/10 My friend, who was also one of my guests, wrote a detailed review from her perspective on our experience at Kostali: https://msriss4u.com/2022/01/chicago-hot-spot-kostali-tipsy-tea.html

Jillian M.

I went to Kostali for the tipsy tea on a Sunday with a group of six. It was $55 per person for a tea tower and bottomless tipsy tea or Prosecco. You could also do a $35 option that's non-alcoholic. Each person got one of each item on the tea tower and bottomless of the "Spill the Tea" tea. It was a little confusing online because we didn't have a choice of what tea we got, etc. but the tea was good and the food was also decent. The service was good and we had no complaints. I'm not sure I would go back unless it was a special occasion or something, but overall it was enjoyable. There is also a brunch and cocktail menu of other items to order a la carte if you'd like. It wasn't very crowded and a bit hard to find - it's tucked back in the Gwen, which is on the fifth floor. They do validate parking for four hours ($12) for the parking garage across the street which is good for this area.

Emily H.

We had a 7:30 PM reservation on a Tuesday evening and didn't see many other tables, which made sense since they were definitely a new restaurant. The staff were friendly in guiding us to the table and we enjoyed the quiet and peaceful environment. We had ordered a spread, a hummus, the octopus, and the broccoli for appetizers. We didn't order bread with the spread but still received a basket, which surprised us and it surprised us even more when we were told that the extra basket of bread was a part of the order with the spread, meaning we had to pay for it even though we weren't explained that the bread was a required piece of ordering the spread we already had on the tab. We asked for the basket to be taken away -- a restaurant shouldn't charge customers for an item unless letting them know first that it would be a part that they would be charged for and agree to ordering it. In terms of everything else, it didn't feel like anything special. Nothing was bad, but nothing was standout either. I found myself wondering at some points if everything tasted similar, and I realized it was because it tasted as if everything was seasoned similarly. Dessert was lovely though -- the basque cheesecake with apple butter was a new one for me, and it was a delightful way to end the evening.

Jennie C.

Things are starting to open back up so finally ready to go back to restaurants. What better way to spend a cloudy afternoon with a bunch of girlfriends at tipsy tea party? This was not your typical tea party. No pinkies-up, ladies in sundresses, more edgy & modern. There was even a DJ spinning loud music by the host stand. Service was a bit...choppy. I had preordered the tower on tock when I made the res, and soon after we were seated, our waiter brought out the tower...without taking our drink orders first. So we were left staring at the tower of food waiting for our teas to arrive. And when it did, it was a bit of a letdown. Our tipsy teA was served in a modern, rather boring looking teapot (I didn't even want to be reminded by how ugly it was so no pics). The tea tasted like fat free milk with a lot of alcohol in it...if we come back, I'm sticking with the cocktails. The tea tower was decent, I liked the caviar sandwich and tahini cookie. But if you're a good home baker, these are probably not going to impress you much. I didn't see the point of beets on a tea tower. Maybe dress it up more? The burrata open face sandwich was the surprise hit, the fragrant and ripe strawberries paired beautifully with the creamy burrata and peppery arugula. It's an ok experience overall. I guess they're trying to stand out in a sea of traditional tea services but please improve on the tipsy tea if that's the selling point.

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4 years ago

I had the best time at Kostali for my birthday dinner! Food and service were both excellent. Highly recommend the George's Bank Scallops.

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Made me an amazing vegetarian dish (not on the menu)! Great service and awesome food.

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Ask the Community - Kostali by Naha

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