Pour has figured out how to make their tables stable and not wobbly. That's just one little special…read morething of many that I love about this place. Another is that the background music is always an excellent interesting mix and not too intrusively loud.

About a 1-1.5: Evanston Pour is a popular coffee spot in the Evanston 'hood - we came here to get…read morea caffeine fix, and ordered: +the Cookie Butter Latte - prepared with cookie butter syrup and milk; I did request this to be extra hot, but it was served lukewarm +a Latte with almond milk - also served lukewarm +an Almond Croissant +and, a Scone The coffee was just not strong, and the fact that it was served lukewarm was a total no. The pastries were just okay, but could have been more fresh and/or warmed up. Staff was friendly, and the place also offers cocktails/other alcoholic beverages. Seating is available, but somewhat uncomfortable; not much of a place where you can do work or study. Metered street parking can be found in the area. +lukewarm, weak coffee +metered street parking

Ward Eight was a place we frequently visited when we lived nearby many years ago. We were in the…read morearea recently and decided to stop by...we discovered this gem from our past has only gotten better! High quality and innovative cocktails, reasonable prices, and a chic/classy ambiance make Ward Eight must-visit! I tried two cocktails when I was at Ward 8: Remember the Main and Vieux Carre. Both were decadent, delicious, and boozy. Triple threats! I loved them both, but the "Remember the Main" was different from drinks I've had before, so that was my favorite. My husband had a local beer. They have beer, wine, and NA options for folks who aren't into cocktails. They also have food which looks scrumptious, ranging from high-end appetizers to full meals. We did not come prepared to eat, so we'll have to come back again to try food in the future! The staff were welcoming and professional. The space was clean and Gatsby-style chic. There is plenty of seating and an outdoor space for when it is warmer. It is a fancier places, so prices are higher. But you pay for the higher quality ingredients and innovative recipes. If you enjoy cocktails and cozy cocktail bars, Ward Eight is definitely the spot for you!

Cocktail was neither worst nor the best rendition of a Vieux carre that I've had. I've said it…read moreseveral times that many things that originate in New Orleans are hard to replicate outside New f the big easy. I got the feeling that the staff were putting some effort into their craft. The place was crowded & there was even a live band performing. The bar had some above average bottles such as Hibiki & Bookers. I was pressed for time but there were at least three more menu items I would've tried.

OsKar is a whiskey-focus cocktail bar in Evanston, and they have seasonally rotating menus on class…read moreand modern twists on drinks. We came here to check out a popup from Chef Ben Janasiak, the Hatchet Burger - the menu offers the Smashburger, the Chimkin Patty, the Chicken Caesar Wrap, and Tater Tots. We ordered the following: +the Smashburger came with 2 patties, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, pickles, and burger sauce +the Chimkin Patty was prepared with a seasonal vegetable fritter, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and remoulade +and, the Tater Tots, which came with a side of spicy ranch Make sure you go between 4:30 PM and 9 PM to get your burger fix! Staff were friendly, and the place was cute - loved the wooden bar area. Metered street parking can be found in the area. +Hatch Burger pop-up +friendly staff +metered street parking in the area

As a former restaurant/craft cocktail owner in Lincoln Park, I'm shocked Oskar's only has 2 reviews…read moreas it's got a lot going for it. The cocktail menu caters to many tastes, they make their own bitters, shrubs and syrups, they have a diverse collection of small batch producers and clearly a staff who know what they're doing! As a mixologist who now only plies his trade at home, I was extremely impressed!! Not that the lack of reviews seem to be hurting their business - the 3 attempts I made to visit, only one was successful (they were too busy the other times). I stumbled upon Oskars by chance - but man, am I ecstatic that I did!!! This is a gem that would easily do well in Chicago's trendiest hoods. Its interior is extremely cozy and inviting/welcoming - it reminded me of a cocktail establishment in London's brick lane neighborhood. I'm looking forward to coming back with friends as this is a cocktail bar that will impress Chicagoans and out of towners alike - and more importantly, I don't have to venture south to have a great cocktail anymore!!

Nice restaurant environment. Quick to be seated and order. Friendly staff…read more So I am going to give ratings based on adults and kids, overall I'm rating based on adults because the palette here on the main menu was more for adults, and I think the kids just didn't understand or weren't used to certain ingredients like Brie etc. Hummus appetizer 5 stars. Really nice. Smash burger (kid) 2 stars. He really was just complaining about tomato of all things because when we tried it, it was a 4, tasted good. Bbq Bacon burger (kid) 3 stars. Adult said 4 stars after he tried it. It had Brie and that why she was saying that. After we tried it, it was very good. Ahi tuna salad. Excellent. 4.5 stars. A little heavy on the crunchy stuff. Tuna and avocado and sauces were nice. Beet salad. 5 stars. Absolutely stunning salad and I hate beets. The goat cheese, beets, walnut, balsamic... real nice combo. Chicken parm sandwich. 3.5 stars. (Kid rating) Overall, very nice menu, great food.

Food: Tacos were really dry and flavorless. Even adding sauce wouldn't help. Presentation was solid…read morethough. Waited around 20minutes for the food. Service: Our waitress was really nice and friendly. Ambiance: Lots of seating with natural lighting. In a great area.

Five & Dime, Lulu's, Taco Diablo, and Blue Horse Tavern have become my go-to spots for everything…read morefrom casual dinners to hosting out-of-town guests. The food is consistently delicious, and there's always something that hits the spot no matter what I'm craving. A few standouts I keep coming back to: Bang Bang Shrimp Ribs Salmon with Delallo pepper drops French Dip Enchiladas Verdes Whether I dine in or order on Uber Eats, it always arrives fresh and well-made (rare these days!). And in good weather, nothing beats Five & Dime's rooftop -- easily one of the best places in Evanston to enjoy a relaxed, fun meal outdoors. Friendly service, great variety, and reliably fantastic food!

I was here last week for a special event (this time one I didn't organize and just got to attend as…read morea guest), and it was great as always. The food is delicious (the event I was at had a taco bar, chips and guac, and a few desserts), the drink list is amazing (including a few great mocktails), and the space works really well for either private parties or just hanging out with friends. Five and Dime never disappoints. And for those who do have to plan events for stuff, F&D is great. I had happy hours here for new students in 2018, 2019, and 2022 (post-pandemic), and it was a smooth and enjoyable process each time.

Updating yet again because this place continues to be awesome. We still come here for trivia…read morewhenever they offer it (including last night, which was the night before Thanksgiving, which we won haha). We've also been here a few other non-trivia times, too. Super nice staff (and the owner is awesome), the customers are all super chill and friendly, and the food is great. (The cheese curds make me break my veganism every time and it's so worth it. I do love cheese and miss it lol). They also have a good selection of non-alcoholic beers, which I appreciate now that I no longer drink, (and a THC seltzer, if that's your thing), plus their ginger lemonade is great. I love this place. Great neighborhood joint, great people. It's a great "third place". I'm glad to see that they seem to be doing well, as it's always pretty crowded when we're there. Love to see it.

Great neighborhood spot. Didn't realize we needed this and don't know how we did without it. Love…read moredoing a casual meet up with friends. Two suggestions though: 1) Why not add a turkey burger to the menu? 2) Would be great to make the bar area a kids-free zone, move the games, and add a few more tables.

This review is long overdue! I've enjoyed many different types of food here which includes an…read moreextensive breakfast menu, happy hour food, light lunch options and dinner. I always choose a cozy booth and the cheerful staff is always extremely helpful with meal descriptions and suggestions and always offer fresh bottles of water letting you sit back European style and leisurely enjoy your meal in peace without rushing you out. I've had many delicious breakfasts here which include the American breakfast with eggs made your way, a large serving of tiny roasted potatoes, toast with bread of your choice and a protein option like chicken pork or bacon I've also tried an extremely tasty vegetarian omelet filled with vegetables, tomato ragout sauce and goat cheese accompanied by the breakfast potatoes. This morning I ordered the smashed Avocado toast with goat cheese and eggs sunny side up on crispy ciabata toast and breakfast potatoes made extra crispy. The happy hour menu here is an extremely good value with burgers only $8 and a huge serving of French fries only $3 There are many healthy options here too with a variety of soups, freshly cooked fresh and salads When I ordered dinner here I chose the pasta marinara with freshly shaven slices of cheese and a chocolate Gelato for dessert. Kudos to the chef he always prepares each meal with attentive care and love. Fabian has been my primary server for breakfast so a huge thank you to Fabian for the smiles and good service. This restaurant is located right next to the Hilton Orrington hotel in Downtown Evanston. I've yet to try the brunch but I don't really drink alcohol; however I've heard their weekend brunches are extremely delicious and shouldn't be missed. Order with confidence-- I've never had a bad meal here and the vibes here are always cheerful, peaceful, cozy and welcoming. Dress up or dress casually and try a bit of everything. During the warmer seasons there is outside seating and you are welcome to bring your dog

My wife and two of her friends went here to celebrate her birthday. The reservation even said this…read morewas a birthday celebration. At no time did anyone acknowledge someone was celebrating a birthday. My wife ordered the Salmon dish which comes with a bacon based sauce. She doesn't eat bacon and asked if they could use a different sauce. She was told No. So she had it plain, she said it was well cooked. The broccoli and potatoes on the other hand were overly salted, the potatoes were undercooked and cold, the broccoli was also cold. Normally my wife would have sent the food back, however, since she was with friends she didn't do so because she didn't want to ruin the mood of their celebration. Surprisingly, unlike most restaurants, the Evanston Corner Bistro doesn't celebrate birthdays, they don't even have a candle to put on a dessert. My wife decided she was going to celebrate with dessert anyway, so she ordered the NY Cheesecake with Strawberry sauce. It came out with something more like Strawberry Jam. My wife liked the idea of having the jam better than sauce. The problem was it turned out to be RASPBERRY jam NOT strawberry. Luckily my wife isn't ALLERGIC to Raspberries. She said the cheesecake was delicious. She did say it seemed to take forever for dessert to come out from the kitchen. Then there was a service charge added to the bill, but NO WHERE in the restaurant or on the menu is this mentioned. My wife also commented that there was only ONE server, and as more people arrived the service became slower. It seemed that the one server was just overwhelmed and didn't smile. In summary, and IMHO this isn't a restaurant for celebrating birthdays! Based on this experience my wife said she wouldn't go back unless she was going with a group of people who decided to go there. My wife said it's a shame Evanston Corner Bistro was one of her favorite places.

Super cute place with high quality food and friendly staff…read more I had the St. Patty's Day special and it had amazing big chunks of the most delicious age tender corned beef. The poached eggs were pure perfection, with the whites firm and yolks runny. My husband's huevos rancheros were equally delicious. After breakfast we stop at the bakery section and bought a few pastries to take home. The selection was quite large and they were wonderful. So glad to have discovered this gem!

Excellent bakery & restaurant. I stopped by after it was recommend from a local fellow shop owner…read more Had a breakfast omelette followed by a purchase of scones, cookies and caprese sandwiches for a following lunch from their attached bakery. With this find I will be returning w friends as a newly found space for delicious food and conversation.

Upscale Spanish restaurant in the heart of Evanston to impress any foodie! Ambiance was beautiful…read moreinside with modern feel from the decor to the decorative plates on the table. We came on a rainy weekend with our parents and it was relatively quiet, in contrast to the other reviews we got lucky in that regard as it wasn't crowded. Street parking was easy to locate with minimal issues. Service was exceptional from the friendly staff to the beautiful playing of each dish, you can tell they take attention to detail seriously. Food and drinks definitely appeased us on the quality of the ingredients and the well seasoned protein dishes. I had their fish tacos and was perfectly satisfied with it as well as the caipirinha that was well crafted by the bartender. For dessert, we opted for the tres leches cake which was not setup how it is traditionally made but we enjoyed the experience.

I'd like to start by highlighting how great the staff were; we encountered 3 different staff…read moremembers, mainly, two women with short hair, and briefly, a guy named Trey. They were all very nice and welcoming. We chose Comida for its vegan options to accommodate two in our group with dietary requirements. There were just a few options, but enough to make choices. For the vegan dishes, we placed an order for 2 of the Kamoosh De La Choza. For this dish we asked that the sour cream be omitted, and that the vegan queso be substituted in place of the original queso. We also opted to "add a protein", the vegan chorizo. Soon after placing our orders, the waitress returned to let us know that there would be a $17 upcharge for each vegan queso substitution. We all looked at each other a bit dumbfounded. An order for their regular queso is $15, and an order for their vegan queso is $17, so wouldn't it make sense for the upcharge to be $2 to substitute it on the dish?! We, ultimately, decided to order one Kamoosh De La Choza, and an order of just the vegan queso. I've had and made, many a vegan ques., some, with or without cashews. This queso missed the mark for us; a bit odd in flavor and too thick to be called queso. The Kamoosh De La Choza was, otherwise, flavorful with the added vegan chorizo. The rest of our party enjoyed the burrito and enchiladas. The portions here are all large which is a plus.

Food excellent - authentic, but not trite. Service attentive…read moreand knowledgeable. Very comfortable feel. Looking forward to return.

My daughter was playing in a tennis tournament at Northwestern. As an alum I'm always excited to be…read moreback on campus. We were both hungry after (her probably a little hungrier from a long day of matches) and i suggested we find something casual in the area. I'm always blown away by how far Evanston has come since my college days and wish we had 1/4 of the amazing restaurants they have now. My daughter was in the mood for tacos so we stopped in here. I quickly realized this was in the same spot of one of my favorite college spots, Lulu's, which had sadly burned out. I was beyond excited when they said they still offered Lulu's menu. I have fond memories of their ginger chicken salad. I ordered the lulu's bento box, which included my favorite salad. The ginger dressing and crunchy noodles on top were as amazing as i remembered. I immediately texted my college friends about what i was eating and we all agreed it was the best salad ever. It also came with sesame noodles, cucumber salad and dumplings. It was a lot of food and not the healthiest meal, but tasty! My daughter enjoyed her tacos as well...and both of us also liked the complimentary chips. Our waitress was lovely and attentive and indulged me as I told her over and over how excited i was to be eating my favorite college salad 20 years later. Next time I won't wait so long to come back!