Ambiance - casual, spacious, great place for coffee & dessert…read more Service - only 1 person taking orders/making drinks on Sat night, service slightly backed up Food - hot chocolate + biscoff topping was slightly on the sweeter side

We really enjoyed this chic little cafe in Skokie. We originally were planning to go to another…read morecafe that happened to be closed that morning. Sweet Reserve was around the corner with ample street parking, so we decided to head on in. The location has so much seating, and there were only two other patrons there at the time. The server was really kind and helped us navigate through the menu as hungry first time customers. We opted for a kashmiri chai, an almond croissant, and a jalapeño cheddar twisted bread. The pastry, both savory and sweet, were delicious and the perfect buttery crisp. I really enjoyed the kashmiri chai which warmed me up immediately. Service was prompt, the cafe has a super cute interior, and its relatively quiet for a weekday morning work session or chat. Highly recommend!

Friendly staff. Chill seating & pleasant music. Ube latte was delicious. My preschooler liked the…read moreoverhead lights; he said they look like dandelions. Highly recommend.

I just recently discovered this place. I work in Lincolnwood. It has a great ambiance to talk with…read morefriends, co-workers, or just chill by yourself and sip on coffee. More than enough seating and outlets to do work. My go-to drink is the iced café latte with whole milk. The coffee quality is far superior to Starbucks. Also, I love the gauva empanada with cream cheese! Also its good to know you are supporting a local business. Happy to know 5% of their proceeds go to charity. Overall highly recommend!

Skokie Bakery and Grill is possibly one of the best places to get masgouf (the golden pompano) in…read morethe Chicagoland area. I swear they don't even salt and pepper the fish, they just let that sit on the grill and do its own wonderful thing. Walking into to the restaurant, you might be a little taken aback. It's not the nicest dining area, even a little dinky. But if you are a real foodie, you know this is a good sign. The best places are the ones that look like this. The food comes out and you're realizing you've made the right decision. Admittedly, a lot of the business is takeout and delivery (which I've also done, and is also delicious) but if you aren't afraid of a pared down dining room, you can often have it to yourself while enjoying some amazing food.

It's my first time here. We were discouraged from going in as we didn't see anyone dining. But I…read morethink they do a lot of carry out. We were parked, but we went in to try it and we were not disappointed with the dishes. Here's my review of the dishes: I loved the lentil soup, and we got warm bread to go with it; the bread was delicious. The falafel appetizers were yummy. The chicken kebab was great. I took half home because it was a lot for me. My hubby had the shawarma sandwich, but I don't have a photo because he ate it right away. He said something about the onions that made it taste so good with that bread. We also bought more bread to bring home. We will go back soon. Our waitress was very polite. The only thing I didn't like was the Tabbouleh salad. It was too soggy with the vinegar they add, I think. I like it more dry. I will add a few photos of the food items.

What a hidden gem! For 13 dollars my husband and I just had a great meal. Saffron rice, kifta…read morekabob, hummus, falafel, salad, bread & sodas! This isn't really a sit down restaurant, but was recommended by our Assyrian neighbors as authentic good food for cheap & they weren't wrong. The owner was lovely & warm. We will certainly return!!

Amazing bakery. Have been here many times over the years and the products and service have always…read morebeen top notch. Would return and highly recommend.

. .mucho expenSIvo .. $5 or more for a...Danish?!…read more A pacjki? granted, Jewel baked goods are primarily Meh.... and parking ain't easy Two stars ..

****LONG POST INCOMING****…read more I wanted to take this time to write a through post about an experience we had at Cupitol this Sunday. We are frequent patrons of the Evanston location (Grove Street) and love it. It was my daughter's baptism, and we had many people traveling from out of town, so the Cupitol location near the highway made the most sense. Knowing that brunch service is semi-self service and there are no reservations, I went to the restaurant beforehand to speak to the manager (Vlad) and maître (Racheal) and give them a heads up about my party's intended arrival time and number of guests. They were very receptive and explained while they could make no promises, they would do their best to help accommodate. Fast forward to morning of, our guest count doubled. The manager, Vlad, had made sure that we had space and even worked with the surrounding guests to see if he could move them to other areas in the restaurant to accommodate our party. He did this in a way that didn't feel intrusive or inappropriate to these other parties (I asked them). Since there are no servers for the brunch service, my wife and I collected the orders, and Vlad did his level best in entering in the order with names, food, and beverage options. Everything came out wonderfully and as expected. If there were items that took longer to prepare, he assured guests were informed and asked if there was anything they needed while waiting. A plus. Moving on to the support staff. Luis and Andres worked diligently to help with drinks (not their job), attended to spills(whoops), deliver food, bring condiments (not their job), pre-buss, and did this all will grace and smiles. They did most without asking and helped with any requests we had outside of the scope of their typical requires tasks. Hats off to these rock stars and their colleagues. All of our guests were blown away at the food, drinks, service, and ambiance. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Did I mention there were 8 children! They had food, drinks, and enough space to prevent any potential melt downs. The owner even came by a couple to ensure that everything was up to par (golf reference intended), and we explained that it was far better than that. Birdie, eagle, double eagle, condor, albatross, or ace. Take your pick. I will recommend to anyone, when looking for a place that goes above and beyond, with a staff that will bend over backward for you and guests, Cupitol is the place. Thank you so much, and you will see us again very, very soon! This is not a paid ad, lol

The food is okay, a bit overpriced and not much vegan or vegetarian options. It seems like they…read morejust want to make money selling things to people who eat dead animals. Plus when the check came, they gave us another table's check which was double, and they said that they cleared it up, but they wouldn't give us avoided receipt. The story, the waitress told us, and the story, the hostess told us were completely different. So we're still not sure if we got charged over $130 for the other tables check. My check was less than half of that, because I only ate by myself and my party that was with me, just had water. They said they fixed the bill, but they charged my card twice, with no voided receipt, shown to us, so you be the judge. They did give me a free vegan cookie, supposedly it was vegan and when when I got home. It was not fresh at all and I threw it out.

We stopped by New York Bagel & Bialy pretty late in the evening on a Saturday night. There was a…read morelittle bit of a line, but I took that as a good sign. We ordered a dozen mixed, cream cheese and lox spread and headed home. Service was fast and the employee helping us was really sweet. The smell in the building was lovely. Ahhhh..... Every single thing we ate was spectacular. Absolutely wonderful. We went to a funeral in Skokie last month, I thought we were stopping to get some goods on the way home. My husband forgot his promise... I am still holding a grudge.

The $5.99 Benchmark for Bagel Integrity Who would have…read morethought you could still find this kind of integrity for $5.99? In a world where most spots are jacking up prices while lowering quality, this place is sticking to the New York gold standard. The line is a total marathon. You're going to wait, and it's going to be a while--but that's the tax you pay for food that actually has a soul. Don't let the deli line distract you. It's white noise. Stay focused on the bagels, the bialys, and the accoutrements. The breakfast sandwich is, hands down, the best in town. Period. It's simple, inexpensive, and lacks any of that "cheap filler" logic you see at other breakfast joints. It's just a masterclass in doing the basics with real care. If you have the patience to survive the wait, you won't find a better return on your investment.

I go here all the time. Sometimes I like what I buy, sometimes - meh. I'm only adding this review…read moreas I had something that was excellent . I think they called it an Omelleten (?). It looks like a taco. Sponge cake, whip cream and strawberries. That's it. The simplicity and freshness is perfect! They didn't add a fake jam, just fresh strawberries rolled in the most perfect sponge. It was light, great texture, really good flavor. The whip cream was simply whip cream. Not pastry cream or a fake whip cream. Every pastry should be this simple but perfect.

We got some dessert from here and their opera cake(not sure with official name) and it was really…read moregood. I'd stop by again if im in town.

Al Sham Sweets has been around for years, and this small pastry shop offers middle eastern…read morepastries, and even a catering option. We stopped by to get a variety of warbats, ballouries, and other baklava. Service was very straightforward, and items are sold by weight. Parking available in their small strip plaza lot. +middle eastern sweets +parking available

Very pleased after my first visit. We selected several pieces to try, including a chocolate knafeh…read morelooking dessert and a sesame square. They are light and satisfying. The owner is very friendly. They have some indoor seating as well. I'll be going back for the sugar free knafeh.