We went out with Park Ridge friends last weekend and they took us to this charming bar. I read a…read morefew reviews that said that Pines Room has a small town vibe. I disagree--I am a Chicago boy and it has a big city hidden gem quality about it. In fact, they promote themselves as a speakeasy. Of course you can get any cocktail you want, but my husband and I both opted for a special strawberry cocktail made with Hendrick's gin. It was refreshing, not too sweet, and garnished with a dehydrated lemon slice. Perfect! Our friends both ordered old fashioned cocktails that looked equally as good. It was a Saturday night and this tiny bar was jam-packed. We had to stand, but it was okay because we had only stopped in for one drink before heading to another restaurant for dinner. The bartenders were friendly and efficient. Prices are not inexpensive, but average to what you'd find in a downtown Chicago restaurant. If you''re looking for a cool place to hang in Park Ridge with a craft cocktail and have a small bite (they have a limited food menu, too), Pines Room is the place.

Finally got to visit on a day they were actually open! Me and a couple friends had some delicious…read morecocktails, and the bartender was super helpful and friendly. Definitely you do over.

Social Inn has been on my to-try list for some time.  My husband and I finally had a chance to…read morecheck it out on a Monday evening recently.  I made a reservation via Tock that I already had an account for years, so that was simple. On a weekday evening, as expected, the restaurant was not busy.  We were promptly seated at a 4-top table (2 × 2-top) against the right wall, with some other 2-tops on both sides.  Like many reviewers had mentioned, the venue was beautiful, modern and chic. There were 7 tables occupied, including us.  The music that they had was not too loud, just that customers' conversations were amplified by the box shape open dining area.  If we focused enough, we could hear every conversation if we wanted to.  This was obvious when a table of about 6 women got seated at a table near the front door, some of them laughed and talked very loudly.  My husband and I just found it funny and didn't let that bother us.  However, when the restaurant is filled on busier days, it might be a different story. Our server, Patrick, was very nice and attentive.  Since they did not list drinks on their menu except those with alcohol, I asked him about non-alcoholic drinks.  After a brief "discussion", he asked me to leave it to him to make me a drink with mango.  He came up with a beautiful drink that was good and refreshing, with some mango flavor.  It was Virgin Paloma on our receipt for $8, which was reasonable.  He was very polite and checked in on us several times at appropriate times during our dinner.  The pace of the dinner was good, we spent a total of an hour and 15 minutes in the restaurant. Patrick might be the only waiter serving all the tables that evening, though. I also ordered Grilled Octopus ($22) which was very good, tender and flavorful, but was a little too salty to my taste.  The small pita bread wedges were warm and fluffy with some crispy edges, the beet hummus was creamy, and everything was delicious and tasted fresh.  I generously shared 2 little bites of octopus with my husband and I finished the entire plate, it was so good!  My husband really liked his Spiked White Fish ($29) and I shared a bite of that too.  He also had a House Salad for $6, that was a very good value.  He enjoyed a glass of Sauvignon Blanc Crossing ($12) too.  We also shared an order of Crème Brulee ($8), that was creamy and cooked perfectly.  We ordered a takeout order of Rigatoni with Sausage ($23), that was a good portion, and was still delicious and al dente the next day after being microwaved. I am so happy that we found Social Inn - a hidden gem in Plaza del Prado, it's not far from home, with comfortable and beautiful ambiance, excellent service (from Patrick), an attractive menu with enticing food (fresh ingredients and appealing plating), and reasonable prices, we will definitely be back!

It's been a while since I went to Social Inn. They used to be open for lunch as well as dinner, and…read morethat was easier for me to get to. We were in the area late in the day and remembered Social Inn was open, so we went. We ordered a variety of items. I had the Social Burger (at least 1/2 pound), we also ordered their chicken dinner salad and the beet hummus. Everything was delicious. I did order my burger medium and it was delivered well done, but it was still good. They also have one of the best gluten-free buns I've ever had. I do wish they were open at lunch time still, but I understand they need to be open for their busiest hours. Social Inn is a great option when you are in the Glenview area.

We had a free night in the Chicago area and found this ridiculously AWESOME tiki bar, Kahala Koa…read moreTiki Bar. The selection of drinks is downright encyclopedic, and the drinks were outstanding. In addition, we ordered a plate of bacon-covered water chestnuts, and they were so effing delicious!! I mean, they were a serious revelation!! So we ordered another plate. The atmosphere is amazing. The family that owns this wonderful tiki bars has put some serious work into adorning the place with amazing tiki decor. And this has to have taken YEARS to do. The outside of the building does not say, "Hey!! I'm an awesome tiki bars!!" But step inside and you are transported to tiki land extraordinaire. And then there is the staff there. They are so friendly, attentive, and helpful, and just very authentic and genuine. I CANNOT WAIT to return to Kahala Koa Tiki Bar the next time I'm in the Chicago area. The place totally rocks!!

I love this place!! It's by far one of my favorite places to get pizza in the Chicagoland area. The…read moredrinks are creative and delicious. It can be a little busy, so definitely plan ahead!

We're going to the citadel theater so I looked for a restaurant that was close and I found this…read moreplace on yelp so we decided to give it a try. My wife ordered a mushroom flatbread which she said was one of the best she'd ever had and I ordered a large salad that they made up the way I wanted it. I don't need cheese and I don't need a lot of other things so I told them exactly what I wanted on it. They made it perfectly and gave me some apple vinaigrette dressing put a piece of salmon on it and it was great. Our waitresses name was Studie and she was very good.

We were in the area and stopped in on a Sunday afternoon. They have a rare 'Happy Hour' on a…read moreSunday. We had great quac and chips, and some really good sliders. Sadly they had no tap beer due to a wedding the night before. (Never heard that one before...) We ended up with a gin and tonic and a Sea Breeze. It was not busy but it took a while to get the food and drinks. The staff were very pleasant but I could imagine if the place was jammed the wait time would have been far longer. It seemed there were only 2 staff on duty. If you are on a tight schedule, this place may not be the best choice... This was a nice bar overall. Very pleasant staff!!

Happy Hour Drink Review! I visited for happy hour for a…read morepre-dinner drink. Jackman & Co's happy hour has three of their popular cocktails on special as well as beer, wine, and a couple of bites. When entering, the bar area is on the left and the main dining area on the right. The bar area is a little darker in finishes with the center bar truly as the focal point. The main dining area is lighter and brighter with tons of natural light. For drinks, I got the Jackman Old Fashioned. This was well balanced but I didn't get much of the coffee note while enjoying. My husband got A Modern Cure which was tart in the right way. I loved the glassware each drink was served in and the bartenders were great at making suggestions for Jackman's menu as well as their new sister restaurant Zenzi Den's menu. Overall, this was a great happy hour spot and I would certainly come back to try some of their food!

This was our first visit here and it was on a Sunday night to celebrate Father's Day. We came for…read morethe earliest reservation, which was 4:30 PM. Luckily, I did make reservations weeks in advance because I was very surprised to see this place. Fill up even at this early bird dinner time. Please note parking around here. It's pretty tricky even on a Sunday. If you could find street parking, it's free with no time limit limitation however they do also offer valet. The menu has changed since they originally opened probably a year or so ago. Which is also great to see. We did order two appetizers, three entrées and one dessert to share amongst three people. Everything was super fresh and super delicious. We are definitely coming back here. We honestly did not expect it to be this great but it truly was impressive. What made the night even more memorable and fantastic was the incredible service from Michael D. Michael D needs to train other servers. He is absolutely on point and speaks and behaves like a real veteran in the hospitality business. I've never been overly impressed by ballyhoo hospitality, however, this is significantly different and they did something very right here. There are so many restaurants opening in the downtown Glenview area and this has to be a stop for anyone and everyone In classic ballyhoo hospitality style the ambience is absolutely impressive and impeccable.

Stopped in for drinks and wow -- the ambiance and interior are beautiful…read more Service was great, everyone was super nice, and the drinks did not disappoint. Coming back ASAP to try the food!

My husband and I have dined at The Board Room many times. I am sad to say they seem to be declining…read morein quality. Our most recent visit was early on a Friday evening. We ordered a few small plates, a couple large plates, and dessert. Food was hit-or-miss. Two of our four Bao buns were stale--in fact, one was so hard it was inedible. The chocolate mousse cake we shared for dessert was frozen in the middle. Although we tried to stagger the ordering of our items, they came out too quickly so dishes were starting to pile up on our table. And they were slow to take our dirty dishes and fill our water glasses. Service otherwise was decent but not spectacular. Prices are on the high side but not atypical for similar restaurants. As other reviewers have noted, the restaurant can get pretty loud, no matter where you sit. That's neither good nor bad, just an observation. 2 years ago, I would have given The Board Room 5 stars. Nowadays, 3 stars seems about right.

Our server at the Wonderverse recommended we stop in the Ghost Trap after dinner so we did. It's a…read moreneat 21 and over speakeasy with a bar and a handful of tables. I don't think there's table service here, we ordered and paid at the bar but they did bring the drinks out to the table. They had a few Ghostbusters themed drinks that aren't available at the restaurant. I had the Death Chill Slushie which was good and strong, I enjoyed that it came with a rock candy swizzle stick. Hubby had the Wax On Wax Off which was a little more sweet and more up my alley. Overall a nice place to grab a drink and relax for a bit. Cute for a date night.

Cute spot inside wonderverse! Glad we came during soft…read moreopening weekend because I can tell this place will be packed. Shout out to Hedeia (spelling may be off) at the bar. She was hustling and patient with the guests. Things to keep in mind: you are paying for the theme. Their specialty drinks run $20. Tip your bartenders appropriately on that amount. Recs for the team: qr code, menus on tables would be helpful for when the crowds pick up. Fun time!

Ever since I learned that there was a speakeasy in Lockport i've always wanted to check it out but…read moreI didn't want to go there by myself so I finally convinced my wife to visit the Speakeasy with me. We figured it would have been the perfect way to top off our evening. For first-timers it might be hard trying to find the speakeasy since at first I thought you had to access it from the Busy Street and walk up three flights of stairs. Actually you just walk inside of the Embers building, find the elevator that's kind of hidden and take it to the Third floor. I thought that the little trip up felt exclusive already. Once you're at the third floor you are treated to a beautiful array of scenery. Exit to your left and you were treated to the bar and some great tables with a cozy, intimate setting. I'm not sure if it was open seating since there was a little podium right off the elevator so we just sat ourselves. Some speakeasies require a certain dress code to keep up with the times. This one thankfully was casual though many people dressed business casual. We actually loved how the staff dressed as well. I have to try their Japanese sex drink and I absolutely loved every ship that I took. The drinks are fairly price. They did have a food menu but it was mainly snacks and small plates that were a bit overpriced. If we're having a large Gathering they have a big private room next door. This place does have a lot of great events going on as well with their upcoming Valentine's Day event that looks really interesting. It does get pretty busy as well after 7:00 p.m. from our experience. Overall, I was excited and enjoyed our visit coming to the 933 speakeasy!

933 Speakeasy is located inside Embers in Downtown Lockport. I loved that getting to the bar was…read moretruly an "in the know" experience. It just so happens that I visited the night of a holiday bar crawl in lockport so the inside wasn't set up how it normally would be. For being packed, we were still able to grab a cocktail table to enjoy our drinks at. The bar was decked out in holiday decor to get everyone in christmas spirits. My group got two rounds of drinks which included the Toasted Pecan Old Fashioned, Figgy Smalls, Christmas in a Cup, Happiness is a Warm Puppy, Milk & Cookies, and Maple Bacon Old Fashioned. My favorites by far were the Toasted Pecan Old Fashioned and Figgy Smalls. My group also loved the Milk & Cookies. The bartenders hustled to get drinks out and still took time to smoke the old fashioneds to perfection. I'd love to come back on a normal night and re-enjoy this lockport hotspot.