Their pizza is easily the best in town, their salads are incredibly tasty, seasonal dishes are…read morefantastic, apps are nearly a meal in and of themselves, and the pasta is expertly crafted. Waited tables is a dying art but this establishment gives me hope for the culture of elevated dining. Staff knows the menus, are courteous, and are one of the defining marks of the restaurant ambiance. The sportsball TVs can be a bit annoying at time, especially when trying to have a pleasant evening with the kiddos (there is no winning their attention vs the screens) and do more to break the "dressed down" atmosphere by inserting a bit more "sports bar" than needed. At least they keep it at the bar most nights. One of our favorite date night spots in Arlington Heights!

The evening began with the sort of optimism that has historically led men into bankruptcy, war, and…read moresecond marriages. The hostess appeared wearing a blue-and-white striped sweater hanging off one shoulder like she'd stepped out of an Italian perfume commercial. Around her neck was one of those little cornicello pepper necklaces, dangling just enough to suggest fate had finally decided to throw me a bone. Blue eyes. Not "blue." The kind of blue sailors used to abandon families over. She laughed at one of my jokes. That was all the encouragement my diseased brain required. I immediately conducted a full tactical assessment of the restaurant. The P.O.A. Index... ...was approaching DEFCON 1. Every direction I looked was another devastatingly attractive waitress carrying Aperol Spritzes with effortless confidence. It was like wandering into a government-funded supermodel relocation program. Then... A shadow fell across the table. A man. Our waiter was a man. Christ Almighty. The emotional whiplash nearly snapped my neck. It's like going to the zoo hoping to see lions and discovering the enclosure has been replaced with an accountant named Kevin. There are beautiful women everywhere, and somehow I'm discussing pasta recommendations with a guy who probably knows three different olive oils by taste. Cruel. Absolutely cruel. To his credit, the b@5tard was outstanding. Friendly. Fast. Knew the menu inside and out. Kept the drinks full. Never interrupted. The s.o.b. gave me absolutely nothing to complain about, which only deepened my resentment. The food, meanwhile, was infuriatingly good. The pizzas arrived looking like they'd been blessed by an Italian grandmother carrying unresolved anger from 1947. Thin crust. Fresh mozzarella. Just enough char to remind you that ovens are supposed to flirt with fire, not electricity. The pasta had that unmistakable handmade texture that makes Olive Garden feel like a felony. The cocktails disappeared with alarming speed. By my third Negroni, I was convinced I could hear Dean Martin narrating my life. Walking out, I glanced back toward the hostess one last time. She smiled. For approximately three seconds I considered abandoning my entire life to become a part-time sommelier with absolutely no qualifications. Then reality returned. The male waiter handed me the check. Four stars. The food was phenomenal. The cocktails were dangerous. The hostess should be classified as an Italian national treasure. And our waiter deserves a raise... despite committing the unforgivable crime of existing between me and the waitresses.

Meal was complimentary (Media Lunch) THE COMPLIMENTARY STATE OF THE FOOD DOES NOT CHANGE THE…read moreREVIEW. prices here are competitive with other upper end bistros. Drinks are nice and they provide very good water quality The hibiscus pineapple spritz was tasty with a light flavor. Dominated by mint and pine apple the hibiscus was a dim note. The Bloody Mary was delicately made with lovely easily readable notes of lemon and lime. The pepperoni olives add a delightfully erotic combination. I have no way to describe this Bloody Mary other than erotic. There's an anchovy chunk hidden in the olive muted by a creamy sauce. It gives a lovely salty kick to an otherwise calm Bloody Mary. Honestly I like a calm Bloody Mary that has a lot of defined flavors rather than a shelf made clusterbomb of chemicals. This tastes like home made pours. The calamari appetizer is soft and almost reminds me of the yesteryears of long John silvers fish sticks. But more refined with octopus for the core flavor. What a delightful recipe. Mushroom blue crab. Very soft and enjoyable. A lovely lightly salty earthy treat with a rich crab slice covered in batter. Lightly spicy in the aftertaste. A great minimalistic mid meal palate cleanser. Their lemon braised chicken I was only able to get a tiny taste by the time the press plate made way to me. The skin is actually IMPRESSIVE. I can only imagine the meat inside but the other press member who ordered that dish had a lovely time with it and said it was fresh and made him happy to eat. The Margherita pizza was flavorful despite missing a lot of visible basil. I would appreciate more leaves next time but this isn't a demerit as much as it's a presentational desire to have. This whole restaurant carries a delighting spirit. It's very easy with the music here the good food and good people to slide upward on the mood scale. This isn't a bistro. This isn't your stuffy formal place. This is a place to flash your fashion in a daytime club atmosphere. This is a place for a business luncheon where high level service needs exist. Addendum V1: This restaurant was a sensory nightmare, as a person with autism I can only call this restaurant "socializing on extra hard mode" the acoustics are not very good with the curved walls and there is poor to no noise isolation, if you're sat next to the windows and the tree cutting team starts cutting ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR DINE (Or ask for a new table, the waitstaff are glorious people here who will accommodate most any request. They are great personalities and everyone is very sociable. There was a three way birthday at our table and they brought out wine and fireworks for us to all take pictures with. I found the birthday presentation simple classic memorable and highly photographable for pro photographers looking to experience lighting in an exotic location. LIGHTING and ENVIRONMENT is where I had to take a half star off, due to the existing California Pizza Kitchen design having been overlaid on top of much like a Bathtub remodel all of the existing CPC issues were brought to the new location, some were reduced others weren't eliminated at all. Sound propagation in the restaurant is a total mess, the windows at mid day allow too much noise and could use a thin soft black curtain that mutes the dull city landscape. The atmosphere here at dinner changes so I'll have to revisit this restaurant at evening time and see how the sensory noise problem is, but visiting this restaurant at lunch is something I'd save for a quick drink at the bar rather than a drawn out meal. Having a drawn out meal here definitely sounds better at evening. When I get complaints about being socially unresponsive and am almost unaware that there were long periods, clearly I was retreating onto working on the phone trying to extrapolate a review from a limited amount of food instead a full menu flight in one bite serves. The complaint was that this review isn't detailed enough, this should resolve some of that and as for lack of details, well stop complaining on this one because the conditions I was creating my review in. Also I left out one of my FAVORITE rooms to review in a restaurant, the waterclosets... Here they were impressively clean and well decorated. The atmosphere here is minimalist modern eclectic, the only thing I hate is that damn ceiling and those walls. Fix the acoustics in here and I can probably go back to a five star. Oh and seriously, more basil on that margarita pizza.

Flavors were good and the service was average…read more We ordered their "Our Chicken Parm" although the flavors were good, the plate did not have good temperature, there were parts of the chicken that were cold. It seemed like they had it made due to beating their top selling plate. The chicken had a rubbery feeling, for sure did not meet the hype. We ordered it and it was served very fast. In the other hand, their "Pesto Cavatappi" was served warmed and you could tell it was just made. The chicken on this dish tasted very good and the texture was very different from the Chicken Parm. I would recommend this dish instead of their number one as it was told to us by the server. We ordered two cappuccinos and their Flourless Chocolate Cake. Both cappuccinos were very milky and not warm enough. The dessert was really good but it also took a while to get it. We were half way done with our cappuccinos. Price - I feel they are priced too high for a chicken dish and pasta. Although it is a good portion it is still chicken and pasta. It was $31 for the chicken parm and $26 for the Cavatappi. The dessert was $12 It was a busy day but they should still keep their standards and serve food with the right temperature. I will give it another change for sure.

I've been here several times and each visit has been a pleasant experience! The service and food…read moreare always great and I love that they switch up some of their menu items seasonally. I do get a little sad when I come back and don't see something I loved on a previous visit, but I also appreciate that rotating the menu makes room for new and delicious dishes to try! I've had their brunch cocktails and coffee on past visits and have enjoyed them every time. This time, I tried their strawberry matcha latte and it was such a delicious sweet treat! I also love the cozy farmhouse vibe of the restaurant! It makes the whole experience feel warm and inviting. Totally recommend this place!

If only for my wife, I have tried my best to accept this place as a weekend date for her. It just…read morewon't happen. My first experience as a diner in this establishment at the behest of my beautiful bride was during Brunch service. As I ordered the brisket hash with tea, the question was raised as to what wood and how they smoked their brisket. The server could not immediately answer, so she asked the kitchen/owner. They buy already smoked brisket from a third party supplier. Which one? "A supplier local to Illinois" they assured me, unable to specify the type of wood used (they think it is cherry). Their tea is bought from an upscale third party as well. The food was nothing special, and was about as scratch-made as the local McDonalds up the street. The inside of the dining area is wonderful if you're next to the window yet an utterly cramped experience sitting anywhere further back than the bar. Does this place need a bar? Is it just for the soccer moms and the owner? For the price they charged me, I could've gone to an actual smokehouse for cheaper, and see the cooking process firsthand while talking about smoking meats with one of the pitmasters over a much more lovingly curated selection of libations. My second experience was an al fresco lunch with my wife and children. While the outdoor dining in Arlington Heights is always top notch, the service and food was again not up to par. I ordered a doppio and was served an entire mug of espresso. Our server then decided to argue that I was indeed served a doppio, revealing that this establishment does not educate their servers on basic fluidic measurements in the very industry they work in, nor do they train their servers to speak honestly or respectfully to customers when their errors are brought to their attention. The food was also not worth the price. Scratchboard Kitchen is a subpar establishment that brings in third party food cooked offsite to remix into something they claim is "made from scratch" simply because they reheat it with a few eggs. Their waitstaff is unable and unwilling to understand one of the most fundamental pours in coffee and would rather lie to customers instead of simply admitting they weren't properly trained. There are better eats in the area for cheaper. Avoid.

The former JD's Que and Brew has been transformed into a lovely fast casual Greek restaurant with…read morecounter service. There is even a bar are with counter seating and three - five tables (two standard height and three counter height. There is a monstrous screen behind the bar for sports, but they mostly show videos of Greece, but they are mesmerizing videos of a beautiful country. It's a cleaner version of Dengeo's. And, dare I say, better version. Except for their avgolemeno soup. Such a weak travesty. Please fix this. It's just a watery mess. However, everything else is delicious. I ordered the Greek Chicken with their lemon-butter rice. They debone the chicken and serve atop a mountain of their rice. If also had their potatoes (which are good) but the rice is magical. The first time we went, they had a serve yourself soda fountain and they since got rid of it and sell soda in bottles and cans. They do still have a self-serve water station. Once you order, staff will bring to your table, so please tip when you order or leave on the table as they do come by and clear your table as well. It is first come first served and you grab your own tables. I've been there on weekends and weeknights and they get pretty packed. The food is flavorful and quite tasty. The portions are huge so you're definitely going to bring something home. Nostimo is now in our rotation of places to go in a pinch and they do have an outdoor seating area, too.

Had great wine and food at this Greek restaurant in Arlington Heights. It looks a lot more casual…read morethan it actually is. Nostimo has better quality than how they present themselves. Actually has a drive thru so how classy can it be. The restaurant has options for families and groups. Coming in here it looked like a regular casual restaurant where you order at the counter. It's one of those places you get the food brought out. There's also a bar area you can get beer and wine. For certain it's not the average fast casual. It's about $8 for a glass. Best we had was the Roditis, which is a rosé from Corinthia. It's about $8 for the Hummus. Comes with lots of pita bread. The rest of the menu is meaty. Great place located on Rand at Chestnut. It's closed Mondays. There's the hummus for vegetarians.

Great spot with unique noodle dishes in Rolling Meadows. The bright space is great for anything…read morefrom a casual lunch to a full family dinner - there is even an outdoor dining space in good weather. Beef and lamb are the specialties from a Halal kitchen. Friendly service and tasty food.

This came up in a search for vegetarian-friendly restaurants, which it's definitely not. However, I…read morelove housemade noodles and I've never had Uyghur cuisine, so off I went. They have half a dozen vegetarian salad options, only one of which features noodles (a cold noodle dish I might try later). ALso naan and a fried bread option. Zero vegetarian entrees, and sadly no vegetarian dumplings. However one of the two noodle main dishes, the Qorima Lagnam, can be made without meat, so I got that. Drinks and dessert are not shown on the menu; they have kompot, which is a delightful homemade fruit / sugar drink (I got the raspberry - delicious, and they just bring you a pitcher!), and a variety of fancy cakes. The noodles were very tasty, with a variety of vegetables, thick noddles with the right amount of chew, and an oily mild-ish tomato-type sauce (hot sauce available on your table). Serves one with enough for a snack later. The cakes are clearly from an outside bakery, but if you want a multi-layered honey cake or one of those candy-coated small cakes with styled to look like a giant piece of marzipan fruit (I had the blueberry), they got you. Service was friendly, though I think they changed shifts partway through (the second waiter was happy to sell me dessert), and the place is small but fairly spacious. Music videos from someone's early 2000s Spotify feed played on a TV over the counter. So while a vegetarian's choices are limited, I'd say it's worth a stop, particularly if you love noodles.

Tried this location for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised. The inside was cute,…read moreorganized, and had very refreshing colors that made the space feel clean and inviting. All of the ingredients on display looked really fresh, which is always a good sign. I ordered the Honey Steak Crunch and swapped the pickled onions for broccoli. It was really flavorful with a slight kick that added a nice touch without being overpowering. The steak tasted good, but the color was a little off-putting to me personally, so I think I'll try it with chicken next time. The portion size was solid and definitely filling. It came out to about $18, which is on the higher side, but you can tell the ingredients are quality. It's not somewhere I'd go all the time because of the price, but it's a good option for an occasional treat. Staff was helpful and made the experience even better.

Create your own salad while in town for work. Overall pretty good but nothing overly special, not…read moreenough to make me come back for lunch again this week. Also waited probably 10 mins past my pick up time

Best place to get Thai in Arlington Heights. It actually is about the only place. AltThai is a…read moreclean and modern version of the cuisine. Has a lot of the classic favorites. The prices are okay for portions as you get a lot. A casual yet classy atmosphere. It's got a pretty big menu. There's all the favorites including curries and noodles among other things. Bad thing is there's no alcohol. They have things like iced tea. It's about $17 for a curry. These at least come with rice. I got the Panang Curry. This is made with basil leaves, bell peppers, coconut milk, keffir lime leaves, and choice of protein, including tofu. It came in a big bowl. This was more like a soup because it was pretty runny. For sure we could go here again. It's located close to the railroad tracks between Sigwalt and Northwest Highway. There's plenty of choices for vegans and vegetarians.

Heard about this spot from a friend and decided to drop in for lunch. It was packed, so service was…read morepretty minimal, but we managed to try quite a few dishes. Every entree comes with a side choice--the Tom Yum soup and chicken potstickers were both solid options. As for the mains, it was a bit of a mixed bag: Massaman Curry (Chicken): Rich, full of flavor, and absolutely essential to pair with rice. Papaya Salad: Outstanding--super refreshing with a great crunch. Pad Thai & Pad See Ew: Disappointing protein quality. The chicken in the Pad Thai was dry, and the beef in the Pad See Ew was sliced paper-thin and equally dry. Basil Duck: Surprisingly bland and lacked flavor. Overall, some highlights, but the meats and flavor consistency could definitely use some improvement.

I just dined here for the first time! I usually dine at the Buffalo Grove location which I've been…read moreto twice already, and is 10 minutes from my office), but I was dying to try this location since it's also about 10 minutes from home! Anyway, even though I placed an online pickup order, I decided to eat my order inside the restaurant, since there were a lot of available tables (I came in at about 8 pm on Sunday 9/13)! Plus, the whole place looked so nice, clean and relaxing to dine in! My order was accurate and ready on time! Overall, I had a great experience with this location and will definitely be back! I had a Build Your Own Grains Bowl with lamb meatballs and braised lamb, plus almost every dressing, vegetable topping and all the spicy sauces (the only topping I chose not to order were the Kalamata olives, which I'll probably get next time), plus I got the free side pita, 1 full side pita, and the Blueberry Lavender Lemonade (I was going to get the Strawberry Ginger Lemonade, but changed my mind at the restaurant)! The food was so spectacularly deliciously fresh and flavorful! I'm glad I got the extra side pita (I think I should've ordered more -- they're so huge and pillowy soft here! Definitely been get and better than the smaller typical pitas served by Naf Naf Grill and most other Mediterranean type restaurants)! Plus, the drinks here are more imaginative and flavorful (I'm hooked on the Blueberry Lavender Lemonade)! Anyway, like I said-- I do plan on coming back to this restaurant!! Great food, service, ambience and location!!

My son took me to Cava for the first time tonight. Here are my thoughts:…read more -Place was packed on a Friday night at 9pm. Very nice vibe. Place looks new. -My son described it as "a healthier, and better tasting Chipotle." -You get to pick your base--we did the mixed greens and rice--you can also choose grains. I prefer Chipotle rice over Cava's rice. -Then you get to choose your meat, we went with the honey chicken. Very good. Plenty of meat. -Finally, I added tzatziki, hummus, cucumbers, olives, and a few other exotic items. -All I can say is--all the ingredients were high quality, and tasted great! I will be going back again soon! -Cost was about $13 a person, $2 or $3 more than Chipotle, but worth every penny : ) Highly recommended!

Me and my 2 sons we celebrate the Father's Day with a delightful dinner for first time at this…read morerestaurant. The food was delicious and the service was great! Nick the main server and Marco were amazing and very friendly. We had lamb chops, beef kebab and fish and it was cooked to perfection. Having many years of experience on Greek Restaurant as a worker and customer I recommend Parea Greek Kitchen as one of the top places in Chicago!! Well done

Pavlo is an amazing waiter that took care of us on our visit, the ambiance is great and not too…read moreloud so you can enjoy your meal. Food is incredible, better than I expected! The pita bread is fresh made and the gyro plate is huge and filling. We tried different cold and hot appetizerd and everything is flavorfull and fresh! I didn't knew I had this place so close!

My 1st time here had the chicken and rice and a side of sweet potato fries every was freaking fresh…read moreand delicious be back soon

My son has been to this place and I was in the mood for some Portuguese cuisine so we decided to go…read moreto Vasco's. We walked up to place our order and the staff were very nice! The person taking our order answered our questions such as how spicy is the sauce, can it be prepared without cross contamination with Gluten. (The answer is yes). The location is a cozy little place with plenty of seating. The decor is nice. I ordered the Breast And Wing Meal. The Peri-Peri sauce was medium spice but very tasty. I loved dipping it in the white yogurt sauce. Great combination. The Cassava Fries were really good but I felt the serving size was small. For me not, sharing size lol. The rice was good and I'd order it again. Loved the pita as it is grilled sacs cooked just right. The cheesecake was good. It was a small slice but very tasty. The food is good I would dine here again.