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.

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!

Great food, Happy hour was from 4-6 M-Thu, only at small bar. Bartender was very accommodating and…read morenice. Food was excellent and perfectly prepared. Would love to come back.

Happy Hour is a decent deal. We were the only people at the restaurant when we arrived and were…read moreseated at a table. We asked about Happy Hour and were told it was only at the bar. So, we moved to the bar. Eventually another group came, sat at the bar for Happy Hour and then were offered a table. They asked if they could do Happy Hour at the table and were told yes. Confusing Anyway, our bartender was lovely and the food was very good. Highlights were the lamb meatballs, the onion and goat cheese tart, and the taquitos. The crab cake wasn't great and definitely not worth the price. The space is cozy and you don't hear the train at all. Drinks were fine - mine seemed very light on the gin.

Loved Loved how different this place is! We just moved to Evanston, and wanted to try new local…read morerestaurants. After long day of unpacking, we walked into this place! There were so many people inside we asked to see if we can sit outside in the patio with really cute fire pit area. We tried oysters, baguette, salad, cocktails everything was delicious! Incredibly friendly staff from busser and our server Joe was Amazing! Definitely will return and ask for him! Definitely will recommend and return soon!

This was a lovely meal. Service was excellent and the wine selection was very good (obviously…read moreheavily French). We ordered the cheese plate, which was just okay. The bread was served in a large hunk - it was odd and somewhat difficult to share. The apple jam also did not pair terribly well. The salami was not the best quality. For our main we ordered the cassoulet. This was excellent. This came with chicken instead of the traditional duck, but was still very flavorful. Dessert was a somewhat forgettable ice cream puff. I wouldn't order this again. The ice cream was grainy and the puff pastry was very dry. All in all a good date night spot. Ambience is very intimate and we could hear each other talk - sometimes hard to come by. Food isn't the highest quality, but the entree was great and the wine paired well.

Came for lunch to the new location. The service was excellent. Got served right away. We both…read moreordered salads. I had the RS (regular size) It was plenty of food. I asked for chicken and got a lot of fresh chicken breast. The dressing was one of the better ones, I've had. Also ordered the side of onion strings. For a buck there was a lot and crispy . The temp was not hot but still tasty. I would definitely com back . The menu is large.

This is NO longer a sports bar or a place for groups. This was a very rough experience. Some of…read moreour group had been here previously and they had a very fun game room. They no longer staff that area and would not allow patrons there. So we sat in the regular area and they did have a lot of TVs but the staff argued about playing the Sox on the TVs. Then the service was incredibly slow. I understand we had 12 people but they were not busy. Half the tables were open. So we just closed our tab and left and they added a group gratuity of 25%!! They knew the service was terrible. I can understand 18 or 20% but how dare you charge 25% on a group tab. Will never be back. Stay away!

We checked out this place with a few people on the Saturday evening after Christmas and were still…read moreamazed how empty the place was. Did everyone truly leave town? It's located right down the street from Northwestern University's football stadium (whatever the heck they're naming it). This is a nice hidden gem in Evanston. Not located downtown, it may have a chance to stick around a while. As Jane V. noted in her review, you are greeted by a delicious smoky smell when you enter the restaurant. It was an inviting smell (at least for me), others in our group thought we were walking into a barbecue joint and were less than thrilled, but the menu put them at ease as it has a lot of options. There were five of us and one couple decided to share a couple appetizers as their entrees. They ordered the Cauliflower Buffalo Bites, and the Macho Nacho. They were huge portions easily enough for us all to share. However, my wife and I don't see eye-to-eye with our eating habits (she is mostly vegetarian and I'm a card-carrying carnivore), so she was not about to share the smoky wings and cheesy tots with me. I opted for the Chicken Vesuvio entree, and she and our other friend both ordered the Inside-Out Grilled Cheese. I would say most the sandwiches looked good (no portobello for me, thanks). I would say though, the desserts are pretty generic, so we opted out, but their is a door inside the restaurant to the donut shop next door (which was closed), but I wanted to try that place, so I'll have to make another trek out there for them and review them later. I'm amazed that the donut shop, DB3 Donuts, does not appear on their menu at all, despite having a connecting door from one establishment to the other, but alas, I've heard their apple crisp and brownie are good, but neither were too appealing that night. All meals were delicious and I definitely need to go back and try other dishes. And may DB3, if they are open. Give this place some love as it is a nice gem in Evanston.

Holy Moley, did we find great food in Evanston!…read more We celebrated Saint Patrick's Day at Ten Mile House restaurant in Evanston @tenmilehouse When we walked in the door, they had a delicious smoky smell that was driving me crazy. So much so that I ordered the smoked Sampler plate, and was I glad I did. I started off with their Top O' The Morning special Saint Patrick's cocktail (Titos, Curacao, and orange juice shaken and poured over ice). I really loved this drink. My hubby had a Margarita that was just delightful. Our appetizers were: Angry Shrimp (really delicious) shrimp with a spicy tomato garlic sauce. Served over polenta cake. Ahi Tuna Wanton (mango jicama salsa, avocado, and teriyaki sauce) This should be their signature appetizer).The presentation is impeccable. It appealed to our eyes before the 1st bite. And,the first bite, as well as the rest, was wonderful. We would gladly return here just for this. Our entrees were: Grilled Salmon with corn risotto, grilled asparagus, smoked tomato aioli. The salmon was well cooked to medium, not too dry, and not too rare. The plate was well balanced and everything was very tasty. Smoked Sampler My favorite! Rib tips, brisket, pulled pork, Texas toast, cole slaw. For dessert: Chocolate Brownie Apple Crisp Both were so good that we did not want to share! The next time you are in the Evanston area, you really must stop in for their delicious food!

Service was nice and attentive, it was easy to get a table for brunch on a Sunday morning, and they…read morewere more than willing to let me do all the tater tots on the side. My partner had the chicken and waffles and she loved them. I ended up with a delicious, protein-rich egg dish, with delicious guac, where I could just pick at the potatoes on the side to avoid being too carbed out. It was perfect for me. I liked the informal ambiance and there were cute families with kids. Parking in this part of downtown Evanston is relatively easy. I love the fact that they're offering gluten free options, and someone in my party had severe celiac and were able to enjoy a great meal and not get sick. Huge plus. My only one teensy little thing is -- although they have a separate fryer (which is great) -- the gluten free options felt a little limited. I wish that the bacon was not prepared in a way where they were exposed to gluten prior to being fried.

Great restaurant located on the bottom floor of an apartment building. It's spacious and bright…read more It serves a fusion of items like Bao Sliders, salads and burgers. No parking available in front of the store. There is street paid parking available near by and a paid parking lot next to the building. They offer indoor and outdoor seating. I ordered a margarita. I was a little disappointed they did not offer higher quality tequila like Lalo and G-4. "They just ran out" is what they said. I went for the next best tequila they did have but not my top choice. The drink was great. I hope they offer better tequila options when I return. We started with the Bao Sliders. I was pleasantly surprised. They were well seasoned and flavorful. It's a descent portion, I was full and did not order additional dishes. I shared the Cajun Salmon Salad which is also a very generous portion. The salmon was well seasoned and cooked to perfection. I hope to be back and try other items on their menu. It looks like they offer fun events through out the week. It would be fun to try them as well.

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.

my partner introduced me to this lovely brunch spot. it definitely can get busy so i'd recommend…read morecalling ahead to make sure there is availability. service has always been great and the chilaquiles rancheros and triple berry mascarpone crepes are phenomenal! definitely will be back :)

A lovely small establishment with a unique menu. Plenty to choose from including Mexican dishes as…read morewell as creative dishes. Service was impeccable. Friendly staff, all with smiles. Beautifully appointed interior with seating outside as well. We chose Banana's Foster French Toast, Triple Berry Mascarpone French Toast, and Chicken Sausage. All were delish!