Bottom Line: Good place to start the evening…read more This spot is good for opening the evening before heading to one of the many nearby dinner destinations. The indoor space is long and narrow, with an eclectic, warm vibe, lined with display bottle and can-filled shelving. There are several tables along the display wall that seat four comfortably, with a compact bar tucked toward the front. Don't come here looking for a quiet corner though. The place fills up quickly--especially Thursday through Saturday nights during sidewalk‑dining weather where the crowd spills out into the covered entry and sidewalk. The clientele skews upscale and once they settle in, tables tend to turn slowly. Also, the noise level often rises to the point where conversation requires a raised voice. Wine and appetizers are this place's wheelhouse. I agree with other reviewers that service can lag, especially when you're trying to get that first order in. The charcuterie is a reliable favorite, with the rest of the menu at least decent if not particularly memorable. The wine and beer offerings are broad enough to satisfy most tastes, though some reviewers' claims of "reasonable prices" depend heavily on your definition of reasonable--lingering over drinks and appetizers will leave a very noticeable dent in the ole' wallet. Though I don't feel It's the kind of place I'll likely make a weekly habit, it is a good starter spot for a date night or a meet‑up before moving on to a dinner place.

This is such a great wine and charcuterie spot in downtown Downers Grove! The charcuterie boards…read moreare delicious and honestly really reasonable priced. We got to choose seven items between meat and cheeses for $25 plus you get to pick three accessories like nuts, jam, mustard, fruit, olives etc. All of the options we chose were delicious! And served with both a garlic bread and rice crackers. They have an extensive wine list and a lot of food options as well. After our charcuterie we enjoyed the white pizza- GF FRIENDLY! All the crusts are cauliflower crust, and I am not GF so while I wouldn't have picked this normally, it was SOOO yummy. I wouldn't have even known it was cauliflower crust! The flavors were great too. We also had a super tasty grilled cheese with bacon and the star... jalapeno jam! Loved it all and can't wait to come back on a future date night!

We recently designed the florals as FleurElla Florals | F2 at this location…read more The event manager (Suzie Reeves) was an absolute dream to work with!! We needed to coordinate some last minute adjustments and Suzie was responsive, easy going, and genuinely invested in making sure every detail came together seamlessly! The venue itself is stunning. It has this rich, rustic elegance with exposed stone walls, warm wood tones, and the most beautiful candlelit chandelier that creates such an intimate, inviting atmosphere. It feels like a tucked-away wine cellar SO cozy, elevated, and full of character!

Another good meal and experience here. Wine by glass reasonable in this day and age. orecchiette…read moredish very good. Vodka pasta same. Maybe some different app choices are due. Gentleman hosts smart, offer the possible open tables without trying to stick you in weakest like so many places do. Good local option. Ps I'd 86 the tap water or add filter I dunno or chill it more, something. But quibble really.

I've been to the Elm several times, and an usually enjoy it. Ideally if you can reserve seats on…read morethe rooftop when the weather is good. The menu is not large, but most everything on it is really good. (both food and cocktails). Wish they'd a few more items to both food and cocktails. My only major complaint, they add a hidden service charged to your final bill. We are only 2 people and still have to pay an extra service charge. (Not a large group) So look to pay $3-$5 extra on your bill. I don't understand restaurants who still do this. Please just increase your prices. It's so shady to add it after the fact.

We dined over the weekend. Reservations are online and honored which is a huge plus. The rooftop is…read morescenic and our waiter was attentive and quick. Drinks look like they are updated seasonally with classics remaining. The food is well seasoned and prepared; however, the salmon was not fresh at all. It had a very pungent "fishy" odor, so much I tasted it in my drink. Messaged management first, but they didn't respond.

I would give 6 stars if I could. This is casual fine dining. We were greeted by the owner, Steven…read moreas we entered. Area is clean, well maintained, and the staff is excellent. As you enter there is a small dining area with a grand piano. Piano player on Fridays and Saturdays. Down a short hall is the bar area with 5 high top tables. Then there is the patio, which I have to say, looks very inviting for when it is not 100 degrees with high humidity. Oh yes, the food . . . outstanding ~ southern Italian with very generous portions. The meatball appetizer and a salad would have made a meal, but that's not why you are here. We went with the chicken parm and chicken Limone. Delicious and plenty to take home for at least one additional meal. Can't forget dessert. Make sure to save room ~ gelato and vanilla cheesecake (flavor changes) were probably some of the best I've ever had. If you cannot tell, I would highly recommend this restaurant and will be returning. It has earned every award that it has received.

We went in a bit later on a Friday night, and were excited to try the patio but they closed it…read moreearly so we ended up sitting inside. There was a live musician singing & playing the piano. We ordered ricotta & honey toast and a hot honey pepperoni pizza. The ricotta toast was fine. The pizza tasted like pizza from Ohio (which is not a compliment) and the crust had loose flour on the bottom. The plates we were provided could barely fit a slice of pizza on them, and the pizza needed to be eaten with a fork & knife because it was too floppy in the middle to hold its structure, and not floppy enough at the edge to fold in half like a NY slice. Our waitress was incredibly kind, and probably the highlight of our experience but the rest was mid to bad, so I can't say I'd be back.

My regular catchup group of colleagues and I returned here for our third visit to this wonderful,…read morechill, and delicious brewpub. As usual and as expected, the food and drink were top notch. We also incidentally met more members of the family running this place. For one, it turned out our attentive, friendly, and capable server was Kate T who we learned upon our usual server interrogation was the owners' daughter. The friendly owner husband and wife team, John and Tony Taylor, were also present and working the dining room, and it was nice to meet them as well and recognize them as excellent brewpub owner-operators. As for food and drink, I had my usual 3 beers and on this night they were: a Stone Delicious IPA (7.7% ABV), a Noon Whistle Gummylicious IPA (6.0% ABV), and a Maplewood Fat Pug milk stout (5.9% ABV). For food, I had a delicious Shrooms burger with fries ($18). The fries were really fresh and particularly delicious and perfectly lightly seasoned. Our party shared our usual and favorite appetizers also - mussels ($18) and pork belly bao buns (3 for $16). My colleagues ordered a panko chicken ($24) and a BYOBurger ($16) with tater tots (a $2 adder) for their well enjoyed entrees. For the record we had the following selections of beers and they were all delectable for the varying tastes amongst our threesome: First round was a Stone Delicious IPA (7.7% ABV) and a couple of Krombacher pilsners (4.8% ABV). Second round was a Noon Whistle Gummylicious IPA (6.0% ABV), a Stone Delicious IPA (7.7% ABV), and an Old Irving Della kolsch (5.2% ABV). Third round was a Maplewood Fat Pug milk stout (5.9% ABV), a Yuengling lager (4.5% ABV), and a Cigar City Jai Alai west coast IPA (7.5% ABV). The place was busy on a Wednesday evening, but it wasn't slammed like in our two previous visits. It was a delicious and fun outing, and thanks once again Neat Kitchen for delivering, and continued good luck!

First visit, but we are planning on future visits. This time of year, when the sun begins to set,…read moreit cools off in a hurry so we elected to be seated indoors. Unfortunately, we were seated in the room right next to the outdoor seating and the overhead door was wide open. Too cold to enjoy a meal so we were cheerfully moved to another table, near the hostess stand. So, with multiple dividers, the table was in the direct path of the breeze from the open overhead door. Again, waaaay too drafty for me. I did notice this mentioned in other reviews. They did turn off the overhead fan and that did help. The tables for 2 are just that ~ barely room for the food on the table with drlnks. Our second table for 2 was actually soooooooo close to the 2 women seated already, that I felt like we were a party of 4. I don't understand the placement of the dividers ~ it reminded me of a lab with various mazes for the mouse to find the cheese. And there are seats on one side of the dividers so you have booth seating at a table with chair seating. There are no booths. The onion rings were delicious, My Panko chicken also very good, and my husband enjoyed his grilled salmon salad. Too full to enjoy dessert. Menu is not extensive, but something for everyone. Staff was very friendly and most accommodating.

We loved everything about our experience at Jen's! My husband and I celebrated a milestone…read moreanniversary here recently and I cannot believe it took us so long to come to this gem! We sat outside on a Thursday night and it was beautiful. There was live music with people dancing which added to the atmosphere. We loved the lights and the surroundings made it feel like we were eating in nature, which technically, we were! The service was great-fast, efficient, and friendly. We could not have asked for better. My husband had the rack of lamb, and it was cooked to perfection. He rarely finishes his whole meal but he finished this one! I had the beef sandwich. I knew in my heart it would be delicious and it was; I'm still thinking about it! I had a margarita (blackberry) which was recommended by our server. I absolutely loved it. We had the cookie for dessert and I would honestly go back just for that! I am really so glad we went and we will definitely be back!

Had my birthday dinner here and had a great time! I got the lake perch and portion size was great…read more The food tastes amazing. They also gave 4 different complimentary desserts for my birthday that i was able to share with my friends. Definitely worth trying!

Great staff and great drink selection. The remodel was well worth the wait. The place is beautiful…read more Plenty of different drink selections.

Bluewater Lounge is such a fun spot! Their martinis are huge, perfectly chilled, and absolutely…read moredelicious. I've never seen a martini menu as long as theirs, there's truly something for everyone. Always a great time and a great vibe.

Just being a cafe that is open into the later evening hours is enough to warrant a positive review,…read morebut the dream does not end there. This is the type of place you'd expect to find enmeshed within a community in one or the other neighborhoods of the city. An eclectic menu where everything feels deliberate and treasured, you'll surely find something to slide across your taste buds. Ordering for pickup, the food was ready quickly, was hot and delicious, and while service was limited in that experience, it was still wholly hospitable and inviting.

I liked how the restaurants environment how it was calm and peaceful. There weren't many people but…read moreit still was great and I'm glad we went. The waiter was very kind to us and even took a selfie. The food took longer than we expected so at least we had no where to be. Overall the food was pretty good but the sandwich was saltier than we prefer. The crispy potatoes are a must buy and were a great part of the meal. The orange juice was solid but resembled grapefruit juice. We might come back and it was a worth while experience Sincerely, The Breakfast Club.

Had Saturday evening dinner with friends. Excellent Old Fashions (The God Father) Excellent Food!!!…read moreExcellent Service. The staff was AWESOME!!! THANKS!!!

The meal started off on a high note. The complimentary bread was served hot with a perfectly soft…read moreinterior and a delicious crusty exterior. We also ordered the arancini as an appetizer. The tomato sauce was flavorful, and the shaved Parmesan and arugula complemented the dish beautifully. Unfortunately, the arancini themselves were disappointing, as the coating was much too thick compared to the small amount of rice filling inside. For our entrées, my husband ordered the Chicken Parmigiana. The chicken was unfortunately very dry and overly salted. I chose the pappardelle with short rib ragù. The fresh pasta was excellent--perfectly made with a wonderful texture--but the ragù was also overly salted, which overshadowed what could have been a great dish. One of the highlights of our evening was the service. Our waiter was attentive, friendly, and provided excellent service throughout our meal. The hostess, who may have been the owner, also stopped by our table to check on us, which we appreciated. Overall, this certainly wasn't the worst Italian restaurant we've visited, and there were several things we enjoyed. However, the entrées ultimately fell short of our expectations, especially for a special dinner.

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!