This is the second time dinning at The Vig at Dana Park and tonight we sat out on the large patio…read more The patio has plenty of seats and has both misters and heating lamps making it possible to use year round We kicked things off with the pretzel served with queso and house mustard--perfect for sharing. The queso was rich without being too heavy, and the mustard added a nice contrast. For my meal, I had the Caesar salad topped with a bistro steak cooked a perfect medium rare. The romaine was crisp, the garlic-anchovy dressing bold, and the garlic croutons and parmesan tied everything together. The steak was tender, flavorful, and elevated the salad. At the table, we also ordered the cheesesteak with Angus beef, roasted peppers and onions, Havarti cheese, and garlic aioli served on a baguette, with sweet potato fries. The sandwich was hearty and satisfying, and the fries were really good The wagyu burger was another standout--topped bacon, Gruyère and smoky blue cheese, caramelized onions, tomato jam, and garlic aioli on a pub bun. The beef and bacon were fabulous and the fries cooked to perfection Jake, our server, was terrific--attentive, friendly, and helped make the whole experience even better. We finished with the butterscotch bread pudding topped with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce, which was the perfect ending--warm, comforting, and just the right amount of sweetness Overall, a great patio dining experience with flavorful dishes, excellent service, and plenty of variety.

I'm so glad this place has moved into my neighborhood!! We went tonight to celebrate my birthday…read moreand had the most wonderful experience. Most impressive was the bartending staff. Mason was on point with all aspects of service, he was attentive, welcoming, and really made us feel at home. I was also impressed with the new bartender whose name I didn't catch but it was her first night and I would have never known unless she told me. She was friendly personable and slinging drinks like she'd been there for a while. Great job to both of them! As for the food, it was phenomenal as expected but a special call out needs to be made for the butterscotch bread pudding. It was complementary for my birthday and I probably would have never tried it before but it turned out to be the best bread pudding I've had in ages. So tender and sweet delicious!! 5 stars. Highly recommend!

We've been to Lucky Lou's a few times now, and every visit has been consistently great. The…read moreatmosphere is always welcoming, and the service really stands out. Drew has taken care of us the last few times and is always friendly, attentive, and makes the experience even better. Our kids always get the chicken tenders--and they're so good my wife and I end up sneaking a few every time. We tried the buffalo chicken sandwich tonight and it was really good too. It's clear they care about both the food and the experience. Easy 5 stars from us--we'll definitely keep coming back!

First time checking out Lucky Lou's and honestly... we'll be back. The atmosphere hits that perfect…read morebalance of fun and laid-back--easy place to just hang out and enjoy a solid meal. My wife went with the chicken jalapeño wrap, and that thing was --great flavor, just the right kick, and the sweet potato fries were cooked perfectly (not soggy, not overdone...rare win these days). I had the cheeseburger wrap, which is exactly what it sounds like--a full-on cheeseburger experience wrapped up nice and neat. No mess, no regret... and I'm pretty sure wrapping it automatically makes it healthier, so I'm sticking with that logic. Threw in a side of onion rings that were also on point. We started with the mango habanero wings--solid heat, great flavor, definitely worth it. Our son got the chicken tender basket and absolutely demolished it, so that tells you everything you need to know there. Customer service was great--friendly, attentive, and not hovering every 30 seconds. And the prices? Very reasonable for the quality and portions. Bonus points for the drink sizes--these things are huge. I'm pretty sure I finished my entire meal and still had half a cup left. Not mad about it. Overall: great food, good vibe, great service, and a spot that makes it easy to kick back and enjoy.

My son was in the mood for Italian food, so I do search for Italian restaurants near us. Dave's…read moreItalian Eatery popped up. The menu online looks promising, and it's very close to our home, so we decided to give it a try. This place is very bright and fresh looking, for lack of a better description. There's a bar, and a really great mural. There's an entire wall of banqettes, and some tables in the second room which is divided only by a half wall. There are some walls which I thought had exposed brick, but later noticed were wall boards. Either way, I love the look. We were seated right away and the nicest server came over. He really seems to love the restaurant and love the food, which is always a plus in my book. The boys each got a beer, and I got the Italian margarita. It was a sweet drink that kind of tasted like an Amaretto Sour, which makes sense since there's Amaretto in it. I liked it. They brought gigantic rolls with butter to the table. I really liked it because most places serve sourdough bread, and I don't really like sourdough bread. These large white rolls were yummy. I wasn't very hungry so I just ordered two meatballs, but I asked if I could have the meat sauce instead of the marinara that it usually comes with. Our server said there would be no problem with that, and there wasn't. Hubby got the spaghetti and meatballs, and son got eggplant parmesan. All of it was delicious and I give kudos for a really yummy meat sauce. For me, the meat sauce can make or break an Italian restaurant. They seem to do a pretty brisk take out business, and there were quite a few people by the time we left. I would love to come back and try the pizza, because pizzas that we saw coming out looked fantastic.

My replacement for Dunkin for the same price while supporting a local restaurant!!…read moreGot just the morning special breakfast sandwich with added bacon and a larger coffee. My favorite breakfast morning routine before hitting the road for work.

Too cheap with salsa. Extra green salsa is not going to break them. Regular customer here but…read morechanging to different restaurant.

I love Cali Tacos. Their tacos are some of the best around. Their meats are always super flavorful…read more I've had their Birria, asada and al pastor. Their cali burrito Is also super good and is a good size. I've been here a handful of times and every time their team members are always really nice

Let me start with a little tid bit about Downtown Gilbert. There is nothing really special about it…read moreoutside of the vibe is right. Always a lot of people there so it makes you want to be there. Restaurant wise they have really basic offerings. Places you can find in Mesa, and Tempe, and Scottsdale. Now.... What truly makes Downtown Gilbert special are the small shops that are hidden away from the "main strip". One of those places is Clever Koi. Hidden in the Parking lot space behind Shaq's Chicken spot is a small strip of shops. A book store, smoothie place, and my favorite Clever Koi. Our family has very different tastes when we move from one member to the next. So finding places that we all like gets tricky. Clever Koi makes that easy because we honestly have yet to run into something we don't like. Let's start with our favorite starter. The steamed buns (giggity). The pork belly is hands down phenomenal. An amazing bite that literally makes you want more and more. The lazy fries are just that, again pork belly is included, but that garlic aioli is what drives this dish. The tai salad is obviously classic. The short rib dumplings literally make you close your eyes and just say "Mmmmmm". My middle child is the hardest pallet to please at any restaurant as he only eats certain things, but the Chicken Katsu sandwich here is his second favorite chicken sandwich in all this world. The first time he ate it he spent the whole ride home raving about it. Mind you, we live in San Tan, so not a short ride. The shaking beef is always good. It has this firey kick that brings the heat upfront but does not linger. You cannot forget about the fried rice here. Rice is one of my weaknesses in life second only to pizza. Fried rice ranks right up there with my top favorite ways to eat rice and this ranks right up there with my favorite fried rice places. The main reason we come here is because of the noodles. Ramen, ramen, ramen. When you think of Ramen, I assure you this is what you are thinking of. The broth is oh so savory and reigns in the fresh veggies and proteins to meld them with the noodles for a flavor punch each time you have a mouthful. They have great drinks here as well, or so I've been told by the other adults I come here with. I always just get a sake and Sapporo so... LOL The service is always good here and we somehow always manage to miss the lunch or dinner rush which is awesome. All in all... this is by far my favorite dining spot in downtown Gilbert. Great food, great drinks, great service, great atmosphere, in the middle of a great little square. A must eat for me.

Transport yourself to a city from-scratch Asian restaurant with a plethora of handmade cocktails…read moreand an upscale warm, inviting vibe. This is Clever Koi. Our server Maya was incredible and extremely knowledgeable on all dishes, drinks, and so many details of the restaurant! I've never had this good of service anywhere! My wife and I had the Pad See Ew with the braised chicken thigh which was INCREDIBLE. Perfectly chewy noodles, great seasoning. I highly recommend adding some of the homemade Fresno chile sriracha for a kick! The pork ramen was also very delicious. Be warned it's a lot of pork! My wife preferred it with the green jalapeño sriracha. The drinks were also very unique and delicious! A sideline view for me and riding the line for my wife. Oh and the best part was the dessert Bananas foster hush puppy puffs. These were so unique, seasoned with cinnamon sugar and Chinese 5 spice. It took some getting used to but the more you ate it with the Carmel toffee sauce the more I enjoyed it. All in all I can see why people love this place! It's a 5 star restaurant for a 3 star price! If you're looking to expand your flavor palette and have a wonderful evening I can't recommend Clever Koi enough!

Went to tour a bit of the Gilbert, AZ area and my cousin suggested this place as she likes their…read moreZucchini Fries & milkshakes. At first I thought I didn't want a burger as I usually make my own at home but was pleasantly surprised at the menu & ambiance. Sarina was our waitress & I asked her if the California Bowl was like a salad with a veggie burger as it doesn't state a beef patty? She said it's like a burger w/o a bun but as a bowl w/the ingredients & TOPPED with a beef patty. Oh, I see... So I asked if I could just have the Basmati Rice but it was a mixture of Basmati & Quinoa so she said she could give me more ingredients of something else like Brussels sprouts or Greens so I asked for more Greens. The ingredients are: griddled Sweet Potatoes, roasted Mushrooms, caramelized Onions, Brussels Sprouts, Quinoa, Avocado slices with a Tamari glaze. It was also topped with Cilantro & Green Onions. I also ordered an Iced Tea. The California Burger Bowl was soooo delicious with such a flavor bomb of textures, sweetness & caramelized, smokey flavors! The crunchiness from the cold greens, warm Brussels Sprouts, soft & sweet Caramelized Onions & Sweet Potatoes, plus the creaminess of the Avocados was such a great medley! I think I need to replicate this at home! Very creative & healthy! My cousin & friend both got burgers, one topped with mushrooms & one with a lettuce wrap sub, Zucchini & Sweet Potato Fries. The seating is very comfortable with the cushioned seats & booths & the restaurant is very bright & airy with lots of windows & high ceilings. If you have to use the restroom, it's located outside & will give you a passcode. Highly recommend this place!

Hubby & I had dinner here tonight. I can't believe we haven't been here before…read more We were greeted by multiple staff when we walked in. Everyone was welcoming & friendly. We were seated right away & our server came over promptly. Hubby got his favorite draft beer, I got the red Zinrita. Both of which were good. We ordered the pretzels & cheese. Hubby got the burger of the week which was the Chuck Norris & onion rings. I got the double smashed burger & fries. The pretzels & cheese were excellent! They were the best we have ever had & we've had a lot. I don't think the cheese is beer cheese, but whatever it was it was so good. Hubby loved his burger & the onion rings were really good. They ate like Red Robin onion rings. They were crispy & cooked perfectly. My burger was good. I got it without the tomato bacon relish. my fries were good & crispy. It's a bit pricey in my opinion for not coming with fries, but still really good. I'm sure we will come back again.

On a Saturday night after grabbing some ice cream at Topo, we stopped by Sotol Modern Cocktail…read moreKitchen for a nightcap. Located in downtown Gilbert, Sotol is a rooftop bar and restaurant. I love a good rooftop and the weather was perfect. While they don't have a parking lot, free parking is available on the street and in the various surface lots and garages in the area. Ambiance (4.5/5): It's tough to beat a rooftop. Here you'll have nice views of downtown Gilbert, including the historic Gilbert water tower (which lights up at night). It's not a huge restaurant/bar, probably 50 seats or so. A good number of tables and then 15 seats or so at the bar. We sat at the bar. There's a pretty nice mural on one end too. Service (4/5): A little slow to start out with and to close out, but overall, friendly. We found one of the last four remaining seats at the bar. If not for that, there would have been a wait. One drink and then we made our way. Overall, about average. Food (N/A): I was on a liquid diet for this visit but they do have a full menu. Drinks (4/5): Interesting craft cocktail list. The first one on the list is a Sotol cocktail. If you've never had Sotol, it's a Mexican spirit. Not tequila and not mezcal, but somewhat similar to mezcal and it does have a bit of a smoky flavor. The Sotol So Good has sotol, butterfly pea, coconut rum, pineapple, lime, and orgeat. It's purple so it makes an impression. It packs a punch too. If you're looking for a cool spot to grab some food and drinks in the heart of downtown Gilbert, when the weather is nice, Sotol is a great choice!

Visited Sotol Modern Cocktail Kitchen while in Gilbert. The atmosphere was modern and open, and the…read moreservice started off a bit off-putting, though it improved slightly as the visit went on. I've been wanting to check this place out for a while. Right from the start, the elevator was out of order, which wasn't ideal. When we got inside, the place was mostly empty -- only a couple of other guests -- yet we were told to sit anywhere except along a section of tables by the wall. I pointed out a table at the far end, well away from the entrance, but was directed instead to what felt like the least desirable table, with the reasoning being they might need the space for a large party. After a bit of back-and-forth, they eventually let us sit where we preferred, but it made for a poor first impression -- especially considering the restaurant never filled up. Tried a few cocktails -- they were well made and enjoyable, definitely the highlight of the visit. Overall, good drinks but the initial experience left a sour note -- may or may not return. Saluti.