What a cute find and love that the bartender is getting her masters in therapy (shouldn't every…read morebartender?) Drinks were yummy and spot was quaint with good vibes

I live a few blocks from this hidden gem located in Oak Park. I was giving a gift to come here for…read morea drink and glad that I was introduced to this place. The vibes here are incredible. Grown and Sexy Atmosphere. A casual neighborhood cocktail bar that has a full bar serving specialty cocktails and well made drinks and small food plates. FYI... Meter parking along the streets. Eat before you come or stop next door for a pizza. Kettlestrings Grove only serves small plates. My first time was a good experience. The bartender was attentive. I ordered The Morton drink and it gave me a nice smooth buzz. Great Location, Prices were decent and the service was amazing. Will be coming back to see if they ordered the other star.

This place was really spiffy! We had cocktails and apps out on the patio/sidewalk seating and it…read morewas lovely. The goat cheese appetizer was heavenly! Our server worked really hard to keep up and no complaints from us but they clearly looked understaffed. Beautiful art installations within the interior and exterior. Just a fun, chic and delicious place. Can't wait to go back and work my way through the menu.

It was amazing- great vibe, great music, and amazing cocktails. Bites were also a great…read moresurprise-we had the crab cakes and the oysters all very good. Victor, one of the owners was very attentive. It is what the area needed! They stay open until 1 am on the weekends!!!

Very nice staff! Always friendly and have attention to detail. A prototype for a small restaurant…read morewith warmth.

Food was delicious! Beet salad could have used a few more beets! Lamb chops were perfect! Octopus…read moresalad is poached which is not as good as grilled and not tasty. Drinks were ok.

this place is the place to go as they have their act together in every aspect…read more went on a thursday night with an opentable reservation for my friend and myself as we were catching up. my friend is a wine person (i'm no where near what he is) who has travelled the world in pursuit of wine and has a wine collection that would knock your socks off---and he picked this place based upon having a good wine selection--and he and the server talked wine, with me clueless as i'm a no knowledge wine person! the service was excellent. our server did not rush us and answered every question in detail as there were some things we just did not understand on the menu. the food presentation was top notch and well prepared. i have the amish chicken and it was not only presented nicely, but was juicy--even the white meat! had the octopus for an appetizer and that was quite good. my friend had a pasta which was quite tasty, so really, i conclude the food is well prepared and well presented. the ambiance is comfy and it is the the type of place you can come dressed up or in jeans. so make the reservation and go.... we were there talking til after close a bit and not once did they rush us out, so i say go, figure about 50-75/person, but make the open table reservation.

This is definitely a gem in oak park! Ambiance is lovely…read more Service was very good. Food was also very good and prices were not crazy as they tend to be in oak park. Definitely recommend it for brunch! Plenty of parking spots around.

My wife and I dined at Hoja Santa on a recent weeknight. Friends and neighbors had spoken highly of…read moreit, so our hopes were high. We were generally pleased and had a good time. VIBE: The dining room was large and rather dim, with dark wood tones. We were glad to have a window table for more light. I cannot recall if there was music playing, so that says something. It was not busy, so noise from other tables was minimal. SERVICE: our server, David, was cordial and attentive. Food was comfortably coursed and arrived at a timely pace. FOOD: We enjoyed everything. The Hoja Santa salad was fresh and delicious, with an interesting mix of ingredients. Ditto the Bruselas, highlighted by a tangy tamarind-anise glaze. The Pescado big plate was highlighted by perfectly-cooked shrimp and a tasty sauce; accompanying sea bass was OK. Wine-wise, the Incognito red blend and the Santo Tomas were inoffensive but dull (and overpriced). We enjoyed our visit, and are looking forward to returning (and hopefully enjoying better wine). @

We went back to Hoya Santa last Friday night. I'd say it's an upscale Latin restaurant serving…read moreflavorful food and well-crafted cocktails. I've been here a few times and have always enjoyed the experience. We started with cocktails, old-fashioneds for the guys and a mojito mocktail for me. The three of us shared everything we ordered. We started with an item called the Volcan, which was crispy mini quesadillas stuffed with mashed potatoes and cheese then topped with shrimp al pastor. I loved the crunch of the quesadillas against the creamy filling. Next we shared a carne asada pizza. This pizza had a perfectly thin and crispy crust topped with grilled skirt steak with a cilantro pesto sauce. So flavorful! For the main event we shared a 22oz bone-in ribeye with truffle fries. A medium rare tender and juicy steak and truffle - c'mon, need I say more? Oak Park has some of my favorite restaurants, and Hoja Santa is one.

My husband and I dined at this restaurant last month for the first time and loved it so I suggested…read moreit for a cousin's dinner last night. Divino is a family restaurant. Chef Gabriel's food is creative and delicious. His brother-in-law Jose, I believe, is the one behind the great cocktail list and making housemade aperitifs. The four of us shared two appetizers. The tuna tartare - chopped tuna on top of creamy avocado surrounded by crispy capers and quail yolk. It was served with homemade potato and vegetable chips. We also shared the goat cheese - creamy melted goat cheese sitting in a pool of tasty marinara. This was served with grilled baguette pieces. This appetizer could use more of the baguette as we ran out of bread and still had goat cheese left to enjoy. For dinner, my sister had the gnocchi with braised beef, short rib, spinach and mushrooms. I know this dish was delicious because this is what my husband ordered the first time we dined here. My two cousins had the chicken limone and said it was very good. (I have my eye on this for next time ). I opted for the branzino which was moist and served in a delicious lemon caper sauce. I would like to see a traditional pasta with marinara sauce on the menu. I think that would be a great addition for clientele who are into the traditional instead of the creative and unique. There was no room for dessert, but shots of limoncello came to the table. So sweet of Divino. Let me tell you the limoncello was amazing. Luckily, I was able to buy a bottle of this housemade limoncello. Since the four of us were raving about the limoncello, right before we walked out the door Divino gave us a tasting of the housemade pistachio cream. Omg! So smooth, creamy and divine. We enjoyed our conversations with the chef and his brother-in-law, the other owner. Great guys who care about their customers and restaurant.

Di Vino is an absolute hidden gem. The non-descript facade fools you, but once you step inside, the…read moreatmosphere is warm and welcoming. The food is excellent, and the service is great. My daughter even noticed that every single staff member wore a genuine smile. We celebrated two birthdays, and they went above and beyond by bringing out personalized plates with cake and candle for both birthday guests at the end of our meal. We ordered Crispy Octopus and Ceviche to start. Followed by Branzino Alla Aurora, Short Ribs, and Fettuccini Alfredo. All had lovely presentations and each cooked to perfection. We had a taste of each other's plate and we all agreed each dish had outstanding flavors. Simply delicious! The food exceeded all expectations. I can go on and on. Highly recommend! And we will definitely be back.

My meal, half chicken vesuvio was so flavorful and felt really homemade. The potato was the most…read morepotato potato I've had in quite some time. Beyond the food, I really like the setting of the bar. Lower than the main dining room, it feels like a space to feel ensconced with a drink in hand.

Loved the ambiance and the service. This is a great italian place for someone who doesn't just want…read morethe classic dishes, as they can do any adjustments that you want. the menu is also huge with a lot of choices, ranging from pasta to steak to seafood. what we got: pasta primavera (10/10 yums): probably one of the best pastas I have had in a while. personally, i love it when a pasta is FULL OF VEGGIES. at first, I was thinking of gettng another pasta dish and adding veggies, but then the waiter had asked me what I was looking for in a pasta dish. I told him that I wanted something with a lot of veggies and he said he would be able to just make a primavera for me. it was PERFECT. Honestly, had so many veggies that I was so happy. It had a very light garlic and olive oil sauce. you can ask for less or more veggies if you want as well, but the proportions was perfect for me. vodka rigatoni (10/10 yums): this was also AMAZING. I loved how the sauce coated each noodle, but it wasn't too saucy. The portion was also huge. The sauce wasn't too creamy and had a good tartness to it from the tomatoes. side note, there is a disclaimer at the bottom that said that the prices can vary based on market rates. my friend had gotten a steak and it ended up being $10 more than what the menu said. this is just something to keep in mind if you get something that is based on market price! will definitely be going again

Excellent, elevated Mexican fare. Maybe the best service I've ever experienced in a restaurant…read more Room is nice. Never had a bad meal there.

After attending the Candlelight Concert of the Beatles in Oak Park,we made reservations for this…read moreLatin American gem . On a Friday night it was busy! Thank goodness we had a reservation and were seated immediately. Our server Meyah was super friendly. We started with a few cocktails ..one being the Oaxacan Old Fashion..smokey and delicious. We tried their Market Ceviche which was on their Weekly Specials menu..Cured Mahi Mahi Brazilian Papaya,Tangerine Habanero sauce served with Sweet Potato chips.fresh and delicious. For our entrees we tried the Barbacoa Tacos and Blackened Fish(Tilapia) tacos. Both entrees were 21.00 for 3 tacos but no rice or beans on the side so a little pricey in my opinion. Street parking is a challenge but they do offer valet for 5.00. They have a fantastic patio that is open in the summer so we will definitely be back to enjoy a few cocktails and Latin American eats.

What a great place! Delicious food and great service…read more Amazing cocktails. Romantic. Sometimes live jazz too. Local and lots of parking. Loved it.

Ok experience. There was a funky musty smell that was borderline unpleasant. The server didn't know…read morethe menu as we would have expected and attempted to remove plates when we were clearly still eating. Not the best services Food was ok but for shrimp risotto that wasn't awesome, a shared house salad and 2 glasses of wine for $80 before tip? There are so many other amazing restaurants for same price or even less. I won't be rushing to return.

My hubby and I were looking for a place with good drinks and decided to try this place. We parked…read moreand almost passed by the place because its like a small little bar with very little signage. It was before 6pm so we were able to find a seat. I think they have seats for only 25 people so prepare to stand when it gets busy. Our bartender was Edward and he was really nice. I ordered a Tiramisu Martini and then a Porn Star Martini. They were both good, but I preferred the Porn Star one. We also ordered a Smash Burger, which was actually from Holt's, connected to this bar. That burger was tasty - brioche bun & onions = yum. The chips it came with were crunchy. The Bacon popcorn was good but way too salty for me. Im glad we found this little bar and plan on coming back in the future.

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.