Ema is special…read more It's Mediterranean with a California twist. Everything is very flavorful and each bite is memorable The pumpkin hummus was really good. It tasted almost like a pumpkin pie filling The bhel hummus was great too. With a ton of toppings. It has a citrusy flavor which was really pleasant The baba ghanoush was also incredible. Super smoky and flavorful. The pita that comes with the dips are also incredible. They've got zatar sprinkled on top The Greek salad was great. Tomatoes feta and olives with cucumber The halloumi kebab was really good. I was so full at this point I couldn't eat much but it comes with a really spicy sauce that is outstanding and also perfectly cooked basmati rice

The hot honey halloumi was easily the best dish of the night. It reminded me a lot of a nagasaki…read morebut with the added spice of the hot honey. Very complex flavors that's sweet, a little sour, creamy, and with a savory edge from the browning. We sat outside on a pleasant evening and it was a very nice patio. The wait staff were very attentive as well so no issues there. They went the extra mile of checking on food allergy issues for me multiple times. My main issue is that the appetizer - the halloumi - was the best dish. The brussels sprouts that came out were charred crisp on the outside and creamy on the insides - which is ideal - except that the flavor was very one-note. If you eat one, then every other one on the plate is pretty much just that again. The problem is that it lacked that feeling of "moreism" that you need if you're going to go with a very simple flavor profile. They tasted fine, but nothing about these made me want to just keep eating them. We also had the crispy mushrooms which likewise had a very similar issue of being one-note. This was notably better than the sprouts though because they came was a very tasty tzatziki sauce that saved the dish, but the sauce shouldn't be the star of a dish like this.

First off the customer service here is the best I've ever experienced at a sweetgreens. I ordered…read moremy normal harvest bowl with substitutions and added salmon and it was just absolutely delicious. I am a huge fan of sweetgreens. Please come and create your own adventure.

Went for a healthy food option for my son...the kid meals are super cute including the chicken,…read morehummus, and cucumbers.

Wowowow Kala lived up to all the hype I've heard about it!…read more I ordered from door dash & it was still good when it got to my apartment. The grilled veggies and shrimp were soooo good but the frozen greek yogurt stole the show. IT WAS SO GOOD. This was not fake frozen yogurt like froyo. This was legit frozen yogurt. Perfectly tart and creamy and not super sweet at all. The cherries and pistachios on top were amazing and added a saltiness that went great with the yogurt. Cannot wait to order from here again

We usually come to this neighborhood for donuts down the street but then realized that we should…read moreeat something healthy for lunch, instead of just three or four donuts. So looking at both Yelp and Google - Kala, had rock solid reviews and pics for modern Greek food!! So we were able to grab a few seats facing the sidewalk as the place was pretty full, we got two different salads with steak and chicken skewers. The steak (Souvlaki) salad comes with grilled veggies and the chicken comes with navel oranges. I would stick with the steak and order more protein so it sticks to your ribs. I would suggest adding some more lettuce to make these salads even greater....will be back here for a third visit soon :) Most recently, we picked up the souvlaki steak salad with an extra chicken skewer and that really hit the spot!!

Delicious food, gorgeous ambiance, and incredibly quick service…read more Tried the veggie burger, the sweet potato empanadas, and the key lime pie. The veggie burger was one of the best veggie burgers I have had this year. The patty was perfectly cooked and had a lovely consistency, the burger bun was not sweet (as is often the case at many restaurants), and the mango sauce slathered on the bun added an unexpected, zingy flavour. The sweet potato empanadas (three pieces) were also delicious. The key lime pie was the highlight of the meal. The crust was crisp and flakey and the key lime was zesty and not overly sweet. The portion was massive, and easily enough for three people. What I liked the most about the ambiance was the cohesiveness of the decor and a commitment to a soft, elegant coziness. The utensils had elegant Delft motifs and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were chic and understated. Service was quick and the waiter was efficient and polite. Highly recommend if you are in the Lincoln Park area, particularly for brunch.

Pick 2 lunch deal is amazing Super cute interior…read moreWant to come back for dinner Kale salad was one of the best I have ever had

Excellent food, excellent service from Gerard…read more He is definitely a people person. Thank you. We will be back!!!

True Food Kitchen was okay. I came here for a book club meeting and the setting worked, however the…read moremenu left a lot to be desired, in my opinion. I do appreciate the vision but don't like how it was executed. If I want to eat healthy, I'll eat healthy - I don't necessarily want to swap food items to make a certain plate healthier. Meaning, I'd love a slice of pumpkin pie but I don't want to swap it for squash pie (which is one of their menu items). My pizza was okay. We got our food kind of slow, but I understand that as a larger party. But my pizza wasn't too warm when it finally got to the table.

Travel is hell when you have celiac. I am sensitive to the parts per million level and one bad bite…read moreof food can keep me up all night, or send me to bed or the hotel bathroom for days. I will spare the details. I am not a gluten free trendy who has a pastry for desert; this is an issue that's followed me my whole life. Usually when trveling, I end up eating carrots, rotisserie chicken and coldcuts when my supply of hard boiled eggs runs out. Every now and then I hit the jackpot. I arrived in Chicago on a Thrusday afternoon in September and first thing, set out around the neighborhood to find a restaurant where I might be able to eat. All the usual kinds of places (naerly all of them corporate) were out of the discussion when I spotted Doc Bs at 55 E. Grand Ave. The exterior was low-key but for some reason I was drawn to it. I went in to check the place out. Usually this part of the discussion goes like a legal deposition. "What do you know, and how do you know it?" I asked for a menu; I was handed one and began to read carefully. Among other things, they offered a kind of rice bowl dish, a bit like hot poke (the Wok Out Bowl). It came with a diversity of sauces -- Curry, Sesame Teriyaki , Sweet & Spicy Thai, etc. I said, "Which of these sauces has no gluten?" "All of them," said someone named Cassandra, responding in a confident voice. She was the general manager. "Our company takes food sensitivity very seriously. We also have gluten free deep fryers." I pushed a little harder: Cassanda said she could account for every ingredient in every dish on the menu. Right away I was having a 1 in 1000 expeience. Even in the top tier of places aware of the gluten issue (which is no longer vogue), I am often saved by a server who has a clue what goes into the food. Cross-contamination is an issue; as is ignorance about product. Gluten-safe dining is usually based on a stripped down menu; and some places commit outright fraud by neglecting to mention known issues in the kitchen but still saying GF on the menu. My theory of keeping gluten out of restaurant food is **start with none, and add it only where you need it**, which is nearly in nothing. She said that's exactly what we do. My second theory of gluten free is **parity of experience**. That means that everyone at the table has an equivalent experience. The whole table does not enjoy sumptuous deserts while the GF person gets canned pears. At Doc B's I could eat anything on the menu, including French fries and chips and salsa (small, taken-for-granted pleasures by most diners). My third theory of gluten free dining is **no gluen free upcharge.** It's tacky, and adds insult to injury (especially when a GF bun or bread is subpar, as was NOT the case at Doc B's). Doc B's got 100% on all counts. That and the food was consistently excellent. I ate there seven times over five days trying many things (but having a lot of Wok Out bowls). I sent several people and brought four different friends, one of whom had such such extreme dietary restrictions he could usually order an apple. They accommodated him perfectly, with a positive attitude. And there you have it. This gets the highest possible rating from the Gluten Avenver -- seven stars. -- Eric F Coppolino

Great experience all around! We arrived for lunch on a…read moreSaturday around 12:15p and didn't think to make reservations in advance. It was packed! Luckily the window high top bar-seats were available. Not great for catching up in conversation over a meal, but it was better than the a fast food place nearby. The food was great! We had the guacamole as an appetizer - if you don't like cilantro - you will want to avoid it. It was an interesting appetizer, as it came with sweet potato chips. Both were good...not sure it pairs well. (I saved the guacamole for my burger) I had the wedge burger, primarily for the egg. It was great! The burger was perfectly cooked as was the sunny side up egg. I ordered it with a side of fries. Perfectly cooked fries. They give huge portions. I was able to share with my friends. I ordered a cranberry and tonic for a beverage. It was great, however, they served it in a "bar" glass, so it was not a lot of liquid. I had to order two. I prefer pint glasses for non-alcohol beverages. Tasted great, just needed more. Prices are reasonable for a city restaurant. Without tip for 4 adults, 4 entrees and 1 appetizer and soda-water beverages. It came to about $130. Parking...If you can walk or take a ride share. It's the city and parking options aren't great.

A birthday weekend that I'm truly enjoying! My wife has this whole weekend planned out for my…read morebirthday. I'm being surprised left and right, we came here for breakfast. Shoutout to Maddy for being a great host! Recommend you ask for her area! Good food! My wife had the Belgian Waffles with cinnamon, strawberries, and Mango, Pineapple, & orange drink. I had the eggs your way, egg white scrambled with cinnamon bacon and mimosa for the drink. Finished it off with a chocolate chunk (chocolate chip cookie) to set off my birthday breakfast the right way! I love Chicago and this is the first time I've ever been to this establishment. Great service, good food, and amazing vibe!

I had a pretty terrible experience eating here due to the kitchen's complete lack of ability to…read moredeal with my mild walnut allergy in any sane capacity. I ordered the Korean Fried Chicken tenders which is supposed to come with sesame ginger slaw, cashew, picked red fresno, and gochujiang honey mustard. I made it very clear that my allergy is specific to walnuts and is not dangerous but I do avoid eating them. Apparently they were unable to understand this or come up with anything resembling a solution, so they sent out a plate that was just 3 chicken tenders and some honey mustard, simply leaving the rest of the dish off. The chicken tenders themselves were overcooked and disappointing - but the main problem is that this isn't an entree. The idea that any chef looked at that plate and thought "yeah, we can send that out" absolutely blows my mind. $20 for 3 chicken tenders and some honey mustard. They are out of their minds. The waitress didn't even bother to tell me that my dish would be affected due to allergies (which didn't even apply here, I'm not allergic to cashews at all) as I would have either explained the situation or ordered something else. I'm sure most people have a fine time eating here, but this was the most amateur-hour handling of a food allergy I've ever seen and it ruined a dinner I had been looking forward to. This was a failure on every level by both the wait staff and the kitchen. I'm curious if I had a gluten allergy as well if they'd have just brought me a plate with nothing but a cup of honey mustard on it.

There's a The Smith locally but I've never been but that may change soon. This was a nice…read moreexperience. I got 2 drinks: the hibiscus ice tea and the cucumber mule. Both were pretty good the cucumber mule was my favorite. They use the good ginger beer. They made a kale salad with dijon vinaigrette for me. Wonderful. The beef short rib was immaculate. The salmon was ok. Needed more acidity but the crisp was phenomenal.

Our visit to The Smith was really delicious! We found this place on Resy and it was close to our…read morehotel/ within walking distance. Super welcoming staff and I loved the vibe, super bright and open with really cool lighting and shelving behind the bar. The floor tile was really cool too, modern and comfortable. They had a great special going on for World Cup, a burger and glass of prosecco for $18! My kind of girl dinner :) burger came with fries and was super delicious. Cooked perfectly. We also had some burrata which wad delicious as well. We had a great time- check them out!

I was walking to my friend's condo the other day when I was so happy to discover a Mendocino Farms…read morenearby! The last time I had eaten here was in San Diego, so I was excited to enjoy their food again. I ordered the Lemon Chicken & Farro Soup, and it was so delicious that I ended up taking a bowl home to enjoy for lunch later in the week. For lunch, I also ordered the Fajita Steak Salad, and while there was a delay in getting my order, the fabulous Maya apologized profusely for the wait and even sent me home with an extra cup of soup. Talk about great customer service! When my salad finally arrived, I was blown away by the portion size. It was HUGE! I could only eat so much, so I ended up taking the rest home for dinner. Between the fresh ingredients, flavorful steak, and delicious dressing, this salad was an easy five-star meal! There are so many great options on the menu that you really can't go wrong. Between the delicious food and the outstanding hospitality from Maya and her team, this Mendocino Farms made a fantastic impression.

I came in with low expectations after walking past this place so many times, but everything was…read moregenuinely so good. The service was also amazing. 10/10. You order at the counter, but the server gave me recommendations and told me about the restaurant's history. They even let me sample their homemade juices and the green juice was so good. You can tell they actually care about the customer experience. Chen's Crispy Rice Salad was so good, especially the miso sesame dressing. It was savory with a nice crunch from the crispy wontons. 8.5/10. The Seasonal Goat salad was genuinely one of the best salads I've ever had. 9.5/10. Super light and refreshing, with sweetness from the Pink Lady apples and dried cranberries. It reminded me of Chick-fil-A's Market Salad, but the roasted almonds took it to another level. So satisfying and I'm already craving it again. Vibes are super casual, so this is definitely going into my rotation.

We were visiting the Chicago area and had to try the local brewery scene. Crushed by Giants was…read morewithin walking distance from the hotel and was an obvious choice. It was upstairs in the building and had a great brewery vibe - laid back and fun. The decor had a big giant furry creature (the giant from the name) doing all kinds of different things like climbing buildings and posing with farmers, such a great touch! There was a bar to sit at when you first walked in and there seemed to be lots of locals, which is always a great sign. I was hungry so we decided to get a table. The server was friendly and I was so excited when I saw they had flights! I love flights because you can try lots of different beers in one sitting. They also had traditional bar snacks like wings and nachos and other sandwiches including hamburgers. It all looked good but I was feeling a salad and had the chopped salad. It was fresh and filling. Paid with my beer flight, it was a great experience! I would definitely recommend Crushed by Giants for a beer and some snacks!

--Location/Parking-- Located in the heart of River North on…read morethe 2nd floor below the AMC theater. Parking is in nearby street parking on parking structures. --Ambience-- Cool middle bar setup with vinyl glossy wood tables. Great bar set up, but we chose the dining room table. --Service/Staff-- Bartenders were quick in getting the drinks out. Our server was great in letting us know what was on tap and when last calls was. --Products-- Got the neon on tap and my friends got the flight of beers. Good selection of beers to choose from --Capacity-- Inside the dining room can hold about 40-50 people and the bar area can hold about 25 people. --Overall-- Looking forward to return to try out their other items on tap.