I LOVED my meal here! Ēma (Ay-mah) brings some glamour and glitz to the Mediterranean dining scene,…read morewith an airy, elevated hotel-lobby feel that still doesn't demand a dress code. Dresscode: Smart Casual / Casual Noise Level: Medium (it gets buzzy after 5:30pm) Thursday night Happy Hour was lively, so it took about 10-15 minutes for someone to come around, but service was attentive once we got going. The food is where Ēma really shines. From the Happy Hour menu, the Charred Eggplant Hummus and Crispy Potatoes were generously portioned and great for sharing. On the main menu, the Indian-Mediterranean fusion Bhel Hummus was a party for my taste buds, while the Hot Honey Halloumi and Chicken Kefta rounded out the table nicely. The halloumi is more of a side than a main, but that sweet-and-salty hot honey combo was chef's kiss. For our finisher, the Chocolate Torte knocked us out. Decadent, delicious and chocolate with lots of depth. Overall, Ēma is an excellent spot to order a bunch of dishes for the table and get an elevated meal without feeling stuffy, and delicious without taking itself too seriously. DO's: - Make a reservation ahead, especially for happy hour 4-6pm - Treat apps like small plates, order 2-3 to sample - Entertain their wine list, they have a lot! - Bring vegetarians here, there are plenty of options DON'Ts: - Dismiss the desert menu. It's fantastic and shareable! - Forget to ask for extra pita with the hummus! - Miss out on the LettuceEats loyalty points (check-in with your server before paying your check)

Mixed feelings on this place. Really pretty decor and nice vibe, but portions have greatly…read moredecreased in the last few years. The food is good, but I don't like that the portions have gotten smaller with the price staying the same. I've added pictures to show the difference. Their spicy hummus is probably my favorite hummus I've gotten from a restaurant, but it isn't always on the menu. The Kefta kabob is always good.

Great spot in Chicago. The food had amazing flavors, the space was beautiful, and the overall…read moreexperience felt special without being too formal. A place I'd gladly visit again.

Ambiance was great, food was quite good, and service was good. I recommend for the ambiance…read moreespecially, since the decor is so nice!

The steak melted in my mouth and was paired so well with the sauce…read more Tiramisu was a must-try! It was so flavorful, the chefs know what they are doing. Glad we discovered this restaurant!

Wow, oh wow... the food was AMAZING! I was especially impressed with the pork AND seafood…read more The pork belly was so good, the two of us devoured it in less than a minute. If you're hungry, try the potato gnocchi. The pork ragu was so rich and delicious. The pork is tender, and the gnocchi was creamy and filling. I also recommend the Spanish Octopus and the Roasted Bone Marrow. Service was excellent. They had 2 dedicated food runners so that everyone receives their food as soon as humanly possible. Everything is served tapas style, so food goes out as soon as each plate is ready vs waiting for the entire table's meals to go out at the same time. Ambiance is modern and casual even though the food tasted like I should have dressed nicer.

Came for happy hour with a group of people and it was the perfect place for it. They have three…read moresangrias on happy hour (red, white, cava) which are $5 a glass and I definitely recommend getting one! They also have other beverages on the happy hour menu if that's not your thing. I loved the options for food on the happy hour menu, they have your classic tapas including the patatas bravas which were perfection. You can also order singular deviled eggs, chorizo wrapped dates, and sliders which I think is such a great option and something I don't see many places doing. There is a large amount of space inside the restaurant and outside on their patio. The decor is fun and interesting and our server (despite bartending at the same time) was so great the entire night. Definitely recommend stopping by for happy hour or otherwise!

Great cocktails, tapas, and service. We came here for our anniversary dinner with our kids. We've…read morebeen to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba before, and this is very similar, just smaller. Same great menu. We ordered a bunch of tapas and everything was great. The only issue was water dripping from the ceiling onto our table. We told the staff and they moved us, but it was still dripping and ended up on my husband's shoulder. There was also a group next to us getting dripped on too. It definitely put a little damper on the night since we were worried it would drip onto our food or drinks. The restaurant was very nice about it and comped the three desserts we ordered. The Basque cheesecake is my favorite! Cute spot with good food so would come back again.

If I were to pick one bar to go to every time I'm in Chicago it would be Arbella! Drinks were…read moreabsolutely phenomenal. Everyone enjoyed their drinks and they had a fun menu by the chef and we ordered off of both menus. Drinks were reasonably priced. Bartenders were great and explained what was going on. They were chill and the booths were comfortable. They had music on but not too loud so we could converse comfortably. Best bar I've been to in the city! Also wish I had taken picture of all the drinks.

October 1, 2026 TL;DR: Arbella was this close to a five-star…read moredate-night experience. The atmosphere was fantastic, our server struck the perfect balance between attentive and giving us space, and both cocktails I tried were creative and delicious. The truffle fries were pretty mediocre, but even that wouldn't have stopped me from giving Arbella five stars. What did? Discovering afterward that a 5% "service charge" had been added to the bill. I really dislike this growing practice of restaurants and bars adding percentage-based fees rather than simply pricing their menu accordingly, and it was enough to cost an otherwise excellent experience two stars. Ambiance: 5/5 Arbella absolutely nails the atmosphere. I came here on a date, and it was a great choice for that. The music was good, the lighting and decor created a really intimate vibe, and our booth was comfortable enough that we could settle in and actually enjoy the evening. There was energy in the room without it being so loud or overwhelming that we couldn't have a conversation. Even the menu design and presentation fit the experience. If you're looking for somewhere that feels elevated, interesting, and still comfortable for a date, Arbella definitely checks those boxes. Service: 5/5 Our server was fantastic. This was one of those rare occasions where someone found exactly the right balance between being attentive and not constantly interrupting our date. We never felt forgotten about, but we also had plenty of space to enjoy ourselves and talk. I especially appreciated the recommendations. Whenever we had a question or wanted guidance on what to order, our server was knowledgeable and genuinely helpful rather than simply pushing something on the menu. Excellent service from beginning to end. Drinks & Food: 4/5 The cocktails were easily the highlight. I tried the First You Take The Graham and the Trankilo Melon, and both were really good while also being different enough from what I would normally order to make the experience more memorable. This is exactly what I want from a cocktail bar: drinks that make me curious enough to try something new and then actually deliver. The truffle fries, however, were mid at best. They weren't terrible, but compared with how impressive everything else felt, they were forgettable. I'd absolutely come back for the cocktails, but I'd choose something different to eat next time. About That 5% Service Charge... This is unfortunately where Arbella lost me, and ultimately why I cannot give the experience five stars. I didn't notice until reviewing my bill afterward that a 5% service charge had been added. I strongly dislike this increasingly common practice of restaurants and bars adding percentage-based fees to the bill. If operating costs have increased, I would much rather an establishment incorporate those costs transparently into its menu prices so I know what I'm agreeing to pay when I order. Calling it a "service charge" also creates unnecessary confusion, particularly when customers are still expected to decide what to tip their server. At a cocktail-focused establishment, where you may be ordering multiple drinks throughout an evening rather than paying attention to every line of the check, I think fees like this need to be extremely clear and prominent before ordering, not something a customer discovers afterward. For me, it feels like an extra charge for simply using the establishment in exactly the way it was intended to be used. Overall: 4/5 The frustrating part is that without the service charge, this probably would have been a five-star review. Arbella gave us a genuinely great date night: beautiful atmosphere, excellent service, creative cocktails, and a space I otherwise would have happily recommended and returned to. Instead, that 5% fee left a sour final impression on what had been an excellent evening. It may seem small, but transparency around pricing matters to me. Arbella did so much right that I want to come back, but the service charge is significant enough that I would think twice before doing so.

Coming here for brunch has become a weekend routine. I've tried everything on the menu at this…read morepoint and have enjoyed everything! Reservations aren't required, but recommended, especially for dinner, as slots fill up way in advance.

I really wanted to like Girl & the Goat, but unfortunately the food felt incredibly repetitive. If…read moreyou like sesame seeds, soy sauce, oil, jalapeños, and lots of nuts, you'll probably enjoy it because those ingredients seemed to make an appearance in almost everything we ordered. The same flavors showed up on the steak, the beets, the cornbread, and even the aguachile. There were also so many nuts incorporated throughout the dishes that it became difficult to appreciate the individual ingredients. To be fair, it's not that these flavor combinations were necessarily bad. The problem was that they were used so heavily that they completely overshadowed the actual food. If I order steak, I want to taste the steak. If I order beets, I want to taste the beets. Instead, everything seemed to be competing with the same strong combination of salty, oily, spicy, nutty, and sesame-forward flavors. I can appreciate creativity, but when every dish has such similar toppings and seasonings, the meal starts to feel one-note. Given the reputation of the restaurant, I expected the individual ingredients to shine a lot more.

Stopped in for dinner before a show at the Chicago Theater and highly enjoyed it. Service was…read moreprompt and our server Arianna rounded on our table often. She kept the drinks refilled quickly and had great special recommendations. We had a couple of the daily specials which were amazing. My favorite was the Piñones con Mariscos - the octopus, scallops and shrimp were so flavorful! Our favs were the tostada con Pato (duck), Queso de Cabra, and Pipirrana de Buey. The steak melted in your mouth and the duck was smokey and the confit was creamy and delicious. I was surprised by the boar sausage with sweet potato puree (Salchicha de Jabali) but in a really great way. The texture was good and the combination of sweet and savory was excellent. The inside had great low lighting and a chill vibe. The bathrooms were very clean which was also very nice to see (they had mouth wash in there too)! The complimentary valet was so efficient we had just made it towards the door and already saw our car pulling up - before we even asked for them to bring it. I was honestly really impressed haha Would definitely recommend this location along with any/all of these dishes.

The food here is absolutely delicious! I was impressed with the Remolacha (beet salad) and the…read moreChuleta de Cerdo. Table next to me got paella and I will definitely be back for that. Service was friendly but a little slow. I had to wait for the host for more than 5min and for the waiter as well once I got seated. Could be that I was solo dining but overall too long of a wait time in my opinion. It's a lovely location and I sat indoors where there was a live musician which created a Spanish plaza vibe. I recommend dining here!

Great vibes Cool interior and staff was so kind…read moreGreat place to come and share a bunch of small dishes Free birthday treat! Must order: white sangria and iberico croquettas

I came from Southern CA last weekend to host a private 70th birthday party (for myself!) with 20…read morefriends from near and far. Picked Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba because it was my old haunt some 30 years ago! It's still wonderful! Maybe more so. Food, staff and ambiance (of the intimate Toledo Room) were outstanding. My guests loved everything! Especially the sangria, the gazpacho shooters, bacon wrapped dates, filet skewers with horseradish, shrimp. It was a wonderful experience and a fun, fun night. Special thanks to event manager Emily who did great helping me plan from way across the country.

My roommate and I came to Figo to celebrate our first week of work and it did not disappoint! We…read moreordered two glasses of white wine, an order of two types of cheese (hard and soft), the burrata, the meatballs, and the tuna crudo. Our waitress was very sweet and made our experience amazing. Will definitely be back because the atmosphere of the restaurant was perfect for a nice dinner

In an area packed with casual food spots, Figo is spicing things up! It's upscale but not…read morepretentious- perfect for meeting up with friends when you want to feel a little fancy without going through hoops getting ready. The staff was super attentive and kind, checking on us frequently. My friend and I stopped by for happy hour, and this should absolutely make it onto the list of the best in town. They have delicious wine, cocktails, and bites for nearly half of the regular price. I opted for the happy hour prosecco to drink, which was light-bodied and not too sweet. We split the meatballs and dates for bites and both were outstanding. I was super impressed with how tender the meatballs were, and they did not skimp on the flavorful marinara and cheese! The dates, which were topped with a white wine cheese sauce, were mouth-wateringly delicious and a must order. There was also complimentary focaccia with olive oil, which was greatly appreciated. With sea salt on top and a crispy exterior, I could easily have eaten a whole loaf. The only note I have is that the portions are small, so if you don't come during happy hour the prices are a bit steep for what you get. Will 100% be back soon to try more of the menu and highly recommend making the trek over here!

We came here to celebrate Father's Day. Everything was delicious!!!! Three of us got a burger and…read moreit was out of this world! The cocktails were deelish too. They have an extensive beer menu as well. I had the strawberry margarita and they weren't scrimpy with the tequila. They also offer a brunch menu. The service was fantastic! We will definitely go back!!!

Decent beers, the brewery has a lot of potential but feels somewhat given up on. Cool space but…read morecould use some cleaning and attention. Menu looks decent for food.