Came here with a friend to play some pickleball and grab a bite to eat. The pickleball courts are…read moreso nicely done, multiple courts to host many games at once & fenced in with benches around. The food was also delicious, we both got a salad (can't remember which ones) and the cheese curds. Staff was so nice, overall definitely recommend as a country club to be a part of!

I was at the Oak Park Country Club for the first time last night to attend the Thrive Counseling…read moreAnnual Benefit. I have lived in Oak Park for 25 years, but never had the opportunity to visit, so this was nice. I parked near the gate and walked the drive to the main building. Lovely space, so spacious and full of light. You have to navigate a flight of steps to the main area, but I think there must be an elevator somewhere, hopefully, as not all of the guests could manage steps. The food was fabulous and the service was super, too. Everyone was super friendly and attentive and I enjoyed the evening so much. It was really loud, for sure, but that is not on OPCC as I am sure they don't handle the sound and a room full of 200-300 people chatting while a DJ was playing can get noisy. Beautiful night. Well done, Oak Park Country Club.

I was looking for a fun place to have my daughter's 5th birthday and found the RFCC on Yelp. The…read moreprice was reasonable for everything it included. We got the package that included the pizza, birthday cake and goodie bags. This package included juice and ice cream, table cloths and even a balloon for each child. My kids loved the play land and the kids seemed happy and busy enough. The person in charge of our party was Jean. Jean was amazing!!!!! She led that party like an expert. After the kids played in the play land Jean took them into another room to play some games using the parachute. They play a game of "popcorn" and they sang a song about farm animals. At the end of all that fun my daughter got to sit in the middle of the parachute and pretend she was on a flying carpet! It was so beautiful and she loved it. After the parachute activities, the kids were led to the bathroom to wash their hands and then back to the party room to have some pizza and juice. After they ate the kids were allowed to play a little bit more in the play land. Finally Jean called them out and had them grab their shoes and head back to the table for cake and ice cream. The cake was beautiful and enough for 20 kids. They even had 5 candles for the cake. When the party was over Jean gave the kids a goodie bag and a balloon as they were leaving! She was amazing. The most stress free party in the history of birthday parties. Worth every penny!

This is an event space family, friends, and I have been using for years. I actually had a…read moregraduation party here back in 1999 from 8th grade. HA!!! More recently, I was here for my best friends baby shower. Pleasant experience like I always remember. Very big and nice space. Plenty of event rooms with stair and elevator access. Front office is very helpful and there is always someone on staff to assist with anything needed. Event rooms have full kitchens which is great. Tables are provided - another huge plus. Also when you party is over you aren't rushed and kicked out! There is parking in their lot or on the streets. It's also located in a safe area. The community center hosts other events that I will definitely check out as well. Reasonable prices and clean, big space make this an awesome event choice.

Event was beautiful!! You can tell Linda carefully thought of every detail when it came to artwork…read morein the venue and the day of the event. I would definitely recommend for any event. We had a bridal shower on the first floor and it was perfect for the 50 guests that attended. The staff were great too and very accommodating! I got the tour of the upstairs and also has rooms to rent, 2nd floor event space along with a rooftop.

As an event space... as a local establishment... as a part of this thing we call society... Foundry…read moreFP stands strongly above all others. If you have a small-to-mid-sized event to host then I strongly encourage you to have it here. We came for a friend's birthday party and had an absolute blast. The main (ground floor) room offered exactly what was needed for the gathering: ample space to mingle, a central bar, a plethora of places to sit, a clean bathroom, amazing food, and an even more amazing staff. (I also heard the upstairs is really cool but didn't get a look for myself) Our group was not large, and not particularly rowdy*, but the space and the level of service made it feel much more intimate. From the moment we walked in the door we felt warmly welcomed by everyone. The bartender made quick work of all drink orders and the serving of the food was perfectly timed. Speaking of the food: wow. It was DELICIOUS! I had three full plates myself. And I took some leftovers home. Incredible edibles! But another word about the staff, because they really made this whole experience... not only were they friendly but they were Johnny On The Spot with cleaning everything up. No plate was left for more than a minute without being scooped up and no drink was left spilled either. Additionally, towards the end of the night, *someone had had just a bit too much fun but the staff was totally cool and completely helpful. They are top notch. As you can tell, I can go on and on. But I'll stop here and close with: Have your next event here, you will not regret it!

This event space was absolutely beautiful and Dan was amazing and so helpful as we hosted our…read moreMothers 75th Birthday celebration, I would highly recommend this event space. Thanks Dan for everything.

The long Island tea were watered down from the bar!! The Spot was very clean and beautiful.The…read moredrinks were lousy.

My mother turned 50 years old and I wanted to celebrate her birthday somewhere where we could have…read moredinner and then dance. Ella's Banquet was the perfect venue for the occasion to accommodate 100 guests. I had the catering delivered and the live bands ready. My mother was so happy with the event. This newly remodeled venue has great air conditioning, which was important during one of Chicago's hottest summer days. The staff was friendly and professional. Tony, the owner of the venue, was always making sure everything ran smoothly and took great care of us. My mother was pleased with his humbleness and customer service. The venue has free parking that is easily accessible. I also hired a sound technician for the live bands. We were able to fit a band of 15 members at a time. The sound technician did an amazing job and the live music kept everyone on the dance floor. This is the perfect venue to celebrate with a 100 guests.

We heard about the Candlelight Concerts on social media so we decided to go for a Friday Beatles…read moreconcert in Oak Park. We went for the early show (430pm) and it was only about half full. You buy tickets in advance by zone..A,B,C. We purchased the C zone which was just fine. Seating is open in each zone and the sound was perfect. The string quartet were very talented musicians that played about 15 Beatles songs in a little over an hour. There was no intermission and no food or drink options. Parking can be a challenge in the area as it is mainly street parking. There are 6 different locations thru out the Chicagoland area for this unique one of a kind concert played by flickering candlelight.

A nice auditorium that host a variety of Candlelight Concert performance, cultural events and…read moredifferent exhibitions. The architectural of this building has a unique and 20th Century vibe. I came here on tonight for the Fever Candlelight Christmas Pop Classic Concert. Beautiful decorations for the Holiday's. LED candles brightly lit on stage and around the the auditorium. I enjoyed the performances from varieties of Christmas Songs. Magical, stunning and intimate ambiance. The ushers were nice and escorted everyone to their seating Zone. The seats were hard and a bit uncomfortable. FYI - Out of respect for others to enjoy the show and to the performers. There is no recording or taking pictures during the performance. But, towards the end of the show, they will announce you can record. There is street meter parking along Lake Street in Oak Park. The quartet was phenomenal.

Open on Thursdays from 11-4. As of April 2024, they accept a modest entrance of $2 or canned food…read morefor the food pantry per person.

I visited Chicago this past weekend with some family and friends, and it turned out to be a very…read morearchitecture-heavy trip. We decided to stop by Pleasant Home since we were in Oak Park for a tour of (you guessed it) the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Pleasant Home was a bit of a disappointment for us, but it was probably partly our fault. I was dragging our group around to look at historic buildings all weekend, and I was a bit worried the two people less interested in architecture were beginning to get bored. When we arrived at Pleasant Home, I saw they offered guided and self-guided tours. Because I was worried a long tour might be the breaking point for two of our group, we opted for the self-guided to keep it a bit shorter. What I didn't realize is that if you do the self-guided tour, you are limited to the bottom floor of the home. You are given a single laminated sheet of paper with the floor plan and some very basic information about the house. On top of that, the bottom floor of the house has no furniture in it (with a couple of exceptions - two tables maybe?). So, while the price for the self-guided tour was reasonable (only $5 per person), you basically have access to five or so rooms with no furniture in them. We were in and out in about 15 minutes. The house is beautiful (although the lighting seemed very low, making the house appear very dark), but I cannot recommend a self-guided tour. If you're interested in the house, pay the extra $5 and arrive on the hour for a guided tour. You'll get to go upstairs and learn more about the house than what is on the laminated floor plan guide. It might be a wonderful guided tour, I can only say that the self-guided tour option is not worth doing.

This is a restaurant my girlfriend frequents as she's a huge fan of their martini selection. I'm…read morenot a huge martini person myself, but their javatina - available in DECAF!!! - is phenomenal. Also, yes I realize it's weird to 'yell' Decaf since we should be calmer without caffeine - but it's great they offer that option! I ordered the Chicken De Luca which was good and cooked very well. It could've used a bit more seasoning though. We also got the fried polenta calamari which was great as well - the sauce with it definitely helped. We also got the Chopped Caprese and the Pizza Abruzzo which were both very good. Crust on the pizza was nice and crispy. The service was great and while I wasn't drinking, the smoked Old Fashioned looked delicious!

Had the pleasure of eating at caffe De Luca on Saturday evening and what a great experience it was!…read more The drinks, the food, the service, the environment...were all spot on! I had the sausage & peppers, and I must say, they were the best I have ever had. Had the pleasure of having the General Manager Jacinto as my bartender and server! He was great, as was the entire caffe De Luca service team! If you're anywhere near Forest Park, this is a MUST TRY! Great Job caffe De Luca!!!

Got married here in May 2015…read more The price is great, Poppy and co are fantastic event planners, and the new green house is great! Apparently the bathroom broke down during the wedding, and I never knew once! The house is beautiful and great for pictures. I must warn everyone though, be careful of the weather; we had an early May wedding and it was 55 degrees. People did not want to spend as much time outside as a result :(.

I chose this venue because of its historic charm and unique character, and while it is beautiful,…read morethe amount of stress, anxiety, and sleepless nights it caused was honestly not worth it. To start, they are extremely rigid with their list of "preferred vendors," and despite claiming to have great relationships with them, it quickly became clear those relationships are more about kickbacks than quality coordination. The tent vendor situation was particularly frustrating. I was pushed to use their recommended provider, only to find out -- too late -- that the venue had no clue about that vendor's logistical requirements. Despite repeatedly telling them that I was planning an outdoor reception, they gave me a laughably short two-hour setup window, expecting a tent, full décor, catering, and everything else to be ready in that time. Totally unrealistic. They eventually allowed just the tent to be set up earlier. Worse, the staff seemed to have no shared understanding of the venue's rules. I have emails where different team members contradict each other -- on major things like setup times and allowed equipment. And don't get me started on the DJ and music restrictions. They stressed everything had to be battery-operated, yet still managed to ban battery-operated sparklers for being a fire hazard? It just didn't make any sense. Communication was also a nightmare. I called multiple times about different issues such as renting heaters -- no answer. I would try to call during work hours. Emails are the only form of communication they respond to. Then on the day of the wedding, they emailed me saying they turned the heaters away. During the event, things only got worse. We had a mariachi singer (not a full band) performing at 6 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend, and were repeatedly harassed by staff about noise complaints -- even during speeches. Yes, the manager literally came up to me, the bride, mid-speech, to tell me neighbors were threatening to call the police. I kept wondering, is this their first wedding ever? The mic wasn't even loud. The venue could be great -- but only for small, intimate weddings, maybe under 60 guests. Anything larger becomes way too complicated. The interior lacks a proper dance floor, and their "ideal flow" of food inside/dancing outside doesn't really work. You'll spend the whole night shuffling people and plates. Constructive feedback: Train your staff consistently so they all understand -- and communicate -- the same rules. Be upfront about what's feasible for outdoor events. And if you're going to force couples into using preferred vendors, at least be informed about what those vendors need. In short: gorgeous place, but unless your wedding is small and you're okay following their every (often unclear) rule, be prepared for a bumpy ride. I did love my wedding, but be mindful it costs me way more (outside vendors, additional hours) to put it together. I lost lots of items in their lightning speed clean up requirement.