1 word. Phenomenal…read more Wow. I loved this place. Their fries are fantastic. They had a nice seasoning to them. The drink was great. Next time I need to try the sharable drinks.

amazing tiki themed bar located in an alley!! for big groups…read morei recommend reserving a table in advance because it gets super packed! our group of 5 people were seated promptly after ID check & checking in with the host. you get teleported to 2 flights down stairs into a cool, dimly lit tiki bar. FOOD: -firecracker popcorn chicken: great snack to munch on & it came with a sweet tangy sauce. -golden waffle fries: my favorite snack we got for the night to munch on - it came with 3 sauces & a bigger portion than expected!! this with the popcorn chicken was the perfect amount of food for our group of 5 for light snacking with our cocktails COCKTAILS: -mystic lamp: i got the mystic lamp & it was really tasty! despite being 2 skull signs on the menu (which indicates how strong the alcohol is) - i didn't feel like the liquor taste was strong at all. -black magic: this one was 2 skull signs for alcohol strength too & i tasted the liquor WAYY more than mystic lamp. -strawberry junglebird: interestingly enough, this was the least strong according to the menu but the rum taste definitely lingered after.

I loved Nancy! She gave me good recommendations and took great care of me! Love her! She was so cuteread more

What a cute space!! I believe this is a hidden speakeasy but it's not too hard to get to. They have…read morea fun and inexpensive happy hour that extends weekends too! The guacamole was tasty and I enjoyed the marg!

Friendly and lively dive bar (4/5 Green Stars) Waiting for…read moretake-out from nearby Lou Malnati's, we wandered into Rossi's for a quick drink. It's a reasonably-priced busy dive bar in the heart of Chicago. I asked the bartender if she had a beer + shot deal and she said "no, but you can order a beer and shot." And so we did! Noise level is fairly high, thanks to a lively crowd plus a jukebox. They don't normally serve food but I think are fine with customers bringing in your own food, and you can also place an order from a nearby restaurant (I don't recall which one). And yes, it's cash only so bring some money if you don't want to pay ATM fees! 4 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact. I like bars that allow customers to bring (or order) their own food - it allows for all diets! The one thing I'd like to see is more beer on tap - even just one good rotating local beer (e.g., Goose Island). Draft beer has smaller environmental footprints compared to bottled or canned.

Recently stopped by Rossi's Liquors and this place is the definition of a dive bar, in the most…read moreauthentic way possible. After a quick ID check at the door, the bouncer let us know it's cash only (thankfully we came prepared). From the moment we walked in, dim lighting, loud music, and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds gave the vibe of a full-on frat party, but not in a bad way. It's chaotic, energetic, and unapologetically no-frills. There's even a self-serve cooler with drink prices clearly listed underneath. I grabbed a Sapporo Premium, brought it to the counter, and our friendly bartender broke our change and offered a chilled glass to pour it into. Simple and efficient. That said, it was loud, so loud that even whispering-distance conversations were a struggle. The space is small, seating is limited, and since we couldn't snag a spot, we ended up leaving shortly after finishing our drinks. This feels like a better weekday hang than a packed weekend night. Still, if you're looking for a classic, gritty, no-frills dive experience, Rossi's delivers exactly that.

Awesome drinks and great vibe. Very busy but in the good way. Food was classic and fun.read more

This is exactly how I want a cocktail bar to feel. Low lighting, comfy booths, and drinks that are…read moreboth pretty and actually good. Perfect for an intimate hang or just sitting and talking for hours. Service was fine, nothing standout, but it didn't take away from the experience. Food was surprisingly solid. The Crab Rangoon dip was the highlight for me, super creamy and addictive 9/10. The Wagyu steak frites were good, simple and cooked right, just not super memorable 7.5/10. Drinks were the real win here. The White Russian was super creamy and smooth, dessert-like 9/10. The Grasshopper tasted like straight mint ice cream in a glass, which was unexpected but still good 7/10. Nitro stout ale was fine. The chocolate fudge cake was rich and solid, just a bit too sweet by the end 7.5/10. Overall, super good value for $12 cocktails and a really easy spot to hang out and stay awhile.

It was so cold at the Bears game that we decided to find somewhere inside to watch it and Barstool…read morewas a great choice for that. I like it when bars play the game sound instead of music when the game is on. The mozzarella sticks were awesome too.

This place, without a doubt, has the GOAT Buffalo Chicken Dip--it is the best I have ever tasted…read moreand is a mandatory order. The bar delivers on every front: they offer great drinks and generous pours, the atmosphere is fantastic with engaging live music, and the entire staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. If you're looking for the perfect place for a game day or just a great night out, this is it!

Our family ate dinner here in April and were very impressed with the quality of the food and the…read moreservice. We had the empanadas to start and then the short ribs, a burger, halibut, and lamb birria pierogies. Everything was delicious, beautifully spiced and elegantly presented. Honestly, the ambiance was a bit loud for us, but our server was extremely helpful and moved us away from a table with one incredibly boisterous fellow. They did so discreetly and quickly and our experience was much improved as a result. The restaurant itself is lovely, with beautiful decor and lighting.

Very cute interior, great service, lively atmosphere, definitely hit the mark on elevated casual…read more We were able to get dinner reservations on the day of. For parking you definitely should use Spothero or ParkWhiz, as it's in a very busy/lively part of River North. We loved meeting the owner who was chatting with and checking on guests in the dining room. The menu was really creative and sounded amazing, totally up my alley, so was super excited to try Ila's out for the first time. Unfortunately, and it pains me to say this, but the food itself was a miss for me, and the prices felt steep for the portions. We ordered the empanada duo, grilled scallops, birria lamb pierogis, and sweet corn agnolotti, then the Japanese cheesecake and drip coffee. The positives were that everything tasted fresh, and the flavors of the dishes were good ~ especially the empanadas, scallops, and agnolotti. The main issue was the texture of some of the foods. Other than the empanada (which had a great texture and flavor), the agnolotti and pierogi dough were not right ~ thick, rubbery, and dry, which was exacerbated by not having enough consommé for the pierogis. And the coffee - it honestly tasted like Folgers (though I'll give them the benefit of the doubt) - which took me aback as it was a $7 drip coffee. I'm not discounting Ila's and I truly wish them success. But I think there's some work to be done in terms of execution.

Theres no lack of words, but, for what can manifest, it's incredible! Take a friend, take a date,…read moreenjoy the journey. I will say that drinks are heavily dependent on the person and their mood, but Matt is A+. I said "Take me on a journey" and he walked me through clarified toasted coconut, spirit-forward rum quality, to a crunchy shaved melon masterpiece. I'm terrified to come back and not experience the same thing. Great work!

This tiki bar is small, intimate, and dark. Perfect for a date night. The entrance is in an…read morealleyway, which can be hard to find. I made a reservation, but still had to wait a few minutes. The reservation is $15 per person that applies towards the bill. I didn't like that there was a restaurant surcharge of 3.5% on the bill when the food and drinks are already pricey. Service was a bit slow since there was only one bartender, but she was very friendly. Rum Punch (3/5): not overly sweet, strong, tasted watered down Three Dots and a Dash (2/5): my least favorite drink, citrusy, came in a cool cup Prime Skirt Steak Skewers (4/5): flavorful, juicy, seasoned well I've been to many tiki bars that have amazing drinks, but none of the drinks here stood out to me. It was nice to try once, but I won't be back.

This bar is perfectly located on the lobby floor of the Springhill Suites…read more It doesn't have a lot of food options but what it does offer, is pretty good. We started with a regular and a Strawberry Mint Mule. We also ordered the Chicken Quesadillas. Nice portion, shared by 2. Perfect last stop of the day before heading to our room. The bartenders are Avery polite and attentive. It's a cozy setting with enough sitting space.

I visited Holloway's Bar for happy hour while staying at the Springhill Suites Downtown Chicago. I…read moreopted to sit at the bar. It wasn't packed, which was great, since I was decompressing from work. The happy hour menu a variety of drinks and small bites. I opted for the Love potion for drinks. It was very whimsical, yet good. I was craving something sweet, so I decided to go with the salted caramel brownie. It sounded wayyy better than it actually tasted. The brownie was hard and difficult to bite into. It was really warm, so the ice cream didn't really melt. It was pretty underwhelming. Thankfully the drinks made up for that. The service was decent and the ambiance was nice. I'd recommend this for a drink for sure!

Overall: The novelty of Bunny Slope is amazing, but after it wears off the realizations kick in…read more The good: Really fun and neat concept, especially in the heart of downtown. Sometimes, nothing beats a few (or many) drinks in a hottub. They even provide a nifty shower for cleaning up afterwards. The decor is pretty neat as well. The not-so-good: The space isn't huge, wouldn't comfortably fit more than 10-12 people. They don't have normal drinks here, the beers I tried were disgusting, so I just stuck to good ol' scotch. That said, the other cocktails sounded interesting (they were all mostly fruity). The hottub was way too hot, none of us could stay in it very long. You have to go outside of the room to change, possibly running into other hotel guests or whatever is above grounds.

Really nice places for a group outing. The room was perfect size to move around, drink and dance…read more It was 12 of us in the room. I like that we had our own personal bartender. Drinks were very reasonable price. Tequila and cranberry was 8, 12 for a double. The jacuzzi was perfect temperature. Everything seemed sanitary and clean. I really like that they provide FREE lockers to hold our things in. They also provided a speaker so we could play our own music. Free towels but I'd bring your own sandals. I don't think they serve food. It was in the basement of a hotel but I'd definitely recommend to go.

I came in with three friends and we grabbed a high-top table. We ordered a few rounds and…read moreeverything was going fine. Toward the end of the night, two of my friends left, and the remaining two of us paid our bill and were finishing our drinks while waiting for our Uber. At that point, the bartender came over and told us she needed our table for a large group. The table wasn't reserved, and we were clearly just finishing up. We told her we were about to leave anyway, but the way it was handled felt really abrupt and rude. What made it worse was that she immediately brought a group over to take our table, and even they were apologizing to us because they seemed uncomfortable with how it was handled. I've worked in bars and restaurants myself, so I completely understand needing to manage space, but there's a way to do it respectfully, and this wasn't it. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad impression, and despite having been here multiple times before, I won't be returning.

We visited on a Saturday afternoon for pre-dinner drinks and loved the convenient, walkable…read morelocation from our hotel. We enjoyed a couple of cocktails and were particularly impressed by the tasty pretzel sticks we ordered.