WOW! Decided to try a new restaurant tonight and I'm so glad I did! Ayaya is a great place to grab…read morea bite to eat and catch up with friends, with its busy atmosphere and lively music. They were very accommodating to my very early arrival and seated me immediately. I ordered the Tenderloin Carne Asada Tacos (9/10), Cheesy Fried Yuca balls (7.5/10), and House Margarita (8.5/10). The tacos were honestly one of my favorite entrees of the week! They were amazingly juicy and tender, quite literally melted in my mouth. The fried Yuca balls were alright- Just a little greasy in my opinion but enjoyable. Of course, I had to end the night with a margarita. I'll be thinking of those Carne Asada tacos for a while :0

As someone who considers himself a taco connoisseur, I'm always on the hunt for great tacos…read morewhenever I travel. This place was an absolute winner. We started with the plantains appetizer, and it was one of the most unique and delicious appetizers we've had. If you go, don't skip it. The tacos were outstanding, and homemade tortillas are always a huge plus in my book. I had two chicken tacos and one carne asada, while my wife had the cod tacos. All of them arrived already dressed with sauce, and every bite was packed with flavor. They clearly know how to build a taco. The service was friendly and attentive throughout our meal. We also enjoyed the house margaritas. My only suggestion for improvement would be upgrading the standard tequila from Cuervo. The margarita was good enough that I ordered a second, but I upgraded the tequila that time, and it made an already good drink even better. Overall, we really loved this place. Between the creative appetizer, excellent tacos, friendly staff, and great atmosphere, it's an easy recommendation. If you're a fellow taco lover looking for authentic, flavorful tacos made with quality ingredients, make this place a stop the next time you're in Chicago. You won't be disappointed.

Chris!!! And family!!!! Our first time there was awesome…read moreand beyond!!!! We made it home safe!! Thanks for the tea recommendation. The fabulous food , and drink will have us coming back! Phil and Isaac (Cincinnati )

I had the Beef Doner Wrap and the Lahmacun oven special. To be honest, I've tried much better…read moreplaces for wraps and pide. The wrap was extremely dry and hard to enjoy, and the meat had a strange smell. We ordered beef, but it had a very strong lamb smell and taste for some reason. The pide was also disappointing. Even though it had parsley inside, it lacked flavor. It mostly tasted like bread with a bit of tomato paste. Considering the high prices, it's definitely overpriced for the quality. Very disappointing experience overall. PS: But service is amazing. Thank you for our waitress for the best service.

Got the lamb hummus and the green circle rotisserie chicken with a group of three. Lamb hummus was…read moredefinitely better than expected - HIGHLY recommend. The green circle rotisserie chicken was good, not great. I'll give them credit - the chicken was juicy and not dry. Truffle mashed potatoes and and the veggies were solid, but the carrots weren't that tender. Drinks were solid. Got the French alexander and the espresso martini. The ambiance was formal and definitely on the nicer end. But its also fine for a quick after-hours meet-up. Roanoke is right behind my work. The service was friendly and the waiter was able engaging and explained everything. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at being so close to a great location.

The worst restaurant I've been to in Chicago!…read more Came here around 7 for dinner and there weren't many people. Everyone at my table ordered the steak frites and all the temps were wrong and steaks cooked unevenly. We also got the fried chicken app which was dry and the cheese curds, which ended up sticking together in a mush. Medium - well done, not even a bit of red. Medium rare - got rare one 2/3 of the steak. Medium rare - medium well on one half and medium the other half. But we accepted it since it was the closest to what was ordered. We told the server and he didn't listen to us right away and had to repeat several to him that the temp of two steaks were incorrect not just one and he walked away without acknowledgement. The manager came to check the steaks and apologized. When we got the new steak, the whole thing was rare and we had to send it back again to get it to medium rare. Our server didn't come by at all to check and make sure everything was good. We can tell he was purposely avoiding our table. Horrible service all around. Manager came around one time after the mishaps but took him about 20 min. Didn't comp us anything on the bill. Bad service, food and management all around.

The atmosphere was great for our 6 person group for brunch! Service was fantastic…read more A very nice ambiance that wasn't too loud for a brunch at 11am where we could all hear each other, sat at a round table so we could see each other. That part was lovely because often I find that with larger groups it's hard to ensure everyone is able to interact (especially since I was taking my parents) Lamb shakshuka was a winner in my book!! So flavorful and perfect hearty brunch. The skewers my parents got were wonderfully cooked. Others got a more standard scrambled egg breakfast that they said was nothing special. Definitely opt for a Mediterranean breakfast if you're at a Mediterranean spot imo.

I was really disappointed with my experience at Ema. The portions were much smaller than expected,…read moreespecially considering the prices. The biggest issue was that our drink glasses had a terrible odor, as if they hadn't been washed properly. We mentioned it to the manager, who promptly replaced the glasses, and the new ones did not have the smell, which confirmed there was an issue with the original ones. I ordered the short ribs, which cost $35 and the portion was extremely small. One of the pieces was also mostly fat, leaving very little actual meat. For the price, I expected a much better-quality dish and a more satisfying portion. Overall, the experience did not live up to the restaurant's reputation or pricing. Unfortunately, I won't be returning.

Had a reservation with two friends from out of town and had the pleasure of being with Vivian…read more Amazing service, so sweet and funny, very thoughtful. and we got free cookies! we got sat in a little private booth in the back, so quiet. will def come back again and again :)

The next brunch spot you have to try in Chicago is The Dearborn! The aesthetic here is upscale…read moreIrish tavern, with amazing vibes and service! I came here for brunch & most definitely need to come back for dinner! Their fish & chips beat Bobby Flay, & it's no surprise they did! This dish is perfection! The cod is fresh & flaky, and the batter has just the right crisp. The dish itself is huge & all the accompaniments are exactly what you want. The beignets are so fluffy and great for sharing a sweet treat to start or end your meal. The corned beef hash is packed with traditional Irish flavors and tastes delicious! You need to come here asap!

For lunch, I'm not sure there's any better chill spot to grab a bite in the Loop. Low-key,…read moresophisticated, refined. I popped in for a quick solo lunch and indulged in the croque monsieur + fries. The rest of the menu had enticing things but I knew what I wanted and would not be swayed. After a small wait, which I mention only because it really wasn't busy, my food was served. The look matched the flavor: delicious! It's nice that the other French place, offering nearly the exact same offering here in the exact same spot, was replaced with a worthy newcomer. Bandol checks all the boxes you'd want.

Bandol is good for lunch, but the breakfast I had today was terrible. I ordered a chocolate…read morecroissant, and like in a lot of American restaurants, it was a fake croissant, more like gummy white bread in a croissant form. It was ultra-soft, with a minuscule dab of chocolate. The poached eggs were completely flavorless. They might have been old eggs six weeks away from the farm, I don't know, but all I could taste was the chalky whites. And by the way, poached eggs should always be served with a spoon without the customer having to ask. How do you eat poached eggs with a fork? I asked for my English muffin to be "burnt" (crispy.) They were soft and gummy, just like the croissant. And no jam or jelly was offered. The waiter was polite but inattentive. It's annoying to say, specifically, "I'll have two poached eggs with crispy bacon" and then have the waiter come back and say, "do you want sausage or bacon with that?" And like most restaurants these days, they've switched to that thick-cut bacon that can't be cooked crispy. The breakfast came with a very small side of potatoes, which tasted fine. And I had some green tea that was...okay, but not even remotely like the delicious green tea that most Japanese restaurants offer. I asked my waiter to clear away my plate when I was done, but he either didn't hear me or misunderstood, because he left the plate sitting there. Lastly, when people are eating breakfast, especially on a weekday, they usually have some place they need to get to, and don't want to linger. It took too long after I put my card down for the waiter to pick it up. Every one of these things is a minor complaint (except for the tasteless eggs.) But add them all up and it makes me think -- even though I'm in the area frequently -- "I'll never go back here for breakfast." Overall, a disappointing experience.

Cool covered rooftop. They sometimes have live music which was nice. Got pretty busy and loud…read more.. could barely hear the server. Everything we tried was good but not great. I think it is a bit overpriced overall. The lomo saltado was my least favorite. Heavier on the soy sauce taste than typical lomo saltado. The guacamole needed a little more salt/flavor. For dessert we got the mango cake. It was meh. Would not order it again. Everything was just forgettable.

Happy hour on a Saturday? Sign me up!…read more We landed on Boleo as our option for early dinner for four of us before a tango concert and performance because it's South American, and we love a theme. We never expected happy hour to be relevant for us, but our wonderful server pointed it out. Since none of us had tasted pisco before she brought us a pisco sample to try. Three of the four of us ordered pisco cocktails, and they were great! The chilcano is a pisco variation on a Moscow mule. I'm not a big fan of mules, but I liked the chilcano a lot. Whenever I'm back, I'll probably go for the pisco sour, which one of our party had and also really enjoyed. The arroz chaufa was a nice satisfying dinner that wasn't too heavy for the early hour. The loma saltado and vegetable saltado were both very much enjoyed as well. Flan was just okay. The orange was a wonderful touch that probably saved something much too custardy for me to think of as flan. Service was absolutely great. Everyone we interacted with was super professional and easy going. We didn't know what to expect for the space, and when we arrived before sunset, it felt weird how bright it was in there. After sunset, the whole space felt a lot more swanky. Prices are a good value, even apart from the happy hour offerings. This is a great option for pre-show dining in the loop.

Incredible and authentic regional Chinese cuisine!…read more Noodle dishes and the dumplings are the best I have had. Attentive service and casual feel to the restaurant makes for a very comfortable dining experience. Can't wait to go back!

We ate there last night and really enjoyed it!…read more We ordered the spicy sausage appetizer, the scallion pancakes, the dan-dan noodles, the dry chili chicken, the sausage fried rice, the pork/crab soup dumplings, and the pork/truffle soup dumplings. Everything was very well seasoned and the flavors really popped out of each dish! The spicy sausage was very similar to other Chinese sausages but less sweet and added a serious heat. It was a great way to start the meal. The scallion pancakes were flakey and crispy and seemed to be homemade. The soup dumplings had an incredible amount of soup inside and the flavors were better than even Din Tai Fong! The skins were just thick enough to hold the soup in but thin enough to be enjoyable and not overwhelm the meat and soup inside. The dry chili chicken was amazingly spicy and flavorful! Be aware that if you have difficulty with spice that you might want to order a lower level of heat! it was too spicy for a couple of us! The Dan-Dan noodles were everybody's favorites, flavorful, with a little bit of earth and a decent amount of heat. The restaurant was cute and clean, very well lit as well. The service was quick and while not overly chatty, was efficient and friendly. We'll be back!