The Tastiest Venues & Event Spaces in Chicago

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

★★★★☆ 4.3 (4969) • $$

"Had a chance to try this awesome place, and I'm so so happy we did! If you are looking for a fun tapas place with lots of variety and beautiful vibes, this is the place for you. Service here is nice and your taste buds will be happy leaving this joint! Once we were seated, we ended up ordering:* patatas bravas - crispy potatoes so well seasoned with the yummiest sauce. I could not stop eating this!!* date wrapped in chorizo - this was surprisingly delicious and a yummy bite. An explosion of flavor that you should try!* goat cheese in tomato sauce with garlic bread - this was crispy and crunchy - and was super flavorful with the goat cheese dip. The tomato sauce mixed with the cheese is really yummy * piri piri chicken thighs - these were super yummy and crispy. The saucey coating was delicious and tangy *garlic shrimp - this was my least favorite but this was shrimp in an olive oil sauce. The shrimp was a little chewy but not bad*mushrooms - this was absolutely delicious and a must order. Definitely try this!!Overall amazing experience and definitely worth giving this spot a shot!"

Irazú Costa Rican Restaurant & Catering

★★★★☆ 4.3 (2439) • $$

"One of our favorite spots in Chicago! The food is always delicious, service is great, and the atmosphere is laid back and fun! We always start with a variety of empanadas. My favorite is the jalapeño and cheese and the plantain and cheese. The surf and turf burrito is amazing! There is so much steak and shrimp inside and it is always perfectly cooked and incredibly flavorful. The portion is also very large and makes for great leftovers! The Casado is also a great dish with a variety of flavors and textures. Don't forget to end with an oatmeal shake! They also do great catering! Love this place and will continue to return!"

Chicago q

★★★★☆ 4 (2026) • $$

"I've been wanting to try Chicago q for a while. And my intentions were to try their bbq food, but when I saw they had a brunch menu, some entrees sounded good so we went with their brunch menu. This place is huge. It didn't seem big from the outside, but they have three separate dining area. The outdoor patio, the bar area on the front and a massive dining area towards the rear of the building. We chose to dine in their dining room which was empty. I felt the service could have been a little faster, they were that busy, but took over 1/2 hour for our food to arrive. They start you off with home made potato chips and pickles. Both of these were very tasty, but I would have eaten them slower if I knew the food would take awhile to come out. The bbq sauces were also really good. My wife ordered their Chilaquiles. I'll be honest with ya'll, these chilaquiles were the worst I have ever tried. I joked with my wife afterwards that they probably didn't have tortillas to make this dish, so they went to go buy some, came back, fried them for a bit put a little bit of salsa and queso fresco and a fried egg on top. Very tasteless and disappointing dish. I still wanted a little bbq so decided go get their Pulled Pork Benedict. This came with fried green tomatoes at the bottom, pulled pork and topped with a poached egg and Cajun hollandaise sauce with a side of potato hash. This dish was near flawless. I would have preferred a thicker cut of the green tomato. I love fried green tomatoes, and felt what they used was a little too small. But overall the dish was so delicious. The pulled pork had a nice Smokey flavor and went well with the Cajun hollandaise sauce. I would definitely order this again."

Antique Taco

★★★★☆ 4.1 (1388) • $

"Antique Taco is a walk up style taco joint located in Wicker Park. Because of its counter service style you're free to mix and match taco types to your hearts content. The menu has a variety of meat and non-meat bases, all of which were tasty.The space is brightly lit and features some locally crafted goods for purchase as well.This is the perfect place to drop in if you're looking for a quick bite that's a step above your standard fast food or fast casual joint."

River Roast

★★★★☆ 4 (1285) • $$

"Updating my review because I GOT MARRIED AT RIVER ROAST! I want to shout out the amazing event team and event space, that only made my love for the restaurant stronger. 7 years ago when I moved to Chicago, I was nowhere close to getting married, but I saw River Roast's event space from a boat tour and said "now THAT would be a dream wedding venue." I'm still blown away that I actually made this dream come true! We booked River Roast in Dec 2022 for our April 2024 wedding after touring about 20 venues. We chose based on River Roast's location, amazing food, close to all-inclusive packaging, and dynamic pricing for the off-season. And OBVIOUSLY for the gorgeous patio space!! We had a great initial tour with a staff member who is no longer there, and our account was transferred to Jessica after we booked who was then our main contact. Jessica was so great!! She checked in often in the downtime before we really needed to start planning, and then was totally on top of things as we got closer. She knew all the details that other couples cared about or forgot and always made sure nothing was overlooked. When some floor plan things needed changing after our rehearsal, she got everything fixed right away so it was ready to go when we arrived on the wedding day. Jessica also went above and beyond, letting us store some things at her desk to minimize stress on the wedding day. The food on our wedding day was PERFECT and even better than our tasting. We had a guest with extremely severe allergies, and Jessica personally worked with him to make sure he could eat. And it wasn't just a bland plate - they brought him every side dish and even late night snacks tailored to his needs. We loved the menu options, and how we could have unique options like tuna tartar on wonton chips, but could still offer a classic steak and potatoes for the grandparents with less adventurous tastes. Several guests said the chicken was the best wedding chicken they've ever had. We could not have asked for a better venue. We were lucky to have a perfect April weather day and the patio was gorgeous. We had lots of out of town guests who loved being downtown on the river. Our photos are amazing. The River Roast team and event space truly made our dream wedding come true, and I'll be talking about it forever."

City Winery

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (1275) • $$$

"Wow. It's been a long time since we went to City Winery and have they steeped up their game. We bought tickets to an early show to see The Squirrel Nut Zippers. The performance was outrageous. But the food and the service are far better than our earlier experience.When we entered we had a tasting of their Petit Syrah. We were seated next to the stage. Our seats (which we chose) had an obstructed view of the stage. Hiring the performance we mainly saw the back of their pianist.The food was great. We shared an American Waygu Hanger Steak - cooked perfectly, with fingerling potatoes in a wonderful sauce. The Waygu was seared perfectly. I can't even describe the potato's. We also ordered the chickpeas and spinach. Another great choice - delicious with some spiciness to it.The acoustics were great. Even with the location of our seats, it sounded like we were in the front center. Next time, we'll spend a bit more for better seats so we could see as well as enjoy the show."

Tapas Valencia

★★★★☆ 4 (754) • $$

"Came here for a Sunday solo brunch. I sat at the bar and the service was great. I was surprised how empty the bar was during brunch time. I ordered the Huevos Estilo Valencia that was tasty. The reason for 4 stars is that the mimosas were super heavy on the orange juice and not worth the price. I would return for dinner sometime."

Blue Door Kitchen & Garden

★★★★☆ 4 (745) • $$

"The front window is covered with Michelin awards and the interior is super cute, so I had high expectations walking in.Came here for a work lunch and ordered the $24 Chicken and Waffles, which is front and center on the menu. Service was attentive, friendly and perfect.Chicken and waffles came out and the fried chicken was good. Maybe could use more seasoning. The waffle was a little underwhelming -- I'm sure it was fluffy coming out, but a deflated experience while eating.Waffles. Maybe it's because the chicken was served on top of the waffle?On a positive note, it is a good amount of food. I only finished half!"

The Loyalist

★★★★☆ 4 (618) • $$

"Move aside, Au Cheval--there's a new burger sheriff in town! This place undoubtedly serves the best burger in Chicago. We went for Sunday brunch and easily reserved a table. While most tourists endure a 3-4 hour wait at the other spot, this gem offers a more accessible dining experience. The charming, moody basement bar ambiance ensures we'll return every time we're in Chicago."

Howl at the Moon Chicago

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (769) • $$

"Who doesn't love a good dueling piano night. I came here because they were supposed to be doing a 2000's night. Well that sort of didn't happen. Of course there was some old foggies in there requesting Margaritaville. No hate but I was really pumped for the 2000's tunes. I understand the musicians got to make their money...so it's all good. I did get to hear a rendition of Umbrella by Rihanna and they did a good job. I didn't reserve a table and will do that in the future. We were able to find a non-reserved table in the back. Not the best of views but we could see the band. However, the sound projected forward so sometimes hard to hear the lyrics of the songs. Overall the musicians were talented but I didn't really hear anything that blew me away. I would would love to come back and see how they handle rap and hip-hop. Most songs were pop and golden oldies (60's, 70s and 80s). On this occasion they did have shot specials and other happy hour deals. We tried the jello shots and they were good and strong (surprisingly). This is definitely a fun vibe so check it out when you wanna try something new!!!"

Cherry Circle Room

★★★★☆ 4.3 (466) • $$

"Good date spot, but whoa!. This place is really dark. I'd read reviews that said it was dark, but I wasn't prepared for how truly dark it really was. We were seated at the bar in the back. I feared I'd trip on people as we made our way to our seats. With dark paneled walls, leather seating, and really dim lighting, it feels really masculine in there. My date just need a smoking jacket and a pipe and he'd be set. Order the milk bread and the whipped quark with honey and thyme. Seriously. I could have eaten it all. I was piling it on that perfect milk bread. Eating like I was raised in the barn that I actually was. I enjoyed my fried whole sea bass, but it didn't seem to have enough meat on it for a girl who protein loads. In the dark, it was hard to tell if all of it was edible parts of the fish. Thank heavens the garlic fried rice was quite generous of I'd have been hungry. He ordered the pork chop and it was seasoned beautifully. He thought it was a bit fatty, but I thought it was perfect. He's kinda picky about meat fats, so don't listen to him. Fat is where the flavor is. We split a Tres Leches. We both enjoyed that, but agreed we didn't like the chewy bits sprinkled on the dessert. Tres Leches should be smooth and creamy in my opinion. I didn't like gummy bits in my bites of cake. Service wasn't slow at all. -A complaint that I read in reviews. We were seated at the bar where we couldn't be forgotten though. Everything from our order, to our food, drinks, and ticket all arrived very timely It's a perfect location if you have a night at the CSO or you're visiting the Art Institute"

Coco Pazzo

★★★★☆ 3.9 (505) • $$$

"I visited this restaurant with a large group after a meeting. They accommodated our group well the nice large table and they were able to accommodate separate checks, which was lovely. However, I have to say the food was definitely underwhelming. I got the soup of the day, which had lentils and "aromatic vegetables" along with some type of meat but the meat was cut so small I barely noticed them and there was nothing special about the vegetables the soup was warm and tasty but definitely underwhelming as one of the specials. The waiter recommended I get a side because the soup was small, but when the soup came out it was more than enough for a small meal and the truffle fries were also disappointing. When in town for a meeting and trying to visit all the great spots, I would pass on this location if I came back again.The ambiance was great and wasn't too loud, but food left a great deal to be desired."

Kirkwood

★★★★☆ 3.8 (519) • $$

"Had a pretty okay time at this neighborhood bar on Sheffield, which feels like a college bar. It's a good place in particular for Indiana fans, and of course Bears fans. Kirkwood is bigger than it looks, with room for crowds on game days or whenever. A little expensive is the biggest complaint. The bar food is better than expected with both greasy and healthy options. Among the drinks were a few seasonal cocktails. It's about $12 or so. The best sounding one was the Boozy Apple Cider, which is good for any time. Get your choice of liquor in it. There's also lots of beer, from crafts to mass produced stuff. A nice selection on tap, and lots more in bottles and cans. The food was a pleasant surprise. Has some healthy and okay vegetarian choices. The Hummus And Guacamole was good for sharing. It's $13 but it comes with a lot. There's the usual pitas and tortillas but some pretty interesting vegetables. More than just broccoli and carrots. There was too much to eat it all here. Good place resembling a campus bar. It's likewise one of the more festive places for watching a game. The drinks and food are kind of expensive but at least for the food there's larger portions for some things."

Fulton Market Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.8 (494) • $$

"My love and I have been to Fulton Market Kitchen for drinks previously, but we finally enjoyed their food during a Happy Hour visit recently. The establishment seems like a hip art gallery with colorfully decorated interiors.The Happy Hour runs from 4 to 6PM on weekdays, and when we came minutes after 4PM on a Thursday the place was empty. The current specials range from $4-11, so you can have a delicious meal with swanky beverages at a discounted rate from the limited HH menu. The Happy Hour menu pricing is slightly higher than what is listed on the website, but that's how it goes. Our drinks - FMK Old Fashioned and Trouble in Paradise (a "kick-ass margarita") - were gems at only $8 a glass. We shared the Cacio e Pepe ($10) and the Hella Burger ($11) and both were outstanding food selections. At first glance the pasta dish seemed simple, but the thick bucatini had such a robust cheesy taste. Likewise, the burger uses ground wagyu chuck and bacon for a savory "meaty" flavor.The service is spot on, and your check is presented to you in a cigar box. We will welcome another visit to FMK, definitely a star in the bustling Fulton Market area."

Celeste

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (609) • $$

"I was introduced to Celeste on a random Thursday while out with my girlfriends. I've been to Hubbard St countless times and never noticed the bar. It is sandwiched between other lively bars and across the street from the more popular bars so it is easy to miss. The manager, Omar, called us over and convinced us to check out the bar. I was in complete shock that Celeste has existed this long and I had never visited prior to 2024. I do need to shout out Omar because he is the man! He is always friendly whenever you see him even if it is a busy night. Every staff member I have come across has been friendly. The bartenders are top notch. I haven't had a bad drink in the handful of times I've been to Celeste. The bar is broken into several floors that cater to different vibes. The first level has a DJ that played afro beats and hip hop, they had multiple DJs throughout my visit. It is busy and the bar is bustling on the first floor. They have several booths for people that want to order food and the bar is long with ample stools. I have also observed a few tables that people that order bottle service are seated. There is enough space for dancing even with how many people flow in and out of the space. The second floor is a lounge that has more mellow music. They have more booths and tables for groups that want a slower vibe. The bar is a little smaller so they have fewer stools than upstairs but this is the level you would visit if you want to actually have a conversation. It feel like a cocktail lounge sandwiched in-between all of the chaos. The third floor is a disco, you read that right! My jaw dropped the first time I came across this floor. It is probably the wildest and loudest floor. The floors light up like a disco ball and the music is all fast paced. The music is very diverse and you will more likely hear a good mix of throwback songs and some popular pop songs. I love that they have a space that is purely dancing. I ended up on this floor and after a few minutes my group already met a new friend. The disco floor brings me back to the days of dancing to the point that you left the club looking like you went to the gym! The final level is the rooftop. This is where you will find majority of the bottle service table. They still give ample room to make it to the bar but you are really only coming up here for fresh air because the music is randomly techno. I think for something like a rooftop it should be more top 40s because it is a neutral vibe. I probably spend the least amount of time on the rooftop because the music is meh. I look forward to visiting on a cooler night to at least enjoy the cooldown! I have visited Celeste mostly on Thursdays because it is busy but not Friday busy. I went on one Friday and the line was massive and the bar was packed. I was still able to secure a seat at the bar but it is definitely a different vibe. Thursdays you're able to chat a lot more with random people at the bar because Friday is just too packed and mostly tourist visiting the city. I highly recommend visiting Celeste. If you are looking for a slower night come on Wednesday or Thursday. A bonus is that they close around 4am!"

Max and Benny's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (567) • $$

"Max and Benny's offer such hearty and delicious meal options! I had a soup and half-sandwich, which were both delightful. I even had leftovers because they will definitely fill you up! Can't wait to go back. They also have two back rooms for larger events/parties."

Kaiser Tiger

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (595)

"My husband and I stopped by while we were in the area.This restaurant has a good beer and cocktail list. They also have many food options to pick from as well. I had a feeling that the sausage would be a safer choice, but I ordered the smash burger instead. The size was good, but the burger was pretty flavorless. The aioli was my favorite ingredient on the burger. With so many better burger options within 1-2 miles, I would skip the burger here. The hand cut fries were excellent. My husband also loved the sausage sandwich he ordered as well.I was slightly distracted during my meal on the patio by the squirrel sized rat that kept running by (I know that this is outside of their control), but I would probably stay away from the patio next time."

Moody Tongue Brewing

★★★★☆ 4.4 (337) • $$$

"Point 1: very glad we tried this Michelin two star "moody" brewery and high-end restaurant. Point 2: it's a one and done place for us. We will not return. Very dark. Very masculine and almost frightening interior. My friend felt reminded of "The Menu" upon entry! I assured her we would leave alive!We started with flights. We were so so on the Belgian flight and impressed with dark flight. Caramelized Chocolate Churro Porter, Coffee Cake Imperial Stout, 12 Layer Cake Stout definitely made the long taxi ride worth the visit. Service attentive; indeed overly. They repeatedly cleared glasses and dishes before we were done. Hey gentlemen, we women eat a bit more slowly and we enjoy savoring. The place was nearly empty when we arrived. Picked up, but it was not sold out. Slow down service team!We did small plates only and no mains and that choice worked out fine. Though the waiter had been somewhat insistent about getting a main too, but he backed off. I enjoyed all the smalls.The braised pork cheek was A+. Winter Caesar, Potato and Ricotta Tortellini, PEI oysters served with two sauces including a very spicy hot one all good--but not as gourmet as we had anticipated from other reviews and Michelin guide. We had a cocktail/after dinner drink. Same problem--they kept trying to clear our glasses when we were not finished. Ask if we want things cleared please, don't just grab. Still a unique experience and I'm glad we tried it."

Tryzub Ukrainian Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.4 (331)

"Great experience here! Made a reservation online. They offered a ton of traditional Ukrainian dishes, some with a modern twist. We ordered an assortment and shared them.Potato Pancakes 5/5 - super crisp and delicious sauceBorscht- 5/5 not my fav soup but my Ukrainian husband said it was on point Fried dough (idr the name) 5/5 flaky and delicious filling, good sauceChicken Kiev - 4/5 very tasty, just smaller portion than anticipated Mixed party platter - 3/5 some better than others but all very unique! None bad and a cool concept, just enjoy the original better.Service was great. Lots of alcohol options and good vibes/decor inside."

Half Sour

★★★★☆ 4.1 (366) • $$

"Quality little restaurant/bar located near Printer's Row. It's got good food at non expensive prices. I did the BALT sandwich with fries, quite tasty. And then they have a pretty good craft beer list, on top of the other usual drinks. I know they have trivia events sometimes that my friends have done. It's got a nice cozy feel, probably one of my preferred spots in the area. I'm sure I'll be back again, either to eat or just grab a drink."

Flight Club - Chicago

★★★★☆ 4.3 (330) • $$

"Flight club is the go to place for me and my coworkers to hangout after work hours . This place is great for hosting corporate events. We usually play different dart games and end the night with some great cocktails and food from Flight club. I love the fact that they have so many different versions of darts, they keep you engaged throughout. The place is pretty popular and is almost always bustling with people. I love the yuzu guac and the black and white hummus. Their Iguna and Jaguar cocktails are my favorite. Overall, a great place to host big parties!"

Recess

★★★★☆ 3.7 (400) • $$

"Can't believe the last time I reviewed this place was 2021! Recess is the perfect spot for bottomless brunch or dinner & drinks with friends. In the summertime, the outdoor space is HUGE and truly such a cool spot. This is the ultimate outdoor restaurant in Chicago in my opinion. The food is always good, the drinks are great, and the service is 5/5.My favorite things here are their crispy buffalo chicken rolls - they are PHENOMENAL. I get them basically every time here. Their chicken & waffle fries are to-die-for as well. Their menu has definitely improved over the years and now they have a more plentiful and various menu. Also this is my favorite place to get bottomless brunch is here at Recess. The servers make sure your glass is never empty and truly they're just the best tasting mimosas around. Pricing is affordable, too.Will always highly recommend Recess!"

Inovasi

★★★★☆ 3.9 (339) • $$$

"A hidden gem in lake bluff. The risotto was out of this world you could taste how fresh it was and how much care they took into consideration when they crafted the menu. A menu item that shouldn't be down played is the cauliflower appetizer! I will say that the service wasn't like other places but, the fact that the food quality was so good offset the waiting time. I will also say that the ambiance is great if you were to some to the restaurant with a date!"

Joe's On Weed St

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (418) • $$

"I came to Joe's for the Rod Tuffcurls & The Bench Press concert with some friends, and loved my entire experience here!Joe's itself has a large set up in the front, with plenty of seating and TVs to catch a sporting event. We grabbed a drink here before heading to the back room where the concert was being held. The concert was located in the very back in a separate area. They also had a section dedicated to a fun photobooth and merch. The band played an epic show that had my friends and I singing and dancing till the very last song. The sound quality and lighting were great - my sound engineer brother would've been impressed! Before the concert even started, the music was on point and they were playing The Office clips on the TVs which I thought was awesome.For how busy it was, the bartenders were never rude and very quick to serve. Drinks were also stupid cheap for what we were getting. Usually, bars upsell and overcharge during big events and concerts, but I didn't feel like that was the case at Joe's. I'd highly recommend this spot for a concert! We had such an amazing night here!"

Old Pueblo Cantina

★★★★☆ 4.2 (237) • $$

"Came here after looking for Mexican food. It looked like a small place but it's bigger inside. Old Pueblo Cantina is a kind of hidden place on Webster. Gets less of a crowd because of it, for sure not because of the food of course. The prices are kind of high on some things, but the quality is excellent to be honest. Any good Mexican restaurant will give you free chips and salsa, and here this is the case. It was pretty fast getting these. The service would be pretty fast so there was no long waiting. It's about $12 for a margarita. There's the classic which was good enough, and even though it's a pretty small glass of this, it's strong though. As for the food, we got some of the vegetarian choices. There's a few. I got the Burrito. It's about $16 but it's big though. This came with chihuahua spices, crema which I left off, lettuce, pico, and vegetables. Add a protein for a couple bucks. I got it with sweet potatoes. The other protein choices are carne asada and meats such as that. Better than expected. It has a lot of drinks and food to choose from. There's meaty options and things that are good for vegetarians."

Il Culaccino

★★★★☆ 4 (257) • $$

"Our group of five dined at Culaccino in late February. The location from our hotel was ideal. The interior is impressive! Love the color scheme and open design. A female hostess seated us promptly in a booth. Our waitress was much better up front with service and then fizzled. My visit was on a weekday an hour prior to close and it was pretty busy. Our female server was great when present. She smiled and was even bubbly. Mains hit the table different times around 25 minutes or so after. Appetizers were quicker. My gnocchi dish was awful and not finished. It likely had been sitting and reheated, It was dry and lacked flavor. Our waitress did not follow up until I gave up with a complaint on the dish. Drink refills were sporadic by a water boy. Others at the table had better luck with their dishes. Close out of the check by our server was slow. Prices seemed fair. I would not return, nor recommend. 2.5 rounding up."

Red Tomatoes Indian Cuisine

★★★★☆ 4.4 (212) • $$

"I have been here several times before and the food is good. Large portions so the cost may seem a little sharp at first (and the menu needs to show prices!) - but when you see the size of the portions it actually turns out to be good value for money. I went in for lunch and ended up with at least 3 full meals out of it with the take home leftovers. However I did order quite a bit of food. I am not sure why an Indian joint is making pizza, except to expand its customer base, but apparently it is very good according to the reviews, so I may check it out some day.I will definitely keep coming back as they have found a loyal customer in me. I will say this: there are better Indian restaurants out there (Tava comes to mind) - however this is perfectly fine for a local curry house. Criticisms? - The music is WAY too loud if you dine in. And I have never been served a glass of water without ice. Either the ice machine was broken or the owner thinks it is 1946 again.The ambience as a result is a little lacking. But a very good location, with alot of decorating potential with very little effort or expense. A good menu and a decent cook or two. Just a suggestion or two... take the menu OFF the wall, for one. Serve ice in the water, and for god's sake turn that crappy loud music off and put in some decent, mellow traditional Indian music! Also the owner was sitting there with You Tube on blast!- ?? 3 fixes to make this place really classy. Food is still great!Still 4 stars from me. Could easily be 5."

Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern

★★★★☆ 3.9 (256) • $$

"We decided to check out Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern because who doesn't love a bottomless brunch with bottomless mimosas?! We did not have a reservation, so we got there right when they opened. For that reason, we had to sit on the 1st floor. This meant we had to go to the 2nd floor to get all our food. No worries though - they have an elevator. If we go back, we will make sure to get a reservation because the rooftop is everything - way more of a vibe than the 1st floor.It is a pretty standard brunch, but they provide a lot of stations. We had everything from eggs and omelettes to chicken and waffles, to salads and dips, to desserts and a donut wall. Some of the donuts were even infused with your favorite beverage. The bartender kept the mimosas coming and even swapped out the standard orange juice for pineapple juice.Note: the mimosas package is per person, not per table. Also, parking can be tough during peak hours.#ImNotAFoodie#ImJustAGirlWhoLovesFood#YelpEliteSquad"

The Press Room

★★★★☆ 4.1 (161) • $$

"Came here for a happy hour with some buddies. The service is fantastic, very nice staff and always willing to help. The atmosphere is dark and sexy, with a decent music selection. Although their happy hour is good, this probably wouldnt be the spot I come with coworkers because of the romantic vibes (but might just be me). The $1 oysters were great - they were east coast but a little plumper than I prefer. Either way the taste, and the hot sauce was on point. We all had the old fashioned's - fantastic. Not overly sweet and liquor forward just like I prefer. 1 star lost only because after being there for about an hour the place started having a heavy kitchen smell that soaked into our clothes. Will definitely come back and try the bang bang noodles everyone is raving about."

Swig

★★★★☆ 3.6 (187) • $$

"FoodMushroom and zucchini friedThis was good. The Mushrooms were big and lightly breaded which I like better. The zucchini was thin and heavily breaded but still edible. Mozzarella sticksThese we good. Everything came out very fast. It was fresh and crunchy with a side of marinara. DrinksWe got Tito's and soda. Just a heads up they do not lemon or limes in the drinks due to COVID they are trying to limit the amount of hands touching food items for drinks. Our drinks seemed to have more soda than the Tito's in my opinion. Set up I did appreciate how everyone was spaced out. We sat at the bar. They had hand sanitizer at the bar every 6 feet. The bartender wiped our area up right when we decided to sit."

Roadhouse 66 Gas N' Grill

★★★★☆ 3.6 (142)

"Friend wanted a birthday celebration at a sports bar whwre he could watch football but with superior food. I think we found it here!We reserved space for a party of 15. All seating was hi tops which I don't love but it was comfortable enough. Nice big TVs.This place is probably nuts in Cubs season, but it was nice and low key in January. The food was great. I had the cauliflower "wings" with Asian sesame sauce instead of Buffalo. Very hefty and satisfying portion. Had the Cubano with Mac and cheese. But I could have stopped at the cauliflower, honestly.The Cubano was pretty spicy. I didn't eat much of it since I filled up on cauliflower and loaded nachos -- these two are definitely a must-order! The Mac and cheese was pretty good, I like the rotini noodles they use. Nice and buttery too.I'd go back with a sports bar loving friend. Despite it not being my own personal jam."

Brunch Factory - Riverwoods

★★★★☆ 4 (113) • $$

"This was our first visit to the Brunch Factory, and it was a good experience. There's a large parking lot, ample seating, extensive menu, friendly service. I saw that starting May 7 they will be serving from 4:30-9 pm, too. We started with Loukoumades, Greek fried donuts with cinnamon honey and walnuts. We loved these - they came 8 to an order, hot and fluffy and light.They have carafes of ice water at the table, along with napkins and placesettings. Our server was friendly. I ordered one of the signature items -- Factory Croque Madam croissant. It wasn't how I expected a croque madam -- everything was layered on top of the croissant instead of inside with bechamel sauce covering. It did come with a very generous serving of hash browns. My companion enjoyed the French onion soup. Another friend ordered the chicken tenders -- and it came with four large chicken breasts -- and fries. The chicken tenders were 4x the amount that we were expecting. The waffle fries were crisp. This was supposed to come with a side of Cole slaw but it was left off -- and this made for a very large plate of fried food -- all the same color.Overall, our meal was fine. I didn't love my breakfast but there are other items on the menu I'd like to try."

The Sedgwick Stop

★★★★☆ 3.7 (129)

"Great neighborhood bar, with welcoming staff and about 10 draft beers. Food menu is bar bites- the steak fries are salty/delicious, and the wings are messy but tasty! Year-round patio is also a huge plus!"

Shahi Nihari and Chopsticks

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (263)

"Yes! Good, reliable nihari, good biryani, decent kadahi gosht served in an actual kadahi, great grill platters. We always experience consistency when we come here. We mostly come with a large group and order a boatload of stuff, more than we can handle. The service is always quick and careful. The drinks are awesome(mocktails). We always get their mojitos, which I will argue, aid in digestion. We have also had their brunch which is equally delicious. Grilled items are actually grilled as in smokey, not flat top griddle. Nothing tastes old or reheated (I've had that in proper Indian/Pakistani restaurants..you can't fool me guys). On that note, clean silverware, tables, and glasses too! Do not sleep on their "Chopsticks" menu items. I love their Thai vegetable curry, chili garlic shrimp, burnt garlic fried rice, and other items. They do have plenty of vegetarian items as well. The place is nice and clean. There is plenty of space too. Oh, and don't forget to try their falooda!"

Burton Place

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (155) • $

"This is the best establishment in old town. The bouncers are 10/10 the nicest most polite gentleman I have ever encountered in the entire state of Illinois. A staple for anyone who loves Chicago- please visit this incredibly fun and amazing dive bar. I always have the best night of my life here...mostly because they close at 4am lol."