Penumbra

This is definitely a hidden gem. I was surprised that for a Friday it was not packed.Don't sleep on this place. It's the perfect romantic date or birthday place.We had the surf and turf, and salmon. The ribeye was cooked to perfection.They start you with poblano corn soup, it was sooo good we had to ask for more The cocktails were also good. I'm very picky when it comes to an old fashioned. It was a nice balanced taste.This place is Worth every penny.

I've been wanting to go here for a while, and finally snagged a reservation for 7:30... that I extended to 8 by their good grace. I love the dark intimate curtain seating although I wish they were a little darker. The service was really attentive! The crab cakes as our starters were decent, I wish they came in 3. We ordered 2 salmon plates, but unfortunately they were out of asparagus. I think the salmon and the mashed potatoes complimented each other perfectly. Very savory!!

Came in for a nice celebration dinner, and I wasn't let down. The interior is quite interesting and doesn't quite fit the vibe of a nice Brazilian steakhouse. Service was quick and thorough, though because of the music, we could not hear hardly anything, our waiter said. Prices for this establishment I think are a bit high for this place given the lack of flavor that I had expected to be present. I ordered the flat iron steak and lobster combo meal. The steak was nicely cooked, but the lobster needed a bit more seasoning. Together, they complimented each other well, though. The salad had apple slices and another fruit, so it was quite refreshing compared to the hearty entree. Overall, it was a great experience, with a few areas I would have liked to be a bit better. I do think the price was a little higher than it should have been for the offering, but I wouldn't mind returning to try something else another time.

Like the other reviewers, I had my doubts when entering this restaurant. I was confused when I walked into what seemed like a bar with a few coffee table seating arrangements. Upon confirming our reservation, the hostess walked us back into a dimly lit back room with dining tables and draped sheer curtains. We were seated by the speaker and the music was a bit too loud. The menu is pretty straightforward with a few appetizers, steak, seafood and vegetarian options. The pricing is standard for a Brazilian steakhouse, with entrees ranging around $40-50s. I ordered the surf and turf with lobster and ribeye, which was served with potatoes and salad. I didn't appreciate how everything was served on a single plate as the salad was mixed with the sauce from the lobster and steak juices. Although perfectly medium rare and well seasoned, I was a bit disappointed by how thin the ribeye steak was. Otherwise, the food was good including the sides. It was an interesting experience.

I took my husband for his birthday dinner to Penumbra and we enjoyed our time there. It's an ideal spot if you're aiming for an intimate romantic dinner. Tables for larger groups are in the center of the restaurant. Semiprivate booths for couples are off to the side separated by sheer curtains. The inside is dimly lit and soft music highlighting the theme of amore is what you're going to get. The food is amazing. We loved our appetizers of Shadow Shrimp and Crab cakes. Our steaks, although thin cut, were cooked to perfection with tasty flavor. Presentation was good too. For me it's about the little things and I noticed their mashed potatoes (which by the way are delicious) were heart shaped. Big aww! Our server was kind and attentive. We didn't feel rushed and had a good experience here. This restaurant is off the main drag on Fullerton avenue in Logan Square so you'll have to resort to metered street side parking.As for cost, excluding tax and tip, the average steak dish is around $42 with most appetizers hovering around $18. Drinks were in the $16+ range.It's stated upfront when seated that cash payment is preferred. There was a small sign near our table mentioning this. Some reviewers were turned off by the blunt request and I get it might not be an ideal way to approach it. On the flipside I also get that restaurants are trying to survive. Does it offend me much? Not really but to each their own. We arrived on a Saturday night around prime dinner time and found a spot pretty quickly. For elevated dining with a loved one, I highly recommend it. Not sure if they take walk-ins but make a reservation to secure a table.

The service at this restaurant was amazing. My and my girlfriend came here for our anniversary and the waiter made sure it we had an wonder experience. The food was good and flavorful. And the drinks were really good. The ambiance of the restaurant was really romantic, our table had its own curtain around it which gave us privacy as well. My mash potatoes were even in a shape of a heart.

What a great way to spend New Year's Eve! We started with a free parking spot right in front of the restaurant.Then were greeted and seated immediately (we had reservations).It's probably one of the nicest restaurants I've ever been in for ambience. Low lights, with satiny curtained, semi-private rooms. The tables were far enough apart that you didn't feel like you were sharing your space with another party.The tables had a small bowl of grapes and the server came right away. He was super friendly and chill. He showed us the QR codes on the tables for the food and drink menu. None of ordered alcohol as we were going to a pop up bar later. We started with a small teacup of slightly spicy poblano soup, but very delicious. It wasn't too spicy, as I don't do spicy.We also ordered a small charcuterie board for the 4 of us, which was enough to not make us too full. The cheeses were balsamic, sage, brie and mango-ginger. They were all really good, with each of us having different favorites. There was also bread, large green olives, prosciutto and spicy/non spicy salami. Everything was fresh and had great flavor.1 of us ordered the NY strip, 1 of us ordered the flat iron steak, 1 of us ordered the flat iron steak without the peppercorn rub and the other ordered the chicken. All of the dishes were really good. Our medium steaks were cooked a bit closer to medium-rare, but the flavor was really good. The NY Strip had better flavor than the flat irons, but with more gristle/fat, which is an expected trade-off. The poblano potatoes were heart-shaped and the flavor was really good, without being spicy. The salads had a really tasty citrus vinaigrette. We skipped dessert. The bill was $187 for the 4 of us.

I think about this meal a lot. First off, the ambience is intimate and romantic in the private areas but appropriate in the more open areas for a dinner with friends. The service is so impeccable - our waiter was attentive and went out of their way to add special touches to our meal (adding free ice cream to our lava cake and shaping the mashed potatoes like a heart for me and my date). It truly made the experience even better! The food was incredible. We shared a charcuterie which had a delicious sage-infused cheese and a sweeter one as well. It was a perfect taste of different flavor combinations. The steak was cooked to perfection and so tender. We had very little room for more, but ended up ordering the molten lava cake with a raspberry truffle - no regrets! I'm looking forward to my next visit here :)

Came here for dinner on a Saturday evening because I heard such amazing things. It was a group event of 5 of us and they were super accommodating. This ambiance when you first enter gives lounge vibes where you'd come for a drink or a cute meet and greet. As you're led to the back, there's a totally 180 flip; dim lighting and sultry music, light whispers. Definitely the vibe of a date, wedding anniversary or business deal lol We ordered the Scallops, Shadow shrimp and Bocaditos for starters. All were definitely delectable and seasoned. Grilled/ cooked to perfection. We were also given a complimentary potato soup which wasn't on the menu but definitely needs to be. I swear you could cure a soul in a day with a soup like that. Next, we ordered the chicken breast dish, the salmon dish and an order of the rotini bianco vegetarian. We had already spent money on the drinks lol so we decided to do tapas with the food as well which was perfect since the dishes were pretty big. Enough to fill you up for sure. Our sever was absolutely incredible - knowledgeable, efficient, quick service and generous asl. I loved his energy and attitude. He definitely elevated the experience. I am definitely inclined to return for another amazing experience.

RANKED 5 STARS JUST SO SOMEONE SEES THISHey guys, what is going on here? This is actually insane and I think something seriously wrong is going on here. My girlfriend took me here for a romantic birthday dinner and let's just say, I was NOT happy with her afterwords. We go in and there are children doing yoga in the main room? We went on Sunday around 7 and there was SERIOUSLY one other couple in the entire restaurant and we think they might have been placed there for ambiance. The food was fine but we actually had to leave early because the vibes were seriously so eerie and the kitchen was closing at 8??? What in the world kitchen closes at 8:00? Our reservation was at 7:30? Seriously this was so insane the waiter asked us if it was okay if he turned the grill off. Someone needs to seriously come forward and explain what kinda scheme this is I seriously so concerned with how this is ranked on yelp