We stop here every time we visit Chicago. If you love tiki cocktails, this is the place to go!…read moreCan't recommend enough. It's a speakeasy, so it feels like a hidden escape from reality. We've been to many tiki bars in the US and this is by far the best! Love that you can now buy a mug (with a cocktail) for cheaper than the shop... It's a great deal to get a mug this way! The only slight disappointment was the updated food menu.. loved the Spicy Thai Chicken, Veggie rolls, and coconut shrimp in years past.. sad to see them go.

Immaculate vibes here, very dark and moody…read more Fantastic drinks, didn't try the food though. Lexy was amazing!

Such a beautiful evening with good food, great atmosphere, and even better company. Renee is a…read morewizard in the kitchen. Some highlights we will definitely be returning for: Brussels sprout salad, chap chae, and the ridikulous dessert. Also such an accommodating place, went with my mother who has a severe shellfish allergy and the whole staff with immediately informed and cognizant throughout the meal. She is also a vegetarian and their options were STACKED as well as equally delicious.

Oh my gosh!!! What an incredible place to celebrate any occasion!!!! Went with my family with some…read morefolks that are vegetarian and also have severe shellfish allergies. When we informed the staff, head chef Renee personally came out and told us to not worry and he would take care of us! What service!!!! Then the food started coming out and not only does this place not disappoint but their menu speaks for itself...especially with their vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options...everyone in your party will feel welcome and have a truly upscale experience.

I've been going to Serai for years, which makes this review especially disappointing to write. I'm…read morenot sure if there has been a change in management or the kitchen, but this was by far the worst experience I've ever had here. The food was completely underwhelming, and when we shared our concerns with the staff, nothing was done to address them. The service was equally disappointing. Our server spent much of the time sitting on her phone while we waited for basic service like water refills, being asked about drinks, and receiving the drinks we ordered. We repeatedly had to get up and find someone just to receive attention. As for the food, the gyoza was bland and tasted like unseasoned pork. The lemongrass beef stew curry, which was highly recommended, arrived cold, had an odd texture, and lacked any real flavor. Most shocking of all were the drunken noodles. I've ordered them countless times over the years and always considered them among the best in Chicago. This time, I couldn't get past a single bite. Every dish was left unfinished. We didn't finish a single plate and didn't take any leftovers home--something that never happens for us. Between the poor service and incredibly disappointing food, this was an awful dining experience from start to finish. Unfortunately, after being a longtime customer, I won't be returning.

Serai is now at Kapitan. The shared space has plenty of seating. The staff is nice…read more I had their Roti Canai and Nasi Lamak. Both dishes were super flavorful and had such depth. They probably have the best Malaysian food in the city. I highly recommend you give them a try!

This is the place to eat in Chicago in my opinion, and has made every other restaurant look bad…read more it's the absolute best meal in the city, at a great price, with a super awesome staff. I bring everyone i know here at some point. Only negative thing to say is that i no longer feel anything about anywhere else that I eat. Im okay with that though, because in my opinion this is how you run a restaurant. They are always full, but it is always worth the wait!

Sunday Funday with a fantastic first visit to a Chinatown gem!…read more I felt like Chinese food today, and rather than eating at my neighborhood regular, I wanted to go straight to Chinatown for the most delicious, authentic experience. Thanks to my deep dive and discovery on Yelp, MCCB turned out to be the perfect spot to achieve this. The restaurant has held its Michelin status for five years now, and for my first time visiting, the flavors here were incredible. Please note: the restaurant signage is not easily visible from the street since the storefront faces inward toward the mall plaza, and while looking for it, I ended up asking a local man and his wife for directions. He was so kind and welcoming that he unexpectedly left his wife on the sidewalk, my husband in the car, and walked me right across the street and into the mall to point it out from the inside! WAIT TIME: there is a 1 to 1.25 hour wait period to be seated for a table, and a $10 fee via credit card is required to secure your spot, which is then fully transferable to your bill upon checkout. The wait is a great time to walk, explore the shops, restaurants, all Chinatown has to offer, and get your steps and miles in! SERVICE: our first server, Allen, was a bit on the stiff, curt side, but overall nice. However, we had to move from a two-top table to a four-top to accommodate all the dishes we were trying. In that changeover, we were blessed to get one of the BEST servers there, Ashley, who made the experience wonderful. FOOD: we ordered an absolute feast, starting with three starters. The Cheng Du Style Dumplings were fantastic. The Crispy Crab Rangoons were actually not mini at all and had a great crunch. The Szechuan Style Cucumber was a bit underwhelming and a slight bit on the soft side for my tastes, as I prefer my veggies crunchy even when cooked. We ordered everything with the mild heat option so there was no overwhelming spice, just great flavor. For the main dishes, we started with the Cauliflower Flank Steak and added broccoli to it, which was a fantastic addition. It is cooked in an oyster sauce and has none of the standard sweeter seasonings of the other dishes. I chose this to balance a sweet and salty rationing across my dishes, finding that MCCB is a great place to get that perfect balance. The Chicken in Spicy Garlic Sauce was perfect with the mild heat option as well, and the Honey Black Pepper Flank Steak was also incredibly savory, tender, and good. We paired everything with garlic string beans, white rice, and a great jumbo shrimp fried rice. I preferred water, while my husband had a few Diet Cokes. The food comes out hot, fresh, and bursting with flavor. PARKING: parking is convenient--there is street parking or you can use the two north and south lots within walking distance. The north lot is on Archer and Wentworth, and the south lot is on Cermak and Wentworth. Validated parking is permitted for a maximum of 3 hours, and you will only pay $3 with the validation. Just make sure to stay within that time limit and get it validated, because if you go over the 3 hours or forget the validation, you will have to pay the full price for the lot. PRICE: the pricing here is very reasonable for a Michelin-recognized restaurant. Our dinner came out to just under $146 total, which offers phenomenal value given the large portions and top-tier quality. If you are seeking high-quality, delicious Sichuan food in Chinatown that completely lives up to its multi-year Michelin status, and can be customized perfectly to your spice comfort, this is a great place to go. Highly recommend and will return with family!

We got delivery and oh my gosh it was amazing!!! So many gluten free/gluten friendly options to…read morechoose from. The noodles, the chicken, the dessert options! So flavorful and I wish I had time to eat here twice during the vacation. Half charcoal chicken- unreal loved it with the rice Chili peanut noodles- the texture of the noodles was amazing and paired well with the chicken Dessert we had their banana bread item and carrot cake which all were gluten free and amazing

I only tried their sweets but they were very unique and good. I got the ceylon snickerdoodle and…read moreMacau rice crisp. The ceylon snickerdoodle is a soft cookie with a slight crunch on the edges and has a salty egg yolk filling. The filling tasted like a paste version of an egg yolk center of a mooncake - this was a fun concept for a cookie! The Macau rice crisp was another fusion hit, albeit a tad too sweet for me with the caramel sauce. The flavors all work together shockingly well though. Note: if you're doing a pickup order, the main door isn't open at certain hours and it can be a little confusing, but there is a designated pickup door to the side. I think this should be communicated clearer as another customer was having the same issue.

I had heard great things but this meal was incredible!! Brought my family here for dinner while…read morethey were visiting and everyone loved it. We sat outside on a beautiful day and I definitely recommend the outdoor if it's nice out! The inside seemed big and a nice vibe for the winter. Service was good, I liked that they paced out the dishes for us. It really made the experience great! We shared everything. Loved the wings, the green beans, and I think all of our favorites was the duck fried rice! Soooo good and flavorful. The goat slap noodles and beef and broccoli were great too. Everything was super unique from traditional Chinese and nothing was too spicy! Definitely trust the experts. The wabbit season cocktail was good but I think I'd get another drink next time. Can't wait to come back!

Lot of the food missed for me. The only thing I really enjoyed a lot was the goat slap noodles. The…read morechewy texture of the noodles and flavor was good, but offered barely any meat. A couple callouts on the mapo tofu, why does it not come with rice? Also the white rice we did have to buy as a side comes in a small bowl, making it difficult to scoop. The other mention is the overwhelming amount of peppercorn, taking away from the flavor and instead numbing the mouth. The green beans were not worth it and the chocolate sesame dessert was really disappointing to share. I don't recall much vanilla soft serve or chocolate shaved ice, if at all. The sesame flavor was really distracting away from the chocolate chunks and wasn't good overall. The service was weird with us not getting our rice right away with the green beans. We also had to ask about the noodles and it came out very late as we were almost done eating.

With a creative menu and rave reviews, Mott St. had been on my bookmarked list since it opened! I…read morewas finally able to visit recently and it was all I hoped it would be. The interior was pretty sleek and it was packed around 6:30pm on a weeknight. It's definitely the kind of place to go when you want to have a dinner out that feels like an occasion without getting dressed up. Most of the dishes were served family style, so I recommend going with a group if you can! We tried the chef's special menu for 4 people, which had about 8 courses at a great price. To drink, I started with the white lotus, which did not come to play! It was very strong and barely sweet- maybe a bit much for me, but if that's your vibe, you'll like it. Appetizers included the Thai papaya salad and imperial rolls. The first was solid and the rolls were extra hot and crispy. I enjoyed the perilla leaves that they were wrapped in. Next came the garlic rice with whole roasted cloves of garlic, sauteed mushrooms, everything wings, and chili cauliflower. The rice was super fluffy and garlicky, but the miso butter mushrooms are not to be missed! We definitely drank a little bit of the sauce. The wings could have been a little crispier, but I really liked the sweet and spicy Korean style sauce. The crispy chili cauliflower was sweet and actually tasted a bit like orange chicken- we demolished it and this may have been my favorite dish of the whole night! Finally, we had the mentaiko kimchi udon, steak kalbi, and ordered one of their burgers on the side because why not. We agreed that the bonito flakes on the udon covered up the kimchi flavor a bit and wished it was stronger, but I liked the creaminess of the sauce. The steak kalbi had a great flavor and sauce, but I do think it could've been more tender. The burger was as good as it looked and indeed one of the best I've had in Chicago. I loved the balance between sweet and savory, and all of the flavors were balanced very well. We ended the meal with the seasonal dessert, which was sticky rice with strawberries and fermented rice. I thought it made for a refreshing end, but we agreed that it would've been even better served cold rather than hot. Overall, this was a very fun and great experience with delicious food! I would absolutely return and recommend paying a visit.

Positives our waitress was friendly and nice. Some good things. Hhhmm take away I can really say I…read morewould return. Well the Bronx menu is nice and reasonable priced. Food is average. Let's start with the hamburger. It's been picked as one of the best in Chicago. Well if u want Asian sauces on it. Almost 30 bugs for average hamburger. The brunch which is traditional food, breakfast was ok per my sister in law but the cabbage salad was spiced. The appetizer avocado was ok. But the was not fresh nor the toast sour dough. Nephew had the fish. Average. Also table of five automatically was considered a big table so they placed 20%% top. Service was off two entrees came late. So Wait a minute I think our nice waitress said she covered the birthday gift. But that appeared on the bill. Ok now that I think of it the noice level was high as well they closed the windows and I could see two bees flying inside. Ok my original 3 is down to 2. Sorry neighborhood diner. You can do better.

We walked in late on a Saturday afternoon and seated right away. The vibe is super cute. I really…read morelike the decor in there. We got the soup dumplings, the fried eggplant, and the shrimp fried rice to share because we were having dinner in a couple hours so we didn't want to fill up and it was the perfect amount of food and actually super tasty. Highly recommend!

Bigsuda has really delicious Korean food with a somewhat upscale vibe inside. They're known for the…read morepan seared mandoo (pot stickers) with the crackly crust. You can't go wrong with any of them. The cabbage tofu pocket is one of our go-to items here. It's a stuffed inari and when you bite into it you get a mouthful of salad in a pleasant way. The blueberry gives it a nice sweetness. The crunch crunch shrimp was good too. It's deep fried shrimp wontons, and the inside was actually really juicy from the shrimp. I do want to make special note of their water, it tastes really refreshing and comes in a nice steel bottle. Service is good they brought the plates out in a way that doesn't overload the small table and they are quick about taking empty bowls away. One thing that could be improved was the lighting and fan situation. At the specific two-seater table we originally say there's a ceiling fan that is right below a ceiling light. This caused a quick flickering that was really distracting. We told a server and were able to be moved to a different table slightly further away where it was less noticeable. It's definitely not a good lighting experience and highly suggest the owners address this. Most tables aren't affected by this though.

Del Seoul - Chicago Sometimes the best food finds happen…read morewhen you're simply walking by and your nose says, "Wait a minute... what's cooking in there?" That's exactly how we ended up at Del Seoul! We were walking by, saw the food, smelled all that goodness, and knew we had to stop. Even one of the diners told us the food was good and that we would enjoy it. That was all the confirmation we needed! Del Seoul is a quaint little spot with a dining area that isn't very large, along with additional seating on the side. When you enter, you place your order at the counter. One thing to know if you're dining with a group: everyone in your party must be present when ordering. We had a group of four, and they prepared a table for us. Ordering was easy, and Reilly was very friendly and helpful, which made our first visit even better. We started with the Kimchi Fries for the table. I didn't really taste much of the kimchi flavor, but the fries were still good. We also grabbed a bottle of Mango Soju to share. It wasn't overly sweet, and we decided shots were the way to go. Cheers! For my meal, I ordered the Bulgogi Bento Box, which came with grilled, thinly sliced flatiron steak with sautéed onions, an egg and scallion omelette, mixed greens with ginger vinaigrette, and steamed rice. The bulgogi was the star for me. The steak was tender, flavorful, and very tasty, and everything in the bento box worked well together. Definitely a satisfying meal! What started as a simple walk-by turned into a delicious Chicago food stop. If you're a Chicago native or visiting the city like I am, give Del Seoul a try. Sometimes you just have to follow the aroma! Five stars from me!

This is a casual counter-service spot where you order first, grab a seat, and they bring the food…read moreto your table. The vibes were laid back and perfect for a quick meal. 7/10. Service was great. They explained where everything was. 8/10. The tacos were good, but nothing really stood out. 7/10. They were a little too heavy on the slaw and mayo for my taste. The Sesame-Chili Shrimp Taco was my favorite. The shrimp stayed crispy and had the best flavor. The Sambal Fish Taco was a little soggy, while the Kalbi, BBQ Pork, and BBQ Chicken were all on the drier side. I honestly still prefer traditional Mexican tacos over these. The K-Town Chicken Wings (7.5/10) were my favorite item. They weren't breaded, but the sweet soy, chili, and garlic glaze was delicious. The skin had a nice firm bite, which I really liked.

now *this* is great okonomiyaki…read more coming from seattle and very recently having a disastrous experience at the only okonomiyaki spot in our area (you can read my past reviews for that), my two friends, my partner, and i were looking forward to having great okonomiyaki. thankfully, gaijin delivered! we came by on a friday night, and it was fairly busy. we wouldn't have been surprised if we were turned away since we didn't have a reservation. they ended up making space for us thankfully and we didn't even have to wait long at all. the inside of the place isn't that big, but it's not so tiny that it's cramped. when you sit down, if you are in a large enough party, you sit down in front of a flat stovetop to keep your okonomiyaki warm when the waiter brings it out to you. we started with some drinks. they were all very good - next time i'm trying that espresso goma-tini! i did get a lychee martini though, and it was a little strong of a pour but i still really enjoyed it. onto the okonomiyaki. we all ordered different ones so we could try them. every single one of them were delicious. i got the tofu osaka-style, my partner got the beef osaka-style, one of my friends got the fried shrimp osaka-style, and my other friend got the traditional hiroshima-style. each okonomiyaki is prepared perfectly, not too thick and not overly saucy (so it doesn't get soggy). the flavours are quite rich but also really nicely umami. sometimes, too rich of a sauce kind of overwhelms me, but the ratios are well-balanced. overall, truly recommend this place. probably some of the best okonomiyaki i've had. next time i'm in chicago, i'd love to go again. there's so many options to choose from and i want to try them all!

There are few places in general across the US that serve up okonomiyaki, so I was thrilled to find…read morethis spot near my office. Ultimately, the food was just ok. I got the pork okonomiyaki lunch set and added a fried egg to it. I like that the table has a built in grill to keep it warm (I'm a slow eater, so this is extra beneficial for me). The bacon was quite salty, compounded by the okonomi sauce. Hoping the kombu vegetables would offset this, I mixed them into each bite to no avail. The pandan coconut mochi donut holes I chose were probably the highlight. They were crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and there was ample sauce for dipping. I think some people would find the service top notch here--constantly checking in on me and keeping water refilled. I guess that came with a cost: 3% service charge automatically applied, and the server proactively brought over a digital payment system, so the 18% tip I selected calculated off the total leading to what was essentially a tip of 23%.