Beatnik in West Town is a pretty cool spot!…read more One of our friends came in from out of town and she wanted to try this place out. We arrived for brunch and got seated in one of their booths off to the side by the wall towards the front. The booth seats lean pretty far back and with three petite girls under 5'5, there was a ton of space to stretch out. The place gives off boho with a mashup between Middle East glam and Phantom of the Opera vibes. It's cute. It's an excellent spot for a girls' brunch or date night. The space is big and could probably seat 125 easy with more dining space towards the back. Brunch options were tasty. We ended up sharing our dishes. I got the Steak Frites and my other two friends got the Avocado Toast and their Chicken and Waffles. All were Gramworthy, hearty and satisfying. Their drink menu is decent too. I got the Beatnik Mai Tai and it had a refreshing, citrus punch. Parking is street side only. We went on a Sunday and didn't have to pay the meters.

Another experience from Beatnik West Town! This time for a birthday dinner with 22 of us and the…read moreserver was amazing! He was extremely attentive and cared about our experience, was so funny as well. The food of course is amazing, highly recommend the short rib for an entree and halloumi fries as a starter. The aesthetics of the restaurant is already amazing. Also the penicillin mocktail has vanilla chai, which is so unique but also so amazing! Definitely recommend for a birthday dinner!

I've been meaning to come to Sun Rey Cafe for a while!We were able to be seated right away at…read more9:30am though it was already pretty busy inside by then. By 10am, there was a wait and line outside the door! My husband and I ordered the Pinoy Combination Plate to share, and got another side of garlic fried rice. All the flavors were so good. We wanted to try the Poqui Poqui as well, so we will have to come back next time to try it!

So yummy! Got sat right away on a Sunday at around 1130-12 for some Brunch which was exciting…read more Smaller cafe, unpretentious vibe, sees like a family affair. The food doesn't come out super fast but they have black coffee to sip on while you wait. The food was delicious! I had the Manila Breakfast and would get it again. My husband had the El Diablo skillet. We got a side of bacon which was just 3 regular slices of bacon for $6. Good prices are really high but that was a waste. I would need to order a side to get enough food here so the bill will definitely add up, but that just seems to be the nature of attempting to leave the house these days. We are all hurting. Our server was kind and i'm still dreaming about that sweet longanisa sausage :)

Super chill n relaxed space. Cute menu w brunch all day theme & some more dinner like options. I…read moregot the cubano. I hate to be so critical but.. i don't really get the dijonnaisse as a side condiment for the sandwich. It was tasty w the fries so it didn't detract from the overall dish but i didn't understand it being served on a cubano. I can understand it as a twist on a classic, but it didn't do it for me. The service was extremely efficient & nice. If I'm around again, maybe I'd grab a pastry, but there are a lot more places to try in the area.

Was literally so good. Really hit the spot. Got seated at the bar on a Sunday morning with no…read morereservation. The Turkish eggs was great and so was the blueberry pancakes. Would come here again.

Delicious brunch! Truly something for everyone. I opted for the brown sugar shaken espresso, a…read morefrose, and the bacon chocolate chip pancakes. I will be dreaming about this meal for the foreseeable future. Great service and atmosphere.

This place is so uncomfortable. Dark and dank and it smells…read morelike it flooded recently there's some kind of mold or mildew in the air. We stayed because we were starving. The food was just terrible. Served room temperature. The portions were meager. We left hungry. It used to be so charming.

Had to order the award-winning burger & it did not disappoint! It was a hearty, juicy exceptional…read moreburger. Will definitely be back again! Service was great, wait staff was always available. There weren't many people when I walked in so it was quiet but the music they played was excellent!

I went in super hungry and I remembered they won a hamburger hop event so I was like let's go try…read morethis burger!! I do not have any regrets about it. It was worth it and I wish I tried it sooner. The burger is called the Mirella burger. Trust me if you dig burgers this one is on your list to hit up! The only thing I do is ask for the sauce on the side so I can dip the burger in it because it did get a little messy. The waitress and all the staff are so nice and welcoming and easy to talk to. The decor was not what I expected because it looked like a regular bar from the outside, but the inside they put up decorations and places were immediate really cute so if you do do brunch there or want a cute little dinner, then they have some spots that would fit that. We love that. we love a place that can do both.

Infatuation Chicago said this was their most frequented restaurant in 2025!! And the owner was a…read morecontestant on Top Chef, so I was excited! And I loveeee fusion food!! Started with the vada pav which are these Indian inspired potato croquette sliders with sesame tomato achar (which was really just a slice of tomato). This was actually delicious, and that brioche bun was some of the best fluffy and soft texture I've ever had!! Next is the tandoori hot chicken - as seen on Top Chef! This was with a scallion corn pancake like the texture of a hardened polenta but also kinda waffley textured? Not sure how to describe. The chicken was fried to perfection and very juicy inside, and I did enjoy the crunchy pickled daikon and onions. The black pepper crab noodle had the potential to be stellar!! Who doesn't love udon noodles and Brussels sprouts?? They were very generous with the crab, as every bite was coated with crab bits! I think making this more curry forward would've made it even better! Service is awesome, and this is such an eclectic and vibey store! Be prepared for loud music and a vibe!!

Lilac Tiger is such a cool spot! The vibes are off the freaking charts. I came here with some…read morefriends on a Friday night and it was pretty busy. Our server and hostess made a point to let us know that they were fully booked that day so we had a hard out at 8pm (our reservation was for 6pm so we figured we were all good! We got there before 7 so we could take advantage of their happy hour deals. They offer $12 mojitos and discounted shared plates. We started with the mojito and it was refreshing and delicious. For the food we went with the vada pav, ferrani special, fries, jalapeno hush puppies, tandoori hot chicken, and crab fried rice. The food was phenomenal. The only one that was a bit of a miss for me was the vada pav, which is essentially a potato sliders. Between the potato and brioche bun, it was just super carby and heavy. Everything else though was access. My favorites were the ferrani special, jalapeno hush puppies, and the crab fried rice. The only reason I'm knocking a star is because our server seemed super frazzled and overwhelmed. Normally I'm very sympathetic to this as someone who was a server, but it was a lot -- to the point where it was taking away from the meal. The bartender did a great job stepping in and sort of smoothing things over though, so I'll give major kudos to him!

Stopped by for a spontaneous weeknight dinner as I happened to walk past. I had the burger and it…read morewas perfect: thick, juicy, actually medium rare (rather than what a lot of other places call a medium rare burger, which is closer to medium well) and seasoned so it didn't need anything other than its own aioli and pickles with little pops of chili. It didn't even need cheese. I would come back for that burger alone but now I do want to try other things on the menu! I came in just before last order but was never made to feel rushed or hurried by the staff, and everything was efficient and courteous without being obtrusive. The space is cute! A note, however: I would get a table next time. The bar stools and the way the bar is positioned relative to them means you're either sitting sideways or with your knees jammed to the bar, and having to lean down to eat and drink... not very comfortable!

Cellar Door has been recommended by so many people, so many times that we decided to come and give…read moreit a try. I heard about their amazing ice cream, so I was hyped to try their dessert. We got their beef tartare, the hamburger, and the pasta. Everything was pretty good, and I think my favorite was the tartare or the hamburger. The tartare was super flavorful, and I loved the crisp that they gave us with it. The hamburger was huge and was really filling. The pasta was creamy and tasted rich, but this was okay to me. Although I was looking forward to the dessert, I was disappointed when I found out the current ice cream was a tart frozen yogurt with campari - I do not like alcohol so this was a flop. Cellar Door did not blow my mind, but it's a nice casual intimate dinner spot

I found this restaurant by chance and am so happy I did. The restaurant is so quaint, a great quiet…read moreplace for a date. Aisha was a very attentive wait person and provided great suggestions of dishes to order. The restaturant and the staff are all very welcoming. But it is the food that is the real star....it was delicious! I shared the hot appetizer, Hot Mezze, the potatoes were delicious. So was the roasted cauliflower. After tasting the appetizers, my friend and I decided were definitely coming back to eat there again. The kefta kebobs were delicious although I would have liked the chicken kebabs to have had more flavor. Once you go there, you will make this a regular stop. The prices are competative and the freshness of the food will win you over.

This Lebanese restuarant has been on my list for quite a while. Finally gave it a try and it did…read morenot disappoint! For food I tried the Adis Bil Hamod and Masdgouf. The first one was (non-pureed) lentil soup with swiss chard, onnions, potatoes and cilantro. The ingredients made the soup rich in flavor. Meanwhile, the stewed potato slightly thickened the soup to richen the texture. I wish there could be more swiss chard, though. The Masdgouf was a hit: unlike traditional Iraq Masdgouf, they pan seared the cod (well, cod is quite tender so searing is actually a better idea), then topped it with a mixture of finely diced veg, peppers and tamarind paste. Served with Lebanese rice, grilled bell peppers and grilled Roma tomatoes. Compared to the Lebenese rice I had in Atlanta, the rice in this one was longer and drier, while the vermicelli in it was softer and more moist. Overall it tasted savory, sweet, sour, with a hint of spiciness. They did a good job in balancing these flavors. I also got some pita -- not those thin, balloon pita but tasted fresh and good, and not salty at all. Serice was friendly and quick. After the meal the chef asked me about my dining experience and I praised highly of the two dishes. She told me that while Masdgouf was not originally from Lebanon, she tried to add some Lebenese element to it, e.g., the tamarind paste. I really appreciate her effort to do something unique and delicious! The only thing I (seriously) hope they could do better was about handling the smoke from the kitchen. At first I was seated near the kitchen and the smoke made my lung uncomfortable; needless to say how it would affect the restaurant staff. If they could get a better range hood it would do good to both the staff and customers' health! I will try more dishes the next time I visit Chicago.