Really glad I tried it. I tried stopping by one day when they'd been opened fewer than two hours I…read morethink but was out of luck; they were sold out. So I came by one Sunday before opening and was surprised that there were only about five people ahead of me in line shortly before they opened. They threw the doors wide open precisely at noon. Asa, the proprietor, clearly has a passion for the work she does. She's a bit of a cross between a poet and a pastry chef--check out the descriptions she writes of her pies if you don't believe me! Each slice is unlike any pie I've ever tasted. She had a pie with fig, and that was the closest to a conventional pie she had (if you can call it that--as I said, I find it hard to describe her offerings). All were creamy, decadent, and unique in the true sense of the word. Her crusts were amazing. Also unique is the way she runs her business. She is based out of a little counter in the Poke San that's on the corner of Wells & Huron. The hours she keeps are minimal. And it's a total of two people--her father, who takes payment, and her. Her passion comes out in the care that she takes with each slice: She bakes the pies, of course, but then she adorns them upon ordering. You will wait several minutes once you've ordered your slice, and if you are in line you will be waiting for a while depending upon your place (being 5th or 6th in line, I was finished about 15-20 minutes after the shop opened). It's clear she sees this as artistic expression, and honestly that is plain to see in how she finishes each slice: A brûlée'd top on this one (caramelized whilst you watch), decorating that one with local--real--flowers. It's an experience and if you like to try new things, or just taste something that is fairly unlike other local offerings, you should consider giving it a try before she moves on to new ventures.

The slice of pie was incredible and this is my new favorite dessert spot. It is quite pricey ($14…read morefor a singular slice), but a more special occasion type of pastry treat. Got the second one which is creamy cinnamon flavor with a brûléed top. There's some poured rice and cinnamon crème fraiche on the top. It wasn't overly sweet (huge compliment), and the crust was very flaky. How it works: -you can order at the window and there's little menus that are handwritten with the four pie options -the base pie is already done, and she will finish and add the decorations and toppings after you order Packaging is beautiful and very high end. Service was very fast (no one in line on a Sunday afternoon). Definitely will be back!

This is a Christmas pop-up that opens during the holiday season. I have been to a couple of these,…read moreand this one was really good. The place has two levels. You can buy a ticket online, or choose a package that includes drinks. It was very nicely decorated for Christmas, which made the vibe fun and festive. There were also performances going on, which made the experience more entertaining. There was enough seating as well, so it was comfortable to sit and enjoy the show. People could also get on the stage and dance. Overall, it was a great pop-up and a fun place to visit during Christmas time.

There's holiday cheer in every drink, our favorites were the Nutcracker Shot and Christmas Cookie!…read more It's decorated from floor to ceiling and be sure to check out the second level. That's where Santa hangs out! Open thru 12/30, come and enjoy the holiday spirit!

This place is a yes, yes, and yes! I have a buddy that loves Tiki bars and found this place/made a…read morereservation, so our group came to visit on a Sunday night. The vibe is speakeasy-ish; the entrance is off the street in an alleyway but the interior is very nice, low light, and would be fun for a date night! The staff were attentive and very friendly. My friend got some shots, which were surprisingly good given they were kind of sweet, and I ordered the "mystic lamp" cocktail ($16) which was VERY memorable to me as someone that loves floral drinks -- it was very floral, slightly fruity, and had a lovely chunk of lychee it came with which was delicious! The drink was decent sized too; I've been charged a lot more for much less drink at other speakeasies (those of which I don't plan to visit again any time soon haha). In my opinion, this spot has the perfect combo of great drinks, nice ambiance, cool speakeasy-vibes, but also cheerfulness given the tiki-theme inside. Would definitely rec a visit to anyone visiting Chicago who likes cool bars!

I can't understand what the fuss is all about here. I couldn't wait to leave…read more This place represents itself as a tiki bar but is the most half-hearted attempt I have ever seen. I was excited for the experience having heard how busy it gets, blah blah. These positive reviewers need to seek out other tiki bars. After you negotiate the alley entrance and go down dangerously dark stairs, you are met with crazy boring decor. I kept thinking there had to be more right? The whole point of a tiki bar is to strike a mood, but hanging a very few polynesian masks on the wall, putting up a grass facade over the bar and dressing the servers in vaguely polynesian outfits is sad. I've seen private tiki bars at people's homes that are more exciting. Add to this a comparably boring music selection played far too loud over boomy lo-fi speakers and you'll wonder what's going on here. So what about the food and drink? Completely uninspired for anyone who's had more than a mai tai before in their life. About a dozen extremely common drink choices is all you get!! No specials, that's it. When I asked if this was the whole cocktail menu, the server said it was but they have a full bar so you can get anything you want. Well, I could get that service at just about any bar in the world, so big deal. Maybe it would be better if you sat at the bar and chatted up the bartender. One could also go taste their rum selections and other cocktails in the Bamboo Room, but I hate that kind of elitist nonsense. That's never been what tiki bars were about. The drinks we sampled were okay at best. Even the namesake 3 Dots and A Dash cocktail was lackluster and used cheap cherries for the dots instead of classic Luxardos. (If you know, you know) The appetizers were okay, but way overpriced. 5 tiny spring rolls for $18. Come on guys, enough already. I'd rather go to the bar at the Polynesian Hotel at Disney than return here. This place is a hard pass.

Really great, friendly environment with a fun vibe. The staff was welcoming and the drinks were…read moredefinitely the highlight -- they more than made up for the food, which was okay but not amazing. The only downside was the automatic 18% gratuity. Not that the service wasn't good, but it was a bit of a downer considering it was a non-busy day and they were only serving two of us. Overall, still a solid spot for drinks and atmosphere.

Came here for the Emerald City pop up and happy hour…read more Honestly, I might just be too old for the Sunday night/weekend crowd. I felt like it was too loud and the music was not my jam. For an event pop up, I thought maybe they would play some wicked music (even remixed) but it sort of felt like it was an afterthought. Even the "decorated" side of the bar was empty and not being served at that bar. I walked over to take pictures of that side but I wasn't sure I was supposed to lol. When we got there, we had to ask about the happy hour because it wasn't mentioned. When we got the okay, we ordered drinks and pizza. Only after I got back to my hotel did I noticed that the pizza rang in full price. The drinks were creative and fun but I wasn't sure ready to leave after a few loud minutes.

After years of driving by and seeing the hanging octopus I finally stopped in to celebrate a…read morefriends birthday!! A seafood birthday dinner has become her tradition, can't say I'm upset about this!! We started off with drinks! Two of us got the Floral Cloud and the other two got the salty air margarita! The salty foam (replacing the traditional salt rim) was perfection!! The presentation of the floral cloud was so cute! For starters we got the patatas bravas, 10/10 would recommend!! The sauce was delicious!! I personally got the poke bowl, it was love at first bite!! While it may not look like a huge portion I was only able to finish 3/4 of it. Shared with the after in an attempt to save room for dessert!! Two of my friends got the scallops and the other got the lobster roll. Scallops were delicious, they shared a bite with me! The lobster roll left me a bit unsatisfied. While it had plenty of meat it lacked lasting flavor!! Now let's talk about the MVP's of the night- Dessert! HIGHLY recommend the key lime pie if you're a fan! It also includes some of that salt foam! The sticky toffee was a huge hit at our table!! And the passion fruit in the flan was a very yummy add on!! Our server was the best!! She was so lovely and made excellent recommendations!!

We loved this place! We initially thought we would be sitting looking at the river but it's a bit…read morefarther in and we couldn't see the river from our table but no big deal. The ambiance was beautiful, our waiter was so kind, and the service was great. The waiter misheard my order so I didn't get my right entree the first time but they were super kind, quick, and accommodating to bring out my correct order. The food was AMAZING! We shared the tuna tartar as an appetizer and it was one of the best things i've tried! The presentation was also so fun and pretty, served inside a coconut with plantain chips on the side. I ordered the lobster roll and it was so so so amazing, definitely best i've ever had. The bun was toasted and buttery and the lobster filled with flavor.. I could eat 5 of them!! They also had brought seasoned corn nuts to the table when we were seated and salted caramels for dessert, both fun and yummy. Would recommend to anyone looking for a bit of a nicer dinner in Chicago. We had a reservation on a Saturday night and it looked like the place was full, we were glad we had one and got seated right away.

I have to agree with the other reviewers, that this place is super gorgeous, but not worth the…read moreprice. it was so incredibly packed. their main flaw in my opinion is that you can stay as long as you want after you check in for reservation. so you can come early and get your pictures, but if you chose 10 or 11pm thinking it'd be moderately packed but that you have a "reservation", you don't. it's filled with everyone who had a reservation before you who never left. i went on a friday at 7pm and literally could not move in there. i got the pink slushie drink (disgusting), and left immediately after taking a few pictures. i was in there no longer than 40 minutes. the dj was HORRIBLE as well. kept remixing "bing bong" (the tik tok meme) into everything. only played 2000s pop. come for the pics if you want, but just know it's a waste of money otherwise

This was such a fun experience! The cocktails were so good and there were SO MANY adorable photo…read moreops. I loved that there were multiple levels to explore, one being outside and less busy. I will say that it was very crowded and even though we bought tickets to reserve a time slot we still had to wait in line. I ended up speaking with a bouncer who ended up letting us in but had I not done that theres no telling how long we would have waited (in the freezing cold). I hope they bring it back next year but with some improvements.

I obviously had to have a chicago dog on my quick weekend trip and stumbled upon Brewhouse during…read moremy walk down the river. The line moved quick, the staff were kind, and the dog was ready much quicker than they had anticipated. We sat outside on their picnic tables on a sunny Friday afternoon with the world cup on the big screen - cant complain! I've never tried a Chicago dog before but it was good! My friend and I shared half and it was yummy and satisfying. They had a decent size menu and everything they walked past with as they deliver to the outside seating all looks amazing and could've happily ordered much more!

We couldn't leave Chicago without trying a Chicago-style hot dog, so we stopped by Chicago…read moreBrewhouse and wow. Not only was the hot dog and chips absolutely fire, but the location is hard to beat. We grabbed seats right along the river and spent lunch watching the boats cruise by while taking in the city views. Such a fun Chicago experience. Great food, great views, and the perfect spot to soak up the city. Definitely adding this one to my Chicago favorites and will be back next time I'm in town!

So good! What more can we say about Luke's? We go to the location downtown and the staff is so…read morewonderful. The lobster rolls are delicious with nice chunks of lo Lobster meat and claw meat. You can't go wrong with the trio of 3 different lobster rolls. We also order from them online and have them directly shipped to the house, which is wonderful for special occasions. LOVE LUKE'S! YUMMY FOR MY TUMMY!

Overall experience was great. I took my oldest and she loved it.The rolls and the drinks were…read moredelish but I walked away with my wallet crying. $70ish to feed us both! This would be a special treat and it will take a very long time to fill out the punch card.