Chicago Billiard Cafe

We had our wedding at Moonflower, and it was amazing! We…read moreoriginally found Moonflower on Zola. Although we are from the area, we had never visited before, and the photos immediately caught our attention. The bar fit our vibe perfectly, and after visiting a few times, we knew it was the right place for us. We rented both spaces: the main bar upstairs and Nightshade, the speakeasy downstairs. Moonflower has a small stage in the main bar, which we used for our ceremony. The space already has so much character that it needed very little decorating. We brought small flower vases and an altar piece that the bride and her now mother in law made together. After the ceremony, we held cocktail hour and served food buffet style in the main bar. Later, everyone moved downstairs to Nightshade. Its lounge atmosphere and dance floor were perfect for our 50 to 60 guests. Some people relaxed around the cocktail tables while others danced, so everyone could enjoy the night in their own way. Moonflower's event organizer, Morgan, was wonderful. She made the entire planning process feel easy and was a joy to work with. She helped turn our ideas into reality, assisting with day of logistics, décor, beverage packages, and every question that came up. She was always responsive and available. Morgan also helped us think through details that had not occurred to us, including coffee for our guests, explaining the parking situation, contacting nearby businesses about using their lots, and recommending DJs. We ultimately hired one of the DJs she suggested. Her extra support was incredibly helpful and took a great deal of stress out of planning. If you have not tried Moonflower's drinks, you are missing out. Their regular cocktail menu is fantastic, and our experience was even more special because of a custom cocktail session with Zach. He created signature drink options for each of us based on our tastes and favorite cocktails. Every option was spectacular, and the final drinks felt personal and special. We chose Funeral Potatoes for the food. Since they already handle the food at Moonflower, we were able to try many dishes beforehand. Our guests raved about everything. We especially recommend the brussels sprouts, deviled eggs, and caprese sandwiches. Alexis, who heads up Funeral Potatoes, was also extremely helpful with selecting the menu. The only outside food we brought in was our wedding cake. The entire staff was phenomenal. Everyone treated the occasion with the perfect balance of care, professionalism, and fun. The night went off without a hitch and was truly one of the best nights of our lives. Moonflower was also extremely reasonable compared with other venues we considered in the city, especially with an open bar and food available on site. Street parking was plentiful, and none of our guests had trouble finding a spot. For anyone looking for a relaxed wedding for 50 to 60 people with a memorable lounge atmosphere, fantastic staff, buffet style food, and exceptional cocktails, Moonflower should be at the top of your list.

Very cute and cozy place!! They do a few events here as well. The food is rather limited but they…read moredo ironically have funeral potatoes which are very seasoned. I love!!! I love the bartender, very speedy service!!! Mac and cheese (not pictured) comes out in a cute little stainless steel frying pan. They also have happy hour!!!!!

Hot honey chicken sandwich

French Toast Sticks

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View from the bar by the front door

Red Bottle Bar

The drinks are great and during the week it's half off 3-5pm. The service is so friendly and the…read morevibe is very cozy that you'll think you were at a lounge in the city. I'm adding this to spot to frequent in Elmwood park. Thank you for the chill vibes.

Very delicious food, The restaurant was very clean and let's not talk about customer service was…read moreamazing . 100% satisfied.

Wine

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Interior

Nightshade Bar

4.7(7 reviews)

1.2 mi•Portage Park

A bar within a bar inception…read more Nightshade is the basement bar of Moonflower. We came to the opening weekend to check out the vibe. There was a healthy amount of folks coming through, but not too crowded. It's dark, closed off with a smaller bar and also additional washrooms below. Vibe is sparse - at the moment, it's simple with the centerpiece of the red glowing bar, side bench seating, a few lamps off to the side, painted in a dark green/black floor to ceiling color. I think the reason to have this secondary space is the potential to do more fun, experimental drinks. Though space is cozier, it's nice to see seating was designed to accommodate groups too. I think it would have been easy to talk to other table groups if the music was just a tad softer. Son of a Gun - it's a tortilla chip in drink form. It's savory with a hint of cilantro. Sneaking Suspicion - nice apparent flavor of chamomile balanced out with a slight, creamy sweet flavor of yogurt. If you're into exploring unusual flavors and forms, Nightshade is a place to check out, and of course Moonflower offers another menu so you can do 2 in 1. Kitchen closes at 10pm.

SUCH a cool little "hidden" spot!…read more Nightshade is a small little cocktail bar under Moonflower, and it's INCREDIBLE. The drinks were so fun- I had one rimmed with crushed tortilla chip. Absolutely worth the stop!

Bingsu (alcohol free)

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The good guess

Sutherland's Food & Spirits

3.8(272 reviews)

0.7 mi•Portage Park

Our amazing server Michelle went above and beyond providing us beautiful recommendations that hit…read morethe stop. The communication from our order to the food delivery was timeless. She made sure we felt like at home putting on the game for us while multitasking through so many groups of people. I highly recommend coming here and request for Michelle who set a high standard for customer service.

I've been going to Sutherlands for years because it's just that good. Can never really go wrong…read morewith the food here. I've always loved the BBQ Smoke House Burger! I can't find it anywhere but I swear it was like a Dr Pepper BBQ sauce. Either way, it's so good. A HUGE plus for this place is the tot's. Not many places do tots and these are always so crispy.

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City Tap & Grill

4.3(269 reviews)

1.8 mi•Dunning

Disappointed and Uncomfortable Experience! I stopped by this…read moreplace hoping for a good meal and chill vibes before heading out to a super bowl party but what I experienced was anything but welcome. The fact that management blocked Spanish music (or refused to play artists like Bad Bunny) and catered to customers who expressed racist attitudes was honestly upsetting! i will no longer recommend this place! #CancelIgnorance #AccountabilityMatters #SayNoToRacism #InclusiveDining #WeSeeYou

I don't really leave reviews but it pains me to see people undermining this beautiful space, I…read moreabsolutely love this place, from food, service, and atmosphere, I'm a really introverted guy and Im very comfortable here and its almost like I'm home sometimes

Mozzarella Sticks : These were delicious, this will feed about 2 -4 people.

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The Garage Bar & Sandwiches

4.3(490 reviews)

2.8 mi•Norwood Park

Terrific neighborhood bar in Norwood Park with a rooftop patio open through the summer…read more I came here to catch up with a friend during the week and we took advantage of their $6 margarita special. The bar food is really good and the pricing is just right. We really enjoyed the tots, tenderloin sliders and wings. Theres a TV to watch games on the rooftop too. Service was swift and we enjoyed the casual vibe. Parking is streetside only but I didn't have trouble finding a space.

Popped in for a meal and to watch some ncaa basketball…read more Erin waited on us and was awesome I had traditional sliders and a brew Great food Great service Great price Great setting Love this place

Corn chowder was on point.

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Twilight Lounge

4.1(10 reviews)

1.0 mi•Portage Park

On this night we visited Twilight as we were invited to see a band playing on the Patio. The band…read morewas great Donna came out to greet us and chatted us up a bit. Service was great and quick even though it was packed inside and out on the patio. Prices are still neighborly. We returned the next day, Saturday. Enjoyed lunch and some Modelos on the patio with my friend's puppy. Agi and Donna were great yet again. Will definitely go back.

Amazing local spot. Great potato skins! Friendly bar tenders. Cold drinks. Outdoor area.read more

Menu2

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Easy Street

4.2(308 reviews)

0.5 mi•Portage Park

Chill place. Good bar. Outdoor area. Windows open. French dip is amazing. Maybe need a more…read moreattractive happy hour?

The pizza is average. The service is great, the ambiance is very chill inside. I don't drink but…read morepeople seems to enjoy the bar. They have a cute patio. Buuuuut their pizza is way over priced. Ordered two pizzas and some wings over $80 for that. Not sure I would come back.

Nutters. And their kids

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Vegan pizza

The Nest Bar & Eatery

4.6(117 reviews)

1.2 mi•Dunning

Great beers, good service and good music. Bartender Kasha and Martha are the best they make…read moreeveryone enjoy themselves

I love this place especially for their French Martinis (they make really good ones). We had the…read morechicken burgers and the mini zapiekanki. I love that this place has little bit of Mexican food mixed with some Polish and American. For me the service is great, because I think when I'm at a bar, I like when I'm not interrupted every 10 min. I also don't mind going to the bar and placing an order if the bartender/server is not around. The place is very cute and well kept, I love all the decorations and it does feel like an upscale bar without the upscale prices. In the summer, the patio is a great addition.

BLT Chopped Salad with chicken

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Gracie O’Malley’s Six Corners

4.1(55 reviews)

1.4 mi•Portage Park

One of the best sports bars I've been to! TONS of TVs and ample space for a large group of alumni…read moreto watch the game. We came as a group from uva and the staff was able to give us some tables and we were very happy with how everything went. There were plenty of other groups in the bar and there was room for everyone. Nice big windows that open all the way up so you're half sitting outside. So nice when the weather is warm. The drinks are reasonably priced there are SO MANY TVs everywhere so there's no craning your neck to see your fav game. The apps were some of the best bar food I've had. Overall we couldn't have asked for a better venue to host our game watch. We hope to be back again soon!

Food was okay wings were the best fish and chips were good the tacos were bad the meat was Taco…read moreBell meat. The service wasn't great with 4 servers and it wasn't even packed. The cost was expensive 10 dollars for a high noon is crazy. The set up was nice but won't be seeing me anymore it was so hot in that place it was horrible for them to be charging so much and the A/C not cooling. I heard multiple customers complaining even the servers. Overall 6/10

Fish and chicken combo

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4 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

leli g.

17 years ago

I think this place is sexist and racist. First we it had a nice environment, we used to go all the time. Then we kind of notice that everytime the guys that we hang out with would go ask the employee for a bucket for the beer, they would tell them they didn't have any extra. Then we would see when they would give the bucket to a different race. Then our guys would send us to go get the bucket and right away they would give it to us. We stopped going. Then we saw one of the employees in the street and he started talking and asked us y we stop going and we explained that the guy was racist and sexist. He said that the guy was no longer working there because they found out that he was racist against hispanics and african american. He tolds us that we should stop by that things had changed. A couple of months later we go. The other guy who was working there told the guys that they needed everyone's ID. So we are like okay. So we were caring and orange juice because I was sick and that was the only thing that could stay in my stomach. The guy was an ass about it and said I could not bring it in because they sell it there. I looked over the fridge where they had the juice, THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY ORANGE JUICE. I told the guy I was going to go leave it in the car and then he said he had to check my purse, and was giving me attitude. HE SAID IT WAS A POLICY TO CHECK EVERYONE'S PURSE. I asked were the policy was posted and he said it was online. Which is a lie. THAT IS INVASION OF PRIVACY. HE WAS AN ASS TO ME BECAUSE I AM HISPANIC. HIS NAME MIKE. read more

R G.

16 years ago

Love this place! Fun, affordable, totally unpretentious. The staff are nice and helpful and offer tips and lessons. Definitely not a hipster joint (which I prefer--I don't like those weirdly chichi overpriced bowling alleys either), but one where I feel very comfortable hanging out with my friends and even family (it's both senior- and kid-friendly). Love that it's BYOB but that I can also buy food and non-alcoholic drinks there (I don't drink, but my friends do, so it's appreciated). I also think it's cool that they have an up-to-date jukebox and a few arcade games. The second floor area, which you can rent out for private parties, is nice-looking, too. I actually co-hosted a family party here (but on the main floor b/c we needed more space), and the staff could not have been nicer or easier to deal with. Very accommodating. The kids and adults got a kick out of playing pool together, plus the kids liked getting to watch sports on the many TV screens and checking out the arcade games. Possibly the best sign that this is a good place is that almost every time I go, I see old pros playing there. It's really kind of cool--I've watched some of them play, and they're amazing (and nice enough to let me gawk). Overall a really cool, laid-back place to shoot some pool, work on your game, and hang out with friends. read more

Dale G.

8 years ago

UPDATE: the owner (or close associate of the owner) of this place sent me private messages including a threat against me for posting a negative review of this dumpster fire and repeatedly calls me names for not praising this place. A clear case of third world unprofessionalism and arrogance. I haven't been back to this place and I will continue to not be back. Absolutely ridiculous. Makes me sick. read more

Heather E.

7 years ago

The actual worst. Never going back again, would not recommend to anyone. read more

Chicago Billiard Cafe - poolhalls - Updated August 2026

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