Wok n Fire brings a lot of energy and style to the sushi scene. It's a fun spot, with a lively…read moreatmosphere, good drinks, and a menu that offers enough variety to keep things interesting. The food is solid, the cocktails hold their own, and the overall experience feels a little more polished than your typical neighborhood sushi stop. It's a place that leans as much into vibe as flavor -- and does both well.

Wok n Fire used to be one of those rare places that genuinely justified its price point--where the…read morequality, flavor, and overall experience made you feel like you were getting what you paid for. Unfortunately, that standard has declined noticeably, and the difference is hard to ignore. What was once vibrant, well-executed cuisine now feels uninspired and inconsistent. The dishes lack the depth of flavor they once had, coming across as bland or carelessly prepared rather than thoughtfully crafted. Portions feel less generous, yet prices have continued to climb, creating a frustrating imbalance between cost and value. It no longer feels like a premium dining experience--just an expensive one. Equally disappointing is the overall execution. The attention to detail that once set this place apart seems to have faded, replaced by a more rushed and indifferent approach. Whether it's the presentation, the freshness, or the cohesion of flavors, something is clearly missing. It's genuinely frustrating because this was once a standout spot--somewhere you could confidently recommend without hesitation. Now, it feels like a shadow of what it used to be, riding on its past reputation while delivering a subpar experience at an inflated price. For what you're paying, there are far better options elsewhere.

This was our first visit after Wok n Fire moved out and we loved the interior changes that were…read moremade. We went for Happy Hour and were seated at the bar because all of the tables were apparently reserved. We were greeted by Adam who was the only server in the bar. For Happy Hour they have a few drink specials and all Small Plates are half off. We asked about GF options and he was not too helpful but we made it work. My wife started with a Ginger Pina Martini with grilled pineapple infused vodka. She loved it ,I thought it was too sour. I tried their Toshi Old Fashion with Iwai 45 which is a Japanese blended whiskey. Very good. For our small plates we had Spicey Tuna Crispy Rice,Chicken Lettuce Wraps,BBQ Lollipops and a Philadelphia Roll. Hands down our favorite were the BBQ lollipops..sliced New York strip wrapped around lemongrass with a delicious sauce. On Tuesdays they offer half price rolls which makes us want to go back as some of their signature rolls sounded amazing. Plenty of parking is available and reservations are suggested..even for Happy Hour.

In the downtown St Charles lies a trendy and busy sushi restaurant, Moto Imoto. A group of 4 of us…read moremade a reservation and we started with saki and some apps. The duck bao buns came two per order and had a sauce to melt the flavor of the duck in your mouth. The shishido peppers came with a sauce that was creamy and complimentary. They have sushi boats that come with four rolls, but I opted to eat three. All of our selection of rolls was pretty and filling. Some ordered hot plates and the portions were grand and they were delicious. We went for a birthday and ordered two desserts. The ube cheesecake didn't have the blueberries on there, as the photos suggested it would, but still tasted great. The chocolate peanut butter cake was also good, but wasn't considered a favorite. Our server Ayden was helpful and got our food out quickly. His service was pretty good and he was friendly. This was lively for a night that was -10 Fahrenheit! It was so busy, so that tells you it's a great restaurant, and I agree.

I love their Phó Special that contains a little of everything :)…read more They are polite, generous, and they remember their customers! They have given me dessert and today for Chinese New Years I received a Red envelope to share the luck with deserving people. Establishment has culture and clean keeping up with technology. Music is upbeat (EDM/Dance Remixes). See you guys through the holidays :D

Overall, it's a fun spot for some SE Asian cuisine. The dishes are well-prepared, balanced, and…read moreconsistently satisfying. A solid choice when you're craving authentic flavors in a comfortable, no-frills setting. The menu isn't always up to date and the place itself isn't the cleanest. However the Pho, Bahn Mi, and Lotus salad make up for it. Overall solid choice

My 9 year old and I go out for dinner together every 2 weeks and last time he picked asian food. I…read morehad heard good things about Cravings in the 5 years we've been in the area but never got around to going... omg, so good! We got egg rolls, shrimp dumplings, some sort of fat noodle dish and crab rangoon. It was all delicious. We will definitely be back!

Happy we tried this place. Angle Parking can be tricky in front on a busy street…read more Very friendly woman- the mom of the owner took my order and gave it to me when I got there. Ordered 2 noodle dishes and Shrimp fried rice. We all loved the shrimp fried rice. Nice and flavorful. 6 pieces of shrimp. Bigger shrimp but kind of wished there was more. Take a pass on the Majong Noodles. Our whole family was so confused about this one. Noodles with clump of sweet peanut butter on top. Not a sauce. It reminded me of peanut butter cookie dough before the flour went in. Cute place, definitely try it!

Whenever me and my partner are in town we love stopping by here! The pad Thai is her favorite but…read morefor ME it would be the Green curry! It so delicious and it pairs so nicely with the rice. On top of that the vegetables that get thrown in are a very yummy touch to it. Honestly next time I come I need to try other dishes since I keep coming back to my usual order! This place is a must try!

This is our weekly local Thai carry out. Love the Drunken…read moreNoodles, crab Rangoon, spicy noodle dishes. Food is always fresh, and portions are large. We come back weekly.

Love the atmosphere food was great make reservations ahead of time to get faster seats and…read moreeverything was fresh

The best hot pot in the burbs, hands down…read more The location is a fun re-purposed 70s build. It is a cozy location with a lot of space. Always feels welcoming and warm (especially in the winter). I cannot say more than all of their food is delicious. The meat is great and fresh, the buffet veggies are tasty, and the extras they offer (sesame balls, spring rolls, etc.) are a nice touch! You can't go wrong with any of the broths, but don't be shy to try the spicy. It is not overwhelming and adds great flavor. The staff is great and always willing to answer any questions. They are quick to refill broth or bring any refills for meats. Perfect for a group or a delightful date. Many happy returns to this favorite!

I have been coming to this restaurant for almost 10 years. One thing about this place is that it is…read morevery consistent. Service is a 8/10. No complaints. Ambiance is a 8/10. They have updated their decor/restaurant, it looks very fun! Food is a 8/10. They are consistent and yummy! The portions are huge! I recommend family style. Very vegetarian friendly!!

Not only is this my favorite Asian fusion restaurant anywhere, but it also has what may be one of…read moremy favorite bites of food. Their black peppered garlic beef must be powdered with crack cocaine because I will forever be addicted. I lived nearby and ate at TL's regularly a decade ago and whenever I'm back in town, I can't go there fast enough. Was able to take my young son to experience it for the first time ever, and embarrassingly, I was almost proud he enjoyed it as much as we. If there was some way they could teleport their food to me in Florida. I'd eat their cuisine daily. Even on the About Me portion of my business' website I list this place as one of my favorite restaurants nationwide. Their sushi (crunchy lobster rolls, hand grenade) are fantastic as well. I miss this restaurant all so much. TL's is a true gem. Do not take it for granted.

Best wings! The garlic soy is amazing. It was so good our family had it 2 days in a row.read more

I have driven past here many times and finally decided to try it. We came to dine-in on Wednesday…read morenight around 7:30pm. The service was a bit slow, but there were only two people working. It took about half an hour to get our food. We enjoyed watching Deal or No Deal on the TV while we waited lol. The guys working were really friendly, brought our food to us and even asked us how we liked the food. I would probably only order takeout from here in the future because they had those orders ready on time. I ordered the 6 piece boneless wing combo, which comes with fries and (possibly?) a drink. I did not realize that I could only choose one or the other for the combo: a drink or side of sauce. While ordering on the kiosk, I selected cheese sauce and it replaced my drink because they were under the same category of options, which I didn't even notice. Although I felt like it was my fault for not double-checking, I still don't think a tiny container of sauce is a fair drink substitute... oh well. Another thing to note is that online when placing an order/viewing the menu, it says the combo comes with a 20oz bottle of soda even though they only had 12oz cans in stock. I think these discrepancies could easily be fixed, and might prevent some confusion/disappointment among future customers. I appreciate that they gave me two extra wings because the boneless are somewhat tiny. For my sauce on the wings, I chose to try the Buldak-Gochujang and it was a little sweet with a hint of spice. The plain fries were just okay. They offer a bunch of different topping options for the fries, which I might be interested in trying next time.

Chicago has amazing and authentic food but finding a good/authentic plate lunch and poke has been…read morehard until now. Felt like I was grabbing lunch at a place in HI. The vibe is also awesome with a great reggae playlist and welcoming staff. Literally every single bite was so good but my favorites had to be the short ribs, chicken katsu, and poke. These mac salad was a little sweet but it definitely worked well especially with the heavier mains of the plate. Poke was really fresh btw and def had my eye on the poke nachos so gotta go back! Def a must try for anyone craving real Hawaiian food in Chicago!

Da Local Boy is a delightful gem of a restaurant that serves flavorful dishes inspired from…read moreHawaiian cuisine. I have been here once and enjoyed my dining experience. This restaurant is welcoming, has a cozy atmosphere, and friendly service. Their menu variety is good and the pricing is reasonable. Since it was our first, we took our time ordering the food. We started off with one order of Spam Musubi which was yummy. Then, for entrées, we got a Poké Bowl, Da OG Plate, and Aloha Mixed Plate (see my photos). The Poké Bowl was fresh and flavorful. The Da OG Plate had delicious and flavorful Huli Huli Chicken and grilled Pork Belly. Both were on point with the flavor and texture. Nicely cooked and delicious. I had the Aloha Mixed Plate and the beer battered fish and Pulehu Short Ribs were quite tasty, especially the ribs. I also had the Huli Huli Chicken that was really good. It was an awesome meal overall and we enjoyed it. We received good service and the food made us want to come back for more (which we will). Da Local Boy is a great addition to Highwood's culinary scene. You got to check it out.

Time for an updated review, as I've since started eating meat again!…read more My sister and I popped into Pho 95 to satiate a pho craving on a crisp mid-December day, and it did not disappoint! There was just one waitstaff member that was taking care of all the folks that were dining (there were about 6-7 parties, including us) so it took a few minutes to put our order in, since he was busy taking other orders and bring out entrees to other diners. With that being said, if you're looking for a "supremely quick service" kind of spot, this might not be your go-to. After those few minutes had past, we'd put in our order for the crispy egg rolls, spring rolls, the grilled pork banh mi, and two orders of pho: the Pho 95 Special for me and the Steak & Fatty Brisket pho for my sister. We waited a handful of minutes for our apps and our pho (this was quick!) then we got to digging in. The egg rolls had a perfect CRISP exterior and a flavorful interior. The spring rolls were delightful and fresh (however, I prefer them without the thin sheets of pork), and our pho - after dressing it up with the accoutrements) was hot and delicious! Honestly, the Pho 95 Special wasn't for me, as I realized that I'm not attuned to or prefer the tendon or tripe. The rest of the meats were delicious though and I'll definitely order the Steak & Fatty Brisket Pho - since my sister loved it! I also didn't favor the pork banh mi. I just couldn't get behind the smokey flavor and didn't enjoy the seasoning. Perhaps pork just isn't my kind of protein. I will add, my sister did enjoy the banh mi, so it's certainly subjective! I'd be curious to try their other banh mi's in the future. Overall, Pho 95 was a great spot to visit and I recommend it to all locals in the area looking to satisfy their pho cravings!

This place was one of my favorites pre-Covid, and I just haven't been back. This Saturday and I…read morewalked in about 12:30 as the only customer. The greeter-server was friendly and prompt. As I sat down (I was invited to choose my own seat) I surveyed the dining room. Nothing in decor stands out, but I was impressed with how spotlessly clean everything is. I always think that the front of the house reflects in the back, so I would assume they take equal care of sanitation in the kitchen. I orderrrd #16, the special pho dish. I was surprised the bowl had almost more sliced beef and other protein as noodles. After 1 o'clock other customer, 4 tables came in. They were all greeted and served as promptly as I was. My food was delicious and more than I could finish. I think Pho 95 is back on my favorites list.