Halftime Restaurant Pizza &amp; Cocktails

I was really excited to check this place out after seeing their cocktail menu online, and in some…read moreways it definitely lived up to the hype. The drinks were excellent--well-balanced, creative, and clearly made with skill. There was also a live musician performing during my visit who was amazing and added a great atmosphere and really elevated the overall vibe. Service, however, was a mixed experience. One of the bartenders (a newer female bartender) was very friendly, attentive, and showed a lot of potential--she made a great impression despite seeming a bit new. Unfortunately, the other bartender completely brought the experience down. He came across as rude, disengaged, and honestly like he didn't want to be there at all. I understand it was a busy night, but there was very little sense of urgency from him, and wait times felt longer than they should have been--even factoring in the crowd. That said, I do understand everyone can have an off night, and given how good the drinks and atmosphere were (plus the positive reviews I've seen elsewhere), I'd likely be willing to give it another shot. Overall, great cocktails and ambiance, but inconsistent service keeps it from being a top-tier experience--for now. I will be happy to update following a repeat visit.

Pricey but unique and well worth a visit when in town. The bartenders here are friendly and know…read moretheir stuff. CatsEye has one of the best espresso martinis I've ever had!

Salted Carmel Expressio Martini

Cocktail

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Keagan’s Irish Pub

(19 reviews)

Very friendly and informative staff. We stopped by for a beer. We decided to try the food since the…read morewaiter was so friendly and enthusiastic about their items. We tried the home made mushroom soup. It was the best mushroom soup I've ever had. Very rich and creamy. We had the wings for an appetizer with the Thai chili and blueberry bbq sauces. Blueberry is house made and Both sauces are delicious. I had a half of a order of the corn beef and cabbage with carrots. All were tender, perfect, and delicious. For dessert, we had the beignets with chocolate. We really enjoyed our dinner. Thanks to both the chef, server, and Manager.

The seafood chowder special was good. It was not a thick soup, it was more on the runny side but…read morehad big chunks of seafood. I was not a big fan of the rest of the menu, so I don't know if I would come back here. Food is a bit on the salty side. Our visit was in the evening (Sep/ early Oct), and there was a waft here and there of a stench like sewage? I am not sure why the bar seating had this odor when the bathrooms were on the other side. Was a bit unappetizing but we tried to ignore it. Service was fast when it came to our ordering and drinks came out quickly. Food was on the slow side. See my pics. The seafood chowder special soup was good. The cheese curds were greasy and salty but not bad. My bro had the pickle burger special and he enjoyed it.

Pork Chop Sandwich with Blueberry BBQ Sauce

The bar has everything!

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Valentino’s Pasta and Wine

(32 reviews)

Vanessa! Amazing service. Food is fantastic. Cannot believe how awesome they renovated this…read more(formerly JJ's Pub). Upstairs is a beautiful speakeasy with gambling machines and velvet couches. A big variety of food. The specials are interesting. I chose the cheese ravioli special with wild mushrooms. Friend had marinara pasta with sausage. We had a starter the cheese burrata and the prosciutto on the side. The cheese was soooooo good. Vanessa went out of her way to make us happy. We had to send the pasta back as it was too spicy for my friend. They remade it and it was perfect for her. I had a blanc de blanc champagne but there was no fizz and the waitress happily got me a different sparkling. I loved the ravioli. Great ambiance. Highly recommend.

An absolutely excellent Italian experience, Valentino's impressed on every level. Fantastic food,…read moregreat value for the portions, highly engaged service staff, and a boldness of flavors above expectations. Our table had a host of appetizers including the Meatball Ricotta, Shrimp Oreganata, Fried Provolone, and Calamari. The meatball was absolutely enormous (enough for four to share easily), and was very well balanced by the sauce and creamy ricotta it was served upon. My personal favorite was the calamari though, which was a combination of the rings and tentacles perfectly salted and fried until delightfully crispy. Don'f forget to dunk those in the sauce they provided! For entrees, I tried a little bit of the dry aged pork chop (super smoky, immaculately tender, and subtly sweet), but the chicken piccata, was the star of the show for me. Refreshingly bright from the lemon, salty capers, and marinated artichokes, the dish was savory and refreshing when paired with the crispy fried potatoes. So good, and I think the best chicken piccata I've ever had! The tiramisu and lemoncello cake were big hits at the table, but the creme brûlée was so simple yet perfectly sweet and smooth that it would definitely be my go-to choice next time. You truly cannot go wrong at this place, and would certainly make an excellent date or celebration location that I'd recommend in a heartbeat.

2nd level speak easy - soon to open

Cannoli dessert

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Country Rigatoni

Berta's Tap

Terrible, rude and RACIST service My coworkers and I are all…read moreminorities, as soon as they heard us speak spanish they treated us so differently Terrible experience

Service is always great. I'm handicapped and ride a scooter they're always helpful getting in or…read moreout of the bar. Their burgers are great. The only thing I would like to the cooks are to add salt and pepper to the burgers.

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Dockside Bar & Grill

Five stars for the beautiful waterfront location and friendly service. We went at 11.30 on a…read moreSunday morning and they were just getting started. They did not have any draft beers and very limited selection of bottled beers, so we got a and a Bloody Mary. The chicken sandwhich and mazarella sticks were okay, nothing exceptional... would give 3 stars. Worth a visit if you are in the area.

Fantastic view, friendly service, and great prices! Oh, and the food is pretty fantastic as well…read more Great portions for the money and solid crisp and flavor.

View from the patio upstairs.

Fish n Chips Breaded and fried whitefish with fries and tartar sauce.

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Bloody Mary

Misfits Ottawa

(7 reviews)

Great place. We were passing through on our way to Starved Rock and were totally jazzed to find…read moreMisfits. We prefer healthy options when dining out and Misfits did not disappoint with several choices of bowls. The place is small, friendly, very clean, and the food and service top notch. Five Stars for the Win! Thank you, Misfits.

Located in a historic building with exposed brick walls, there's a relaxed atmosphere. The…read moreowner/bartender was friendly & personable, and she makes amazing cocktails!! Both the pinktini & Paloma were flavorful without being overly sweet or watery. Food was good too, there's a few vegan options beyond the usual veggie burger!

Chickpeas Just Wanna Have Fun

Chickpea wrap & burger wrap - sides of chips

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Better than a cosmopolitan!

Burger and Sushi House-Ottawa

It's a very upscale and modern cute and large establishment. The vibes are there and the space but…read moreit will never not be packed and loud. Rightfully so. Service has always been good when I went. I've probably gone under 10x and given enough tries at the new and old locations. Every time there's always something that goes wrong but I continue to come back because family and friends love it and I always try something else when I come in. Food is always edible most of the time but not great. I've had hair in my burger before. Other Burgers were overcooked and flavorless. Mac and cheese is disgusting. Sushi menu is kinda repeat and all fried / tempora. Pretty basic and boring and if you're gluten free you're kinda SOL. Crab Rangoon is imitation crab. Gross. This last time I went for a goodbye dinner to a coworker moving: Drinks- Table got a pitcher of white sangria- it was ok but way overpriced. I got the strawberry basil lemonade drink and it sucked. It lacked taste. I'n convinced it was water and not lemonade, nothing puree about it, & there was no basil in it besides used as a piece of decor. Sushi- I showed the waitress a picture of the roll I saw on someone review and that it claimed it was a Ottawa roll but it was not and 10/10 a different role that was given to me. Luckily I will eat anything and it actually wasn't bad but what the hell. Truffle fries- beer battered. Yuck. Mac & Cheese- I thought it used to be not bad but I got it this last time as a side and it was different noodles, thick, no creamy cheese sauce, & no seasoning. Dessert- 10/10 made the trip worth it. I hate fried ice cream and not a huge brownie person but that dessert was amazing. The beignet with caramel- yessss. I never get the hype of the food but think it's because there's not much around like this for locals. If someone wanted to go back I wouldn't not go but I am not a fan.

I definitely would have not thought to put these two concepts together, but it totally works and I…read moream so happy it exists. The atmosphere was great and energetic, and our server was very friendly and fun. I believe her name was Lauren and she was a good time. Definitely want to visit again as the sushi looked delicious.

Kamikaze roll

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Bluegill Boathouse & Marina Bar

4.5

(2 reviews)

1.9 mi

We didn't eat but we had drinks at the sand bar! How fun is it to put your feet in the sand while…read moresitting on a swing bar in Ottawa, Illinois. DJ was a little load for just a couple people but I guess if you hear it from a distance you would go check it out. We moved to the outside part of the restaurant and had a couple more drinks. Service was a little slow but our wait staff said he was new. Can't fault him for that. Bathrooms were clean, and I noticed they are now gender neutral. Ok. When we left I looked to see if anyone was sitting in the sand pit area and there where a few people, majority older. So I wondered if the DJ was going to switch up the today's hits to something the overall crowd would like. Play music for the crowd you have? Just a thought. It was a beautiful day and I would recommend checking this place out. It's definitely evolving since they opened many years ago! (It's the only picture I took.)

We had a Burger, fries, baked goat cheese, cheese curd, & creme brulee donuts. Each bite was better…read morethan the last. Everything so so delicious. I cannot wait to go back.

Bianchis Pizza Downtown

Very good. Thankfully had cash to cover the tab. I wish I knew the deep Bianchi's lore as to why…read morethey don't do Parmesan cheese.

Bianchi's downtown is terrible. They burn the pizza every time, even when we asked them not to burn…read moreit. R. Grotto has a lot better pizza and better service and they are cleaner. The inside of that place is so dirty. They need to get some actual cleaning spray and clean the place. It seems like they are using just water when they do wipe off a table. It is so dark in there, probably to hide the dirtiness from everyone. They also only take cash which is inconvenient. There really is no excuse for not taking cards in this day and age. So my advice is clean up and quit burning your pizzas!

Mmm extra cheese, black olive and mushroom pizza

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NIKU Japanese Kitchen

4.1

(19 reviews)

This restaurant has perhaps been open a few months and they did a really nice job with the space…read more We were warmly greeted and allowed to choose where to sit so we chose to be seated near the window. Shea was our waitress and did a great job. We started with the soft shell crab appetizer which was a bit underwhelming. It was tempura battered but it contained just two pieces of crab, two onions and two pieces of broccoli. I would not get this again as I thought there would be more crab. The tuna tataki appetizer made up for it. The pieces are generous, covered in sesame seeds and melted in your mouth. The dipping sauce was a great addition. We also shared an MJ roll which was wrapped in soy paper and had tempura shrimp, yellowtail, jalapeño and cucumber. It was quite good. We also had a dragon roll which my husband really enjoyed. It had shrimp tempura, BBQ eel, avocado, cucumber and eel sauce. My aunt ordered avocado salad and added chicken. It had generous pieces of cut chicken on top and was a nice looking salad. My husband also enjoyed the gyoza which were six large potstickers filled with chicken. They serve wine and beer, plus have a small selection of sake. They were sold out of all sake except Gekkeikan sake, which we tried cold. The waitress made a little mistake at the end with the bill and credit card payments, which she credited and redid. We paid cash for one meal and card for the rest but the cash item was accidentally added to the total bill and credit card. It was corrected and all was fine. We loved the food and atmosphere and would definitely come back.

NIKU Japanese Kitchen - Solid Sushi Spot Sushi here is solid…read more-- fresh, well-made, and hits the spot every time. Great place if you're craving quality rolls without the fuss.

Naruto Maki (with cucumber) and Alaskan Roll

Alcatraz roll (left) and sassy crawfish roll (right)

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MJ Roll

Valentino’s Pasta and Wine

(32 reviews)

Vanessa! Amazing service. Food is fantastic. Cannot believe how awesome they renovated this…read more(formerly JJ's Pub). Upstairs is a beautiful speakeasy with gambling machines and velvet couches. A big variety of food. The specials are interesting. I chose the cheese ravioli special with wild mushrooms. Friend had marinara pasta with sausage. We had a starter the cheese burrata and the prosciutto on the side. The cheese was soooooo good. Vanessa went out of her way to make us happy. We had to send the pasta back as it was too spicy for my friend. They remade it and it was perfect for her. I had a blanc de blanc champagne but there was no fizz and the waitress happily got me a different sparkling. I loved the ravioli. Great ambiance. Highly recommend.

An absolutely excellent Italian experience, Valentino's impressed on every level. Fantastic food,…read moregreat value for the portions, highly engaged service staff, and a boldness of flavors above expectations. Our table had a host of appetizers including the Meatball Ricotta, Shrimp Oreganata, Fried Provolone, and Calamari. The meatball was absolutely enormous (enough for four to share easily), and was very well balanced by the sauce and creamy ricotta it was served upon. My personal favorite was the calamari though, which was a combination of the rings and tentacles perfectly salted and fried until delightfully crispy. Don'f forget to dunk those in the sauce they provided! For entrees, I tried a little bit of the dry aged pork chop (super smoky, immaculately tender, and subtly sweet), but the chicken piccata, was the star of the show for me. Refreshingly bright from the lemon, salty capers, and marinated artichokes, the dish was savory and refreshing when paired with the crispy fried potatoes. So good, and I think the best chicken piccata I've ever had! The tiramisu and lemoncello cake were big hits at the table, but the creme brûlée was so simple yet perfectly sweet and smooth that it would definitely be my go-to choice next time. You truly cannot go wrong at this place, and would certainly make an excellent date or celebration location that I'd recommend in a heartbeat.

2nd level speak easy - soon to open

Cannoli dessert

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Country Rigatoni

Court Street Pub

4.2

(85 reviews)

Great atmosphere. Wide drink choices available. Good location easy parking situation.read more

Passing through and stopped for lunch. I noticed from other reviews the pretzel seemed to be a hit…read more, and well damn, it did not disappoint! The SW egg rolls were just okay. The bartender was also friendly and attentive. Nice place as it is very modern and I like the bathroom tiles lol

Mango Habanero Shrimp Tacos

Tap wall

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Keagan’s Irish Pub

(19 reviews)

Very friendly and informative staff. We stopped by for a beer. We decided to try the food since the…read morewaiter was so friendly and enthusiastic about their items. We tried the home made mushroom soup. It was the best mushroom soup I've ever had. Very rich and creamy. We had the wings for an appetizer with the Thai chili and blueberry bbq sauces. Blueberry is house made and Both sauces are delicious. I had a half of a order of the corn beef and cabbage with carrots. All were tender, perfect, and delicious. For dessert, we had the beignets with chocolate. We really enjoyed our dinner. Thanks to both the chef, server, and Manager.

The seafood chowder special was good. It was not a thick soup, it was more on the runny side but…read morehad big chunks of seafood. I was not a big fan of the rest of the menu, so I don't know if I would come back here. Food is a bit on the salty side. Our visit was in the evening (Sep/ early Oct), and there was a waft here and there of a stench like sewage? I am not sure why the bar seating had this odor when the bathrooms were on the other side. Was a bit unappetizing but we tried to ignore it. Service was fast when it came to our ordering and drinks came out quickly. Food was on the slow side. See my pics. The seafood chowder special soup was good. The cheese curds were greasy and salty but not bad. My bro had the pickle burger special and he enjoyed it.

Pork Chop Sandwich with Blueberry BBQ Sauce

The bar has everything!

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Muffy's Tap

3.6

(8 reviews)

1.5 mi

Went in for lunch on taco Tuesday and had a very good lunch at a very decent price. Service was…read moreextremely fast and very friendly. Will be headed back to try other specials and menu items.

Definitely a dive-y little bar but that's what gives it character. My cousin loves this place and…read moreits owners, and insists that I meet her here when I'm in town. We just happened to go there on Taco Tuesday night (yeeeessss tacos and nachos!!!) Yes, it's bar food but it's not bad. For about $20 I fed myself and my husband and we got a lot of food. We ordered two different kinds of quesadillas which came out grilled and melty good with a ton of mozzarella cheese. It was a pretty good sized portion. The nachos and cheese are tortilla chips with a ton of cheese sauce and jalapeños on the side. My auntie got some crispy tacos, I didn't even get a photo because she inhaled them before I had a chance. Cousin got carry out so again no pic. The owner and bartender Terry is super friendly and makes you feel like a valued customer. The interior has cool beer signage and the bathrooms are very clean. Good times.