Girl & the Goat is a must go in Chicago. Between the reputation, the awards, and the fame of chef…read moreStephanie Izard, my expectations were high. I made this reservation more than a month in advance and was genuinely excited when I finally snagged a table. Thankfully, the meal delivered. The space itself is exactly what I hoped for--minimal, chic, and effortlessly cool. Nothing feels overdesigned or trendy for the sake of being trendy. The menu is also refreshingly approachable. It's creative without being overwhelming, and there's enough variety that everyone can find something they'll love. Before I even get into the food, I have to give a huge shoutout to our server, Kona. She was absolutely incredible and deserves a raise. Attentive without hovering, knowledgeable without being pretentious, and genuinely invested in making sure we had a great experience. Service like that elevates an entire meal. The drinks were fantastic too. Strong, well-balanced, and with enough variety that there's truly something for everyone. I had both a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned, and neither disappointed. The Manhattan was bold and spirit-forward, while the Old Fashioned was exactly what I wanted--strong, slightly sweet, and the perfect companion to dessert. To start, we ordered the Pita & Dips, and thank goodness we did. The pita itself is enormous, warm, and beautifully prepared. The dips were fresh, vibrant, and packed with flavor. It's one of those dishes that seems simple on paper but ends up being one of the most satisfying things on the table. The famous Green Beans absolutely lived up to the hype. Kona came by and suggested pairing them with the halibut, which is exactly the kind of thoughtful service that makes a difference. She didn't have to do that, but she did, and she was right. The green beans were incredible--crunchy, savory, addictive, and somehow far more exciting than green beans have any right to be. I'd honestly come back just for this dish. The Pan-Roasted Halibut was another standout. Fresh, flavorful, and beautifully balanced. The acidity cut through the richness of the fish while the subtle sweetness tied everything together. It felt bright and refined without losing comfort-factor. The Goat Empanadas were exactly what fried food should be. Crispy, flavorful, and impossible to stop eating. Sometimes restaurants try to overcomplicate things, but this dish succeeded because it simply executed the fundamentals perfectly. Then came the Roasted Pig Face, which might have been the most fun dish of the night. Mixing everything together transformed the plate into something completely different from its individual parts. The textures were fantastic, and the potatoes added an element I wasn't expecting but thoroughly enjoyed. It's playful, creative, and a perfect example of why Girl & the Goat became famous in the first place. And then dessert happened. We ordered the Popcorn Situation, and I now understand why people talk about it. The combination of sweetness, saltiness, creaminess, and crunch somehow works perfectly. That cake, the cheese component, the salty notes - everything came together in a way that sounds unusual on paper but tastes absolutely incredible. Overall, Girl & the Goat lives up to its hype. I'll 100% be back

Love that they have a vegan menu! We sat outside on a sunny day. There was plenty of indoor and…read moreoutdoor seating. Service was great. As a group of 3, we ordered both vegan and non vegan dishes. For the chickpea fritters, they were able to make a half portion vegan and the other half as is. My friends ordered the chicken skewers and goat empanadas and loved them! I got the maitake mushroom dish. The mushrooms were very flavorful and paired well with the wrap and fresh strawberry cucumber salad. My favorite part was the vegan dessert "vacation, please!" - pineapple cake with passion fruit sorbet

Great burgers, the packaging is awesome and the staff is so well-trained. I've been to several…read morelocations over the years, and this is my first review on any of their locations. 5 stars for now. If I had any complaint, it would be regarding the logistics of managing the traffic. But it would be ridiculous for me to hold that against them at this point in their growth. Well done for Au Cheval. Medium rare burger for me.

No good vegan options :(…read more I got the green salad and added avocado (paid extra just for 30% of an avocado) and extra dressing. Overpriced salad for sure. Also the outdoor seating was horrible. No umbrellas so we were melting under the hot sun the whole time. My friends enjoyed the fries but said the burger lacked veggies.

"We stopped at The Purple Pig for lunch and we were pleasantly surprised at how great everything…read morewas. From the impeccable service to the great food, ambience and extensive wine list, we couldn't have been more pleased with our dining experience.

Just an amazing experience all around!! The tuna tartare was exceptional as well as the sorbet with…read moreBailey's. A little tight on seating but no complaints!!

Late night dinner and sips after the ghost gangster tour around Chicago! We picked Cindy's…read morerooftop at the Chicago Athletic Association on the 13th floor for stunning skyline views which was the perfect spot to just unwind from the busy day. Though we couldn't see much of Lake Michigan, we knew it was just right there. We enjoyed the fresh Caesar salad, creamy Rigatoni alla Vodka, and warm bread with herbed butter. , and an espresso martini and a glass of prosecco. For dessert, we ordered the baked Alaska (So good), and coffees which ended the night with perfection. Service: Cheers to Anthony for the wonderful service and great menu suggestions!

We visited Chicago and we looked forward to every single meal we made reservations for, and both me…read moreand my husband agreed Cindy's rooftop is the top among all the restaurants we visited. We went on the memorial weekend, and we didn't know we are getting the brunch intead of the lunch menu. We were so gonna get that fish and chips equivalent, so it took us some time to finally decided on the meal choice. My husband got the breakfast with chicken sausages, while I got the burger. Their burger is great with two thin patties. The veggies and pickles with it is delicious. The bun is pretty good. The fries was decent. His breakfast is so much better than mine though! I tried everything on his plate and it was good! After we finished our meal, we also took some nice pictures at the balcony which you can see all the way to the Field Museum area on a nice weather day. The restaurant is conveniently located near the Grant Park area. We actually visited the cloud gate, fountain, The cultural center, Target/5 below, comic stores, route 66 sign, Chicago stock exchange arch, and the art institution all in that trip. Very convenient! Their reservation opens 2 weeks before. If we ever go back to Chicago, we will definitely visit them again. Hopefully I will complete my Invisalign treatment and can actual eat more food! The elevator is very "vintage" btw. We tried both the express and regular elevators and that was an interesting ride...

Truly one of the most enjoyable Italian food experiences in Chicago. It's worth the effort to plan…read moreahead and make a reservation. Reservations are released 21 days ahead of time, which I personally find impossible to make. Every time I've checked over the last several years there have been no availability. Yesterday I decided to pop on their website again and was delighted to find that they had released same day dinner reservations for patio only dining. The weather was perfect for outdoor dining so I went ahead and booked a table for Friday night. I felt like I won the dinner lottery. Service was wonderful and I didn't mind sitting outside at all next to the road with cars. I actually never stepped foot in the restaurant so cannot comment on what it's like inside. But do not give up that patio dining reservation if it's available. All of our dishes were delicious. I was really impressed by the meatball appetizers, chicken vesuvio (the potatoes are a must get as a side if you skip this dish), and branzino. The meats and sauces were wonderfully balanced and tender. Nothing tasted overly salted. Ironically, the pasta felt less of a star compared to the other dishes. And of course I had to get the gelato, which was so aesthetically presented and the taste just reminded me of an Italian summer vacation.

They stick people on their front coffee table as their dining location and act like it is normal…read more There needs to be a discount to eat at this table. Removed the "restaurant surcharge" after I asked.

We really liked this place! It was very busy. The Caesar and calamari were outstanding. My wife…read morereally liked her pappardelle noodles. I also thought the lasagna was good, but not quite worth the hype. We really appreciates the free dessert for our anniversary as well as the server noticing I don't drink alcohol and bringing over a non alcoholic beverage to celebrate. The inside is super cute and not too loud. Very photo worthy. Overall we are glad we stopped by.

There are so many Italian restraurants in Chicago and I can see why this place gets such good…read morereviews. Caesar salad: 4/5. Well balanced dressing and fresh greens. The sliced celery was a nice addition. Just the right amount of anchovy. Burrata lasagne: 4.5-5. A top tier lasagne. Loved the sauce and cheese in the many layers of pasta and the burrata was a nice way to top it. One bad note: the app the restaurant uses to pay the bill with a QR code incorrectly calculates the recommended tip (apparently including the tax).

Aba Restaurant review -- Fulton Market, Chicago…read more This was my husband and I first time visiting Aba Restaurant, and we left impressed on every count. From the moment we arrived, the service stood out. We had an 8 PM reservation, but since we were in the area early, Chris B. kindly accommodated us for an earlier seating. We settled on the rooftop deck, which set the mood with a vibrant, buzzy vibe. The service was outstanding throughout. Our waiter greeted us promptly, with a trainee at the table. (My apologies for forgetting their names). Both were exceptionally pleasant. The trainee did a superb job walking us through the menu, explaining the concept of ordering. We decided on a variety of dishes, and Aba delivered: - Wild Mushroom Hummus: A smooth earthy dish with roasted mushrooms folded into a creamy hummus, finished with truffle oil and herbs. Yummy! - Tuna & Watermelon: A refreshing pairing of tender tuna balanced with juicy watermelon, cucumber, pomergrant seeds and mint. Loved it! - Green Chili Shrimp: Served in a metal dish used for escargo. The shrimp were covered by breadcrumbs and lots of butter with a slight kick to it. Great for dipping your bread in. It did not disappoint! - Pan Seared Halibut: A perfectly seared, delicate fillet, moist and flaky that highlighted the fish's clean, buttery profile. And from the cocktail menu, the Aloe? It's Me. It has a kick to it. Loved it too. Everything was excellent--the food was inventive and delicious, the service was great and the rooftop ambiance added a memorable layer to the evening. Highly recommended for a refined yet relaxed Chicago dining experience.

Aba is in Fulton market and has outdoor and indoor seating! The restaurant is open and bright. I…read moreloved the olive trees that made the room feel like I was outside! The plates are shareable so this is great because you can share a few dishes! I tried the smoked garlic hummus (comes with pita bread), short rib Shakshouka, crispy potatoes, and the beef and lamb kofta! This was for two people and we had left overs. The hummus was fantastic! I highly recommend getting the crispy potatoes as well! I have never tried shakshouka with meat in it before and didn't love the texture. However, the flavor was sweet and savory! The only thing that was not ideal was that an optional surcharge was on the receipt, when we tried to get our server to help remove it per instructions on the receipt no one was to be found. That was disappointing and potentially strategic? I would have rather just tipped. I'm not sure how others feel about the surcharge?

We had Sunday brunch and were seated quickly. The…read moreatmosphere was warm, staff were quite busy but attentive. We split 2 meals between 4 of us because we k ew portion sizes would be just the right amount.

I went to lunch here solo & was very underwhelmed by the food & experience. I got the…read morePeruvian-Style Ceviche & the Fish & Chips. The ceviche was bland to me & didn't taste that great to be honest. The fish & chips which comes with fries actually surprised me at the giant size of the serving and the fries were hot, fresh, and delicious. The fish itself although hot and fresh had no flavor at all. Very filling, but tasteless. Overhyped & I could not recommend. I also originally ordered a root beer which the waitress confirmed upon repeating my order back to me, but I never recieved. It seemed as though service since I was dining solo was also very slow as well as I watched my waitress go to other tables and not mine when I kept looking to ask where was my drink. Overall, food severely lacked flavor and there's too many other places that can you dine at for better of taste/service.

Vegan dumplings were flavorful and tasted good without sauce…read more My friends reallt enjoyed the wagyu dumplings and skewers. Only had to wait 5-10 minutes on a Saturday afternoon for table of 5.

First time in Chicago and had to go to Chinatown for dumplings!…read more My girlfriend and I put ourselves on the waitlist around 1:30PM on a Sat, ended up being a 75 min wait. We ordered the cucumber salad, lamb & coriander dumplings steamed, and the wagyu & coriander dumplings fried. Everything was delicious! The skin was thin and filling was flavorful. I was a bit confused why they don't give you spoons since there's so much juice inside the dumpling. Once you bite into it, all the juice spills out. Overall, we enjoyed our meal. Staff was friendly and efficient. Would recommend if you're in the mood for some dumplings!

The food is incredible here. The Lamb Ragu specifically is a must try!…read more The vibes are very fun as well. A great place to have drinks or a meal with friends. Very great visuals for pics of you want. The service was mid. That was the only drawback. I would go back for the food but it was if we were a bother to the server. We made a reservation and were seated at the bar area. Our server forgot our wine. It was just the worst service I had of any of the places visited while I was in town.

We had a reservation at 1PM Sunday and were seated outside. I have always walked past Ema, so it…read morewas a delight to be able to try it for the first time. Our server was kind and great at showing recommendations. They suggested that each person has 2-3 plates since the menu was full of small-plate style food. And honestly, I think we could have gone away with 1-2 plates per person since we were very full by the time we finished eating The interior is absolutely gorgeous. Part of me wishes that we got the chance to sit down inside, but maybe that will be the excuse to come visit another time. The Blueberry Clafoutis was my favorite dish. The blueberries were sweet, and it was like eating a blueberry crepe/pancake. The sweetness level was not overpowering, which was what made this dish so enjoyable. The "Bhel" Hummus and Spicy Whipped Feta were both very tasty. I loved the fruitiness of the "Bhel" Hummus and loved how the Spicy Whipped Feta had its pomegranate bits. Each were so unique, and it was an adventure with each bite. Excellent service and food overall. It was a pleasant new experience.