Didn't know what to expect for this cocktail bar. The staff from the doorman to the server, Zee was…read morethe name I believe, were all great to deal with. Good place for low chill vibes and to get away from the younger bars Naperville has. Will be back.

It's hard to define The Northcott Liquorette. It's a bar but it's not a traditional American bar…read morewith TVs and comfort snack foods. It's not a bar with bad lighting and music. It's not a restaurant because you wouldn't just come here for the food although the food is good. It's close to a lounge I would say but again not exactly a lounge either. In any case it's a great place to hang out with a friend or friends or a date . The cocktails are made well and well thought out. They are not your traditional cocktails you find everywhere and I love an original place with unique ideas. Make a reservation, be on time, order a dish and a few drinks and enjoy yourself.

Altavida is a new addition to the downtown Naperville area as they have only been open for 3 weeks…read more It has taken over The Craftsman building which offers three floors. Altavida's concepts for the three levels are Publico, Rumba, and Altura. Publico (1st Flr)- A South American fusion of food and drinks that will be rotating. The cocktails will be more tequila and mezcal based and food will be subtly rotated based on trends happening in South America. The food menu currently offers tapas, empanadas, ceviche, guacamoles, larger format meat/seafood entrees, and more. They will have a front of our bar as well as a back bar that will specialize in more coffees/coffee cocktails. Rumba (2nd Flr)- The entertainment floor! There is a separate bar on this floor that will specialize in more Rum based cocktails. Additionally, they will have a wine bar area with wines in tap. Lastly, they will have an open area for live music as well as dancing. Their hope is to have a mix of jazz, club music, salsa dancing options available. Altura (3rd Flr)- This floor is still under construction but will have a rooftop patio. The hope is that this space will be an event space both for public and private events. Back to my experience! My partner and I stopped in for a cocktail and to see what Altavida was about. Our first bartender was very nice but was still getting used to the drink recipes and was leaning on their cheat sheets. While we waited, another bartender kindly told us all about the restaurant and its focus on hospitality. Unfortunately, each bartender had a slightly different explanation of the restaurant's goal concepts which was confusing. We ended up ordering the El Toro and Vaquero (both mezcal drinks). Both were VERY spirit forward to the point that it may have needed better balance. Both drinks had a nice presentation with garnishes, color, and a skull feature at the bottom of the glass. Lastly, we saw many people walk up and look confused as there was no formal host stand. They didn't know if they should seat themselves or wait for someone. Overall, there still seems to be some kinks needing to be worked out as well as some conceptual editing. I feel they are trying to achieve too much and it ends up being confusing for staff and guests. I hope with time, Altavida is extremely successful in the Naperville area and I hope to circle back after some time passes.

This place is a wonderful addition to DT Naperville! I was able to get a last minute dinner…read morereservation on a Friday night. I arrived at 6:30 and there were plenty of people already in the restaurant, but I was seated promptly. My server Richard came over to greet me right away. He went over the menu options and gave great recommendations. We put our order in pretty quickly because we've been to tapas restaurants before. I loved the modern decor and lively music being played. The place is truly colorful and has a very energetic vibe. The service was excellent. Everyone was extremely kind and happy to help. Edwin, the general manager was so friendly and accommodating by making sure that everything was to our liking. He is a gem. My husband and I ordered a few different tapas to share. We started with the empanadas and they were truly 10/10, highly recommend! We had the beef and chicken with the chimichurri sauce. We also tried the papas bravas and those were delicious as well. They are spicy and have a nice kick. The portion is pretty big and shareable. Last, we had chicken en mole. Omg, so good! They knocked it out of the park with this one. The presentation is very pleasing and the flavor is 10/10! I'm a hot sauce girly and even carry it in my bag just in case. The sauce they had in the dish was so good that I didn't even think about adding hot sauce! The rice and chicken along with the sauce is chef's kiss. I also tried the Brussels sprouts but they were my least favorite of everything. They should go back to the drawing board on that one. The drinks we had were solid. My husband had an espresso martini and dragonfruit margarita, while I had a mango margarita. All were good. Needless to say, I had an amazing evening at Altavida! The dancing on the second floor was also very fun and entertaining. I will definitely be a regular here!

933 Speakeasy is located inside Embers in Downtown Lockport. I loved that getting to the bar was…read moretruly an "in the know" experience. It just so happens that I visited the night of a holiday bar crawl in lockport so the inside wasn't set up how it normally would be. For being packed, we were still able to grab a cocktail table to enjoy our drinks at. The bar was decked out in holiday decor to get everyone in christmas spirits. My group got two rounds of drinks which included the Toasted Pecan Old Fashioned, Figgy Smalls, Christmas in a Cup, Happiness is a Warm Puppy, Milk & Cookies, and Maple Bacon Old Fashioned. My favorites by far were the Toasted Pecan Old Fashioned and Figgy Smalls. My group also loved the Milk & Cookies. The bartenders hustled to get drinks out and still took time to smoke the old fashioneds to perfection. I'd love to come back on a normal night and re-enjoy this lockport hotspot.

Ever since I learned that there was a speakeasy in Lockport i've always wanted to check it out but…read moreI didn't want to go there by myself so I finally convinced my wife to visit the Speakeasy with me. We figured it would have been the perfect way to top off our evening. For first-timers it might be hard trying to find the speakeasy since at first I thought you had to access it from the Busy Street and walk up three flights of stairs. Actually you just walk inside of the Embers building, find the elevator that's kind of hidden and take it to the Third floor. I thought that the little trip up felt exclusive already. Once you're at the third floor you are treated to a beautiful array of scenery. Exit to your left and you were treated to the bar and some great tables with a cozy, intimate setting. I'm not sure if it was open seating since there was a little podium right off the elevator so we just sat ourselves. Some speakeasies require a certain dress code to keep up with the times. This one thankfully was casual though many people dressed business casual. We actually loved how the staff dressed as well. I have to try their Japanese sex drink and I absolutely loved every ship that I took. The drinks are fairly price. They did have a food menu but it was mainly snacks and small plates that were a bit overpriced. If we're having a large Gathering they have a big private room next door. This place does have a lot of great events going on as well with their upcoming Valentine's Day event that looks really interesting. It does get pretty busy as well after 7:00 p.m. from our experience. Overall, I was excited and enjoyed our visit coming to the 933 speakeasy!

Our server at the Wonderverse recommended we stop in the Ghost Trap after dinner so we did. It's a…read moreneat 21 and over speakeasy with a bar and a handful of tables. I don't think there's table service here, we ordered and paid at the bar but they did bring the drinks out to the table. They had a few Ghostbusters themed drinks that aren't available at the restaurant. I had the Death Chill Slushie which was good and strong, I enjoyed that it came with a rock candy swizzle stick. Hubby had the Wax On Wax Off which was a little more sweet and more up my alley. Overall a nice place to grab a drink and relax for a bit. Cute for a date night.

Cute spot inside wonderverse! Glad we came during soft…read moreopening weekend because I can tell this place will be packed. Shout out to Hedeia (spelling may be off) at the bar. She was hustling and patient with the guests. Things to keep in mind: you are paying for the theme. Their specialty drinks run $20. Tip your bartenders appropriately on that amount. Recs for the team: qr code, menus on tables would be helpful for when the crowds pick up. Fun time!

My favorite Naperville restaurant! Pescado Frito and Coles de Bruseles for dinner. Our second…read moredinner did not disappoint. My first deep fried red snapper, so delicious. Paired with an Alto Adige Pinot Grigio. Divine. Skirt steak, with a side of tortillas, also highly recommended! Tip: ask for a side of corn tortillas to make it a complete meal.

Santo Cielo doesn't have a happy hour but they do offer a Tuesday $10 special and Thursday $10…read moreMartini special. I visited on a Tuesday when there are (5) cocktails and (6) food options for $10 each. They also offer half off MP Oysters. The restaurant has exterior signage on where to enter the building before going up to the fifth floor. The inside has a light and bright aesthetic and truly had some amazing views of downtown Naperville. For drinks, I got the Old Fashioned which was perfectly balanced yet spirit forward. My husband got the Spanish G&T which the rotating gin was an African gin with orange notes. The drink overall was refreshing for summer. For food, we shared the Papas Fritas which was seasoned fries with a salsa sauce and celery cream sauce. I surprisingly liked the sauces a lot and the portion was a perfect light snack for four. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my visit. The normal menu is a bit pricey but I would certainly come back for Thursday Martini night!

Got some great cocktails from this bar and gallery in Aurora. It has a kind of limited menu but you…read morecan find something good though. French 75 is basically an art gallery but there's a bar. Look at some art while sipping on a few cocktails. The prices aren't bad especially at happy hours. Checked it out before going to see a play and it was big time ass busy. It's one of the nicer bars in town to be certain. There's all kinds of fancy cocktails such as the namesake obviously. Go at the happy hour and save a few bucks. It's $6 for any of the French 75 variations. Happy hour is Tuesdays through Fridays 4 to 6 in the evening. The Blanc is Bombay Dry Gin, Brut, lemon juice, and simple syrup. It's about $9 for appetizers. The Marinated Olives are nice to munch on. Also they have charcuterie boards. These are great for groups and parties. Has quite an interesting combination. It's open every evening with plenty of art to check out. They have a happy hour weekdays and are open later Fridays and Saturdays.

This is a cute place to come and grab a drink and light food with friends with unique cocktails and…read morecharcuterie boards. They have beautiful paintings covering the walls, and very friendly and attentive service. I tried The Goddess drink, which is similar to a sangria, and the Flower Garden is really good too.

Love this place. Great spot to stop for a couple of cocktails. Have a diverse array of things on…read morethe specialty drink menu, and serve some small plates as well. Has turned into a semi-regular stop when we're out and about

I've been to The Alchemist multiple times because my boyfriend loves it, even though I've always…read morethought it was just alright. We usually sit inside, but I wanted to sit on their patio. We came about an hour before their kitchen closed. For some reason the service was just bad this time. Our waitress took a long time to come and check on us, forgot to bring us our drinks, forgot to bring our food to us (the waiter serving the table next to us brought it... he was doing a great job and kinda wish we had him instead lol), and took forever to come pick up our check. Just overall felt like we were questioning where she was the entire time. We got the focaccia bread with side of vodka sauce, togarashi fries, tenderloin skewers, and oysters (forgot to get a photo). The food was good and the cocktails were refreshing. My favorite was the focaccia with the vodka sauce. The fries were also crispy and flavorful.

Closed in, claustrophobic, and no room to move around in or even dance as your shoulder-to-shoulder…read morewith so many people trying to squeeze through or lounge around. This happens very often on weekends that it almost feels like a potential hazard waiting to happen.

We came out to Two Nine recently for a birthday party and had a good time but it was overly…read morecrowded. I think something they can do to minimize this is to have wait times for when your party can arrive or be more strict about how many people they let in at once. Things that are unique about this spot is the ambiance and the iron branch-like artwork on the walls and throughout the bar. It's a cool atmosphere when the lights are dimmed as they have fun colored up-lighting to set the mood. There's a little outdoor bar called "the shanty" and it is the best spot to be if you visit in the summer. The DJ is usually always spot on for the crowd; usually a mix of modern EDM and early 2000's hip hop throwbacks. The dance floor is small but was packed. There is a semi-private table area by the bar that you can reserve for a group party. If you ever are planning to come here for a birthday or any type of celebration I'd recommend you reserve this table/booth area so your group has a place to sit or at least stand. You also get a server assigned to your table! Like I mentioned, on a busy Friday or Saturday night, this place is packed shoulder to shoulder like a college bar. If that's the scene you're looking for, you're in the right spot! They should staff at least 6 bar tenders for the influx of people but they only have two or three tops. You can tell they are hardworking bartenders but it is impossible to serve that many people. The women's bathroom was rough. It's small and there's hardly any room to wait inside or outside the bathroom. Because the place is so crowded, I got bumped and spilled on multiple times just standing outside the bathroom door. The garbage was overflowing and something from the ceiling was dripping and of course landing on me. Maybe it was a rough night for them to keep up overall but this experience wasn't what I had in mind to help a dear friend celebrate her birthday.

Beth and Tiffany were expert bartenders who made our casual all-ages Thanksgiving open house super…read morefun. They were flexible and knew how to work the bar and the room. You will not be disappointed in their service!

From the owner: Every drink has a story. Let us help you create and be a part of yours!read more

Lovely place to be. Friendly personnel, affordable prices, delicious food. Recommend!read more

The service was so terrible I was questioning if I was a ghost. Possibly the worst service of…read moreanywhere I have ever been. For $100 per person, I was frankly shocked. Had a 1:30 reservation and it took over an hour and a half to even get food. I will say that there was one guy manning basically every table and acting as the host since the server was nowhere to be seen. Food was very good, so it is a shame!