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    Norman's Bistro

    3.2 (292 reviews)
    Open 3:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    Norman's Bistro Photos

    Business Info

    NORMAN'S BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Norman's Bistro

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    Caribbean Flame-Grilled Lamb
    Beverly C.

    It had been several years since I dined at Norman's Bistro. There is street parking and luckily enough I was quickly able to find parking directly across the street on a Sunday evening. Our party of 5 were serviced by the lovely Jasmine. Her customer service and attentiveness was Great! First off we all enjoyed the Fried Green Tomatoes appetizer. The tomatoes were sliced just thick enough, tender inside and crispy outside. For my entree I had the Caribbean Flame-Grilled Lamb, served with grilled Red Peppers and Onions. For my side I chose Red Beans and Rice. Everything was so delicious. The only reason I gave 4 stars, for the atmosphere, was because once the Jazz Band started playing inside the dining room, they were competing with the sound of dj music loudly playing in the next room. Overall I enjoyed the experience.

    Shrimp pasta and shrimp po'boy in the back
    Michelle G.

    My friend and I had a yummy dinner here - I got the shrimp pasta and he got the shrimp poboy and we shared the fried green tomatoes. It's a cute enough spot inside - the food is four stars because while the food is good, it does feel like something you could probably make at home with some effort so it feels a bit expensive for what it is. For example, my friend noted that the fries that came with his poboy were frozen originally as opposed to fresh. Still a solid spot to have dinner in the neighborhood, but I wouldn't go out of my way again unless I was in the area and hungry. Also service is a bit slow but I only really rate based on food unless someone is actively terrible (service was pleasant enough, just a bit inefficiently run).

    Blackened catfish
    Adria H.

    I have come to Norm's at least 5 times before today and have always had a great experience and good food. I want to start there, because I deeply appreciate and respect how hard the restaurant business is, and I know the owner is doing phenomenal work all throughout the community and I applaud him for this. I am not making this review to discourage anyone from eating here, my hope is to offer feedback so that there can be adjustments for the future to secure this restaurant being here for many many years to come! If there was an option to send feedback just to the owner, I would definitely offer that instead. But in absence of that option, I wanted to provide some feedback here. I ordered the blackened catfish with Mac and cheese. I have had this same meal several times before so I knew what to expect which was pure deliciousness. Unfortunately this time the catfish was way over seasoned (too salty), and the table next to me who ordered the same said the same thing. And the Mac and cheese which used to be made fresh and baked, I'm not sure how it's being prepared now but this is not representative of southern Mac and cheese. Again, my hope is never to tear down or disparage. I want to see this business thriving and offering delicious food. I'd be happy to return to offer an updated review (if invited by the business) after alterations have been made! I know Norm's can and has produced far better quality than what u extended today.

    Jerk Chicken (half) with Smashed Yams
    Ahmad O.

    Norman's came through with a comforting meal on a Thursday night! It was a little cold inside but once I tasted the jerk chicken, it didn't even matter. The chicken was very tender and juicy. I'll probably pass on the island coleslaw next time, but the yams are definitely the truth. Come check them out!

    Fried green tomatoes, coleslaw, catfish greens mac & cheese... seafood mixed salad

    The food was awesome! Everything that we tried was phenomenal! We started with fried green tomatoes... excellent! I also had the best catfish that I have ever had in my life! All of the sides were delicious! I had the braised greens, sweet potatoes and mac & cheese . The service was exceptional! For some of the best food on the south side of Chicago, I highly recommend this restaurant!

    Vegetarian sliders
    Ayana H.

    I visited it for a fundraiser and have mixed reviews. They have a very nice patio area, but it was all in the blazing sun. I wanted to order the bread pudding, but the Chef couldn't give me any information about it. His response was it's traditional bread pudding. What exactly does that mean? I ordered a drink and was told they were out of the ingredients. Attempted to order a second drink and they didn't have the ingredients. She offered to make me a drink that I had to send back because I didn't like it. The fried green tomatoes were sliced perfectly, and had a very good taste. The vegetarian sliders were overcooked.

    Jenny J.

    Norman's Bistro is a popular restaurant in the Bronzeville community. The building itself is nicely decorated, well kept, and very spaciously. There is outdoor seating. There is a lounge in the back where they play live music. There is free street parking, which is definitely a positive! There was a party going on in the lounge area, but the noise was minimal. The patrons were a mature older crowd of people. The restroom was clean. I arrived there at around 8:30PM on Friday August 5th 2022. We were the only guests in the dining area. The service was not good in my opinion. The waitress was not friendly or helpful. She barely spoke to us. She did not check on us. The food was good overall. My mother and I ordered 2 Shrimp Po Boys, Sweet Potatoes Fries, and coleslaw. The sandwich had a good amount of fresh vegetables on top, but it could have used a few more shrimp. It was flavored well. I did not like the sweet tasting coleslaw at all. This meal cost $18 dollars. I will try this restaurant again in the future. Hopefully the service will improve.

    Dessert to share
    Lisa R.

    This month friends and I went on a Sunday to Norman's Bistro for brunch. We were surprised they were not open until 3pm. Parking is hard when the place has many patrons, however we were there prior to opening and parking was easy. Food is great, ambience is lovely. They used to have a breakfast buffet (excellent made to order omlets) and not sure when it was discontinued. Overall great place to go with friends or family after church. We will be back.

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    25 days ago

    Very nice entertainment. Love the outdoor patio. Food is good and the bar is good, The waiters are always friendly.

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    1 year ago

    disappointing drinks - rum punch had something in it that seemed spoiled. We replaced it with a lemon drop martini. Watered down.

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    Fogo de Chão

    Fogo de Chão

    4.1(2.4k reviews)
    5.6 miRiver North, Near North Side
    $$$

    Wonderful service, food out of this world, Ambiance and atmosphere was great, they bring the main…read morecourses to your table and cut the meat off the large portions

    Once in a while, you get the courage to splurge on a family dinner. My family and I decided to do…read morejust that on July 4th at Fogo in downtown Chicago. Seven people, $700 all in, and so much regret. Service: 3/5 I'll start with the positive: the customer service was overall pretty good. It was raining hard, so after walking a few miles and exhausting other indoor options, we popped in 30 minutes early to see if they could seat us. They could, and they got us in quickly. So far, so good. I'm only giving this three stars because, at the start of our meal, servers poured out of the kitchen all at once. Normally, that would be great--better to be overwhelmed with food than wondering where it is--but the situation resembled chaos more than efficiency. They were in and out so quickly that I barely knew what I was being served. That said, I'll give them credit where it's due: they checked on us several times and kept our drinks full and the table stocked with bread. Food: 1/5 It was just bad. No amount of good service can make up for bad food. The salad bar was "meh." A decent assortment of options, but nothing to write home about. The meat--which is the whole point of the experience--was honestly terrible. It had no flavor, none. Somehow, even the fattier cuts were bland; I wondered if they forgot to season them entirely. It didn't help that almost every piece of meat we received, regardless of what we requested, was well-done and bone-dry. I tried so hard to enjoy it, but every bite was just a reminder that I was out $700 for food you'd usually have to pay me to eat. It was my birthday, and while I was surprised when the staff brought out a lava cake and ice cream, it was a bit odd that half the ice cream was already melted all over the plate by the time it reached the table. Atmosphere: 3/5 It was fine--nothing to brag about, but about what you'd expect from Fogo. My one critique is the smell; it was a lot better outside than inside. There was this weird, clinical scent--I don't even know how to describe it--that permeated the dining room. Otherwise, it was acceptable. Cost: 1/5 Way overpriced considering what we actually got. It really stings to waste our "once-a-year" expensive family dinner on such awful food. We're done with Fogo, unfortunately.

    Photos
    Fogo de Chão - Picanha Cutting Board

    Picanha Cutting Board

    Fogo de Chão - Bone-In Ribeye: Aged for 21 days for a richer flavor, and roasted slowly to retain the natural flavors of the meat on the bone.

    Bone-In Ribeye: Aged for 21 days for a richer flavor, and roasted slowly to retain the natural flavors of the meat on the bone.

    Fogo de Chão

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    Sinha Elegant Cuisine - Red velvet and flan

    Sinha Elegant Cuisine

    4.4(188 reviews)
    5.8 miNear West Side
    $$

    I think this is the best restaurant I've ever been to in America. The food was impeccable…read more Everything is made by one wonderful grandma who is so sweet and greets everyone with a smile. The service is amazing, everyone is so accommodating. And it truly felt like I was just at a house party or a dinner with friends or family. You know that one scene in ratatouille where the food critic snaps back into life when he tastes the soup for the first time and feels an overwhelming sense of nostalgia? Yeah, that's exactly how I felt eating here. I will definitely be back.

    My college friend was visiting from out of town and I made reservations to Sinha Elegant Brazilian…read moreCuisine for Sunday brunch. Sunday Brunch has 2 seatings: 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Brunch is also BYOB, no corkage fee. Parking: a private parking lot on side of the house. When one arrives, establishment sign states ring the bell. We were welcomed with a warm smile and a huge welcome! I felt like welcomed with the beautiful colors and smells. Appetizers were already available on the main floor along with hibiscus tea and water. When all the guests arrive, the owner welcomed us and shared her menu along with explaining how she prepared the food. And oh so much food! Steak, beans and rice, shrimp, salad, vegetables plus options for vegetarians and gluten free. Dessert was red velvet cake with flan. Brazilian and Indian decor was beautiful! Staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Small parties and large parties are welcomed. All guests chose to eat out back in patio area. It was a beautiful Chicago day to enjoy such a wonderful meal. We had a wonderful time and an incredible experience! Cheers!~

    Photos
    Sinha Elegant Cuisine - First floor

    First floor

    Sinha Elegant Cuisine
    Sinha Elegant Cuisine - Front yard

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    Front yard

    Brasero - pork fried rice

    Brasero

    4.6(175 reviews)
    6.5 miUkrainian Village, West Town

    From beginning to end, everything just hit. Shana was AMAZING and took such great care of us…read more We went all in: Hamachi Aguachile, Wagyu Beef Tartare, Brazilian Fried Chicken, Smoked Chicken, Braised Pork Shank and the Coal-Roasted Sweet Potato. Every dish brought something different, and there wasn't a weak link on the table. The flavors were bold, creative and layered without feeling like they were trying too hard. Brasero was probably our all-around favorite restaurant of the entire Chicago trip - and considering how many incredible places we ate, that is saying a lot.

    Great supper club pick! This is a Spanish inspired restaurant in west town. I honestly expected the…read moremenu to have more small plates, but it's a lot of big mains. We split a lot of the sides and the pork shank. We tried the noodle dish, the sweet potato, the potatoes and the little cheese balls. I loved the sweet potato so much and it honestly reminded me of a better version of the Maxwell trading one aka a really expensive potato lol. I also loved the potato side dish, and the pork shank was extremely flavorful and fell right off the bone. The cheese balls were delectable, and I could've eaten many more of them. The service was super kind, but ended up being really slow so they gave us four desserts for free??? So so nice!! We tried the sorbet, coconut sundae, Panna, cotta, and this passion fruit white chocolate one. All of the desserts were immaculate and genuinely I would come back just to have the desserts again. I also got the mule and it was a pretty good cocktail- nothing crazy. Overall, I was a fan of this place and although I think it's a bit expensive for the plate size, I would come back for happy hour or dessert!

    Photos
    Brasero - Stunning bar

    Stunning bar

    Brasero - Coconut Soft Serve

    Coconut Soft Serve

    Brasero - Grilled oysters

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    Grilled oysters

    Bacuri Bakery - Pao de queijo

    Bacuri Bakery

    4.9(29 reviews)
    19.3 mi

    Cute spot that offers empanadas, sweets, sandwiches & drinks…read more WiFi worked well! Good spot to grab an empanada and get some work done.

    My bestie suggested for us to visit Bacuri Bakery since she lives 5 minutes away and it was…read moreprobably one of the best decisions we've made on a restaurant in a long time. I had one of the best experience. From the adorable location of the Bakery, to the wonderful service and lets not forget the super delicious food! Inside of the place consist of about 4 tables and some high tops. It's in a cute little house with a rustic feel of wood that I love. A IG worthy name wall and super clean! Which is very important to me. The gentleman behind the counter was soooo nice, friendly, knowledgeable and I wonder if he's the owner but I am all about supporting local small businesses. I would come back for the service alone! I don't eat meat so I ordered the Portobello, red pepper and havarti cheese sandwich. My bestie ordered the ham and cheese and both was amazing!!! Mine wasn't overly salty, cheese was gooey, mushrooms and peppers was deliciously seasoned and best of all, the sandwich was crispy to the bite! Free parking right outside of the restaurant and free water for your convenience. I already have a coffee but we both took some pulled pork, chicken and spinach empanadas to go and everything was amazing! 10/10 on everything! Can't wait to bring my family to try the sweets and other stuff like acai bowl, cookies, cake jar and much much more!!! Please stop in and try it for yourself! You will fall in love! I know I did! Thank you Bacuri Bakery! I will be back!

    Photos
    Bacuri Bakery - Baked goods

    Baked goods

    Bacuri Bakery - Brigadeiro

    Brigadeiro

    Bacuri Bakery

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    Penumbra - Creole shrimp, ribeye and lobster (surf & turf) with roasted potatoes and delish side salad. Delish!

    Penumbra

    4.8(1k reviews)
    9.3 miLogan Square
    $$$

    I had the pleasure to dine at Penumbra on a Thursday evening. We were celebrating a graduation and…read morethe staff were very welcoming when we arrived. I was visiting from out of town and was not familiar with the parking around the area. I asked one of the staff members and immediately they reassured me that the side street would raking was totally fine to park just so long as it wasn't the front of the building where you have to pay. The food started with a complementary potato soup which was flavorful and lovely. We got a round of drinks and one of our party didn't care for her drink and it was replaced no question. We had the flat iron steak, the chicken, and the salmon and each entree was wonderful. The proteins were all very tender and juicy. I was also very pleased with the salad that came first which was lightly dressed and very seasonal. We finished our dining experience with a slice of cheesecake. It was a nice cap to the end of a wonderful meal. I would recommend this restaurant for any occasion - I would love to come back and try some of the other items on their menu.

    **Hidden gem!!!**…read more Penumbra is SUPER sexy and low-key elite. This is one of those spots that will make you look like a total restaurant pro if you take someone there or recommend it. The ambiance is intimate, romantic, and just feels exclusive without trying too hard. I took my girl there for her birthday and she absolutely loved it -- which is always the real test. We had the ribeye and the Rotini Bianco, and both were excellent. The ribeye was cooked perfectly, tender and flavorful. The Rotini Bianco was rich, creamy, and done just right. Every dish felt intentional and well executed. Don't hesitate to book. If you're trying to impress or celebrate something special, this is the move.

    Photos
    Penumbra
    Penumbra
    Penumbra - Quesadilla

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    Quesadilla

    Carnivale Chicago

    Carnivale Chicago

    3.9(2.7k reviews)
    5.4 miWest Loop, Near West Side
    $$$

    Such a coolly decorated place!…read more Had a work dinner event and happy hour place and was blown away when I walked in. The design is very in your face, with bright colors and large fixtures. Super cool. Staff was amazing, both the bartenders and servers. Very attentive and out of their way to accommodate. We had a coursed dinner. Apps were good. Shrimp ceviche was not my fav, but the smoked mushroom croquettes were flavorful and good. Carnivale Salad was great with little cheese bites and great dressing. I got the filet. Didn't ask for temp, but the crust was flavorful. Not a cake person, but the chocolate dulce de leche cake was one of my favorite things. Would come back for a drink, salad and dessert.

    Stopped by Carnivale on my last trip to Chicago. When you arrive parking can be a bit difficult as…read morethis restaurant is located in the West Loop. You'll need to either street park or find your taking in a nearby garage. When you walk in you'll feel like your transported to a festival like, bright, and colorful atmosphere. Several people had mentioned that you need to stop by Carnivale if you ever visit Chicago. It felt like there were different themes in each room with different people murals/themes and a great spot for taking instagram photos. I ordered the Gaucho Steak (12 oz. 45-Day Dry-Aged Creekstone Farms Ribeye, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Chimichurri) which was excellent and packed with flavor. The restaurant is so beautiful, definitely recommend exploring the different rooms if you stop in.

    Photos
    Carnivale Chicago - Rumba Bar

    Rumba Bar

    Carnivale Chicago
    Carnivale Chicago - Ropa vieja - a must!

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    Ropa vieja - a must!

    Tango Sur - Sweet beef Empanada with chimichurri

    Tango Sur

    4.0(2.8k reviews)
    9.8 miLakeview
    $$$

    We had a pleasant dinner on a Sunday evening out on the patio. Luckily it's covered so the little…read morebit of rain we had did not bother us. They had a very nice bread server with four individual oval French loaves with very tasty butter. We tried the provoleta with peppers because we like that a lot in Argentina, but this was nothing like it and I guess that was to be expected. There they have a bunch of drier version of provolone and they grill it directly on the grill grates and it doesn't really melt too much. This tasted like standard provolone cheese and it was melted in a bowl. It was tasty, and unfortunately they probably can't get the Argentinian version of the cheese they would need to do it correctly. Our friends got the beef brochette with asparagus and the outside skirt steak and both were fabulous. Well seasoned and grilled and tender. My husband and I got the 2 pound stuffed fillet! It supposedly had ham in the filling but I couldn't taste it or see it anywhere. Unfortunately it had a really strongly flavored sauce along with the portobello mushrooms. We expected something with fewer herbs, which kind of overpowered the beef. It's a shame because the way they described it on the menu is not what came out. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't what we were expecting and unfortunately, the beef flavor was hard to discern because of all of the herbs in the dark brown sauce. We brought our own wine and they didn't even have a corkage fee, which was amazing! We saw other plates go by with copious amounts of tomatoes and onions on salads and the filet mignon platter, it seemed like it was three or four pieces of fillet it had to be nearly a pound for one serving. The prices are pretty steep for the beef and they do charge $10 for sharing, however it might be worth just getting one of the larger plates and spending the 10 bucks to share as opposed to getting an entrée each and taking home lots of food which we did.

    We love a BYOB with no corkage fee. Also, warm table bread!! Pretty easy to call in and get a res…read morefor a Sunday night. The warm table bread and butter was pretty good so it was an effort to keep from eating too much and ruining our appetite. We split a chicken empanada to start which was really good, especially with the chimichurri sauce. For mains, we split the parillada para dos - a large meat platter meant for two. It was came with a little house salad and was a super good deal with all the meat they gave you (we ended up with lunch the next day, too!) The best part of the dish was the short ribs. Super soft and sort of fatty tasting, but not in a gross way, in a really yummy way. We also really liked the chorizo sausage. The flap tastes good, but was a little tougher than the other meat. The beef sweetbread and blood sausage were different, a little bit of an odd texture, but still good.

    Photos
    Tango Sur - Dining area

    Dining area

    Tango Sur - Empanadas

    Empanadas

    Tango Sur - Meat sweats. Delicious.

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    Meat sweats. Delicious.

    Norman's Bistro - brazilian - Updated August 2026

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