I live a few blocks from this hidden gem located in Oak Park. I was giving a gift to come here for…read morea drink and glad that I was introduced to this place. The vibes here are incredible. Grown and Sexy Atmosphere. A casual neighborhood cocktail bar that has a full bar serving specialty cocktails and well made drinks and small food plates. FYI... Meter parking along the streets. Eat before you come or stop next door for a pizza. Kettlestrings Grove only serves small plates. My first time was a good experience. The bartender was attentive. I ordered The Morton drink and it gave me a nice smooth buzz. Great Location, Prices were decent and the service was amazing. Will be coming back to see if they ordered the other star.

What a cute find and love that the bartender is getting her masters in therapy (shouldn't every…read morebartender?) Drinks were yummy and spot was quaint with good vibes

This place was really spiffy! We had cocktails and apps out on the patio/sidewalk seating and it…read morewas lovely. The goat cheese appetizer was heavenly! Our server worked really hard to keep up and no complaints from us but they clearly looked understaffed. Beautiful art installations within the interior and exterior. Just a fun, chic and delicious place. Can't wait to go back and work my way through the menu.

Great service by the servers. They want to do well and it shows. Little bit on the pricey side.read more

I have been wanting to try The Little Gem since Thursday night out when I tried their Wagu Sliders…read moreand Fish & Chips. We visited to celebrate a birthday on a Saturday night with a reservation and were seated by the window to our delight. The ambiance in the restaurant is so cozy and rustic, a wonderful vibe. We were first brought Garlic Pesto Bread that was still warm and delicious. Later we ordered drinks and appetizers. Both the Honey Whipped Goat Cheese and Beet Salad were phenomenal and so unique. For entrees we ordered the Beef Tartare, Caesar Salad with Blackened Salmon (an added request), Italian Sausage Orecchiette, and Braised Beef Short Ribs. Absolutely nothing disappointed and everything our waitress Lauren recommended was spot on. She is a rockstar! For dessert we ordered two chocolate mousses, and Crème Brûlée to share. The perfect way to end our night. This is a great upscale date spot or place to celebrate as it is on the pricier side, but we could not have been happier with our food, service, and overall experience.

Ok experience. We were seated in the bar area and there was a funky musty smell that was borderline…read moreunpleasant. The server didn't know the menu as we would have expected and attempted to remove plates when we were clearly still eating. Not the best services Food was ok but for shrimp risotto that wasn't awesome, a shared house salad and 2 glasses of wine for $80 before tip? There are so many other amazing restaurants for same price or even less. I won't be rushing to return.

this place is the place to go as they have their act together in every aspect…read more went on a thursday night with an opentable reservation for my friend and myself as we were catching up. my friend is a wine person (i'm no where near what he is) who has travelled the world in pursuit of wine and has a wine collection that would knock your socks off---and he picked this place based upon having a good wine selection--and he and the server talked wine, with me clueless as i'm a no knowledge wine person! the service was excellent. our server did not rush us and answered every question in detail as there were some things we just did not understand on the menu. the food presentation was top notch and well prepared. i have the amish chicken and it was not only presented nicely, but was juicy--even the white meat! had the octopus for an appetizer and that was quite good. my friend had a pasta which was quite tasty, so really, i conclude the food is well prepared and well presented. the ambiance is comfy and it is the the type of place you can come dressed up or in jeans. so make the reservation and go.... we were there talking til after close a bit and not once did they rush us out, so i say go, figure about 50-75/person, but make the open table reservation.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to get in this place as a local. The service was great,…read morelovely atmosphere too for date night, girls night, or family gathering. The food was delicious and great quality. Even my date raved about his meal. Can't wait to return.

My wife and I dined at Hoja Santa on a recent weeknight. Friends and neighbors had spoken highly of…read moreit, so our hopes were high. We were generally pleased and had a good time. VIBE: The dining room was large and rather dim, with dark wood tones. We were glad to have a window table for more light. I cannot recall if there was music playing, so that says something. It was not busy, so noise from other tables was minimal. SERVICE: our server, David, was cordial and attentive. Food was comfortably coursed and arrived at a timely pace. FOOD: We enjoyed everything. The Hoja Santa salad was fresh and delicious, with an interesting mix of ingredients. Ditto the Bruselas, highlighted by a tangy tamarind-anise glaze. The Pescado big plate was highlighted by perfectly-cooked shrimp and a tasty sauce; accompanying sea bass was OK. Wine-wise, the Incognito red blend and the Santo Tomas were inoffensive but dull (and overpriced). We enjoyed our visit, and are looking forward to returning (and hopefully enjoying better wine). @

We went back to Hoya Santa last Friday night. I'd say it's an upscale Latin restaurant serving…read moreflavorful food and well-crafted cocktails. I've been here a few times and have always enjoyed the experience. We started with cocktails, old-fashioneds for the guys and a mojito mocktail for me. The three of us shared everything we ordered. We started with an item called the Volcan, which was crispy mini quesadillas stuffed with mashed potatoes and cheese then topped with shrimp al pastor. I loved the crunch of the quesadillas against the creamy filling. Next we shared a carne asada pizza. This pizza had a perfectly thin and crispy crust topped with grilled skirt steak with a cilantro pesto sauce. So flavorful! For the main event we shared a 22oz bone-in ribeye with truffle fries. A medium rare tender and juicy steak and truffle - c'mon, need I say more? Oak Park has some of my favorite restaurants, and Hoja Santa is one.

My husband and I dined at this restaurant last month for the first time and loved it so I suggested…read moreit for a cousin's dinner last night. Divino is a family restaurant. Chef Gabriel's food is creative and delicious. His brother-in-law Jose, I believe, is the one behind the great cocktail list and making housemade aperitifs. The four of us shared two appetizers. The tuna tartare - chopped tuna on top of creamy avocado surrounded by crispy capers and quail yolk. It was served with homemade potato and vegetable chips. We also shared the goat cheese - creamy melted goat cheese sitting in a pool of tasty marinara. This was served with grilled baguette pieces. This appetizer could use more of the baguette as we ran out of bread and still had goat cheese left to enjoy. For dinner, my sister had the gnocchi with braised beef, short rib, spinach and mushrooms. I know this dish was delicious because this is what my husband ordered the first time we dined here. My two cousins had the chicken limone and said it was very good. (I have my eye on this for next time ). I opted for the branzino which was moist and served in a delicious lemon caper sauce. I would like to see a traditional pasta with marinara sauce on the menu. I think that would be a great addition for clientele who are into the traditional instead of the creative and unique. There was no room for dessert, but shots of limoncello came to the table. So sweet of Divino. Let me tell you the limoncello was amazing. Luckily, I was able to buy a bottle of this housemade limoncello. Since the four of us were raving about the limoncello, right before we walked out the door Divino gave us a tasting of the housemade pistachio cream. Omg! So smooth, creamy and divine. We enjoyed our conversations with the chef and his brother-in-law, the other owner. Great guys who care about their customers and restaurant.

Di Vino is an absolute hidden gem. The non-descript facade fools you, but once you step inside, the…read moreatmosphere is warm and welcoming. The food is excellent, and the service is great. My daughter even noticed that every single staff member wore a genuine smile. We celebrated two birthdays, and they went above and beyond by bringing out personalized plates with cake and candle for both birthday guests at the end of our meal. We ordered Crispy Octopus and Ceviche to start. Followed by Branzino Alla Aurora, Short Ribs, and Fettuccini Alfredo. All had lovely presentations and each cooked to perfection. We had a taste of each other's plate and we all agreed each dish had outstanding flavors. Simply delicious! The food exceeded all expectations. I can go on and on. Highly recommend! And we will definitely be back.

This place is a bit off the beaten path in Oak Park but worth seeking out. It's a white tablecloth…read moreplace with excellent food and even better service. The specials of the day appetizers were delicious and the regular menu is extensive so that you're certain to find a favorite. They are open on Monday night which is a rarity in Oak Park for fine dining.

A gem! The food was delectable. The bread they start you with was nicely soft and warm & the pastas…read morewere so incredibly delicious I was shocked. It's often hard to find a good quality alfredo sauce at restaurants but it truly blew me away and the vodka pasta was also so good. The prices are higher than most but I felt that they gave a very generous serving making it worth the price. The drink was good but I had to get it extra sweet. The restaurant was really quiet for 7 pm on a Friday which was nice as well, it made it more intimate. Interesting service but everyone was very helpful. I left wanting to return asap.

I loved the tamales, they were sweet like cornbread and moist, i also had the elotes which were…read moreyour average good elotes, not much of a notable flavor. I also had the nachos which were kind of sweet and tasted really good. Normally sweet and chips dont go together in my experience but this was delicious. Also had Angel as my server and he was really nice, we chatted on the tamales for a minute while my parents who i was eating with payed for the food, he also served us pretty timely and had good timing, didnt catch me with my mouth full once which is nice and my parents had the same experience in that. The surroundings were loud but thats just what a friday night is like and its nothing the restaurant can really do. Overall really good experience, good food which was overall on the sweet side and a good server who was really nice and had good timing even though it was very busy (came in and had to wait a tad kind of busy). Sorry if my formatting isnt exactly how most people do on yelp, i am used to youtube and rarely come into yelp. Just had to speak on how great the place was

After attending the Candlelight Concert of the Beatles in Oak Park,we made reservations for this…read moreLatin American gem . On a Friday night it was busy! Thank goodness we had a reservation and were seated immediately. Our server Meyah was super friendly. We started with a few cocktails ..one being the Oaxacan Old Fashion..smokey and delicious. We tried their Market Ceviche which was on their Weekly Specials menu..Cured Mahi Mahi Brazilian Papaya,Tangerine Habanero sauce served with Sweet Potato chips.fresh and delicious. For our entrees we tried the Barbacoa Tacos and Blackened Fish(Tilapia) tacos. Both entrees were 21.00 for 3 tacos but no rice or beans on the side so a little pricey in my opinion. Street parking is a challenge but they do offer valet for 5.00. They have a fantastic patio that is open in the summer so we will definitely be back to enjoy a few cocktails and Latin American eats.

What a great place! Delicious food and great service…read more Amazing cocktails. Romantic. Sometimes live jazz too. Local and lots of parking. Loved it.

Ok experience. There was a funky musty smell that was borderline unpleasant. The server didn't know…read morethe menu as we would have expected and attempted to remove plates when we were clearly still eating. Not the best services Food was ok but for shrimp risotto that wasn't awesome, a shared house salad and 2 glasses of wine for $80 before tip? There are so many other amazing restaurants for same price or even less. I won't be rushing to return.

My hubby and I were looking for a place with good drinks and decided to try this place. We parked…read moreand almost passed by the place because its like a small little bar with very little signage. It was before 6pm so we were able to find a seat. I think they have seats for only 25 people so prepare to stand when it gets busy. Our bartender was Edward and he was really nice. I ordered a Tiramisu Martini and then a Porn Star Martini. They were both good, but I preferred the Porn Star one. We also ordered a Smash Burger, which was actually from Holt's, connected to this bar. That burger was tasty - brioche bun & onions = yum. The chips it came with were crunchy. The Bacon popcorn was good but way too salty for me. Im glad we found this little bar and plan on coming back in the future.

We went out with Park Ridge friends last weekend and they took us to this charming bar. I read a…read morefew reviews that said that Pines Room has a small town vibe. I disagree--I am a Chicago boy and it has a big city hidden gem quality about it. In fact, they promote themselves as a speakeasy. Of course you can get any cocktail you want, but my husband and I both opted for a special strawberry cocktail made with Hendrick's gin. It was refreshing, not too sweet, and garnished with a dehydrated lemon slice. Perfect! Our friends both ordered old fashioned cocktails that looked equally as good. It was a Saturday night and this tiny bar was jam-packed. We had to stand, but it was okay because we had only stopped in for one drink before heading to another restaurant for dinner. The bartenders were friendly and efficient. Prices are not inexpensive, but average to what you'd find in a downtown Chicago restaurant. If you''re looking for a cool place to hang in Park Ridge with a craft cocktail and have a small bite (they have a limited food menu, too), Pines Room is the place.