Spice by CMB is a must try in the Avondale area. They have a great HH which includes bites and drink, & goes until 6:30!!! Staff were all friendly and kind. Nothing we tried was a miss. We had unique dishes that were packed with flavor. Sweet potatoes: 4.2/5 Creole shrimp fondue: 5/5 (must try) Black eye pea fritters: 4/5 Oxtail: 5/5 (MUST TRY. Melts in your mouth. Incredible) Jamaican rum cake: 4.5/5 (save room for dessert!) read more

See all

Came to Spice for their happy hour! If you're able to catch a reservation within their happy hour window, I would highly recommend checking it out (4:30 - 6:30pm). Upon entering the restaurant, you are met with the aromas coming from the open kitchen setup. The happy hour menu was set up nice with a variety of options for small plates and drinks. We ordered the shrimp fondue, glazed sweet potatoes and the coco bread. Everything we ordered was great, but the star of the show was definitely the shrimp fondue served with plantain chips. As we are not big drinkers, we opted for a Shirley temple to pair with our meal. I am excited to come back and try some of the entrees! read more

Spice by CMB - Shrimp fondue - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Dinner at Spice by CMB was incredible! The date-glazed sweet potatoes were sweet and savory, the braised oxtails were so tender, and the prime beef burger was cooked to perfection. Every bite had flavor, comfort, and creativity. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and clean. The service was good. Definitely a spot to add to your list! read more

Spice by CMB - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Absolutely stunning meal at Spice this evening. The menu isn't extensive but you can't go wrong. Started with a glass of the happy hour orange wine which was robust, fruity, and absolutely unlike anything I've typically had in an orange wine. For food we had oxtail and short ribs, and shared green beans on the side. Each dish exceeded itself in the next, the oxtail was so soft, rich, and juicy, and the short rib came with delicious potatoes and a lovely gentle sauce. The asparagus was a great pair to both. Enjoyed a glass of the happy hour Shiraz with the entrees which was also delicious and paired well with both. Great service by Guillermo, great ambience which set the tone high and was absolutely matched/exceeded by the food. Would come back to Chicago to dine here again! read more

See all

I was excited to try this place for brunch with a group of 6 of my friends this past weekend, but unfortunately this place did not deliver for me. We reserved a table for 7 in advance and they had a very nice table reserved for us. The decor inside is very nice! Warm, welcoming, bright, the chairs were very comfy, and the art on the walls was really cool. They even had a live band playing in the back area of the restaurant. The downside of the experience was that from the time the first few of us arrived, and then even after all 7 of us arrived, we waited, and waited, and waited for our server who never came. We had to ask the host to send her over. She finally came over to greet us, took drink orders. The drinks took a long time. We had to ask the host again to retrieve our server so we could order food. Then we put in our food orders, and waited some more. Then after waiting, who appeared to be the chef came to ask me about my requested substitution from the andouille sausage to the chicken sausage, he confirmed the andouille doesn't have pork, so I said it's fine to use andouille. (Not sure why the server couldn't ask me that? Maybe they couldn't find her.) When the food finally came out, 6 of us got our meals, and they didn't prepare one of the orders. Once again, the host - not our server- came over to apologize and offered a free cinnamon roll due to the inconvenience. I ordered the shrimp and grits which also came with a piece of fried fish. The presentation was nice, but I did not like that sauce that they drenched the dish in. I don't recall the description of the meal mentioning any sort of sauce on shrimp and grits. And the piece of fish served with it was way over-fried. So I was not happy with my meal at all. My partner ordered the lobster omelette and said it was decent but the lobster was chewy. The service was severely lacking and my food was really not enjoyable. So disappointing because I had high hopes for this place. The rest of the group said their food was ok, but the consensus was that the severe lack of attention by the server was a big turn off and we would not recommend. read more

See all

The food was a 20 out of 10. The asparagus had the perfect amount of bite and flavor. I've never had it cooked that way but OMG I will definitely be returning just for that. The dumplings were also super amazing and although I didn't try it there's an oxtail dish that goes along with it that I am looking forward to. My friend and I went on happy hour so we got the sweet potatoes with the dates and the bread with honey butter. It's not pictured because we ate it so fast because it was just so delicious. Our server was so wonderful and gave us really amazing recommendation. It was a beautiful space, the only downside was there were fans instead of AC. And today was super hot, but otherwise I loved everything about it and will definitely recommend anyone. read more

See all

The cinnamon roll was unique and delicious! Biscuit was good but I wouldn't get it again. The shakshuka was yummy! My husband loves the catfish. Good service, small space, casual vibe. read more

See all

This will be probably the most important review I have written. Last year when my fiancé and I started touring venue for our wedding caterer and reception, we visited many places like Soho House ad the Hoxton Hotel. We knew a smaller venue would give us that "gilded age meets speakeasy" cocktail party feel. CMB at the time was a private event space but when we toured, they treated us the best from delicious roasted short rib to delicious dessert and champagne. We felt a warmth from Chef/Owner Michael(there are 2 Michaels now) and from the event planner Taylor and later in the process Blake. As a luxe brand professional veteran, I am particular but not a bridezilla! There was a 2nd tasting of the actual appetizers we would pass plus they made a custom punch named for my new surname Fuller. I had many meetings about food and beverage, decor and "run-of-show". THEY NAILED IT!! My family and friends said this was the BEST WEDDING FOOD THEY HAVE EVER HAD, and the best staff. Their team was attentive, kind, thoughtful and we had a blast! I needed to freeze my wedding cake to overnight to L.A. and they did not hesitate to assist. Since we booked CMB they have become an incredible restaurant that YOU MUST TRY! NO EXCUSES. All attendees left with a memorable experience that we will talk about forever. True Chicago hospitality, great food and drinks from the nicest people ever, my heart is full with gratitude and I will continue going to SPICE every time I'm in town. The decor and flowers you see were from my awesome planner Erkia Jones Purvis: https://www.ejplifestyle.com/ THANK YOU SPICE/CMB!!! A perfect day no notes.... read more

See all

Spice is rare territory whereas you can get good drinks & good food under the same roof. Most times you have to choose tbh day time drinking shouldn't be done with lackluster cocktails. I opted for counter searing & enjoyed conversing with the staff as well as them making me a cocktail from the dinner menu. The jollof rice was the highlight of the food, such unsuspecting textured & flavors. Slightly spicy but bare ale. Omelet wasn't bad just didn't have a lot going on. I'm comfortable stating it's a must try for the bourgeoisie brunch crowd but opt for the dishes & cocktails with the "Afro" touches. read more

See all

Went for happy hour. Had a great experience from beginning to end. The service was amazing from the hostess to the servers and even the owner/chef. Everyone was so attentive and accommodating. Food was delicious. Perfect portions and great drinks. Great atmosphere. read more

Stopped by at an odd time on a Sunday and got a seat at the bar. Very friendly service, my matcha cucumber fizz drink was delicious as was the catfish and grits dish. Super filling with the catfish fried to perfection. Very cool space, just wish the AC reached to the front as the heat coming out of the kitchen made things steamy . Great option for brunch! read more

Spice by CMB - Matcha cucumber fizz drink (special of the day so I don't remember the exact name, but it was yummy!) - Caribbean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Yum! Tried the sweet potatoes, chicken and short rib. Everything was good but the real standout was the short rib. Will be back to try the oxtail next. read more

See all

We went here for brunch and it was excellent! Something a bit different with the afro-caribbean spices but everything that we ordered was delicious and very reasonably priced. Looking forward to the next time we stop in! Service and the CMB team are also excellent. read more

The pros definitely outweigh the cons. Apparently this place is only been open for about six months. I found it through a reel on Instagram. When we walked in things were a bit hectic. There were a lot of people milling around and the music was very loud. The restaurant is small and was crowded so the voice is created quite a lot of noise. Our table wasn't quite ready, but the hostess was very accommodating. She offered the bar, but there wasn't really room so she moved us to a back area where there was a sofa and some chairs and had a server bring us water. The wait was less than 10 minutes once seated, our server came over to take our drink orders. We were a party of four. Unfortunately it took over 15 minutes for us to get our drinks. What we later realized is that we came in just after a party of 12. They were ordering just ahead of us all evening. I have to say, though the manager stepped in and helped out with the drinks and tried to keep everything moving as fast as possible. They were also very apologetic about any rate times. When I first came in, I mentioned that the music was kind of loud and they were nice enough to lower it, so we were able to have a pleasant discussion during dinner. The food is excellent. We ordered three appetizers. The fried green tomatoes, Black Eyed Peas fritters and shrimp fondue. All were very good, we even ordered a second serving of the fried green tomatoes. Two people on our party had the oxtail and both of them raved about it. My friend had Bronzino and so did I. He really enjoyed it especially the broken rice that came with it. I gave him my rice and opted for two sides of collard greens and asparagus, which were enough to share. Unfortunately, I found the fish to be rather salty. Peach cobbler rounded out the meal. Two of us also had coffee, which was very good. The chef came over to introduce himself and asked how we liked the meal. Much appreciated. read more

Loved the short rib that one is a winner Will come and try the oxtail when I get a chance read more

The flavors were unbelievable. Never having eaten African cuisine (to my knowledge) I was a bit hesitant. I was very pleasantly surprised that everything we had was very tasty. The Coco bread, the Gem salad, the oxtail dish, and the Rum cake were all excellent. Do not forget to order the creole Shrimp Fondue. Mwah! read more

We went a few weeks ago, and the food and service were both fantastic! We had the sweet potatoes, shrimp fondue, oxtail, branzino, and the chicken, followed by the bread pudding and rum cake for dessert. It was so hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to, I would say it's a tie between the branzino (and I'm not even a huge fish person) and the chicken. The shrimp fondue would be a VERY close second. As far as the desserts go, the rum cake really stood out--such a great butterscotch-y flavor! read more

Celebrated our anniversary! Great ambiance and all the food was delicious,...definitely recommend the sweet potatoes and shrimp fondue starters! read more

Spice by CMB is an afro Caribbean inspired abode that will not disappoint. For the one, the décor and ambiance is lovely and if you can sit the in the window for a candle lit date night do it! The hostess greeted us with warmth and sat us immediately. Next, our cocktail server took our cocktail and mocktail orders and even customized my hubby's drink. There was a small mix up in the presentation but it was fixed quickly. We started with coco bread and black eye pea fritters. Both were delicious. Next as the veggie, I had the Benne seed peppers with jollof rice. The rice was moist and the peppers were dense with flavor. I had enough to take some home. The hubby had the roasted amish chicken with roti and jollof rice. He enjoyed the chicken and of course the rice. We concluded the evening with a Jamaican rum cake with coconut ice cream. Yum! What made the visit the best was our server, Taylor. She was so engaging and helpful. We recommend checking out this hidden gem in Avondale and note there is free street parking on the neighboring streets. Amusez votre bouche! read more