We have been to Elixir a few times and it is always a great choice for unique and delicious…read morecocktails! It is a cozy little bar with dim lighting perfect for a date night drink. The bartenders are always very friendly and check in often which is always appreciated. You're always immediately given little pretzels to snack on which I love as a unique touch. This time we both chose a more standard cocktail, but they also always have very unique and delicious seasonal cocktails which are always amazing! I would definitely recommend Elixir to anyone looking for a spot to grab a quick and delicious cocktail!

On our first night in Boystown, Jamie W and I were pretty overwhelmed by the crowds at Sidetrack…read moreand Roscoe's, so we ended up coming here to make Jamie's virginal gay bar debut. It was the right move because it had the kind of chill vibe we were seeking after a long flight from SFO. Fortunately there were two seats at the bar with our names on them. Figuratively speaking. They had quite a signature cocktail list on hand, and we felt it was our obligation to try as many as we could. At least that was what we said to ourselves as the evening wore on. Each cocktail was $14. We started with a couple of familiar libations. Jamie ordered the Mint Julep, a delightfully Deep South mix of bourbon, simple syrup, and fresh mint (photo: https://yelp.to/u-td8LdPLj). I went further south with the Pineapple Margarita which was emboldened by a tropically potent mix of pineapple infused tequila, lime juice, and agave (photo: https://yelp.to/V-Sf6Q_2qK). We got a bit bolder with our second round and found mixed results. Jamie had the Not Your Mom's Daiquiri which amped up the margarita by blending pineapple-infused tequila with Bacardi 8-year rum. Along with fresh lime and simple syrup, this one definitely had more of a kick (photo: https://yelp.to/1ZijDf6wMV). However, my order, the Pontiac Pony, was a spicy miss for me. It was a rather oddball mix of apple-cinnamon infused vodka, pear liqueur, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and ginger beer (photo: https://yelp.to/5dQoFdzG98). There was just a harshness that didn't sit well on my tongue. Oh well, the mellow vibe was cool. COCKTAILS - 4 stars...three out of four cocktails were aces, just one clinker AMBIANCE - 4 stars...very chill, fairly quiet for Boystown SERVICE - 4 stars...cool bartenders TOTAL - 4 stars...check it out when you take a break from your Boystown cruising RELATED - Exploring Chicago? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/44c4CZO

Avaspi is one of the best restaurants I've been to in Chicago. My party of six split 6 appetizers…read moreand 3 entrees. Mediterranean Meze - very flavorful blend of 22 ingredients according to our waiter. This dish was truly unique. 5/5 Grilled Halloumi Meze - delicious cheese with olives and garlic bread. 4/5 Stuffed Eggplant - savory and creamy dish which actually might be even better served hot. 5/5 Calamari Meze - Excellent and tender. Not chewy at all which was nice. There were a ton of olives which I didn't think complimented the calamari. Overall, still 5/5. Mushroom Tava - mushrooms were cooked perfectly and were delicious. One of my favorite dishes of the night. 5/5 Stuffed Mushrooms - this dish fell flat on flavor and had more of the typical mushroom texture. 3/5 The Hunkar entrée initially was extremely salty. I mentioned this to the waiter and they remade it, which turned out great, so I'm hoping the salty dish was a one-off. 5/5 Our waiter was very friendly and attentive throughout. The restaurant itself is also casual upscale, so nice for most occasions. Avaspi exceeds expectations and I highly recommend this excellent Mediterranean restaurant.

Our first time eating at Avaspi, I doubt we'll return. The…read morefood was pretty good, the cocktails (especially the avaspi lemonade) and wine selection, were tasty. The service - inept. After 20 mins and us asking food runners 3 times to get us a waiter we finally got assistance. We ordered the meze platter to start and very clearly stated, no nuts. The waiter said "we only use walnuts", we responded, no nuts. The food arrived and 2 of the 4 dishes had nuts on them, when I pointed it out to the waiter, he said "they're only on the top"! It was as if he was trying to be funny? Or sarcastic? Anyway, decent food, poor service.

Came before a game at Wrigley Field. Alex was busy due to pre game crowds but was amazing. Greeted…read moreus warmly and had an actual conversation with us. Food was delicious and perfect for a pre-game meal. Will definitely be back. The ambiance is more of an upscale bar vs a dive sports bar.

Cool atmosphere, nice vibe with bar space and seating upstairs, downstairs and on the patio…read more We only stopped for a quick drink but would love to return to try the food, especially a burger. Looks like burger specials during the week. My only gripe was the Parisian old fashioned I ordered came with the big ice cube but was served in a small plastic cup so the cube was over the rim and made it a little challenging to sip. I am wondering if disposable cups are just used on game days perhaps? It was too chilly for the patio for us, but there are a lot of places to sit outside.

Went here to hear a talk by the group Chicago for Chicagoans about the streets of our city. It was…read morea great space for a discussion about Chicago history, it's a speakeasy! Walk down the hall, knock, say password through peep door, wander in. It is a small space with the bar right there. They had a menu of 4 drinks to choose for our evening. Delicious An array of seating choices are spread out and there is a piano in the back corner. Would like to come back to check it out on a regular night.

Great space and great friends if you can find it. I would recommend. Look for the hole in the wall…read moreand don't be a dick.

This place is a hidden gem! We love the wood (oak) interior…read morewhich feels like more hip but still friendly like a local diner. We went in for a Saturday or Sunday brunch and were able to walk in. The service was overall friendly and fast. The French omelet was heavenly. I am usually not an omelette person generally prefer a regular fried egg because I find the homogenous mixed egg to be a bit boring but with the filling inside this was a perfect balance of taste. I didn't get to take a pic to accompany it but the potatoes were also delicious. I can't wait to revisit

RUN DON'T WALK HERE! First of all the decor is very cute inside and our food was PHENOMENAL! My…read morehusband got eggs potatoes bacon and the sour dough and loved it all. I had the egg sandwich and will be dreaming about it until I come back and get it again. I got a simple salad and it was delicious. They locally source their ingredients and you can tell. They also bake their own bread and it's divine! Such great food! *we made an open table reservation for 8:45 and it opens at 9. They are also closed Monday and Tuesday but everyone there is so nice*

Nice cocktail bar with food and fast service. We sat on the patio and got drinks within 5 minutes…read more The cocktails are great. This is a more upscale experience and the price reflects it. Bumpin music and lively crowd. In my fiancé's words, he calls wangs "Zany, robust, timeless" Ps the scent of crab rangoons from other tables will make you order some too.

Went for happy hour! $9 cocktails from 4-6! I got the old fashioned and my friend got the coco…read moremoquito. Both were delicious and had really complex flavor profiles. The atmosphere in here was so cozy. I loved how they had decorated for the holidays and had nice soothing red lighting. Will definitely be coming back to try the small bites and more cocktails!

Had a lovely dinner here with friends - everything was on point, the beef Wellington was delicious…read more(I enjoyed it more than the one I had at Chicago Cut) and the service was excellent. We were surprised it wasn't business after a cubs game. The space is lovely as well, and not too noisy to hear each other speak.

Mordecai is an upscale restaurant right in the heart of Wrigley. It's cute inside and we were able…read moreto get a table for two without a reservation on a Friday night. We were in the mood for girl dinner, so we had their caesar salad, a cocktail, and for dessert, earl grey creme brulee. The salad was actually better than I expected because they used butter lettuce instead of iceberg lettuce, and they used crumbled croutons so you got a little with every bite. I would go back just for this! The cocktails were good. I rarely find ones with Malort in them! The earl grey creme brûlée was good and I really liked the marshmallow on top.

This is a bittersweet review as this establishment recently closed. But I still feel the need to…read moregive them their props as I was definitely going to add Lost Never Found (LNF) to my rotation of places to hang out at. I happened to discover LNF during a Yelp Event when LNF turned into Rudolph's Bar, a jolly holly Xmas Extravaganza! I do not believe there was a single spot in the bar that had not been covered in Xmas decorations. It was total sensory overload to the point I did not put up any directions 2025 because I had seen enough at LNF. HAHAHAHAHA! On the strength of the food and drinks that night, I decided to go back once all of the Xmas hoopla was over. Going back in 2026 was a more subdue, but enjoyable time for me. As I mentioned in my 2025 review, even with all the Xmas decoration, the overall vibe was a step up from the typical bars around the Cubs playground. I would have loved a regular girls night out there instead of the last hurrah of me and The Queen. I had mentioned to her about the cocktails and the pizzas I had during the Yelp event and we decided to stop in before heading to the Alamo Drafthouse for a movie. Me and The Queen go the Spicy Sausage pizza and those fries, since I talked about the food to her. Again it was really good, with the crust still being nice and thin. The Queen did not think it was all that spicy, but she eats Hell Ramen Level 4, so I do not look to her for confirmation of hotness when it comes to food. We had cocktails and The Queen (because she was driving) had a Margarita made with a zero proof Tequila. I have to say it was not that bad and I got one and added Prosecco to it...delish. Me and The Queen had a great time chatting, eating and drinking at LNF, but were both sad that we were going to miss out on the opportunity to turn this into one of our rotation hangouts. But I will always be grateful for them introducing me to their Red Bull Winter Spritz. Since that Yelp Event, I have bought three cases of Red Bull Sugar-Free Fuji Apple and Ginger Winter Edition Energy Drink to make the cocktail. Not sure if it is exactly how they did it, but it works for me. So long LNF, it was good knowing you, even if it was for a short time. Deuces!

My goal is to try 50 new Chicago restaurants in 2025!…read moreRestaurant: 63/50 Month tried: November Favorite dish: I would not eat here again Woooof. We had a reservation for 9 am the day of the Michigan/Northwestern game at Wrigley Field. Figured we would have a quick brunch then go enjoy the pre-game atmosphere. Well, when we had been sitting for nearly 30 minutes with no server to be found, we started to get nervous. She finally came over and while she was sweet, really just nothing went right. A food runner brought out a tray that appeared to have all of our orders, but then only served one plate before walking away. It was a solid 10-15 minutes before anyone else's meals were brought out, and even then it was one plate at a time every few minutes, not the rest of the order at once. And everything was cold. Every single item. The chicken and waffles felt like it came out of the fridge it was so cold. And the worst part - we had a member in our party with a severe nut allergy, who told the server 3 times. She noted it, and made sure he would get white toast instead of wheat. When his meal came, there were two huge pieces of wheat toast with visible nuts across his ENTIRE plate. Touching every piece of food. He said again that he was allergic, and they just removed the toast and handed the plate back. It had already touched everything! Since at this point we had to leave soon for the game (and because we now couldn't trust a kitchen that doesn't understand a nut allergy), we just had them remove his order from the check and he didn't get to eat. The server did take 20% off the total bill and gave us a gift card to make up for our terrible experience. Like I said, she was very nice and trying her best. She was just at the mercy of the kitchen being behind and screwing up. But as a Wrigleyville restaurant, you MUST be able to handle lots of customers on a game day. That's like the one thing Wrigley bars need to be good at. This is just not an environment I would choose to be in again, especially for the steep prices. We'll use the gift card for drinks at the bar on a non-game day, and wipe our hands of Lost Never Found.