We had a free night in the Chicago area and found this ridiculously AWESOME tiki bar, Kahala Koa…read moreTiki Bar. The selection of drinks is downright encyclopedic, and the drinks were outstanding. In addition, we ordered a plate of bacon-covered water chestnuts, and they were so effing delicious!! I mean, they were a serious revelation!! So we ordered another plate. The atmosphere is amazing. The family that owns this wonderful tiki bars has put some serious work into adorning the place with amazing tiki decor. And this has to have taken YEARS to do. The outside of the building does not say, "Hey!! I'm an awesome tiki bars!!" But step inside and you are transported to tiki land extraordinaire. And then there is the staff there. They are so friendly, attentive, and helpful, and just very authentic and genuine. I CANNOT WAIT to return to Kahala Koa Tiki Bar the next time I'm in the Chicago area. The place totally rocks!!

This was a spur-of-the-moment choice but ended up being very fun for drinks and dinner!…read more I LOVE tiki bars and my husband noticed this one in the area near where we happened to be on Google maps, so off we went! We had about a 15 minute wait for a table but it gave us time to peruse the menu in the car. They offer many classic tiki cocktails, a page full of seasonal drinks, a page of "Designated Driver" mocktails (nice to have an option for something other than just a Shirley Temple!), Polynesian appetizers and entrees, and then Lola's Pizza. For drinks, I got the seasonal Gingerbread Painkiller and my husband got a Green Flash mocktail. (Pro tip on the seasonal drinks: check the regular cocktail menu to see how many skull and crossbones are listed under the regular version of your drink, if applicable, to see if it's a super strong one!) Mine was creamy and spicy but quite powerful. Props to our waitress, Makayla, who checked if anyone at the table was epileptic, because normally the "flash" part of my husband's drink is a strobing LED ice cube; I actually am photosensitive, so it came in the drink in non-strobe mode and just glowed an alien green. She said this was the first time it had actually paid off to ask, but I'm glad she did! The food was tasty: I ordered rumaki, an old-school appetizer of bacon-wrapped water chestnuts that you don't see very often these days, and he got loaded fries. We also got a small Lola's Pizza, which was very good, with a crisp but also chewy crust. The atmosphere here is pure tiki, with a fountain, swag lamps, bamboo, and Hawaiian-influenced Christmas music playing for the season. Lots of big groups here; everyone seemed to be having as good a time as we were! What a laid-back gem in Arlington Heights! We'll be back. Mahalo!

Quite a marvelous discovery in the local AH area. I ended up here for the first time last fall…read morewhilst looking for a place to catch a cubs playoff game with my girlfriend. Gatsby's was a short drive away so it seemed worth checking out. The main parking lot was full by the time we arrived, but I suppose thats a good thing. At first look, the inside definitely checked the boxes of a local establishment. Sports memorabilia, photographs, neon signs, etc. It did take a little bit to be greeted, but honestly I forgot pretty quickly since I was focused on the ball game and because our server was really friendly. I wish I could remember his name, but he defintly made night go smoothly. The food/drinks came out at seemingly reasonable pace for as busy as it was. We didn't really venture too much into the menu since we were there mostly for the game. I got a few apps to try from their big menu. They have quite few things to try from. The french fries were good. Nothing special, but they came hot and just right. I got some mozz sticks that were good also, again nothing else to write home. The marina was a great pairing for sure. The highlight though was for sure the cheese curds. They were succulent and very delicious. Classic Wisconsin curds friend to golden perfection. The cherry on top was the homemade ranch. Oh man, was that perfect! I went a second time about a month (ish) later, this time with a friend to catch a hawks game. Again, we were both pleased with the overall service and felt they had great consistency. This time, I tried a thin crust pizza, while my friend had the Texas BBQ Burger & Saganaki. I quit enjoyed the pie. It was pretty good quality for a bar pizza. Crust and flavor was excellent. My friend seemed to like his burger and appetizer, though he didn't finish it all. Truly an awesome place to hang at. I hope to back soon to try some more things.

I went to Gatsby's Pizza and Pub on a Thursday night for their trivia night. It was hosted in a…read moreside room and we could hear the host clearly. My husband and I had the southwest BBQ pizza. It was really good and came with lots of chicken, onions, and barbecue sauce. For dessert, we shared a Snickers pie. This was also very good. The bathroom is small, crowded and not very clean. Overall, Gatsby's is a nice family-owned neighborhood bar. I recommend Gatsby's Pizza and Pub.

As you can see from my pics I'm very partial to the all you can eat fish fry. It's simply one of…read morethe best in any area and served on Wednesday's and Friday's. I go out of my way to come out here for it. Sit at the bar or a table in the dining room lean back and enjoy the small size perch fish fry served hot and fresh. Fried Chicken, sandwiches, appetizers and friendly service and reasonable pricing. Breakfast brunch on the weekends.

I've been a customer of Eddie's for years tonight March 12, 2025 my family and I sat at a booth on…read morethe west side of the bar we sat there about 15 minutes without being asked if we want anything to eat or drink finally a young man walked over and said she will be with with us in a few seconds. She, I assumed was the bar tender, the bar was full every seat was occupied including tables at the south end. She was busy taking care of a full bar. It's unreasonable to ask her to cover the bar and the dining area. We waited a while longer then decided to walk out. This is poor management due to inadequate staffing, the management should know its March madness and it's going to be busy, I can only imagine how screwed up it's going to be on St Patrick's day weekend coming up. We went to Draft Picks to spend our money Eddie's just lost over $100. Is it worth it to be understaffed?

Ate with coworkers on a business trip - I always try to hit an Irish pub if one is near because…read moreGuinness Then Guinness was perfectly poured and the cheese curds changed one of my coworkers life The fish and chips were decent and the Irish curry amazing. I was confused though when my coworker ordered colcannon - what they serve looked great. But it's not colcannon. I would recommend for Irish adjacent food - but not authentic

I've been coming here now for six years and wanted to add an updated review. This place continues…read moreto be super consistent with its amazing fish and chips. As well as the amazing beers on tap. No matter what time I come here while it is usually during off hours, they are so friendly and hospitable and very quick on the service so absolutely no complaints This is truly a great neighborhood jam, and very lucky that it is in the downtown area as well. There is parking that is free. Just be sure to be on the lookout. I wish I was never so full from the entrées and appetizers that I could actually get to Dear one of these days so maybe that will be a future review.

My friends and I visited the Gilded Fork a couple months ago when it was newer to the scene, and it…read moredid not disappoint. Even in their earlier days, the service was impeccable, the food incredible, and it was packed. I'm looking forward to going back soon, which is why it was top of mind to leave a review now.

I am very surprised that Mount Prospect has a place of this caliber. First of all the ambience is…read morelike you're at a posh restaurant in downtown Chicago that had clubish music playing. which is kinda cool because this is Mount Prospect, which is a suburb in the Chicagoland area. Personally, I would enjoy a little bit of jazz. The food is reminiscent of a European flare. We ordered steak, tartar, chicken liver pate, and the mushroom soup.. All of it was delicious, but the star of the show was a steak tartare. This is a must try, followed by the chicken, liver pate, which was more of a moose than a pate, but nonetheless it was delicious. The GF really enjoyed the mushroom soup The service was excellent as to be expected answered all our questions and even explained a little bit about the type of cuisine that they have at the restaurant. I will definitely be back to try the pierogies and the lamb chops. Check this place out you might like it!

12/28/24 - While we loved going to Bourbon & Brass. This is a cool speakeasy on the second floor…read moreof the Des Plaines Theater. When I was a kid I use to go to the Des Plaines Theater & watch movies for 60 cents (ahhh nostalgia trip down memory lane), but I digress The speakeasy inside the Des Plaines Theater is an awesome idea. The show was awesome but the one MAJOR MAJOR issue I have is the bartender who continued to serve my sister's friend. He was obviously very very drunk to a point where he could barely walk wo/stumbling. He was slurring his words. Both my sister & I asked the bartender not to serve him anymore alcohol but she kept serving him drinks even after we asked. She continued to serve him even after we asked her not to. When he and my sister left she told me he tried to put the key in the ignition 14X's before she convinced him to let her drive. Your bartender's need to be aware of a persons level of intoxication. Both my sister & I asked her not to serve him anymore drinks but she continued to serve him. Thank God my sister was able to convince him to let her drive home otherwise what was an excellent evening could have ended tragically. Please have your bartenders be more conscious of a persons level of intoxication. While I gave Bourbon & Brass a 5 star review I need to down grade that for over serving someone alcohol even after both my sister & I asked her to stop serving him

I heard there was a speakeasy at this theater, so we had to stop by to check it out. Free parking…read moreat the lot behind or ramp. There was a show that evening, when we entered the theater, the usher asked to see our tickets. I asked how to get to the speakeasy and the usher pointed to the elevator, take it to the second floor. Once we got to the second floor, more ushers greeted us and informed us there's a jazz band performing and small cover charge. As soon as we paid and entered through the bookshelf, the room was beautifully arranged as a lounge with fancy and vintage sofas and couches. Kind of reminds me of someone grandma's house. The bar had snacks available, otherwise more drink options. The band played good songs too. Definitely recommend if you're in the area and jazz fan.

I visited this brewery while in town visiting friends. It has a pretty typical indoor space with…read morehigh tops, a long bar, and tables. The brewery skews towards German style brewing which again, is pretty typical of a lot of breweries. The location really shines with its outdoor patio. There is a big outdoor area which is very family (and pet) friendly. They often have live music on the weekend. The brewery itself doesn't have any food, but they have rotating food trucks that come in. The day we were there it was a wood fired pizza truck which was pretty good. Everyone in our group had a good time, and I liked the overall vibe. I will note there were a lot of kids (between us our group of our adults had four kids) so keep this in mind if you go. Overall the beer was good, the atmosphere was perfect for the summer, and we enjoyed our time at this spot.

Mummy's were better than my mom crotch for drinking water at here a good place to drinkread more

Friendly staff and great prices. Cute set up for Christmas very homey environment and cozy…read moreatmosphere

Overtly racist language by the owner and his friends. N word repeatedly used loudly. Asked him to…read moretell his friends to cool it and he smiled and said everyone's welcome. I said apparently not. He threw his hands up like, oh well! And they continued drinking and laughing it up. Bartender was cool, other customers were cool, the minute the owner and his clan got there, day was ruined. Will spend my money at other worthy businesses