Gaijin may be a small restaurant, but it makes a big impression the second you walk in. The dining…read moreroom isn't huge, but it has this lively energy that makes it feel exciting instead of crowded. I even was able to watch the chefs cooking just a few feet away. I could hear the sizzling from the grill, smell the food cooking, and by that point I was more than ready to eat. Our server was really nice and gave us a bunch of recommendations. Everything sounded good, but I ended up going with the Pork Belly Yakisoba. This dish was packed with flavor. The noodles had that smoky, slightly charred taste, and they were coated in just enough sauce to make every bite rich. The sauce brought a nice balance of savory, a little sweetness, and plenty of umami that soaked into the noodles. The pork belly was easily the best part. It was incredibly tender and juicy, with just enough fat that it practically melted in your mouth. Every piece had those caramelized edges that added even more flavor. Then you get the crunch from the cabbage and bean sprouts, the freshness from the scallions, and the little nutty flavor from the sesame that tied everything together. Hahaha I'd definitely come back. This is one of those dishes that sticked with me long after I left.

There are few places in general across the US that serve up okonomiyaki, so I was thrilled to find…read morethis spot near my office. Ultimately, the food was just ok. I got the pork okonomiyaki lunch set and added a fried egg to it. I like that the table has a built in grill to keep it warm (I'm a slow eater, so this is extra beneficial for me). The bacon was quite salty, compounded by the okonomi sauce. Hoping the kombu vegetables would offset this, I mixed them into each bite to no avail. The pandan coconut mochi donut holes I chose were probably the highlight. They were crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and there was ample sauce for dipping. I think some people would find the service top notch here--constantly checking in on me and keeping water refilled. I guess that came with a cost: 3% service charge automatically applied, and the server proactively brought over a digital payment system, so the 18% tip I selected calculated off the total leading to what was essentially a tip of 23%.

Omg yum! Been wanting to try this place for so so long now. If you didn't already know, this place…read moreis attached to Duck Duck Goat around the corner. It's a cute little window that serves Taiwanese desserts and some to-go items from the restaurant. There is also a small seating area. Me and my friend both got ice cream. I got the rice ice baby which was refreshing on such a hot day. It tasted like a strawberry rice crispy treat with sesame. The strawberry jam at the bottom is a great touch! Portion is pretty big too so good for sharing. I wasn't too fond of the price tho.... I paid $17.....

This is a cute little walk-up window tucked behind Duck Duck Goat. You order at the window and grab…read morea seat outside while they bring your dessert over. The staff was super friendly and I loved the chill summer vibes. The Chocolate Sesame was definitely unique. The soft serve had a coconut-like flavor and wasn't very sweet. I don't get impressed by ice cream & soft serve very easily, and I felt like the ice cream itself wasn't anything crazy. 5/10. The best part was everything on top. I loved how the chocolate sauce hardened into a shell, the chocolate-sesame crunch added great texture, and the chocolate shaved ice mixed with the crunch so I hardly noticed it was there. 8/10. Overall, I'd give it a 6.5/10. The sesame-chocolate flavor combination was unique and delicious, but for $17.50 it's definitely a little expensive.

Always the best Real Fruit…read moreFriendly staff Chicago must visit - Local fave Personal faves - piña colada or peach

If you're from Chicago, or have lived here for any length of time, you should know about Mario's…read moreItalian Ice. It's one of those summertime destinations that just feels like part of the city. Around since 1954, Mario's has been conveniently cooling down overheated Chicagoans for a very long time. The flavors are incredible, but part of the experience is the camaraderie that comes from standing around comparing what flavors and combinations everyone decided to get. Somehow, the conversation always turns into who made the better choice. As a born and bred Chicagoan, I'm glad I've had the chance to enjoy my fair share of combinations over the years. It's simple, refreshing, and one of those places that reminds you why Chicago summers are so special. If you've never had the pleasure, you're truly missing out on one of Chicago's hidden gems. I wish I could tell you which flavor is the best, but honestly, you'd probably have an easier time winning the lottery.

Duck Duck Goat lived up to all the hype and everything I have ever heard about it. One of the best,…read moreflavorful meals I have had in a long time. I was able to get a last minute reservation for me and my friends, and we were even able to sit inside. The teapot "group" drink was hard to pour, but that was truly my only complaint of the night. The potstickers melted in your mouth and the scallion pancakes were so unique. We could not get enough! The dan dan noodles were our other favorite. The inside is so cute, intimate, and dark, yet lively and fun at the same time. The perfect restaurant for any occasion!

I really wanted to love Duck Duck Goat as it was recommended by a friend. The atmosphere was great…read moreand the drinks were good. A few dishes, like the Duck Fried Rice, Pork Belly, and Beef Noodle Soup, were actually pretty solid. But the rest of the night was just so frustrating that I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. The Jiaozi were the first big letdown. The menu said they were beef short rib and bone marrow, but they didn't taste like that at all. The filling was just super mushy and the flavor was just weird. The manager and the food runner were nice when we mentioned it, but our actual server was a disaster. When we tried the Goat Noodles, all we could taste was cumin. It was so overwhelming that it covered up everything else. We couldn't even tell if there was actually any goat shoulder in there. When we told our waiter, she couldn't care less. She got totally defensive, wouldn't even listen to us, and just said, "Oh, I told you when you ordered that the dish is cumin forward" and walked away. It got worse when the bill came. She was holding on to the payment machine so hard and almost yanked it right out of my friend's hand. She was staring at it to see what we were tipping. It was so awkward and incredibly rude. No thank you, no nothing. She just grabbed it and left. The place has potential, but they really need to fix the food and retrain the staff. A cool vibe doesn't make up for bad food and awful service.

Momotaro was an amazing experience from start to finish. The food is incredibly high quality--you…read morecan tell there's a lot of attention to detail in everything from the ingredients to the presentation. Everything we tried tasted fresh and elevated. I cannot recommend enough the 10day dry aged nigiri. My favorite The atmosphere is lively and energetic with a great buzz throughout the restaurant, but still manages to feel polished, upscale, and intimate. It has that perfect balance where you feel like you're somewhere special and high-end without it feeling overly formal or stuffy. Between the incredible food and service, Momotaro is easily one of the best dining experiences in West Loop / Fulton Market. Definitely a place I'd recommend for a date night or special occasion!

food: my favs were the tsukune dango and tsukune sliders. all the food that came out was yummy but…read morenothing blew me away and for the price i'd have hoped for a dish that made me want to come back but I didn't get that service: the staff was very nice and let us switch tables because it was hard to hear ambiance: really nice vibe especially when the dim the lights later into the night. gets really loud and was so hard to hear my partner across the table

Came to Ramen San on an impromptu date after our original plans fell through, and it ended up being…read morea really good choice. I loved the indoor outdoor feel of the space with the open windows, and they also have a nice outdoor seating area. The atmosphere is casual but cute, with a mix of bar, high top, and bench seating. We tried a few cocktails, which were good, and our server was friendly, patient, and gave great recommendations. But the absolute STAR of the meal was the crab rangoon dumplings. OMG. I already love crab rangoon, but these took it to another level. They were easily my favorite thing we ordered, and I would go back just for those. I'm not usually a big ramen person, but I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful the ramen was. We ordered a spicy option with fried chicken, and while I wasn't a fan of the fried chicken getting soggy in the broth, the ramen itself was delicious...honestly, the flavors were even better the next day after everything had soaked in. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would definitely come back to try another ramen. But those crab rangoon dumplings? I could go back for those RIGHT NOW.

Another great visit to Ramen-San. Although the restaurant was busy, I was able to grab a table…read moreimmediately, which was a nice surprise. I ordered the karaage chicken nuggets and chicken and veggie dumplings, while my friend ordered the nuggets and fried chicken bun. Everything came out quickly and hot. The chicken nuggets were meaty and flavorful, and the sauce really elevated the dish. The fried dumplings were packed with vegetables and had a great texture. My friend enjoyed her fried chicken bun the most. She loved how soft the bun was and thought the sauce on the sandwich really brought everything together. We did have a little hiccup at the end of our meal. We waited for the bill for a while before flagging down our server, only to find out that the bill was connected to the QR code in the booth. I actually think that's a really cute and convenient concept, but it would be helpful if guests were told about it when they're seated or when the food is delivered. It would definitely save guests from sitting around wondering when their check is coming. Overall, another enjoyable experience at Ramen-San.

Immaculate vibes here, very dark and moody…read more Fantastic drinks, didn't try the food though. Lexy was amazing!

Beautifully designed space and amazing drinks…read more Reservations will be needed, be sure to plan this spot! We had a bit of difficulty at first finding this place which is part of the fun, but make your way down an alley and you'll find your new favorite tiki bar! We were seated promptly and with an Arrival time around 330 it was low lighting, chill ambiance music and everyone enjoying good conversation. Honestly great start! The server was knowledgeable and attentive, our drinks came quickly after our appetizer did The ceviche was fresh and we ate every bit of it, would have ordered more had we not had dinner plans! Drinks were certainly tasty and well balanced, always what you want from a tiki bar My only gripe was they seemed to keep increasing the music volume and allowed for more standing room which wasn't the vibe we were looking for, but that just might be what they convert to closer to dinner time. Perhaps would be better in the later hours as people still were trying to simply connect with eachother on a speaking level but that's just my perception. Overall wonderful spot, we will return when we want to bring friends from out of town to experience three dots and a dash!

The hype is so real!!! I had been dying to try Crying Tiger since it opened, and it did not…read moredisappoint!! The interior design alone is breathtaking the second you walk in the door, and ambiance is a vibe! I dined out with a group of friends for a special occasion, and our bottle of champagne was brought out with a personalized greeting card! My friends and I shared multiple dishes, and the lobster pad Thai and shaking beef were my favorite! I cannot wait to go back and try more dishes!

Was worried it would be overhyped and it wasn't! Only negative was that it is a bit pricy for such…read moresmall servings. The side of crispy eggplant was actually one of our favorite dishes, but the crying tiger dessert definitely took my #1 spot. A unique take on banana foster. Vibe inside was cool.

Hubby and I really enjoyed our dinner experience at Qiao Lin Hotpot. We were in Chicago for a…read moreshort trip, visiting friends and family. Our cousin suggested having dinner at Qiao Lin. We went on a Saturday night, so it definitely was hopping. With a reservation, we didn't wait too long. We picked the spicy broth, the herbal chicken broth, and the pepper pork bone broth. Hubby and I always enjoy the spicy broth and herbal broth during our numerous previous hotpot experiences, but the pepper pork broth really surprised me. It was very very tasty. I think if I ever get a chance to revisit Qiao Lin, that is a must have for me. All the items we ordered were very delicious. We ordered so much I don't remember all of it. The enormous sauce bar is also very nice. The booth we sat in was roomy and comfortable which allowed us to really catch up and enjoy our time there. Overall, great food, atmosphere, and service. We'd definitely go back when we are in town again.

Environment: we were seated quite quickly! We walked by the huge sauce bar with a variety of…read moretoppings but also some side snacks like woodear, fruits, and some fried snacks. Then, each area had a big of privacy such as walls to separate different parties which I appreciated. This place is not AYCE, you order what you want so don't over order as you don't want to waste the food! Staff: attentive and kind Food: we ordered a lot of foods and I shall name a few things that stood out. I really liked the beef and lamb. It was worth the money because it was fresh and a good amount for the 3 of us! We also got some veggies and everything was placed nicely. I also liked how there's no extra fee to pick two types of soup bases and they refill it with soup not hot water. So it wouldn't be diluted. I ate some fruits and the oranges were good and sweet.

We absolutely loved trying this place. It felt incredibly exclusive, almost like a hidden gem…read moretucked away from everything else. From the moment we walked in to the moment we left, the service was exceptional, attentive, welcoming, and seamless. The drinks were amazing, and every dish we had was truly exquisite. Calling it Michelin-star quality almost feels like an understatement. Everything was crafted with such care and precision. To top it all off, we even got to see the chef, who took a moment to say hello.. it made the experience feel even more special and personal. We'll definitely be back.

My fav speakeasy with the best food I've been to. Mr Rick Bayless knocked it out of the park. The…read moreambiance is great, on the darker side, with great latin music playing. The food was the star of the night. The $1 oysters were the best oysters I've had. The salsa or agua chile like thing they came with complemented them perfectly. The burgers, crab quesabirria, and bone marrow were all perfect. I'd come back for sure. Drinks were solid.