Has anyone seen holiday pies at McDonald’s in the city? I’m on the north side in Edgewater and none of the ones near me seem to have them.

Dumb thing to be disappointed over but they are yummy

I've been craving chilaquiles and wanting to try Pastores + Brunch in Lincoln Square since seeing it mentioned here a month ago. Today was the day.
Love the vibe, so casual and cozy and friendly, old-school diner vibes with close to old-school prices, and 80s music playing throughout.
Hub had the huevos rancheros
We also had their seasonal hot drink, a fruity, cinnamon, yummy concoction.
The food was delicious and the service was great.
Definitely adding it to my unicorn list of delicious, high quality, and affordably priced restaurants.

does Billy Goat Merchandise Mart still exist? they made my favorite breakfast ever in the whole wide world

double hash browns peppers onions sausage bacon

yum

We’ll be in Chicago over the new year for our honeymoon. We don’t want to party or go out drinking or anything but I do want to dress up and have a nice early dinner ($100 or less per person ideally). Does anyone have some laid back restaurant recs where we won’t look too out of place in some sparkly festive dresses?

In terms of pricing, I’m thinking for 2 people ~ $120 (we don’t order drinks at restaurants). Not necessarily looking for fancier restaurants (although open to suggestions) or cooking classes but more something along the lines of the Dining in the Dark experience coming in town.

Certainly a top 3 pick within my Logan Square restaurants. Their three chili chicken will be missed.

I went for the tasting menu at EL Ideas and had a fun night out with friends. 8/10 overall.

Food - 8. Most of the food was tasty and well-balanced, with distinct flavor profiles, contrasting textures, and a variety of proteins. There didn't seem to be a clear course progression to me, but I care more about the taste of the individual dishes, so I didn't really mind. We bounced all over the globe in terms of cuisine. My favorite courses were the apple pie-ish dessert (one of the best sweets I've had this year), Szechuan-style duck leg, and Indian-inspired crab beignet. There were only a couple misses for me, including their iconic french fries and frosty dish, which was entertaining conceptually but just too salty. I do want to mention that dietary restrictions may have a big impact on your menu. My companion who couldn't have dairy didn't enjoy the food nearly as much because the chefs tended to simply omit components containing dairy in lieu of making substitutions, which threw off the balance of several dishes. Another thing to note is that we did leave somewhat hungry, which is disappointing at this price.

Drinks - N/A. The restaurant is BYOB. They provide some suggestions on what to pair with the food, but we decided to just bring a bunch of mixers and gin to make some simple cocktails. The restaurant also offers a small hot beverage bar with (free) coffee and tea to accompany the dessert courses.

Service - 8. The courses are served to the entire restaurant in waves, so the pacing depends on the other parties you're dining with. The service itself is unfussy and you're mostly left on your own except for the presentation and clearing of dishes. Most of the servers were also the chefs; they were friendly but obviously busy with preparations, so interactions were pretty brief unless you ventured into the kitchen for a closer look.

Ambiance - 7.5. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed, with plenty of eclectic decor. It's a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure experience: you can stay seated at your table and treat this like a standard fine dining meal, or get up and wander around and head into the open kitchen to chat with the chefs and watch them create the dishes. We did a bit of both. I think this restaurant is better suited for bigger parties as opposed to solo diners since the vibe was very social. It also seems like a great place to bring people who are interested in fine dining but uncomfortable with or reluctant to sit through a very formal service.

Note: The bill is prepaid and includes a 20% service charge which covers gratuity. You just walk in and out on the night of service. They have an independent reservation and payment system which is a little more complicated and glitchy than the major platforms, but still manageable.

Would I go again? Although this was a fun experience, I think one visit was enough for me.

Caviar - salmon, golden beets, spinach, horseradish, vodka, and crème fraîche

Octopus - celeriac, pepita salsa verde, candied lemons, and hominy

Crab beignet - mango and red pepper chutney, cucumber raita, and curry

Vitello tonnato - veal tenderloin and slow simmered tuna, polenta, cauliflower, and black olive putanesca

Smoked pork - chanterelles, carrot, cabbage, pear, and juniper

Szechuan style duck leg - scallop, ham, forbidden black rice, butternut squash, broccoli, and Szechuan style barbeque sauce

Venison - zucchini, sweet potato, lentils, pomegranate, yogurt, oregano, and foie gras

French fries and frosty - impossibly crunchy potatoes in a hot potato leek soup with nitro poached vanilla ice cream

Apples - brown butter cake, parsnip, caramelized white chocolate, hazelnuts, and thyme

Tasting menu (December 2024)

Restaurant interior prior to service

Kitchen during service

Hey, heading to the Bulls vs Bucks game Dev 23rd Monday and looking for a good spot to grab drinks afterward. Preferably somewhere near the United Center, maybe even along the subway line if it's not walkable. Any recommendations for chill vibes, decent prices, or good late-night eats would be awesome! 🍻 Thanks!

I was recently informed that they cut my department at work. It caught me off guard because this place has been consistent for years. Are any other places making cuts/adjustments that might not be getting publicity?

Hello-

I’m located on the north side but willing to travel! I just tried one for the first time last week in Atlanta and fell in love. Hoping to find some great suggestions, TIA!

I’d like to give this as a gift to my mentor later this week.

I live downtown so would prefer to be able to find something close to home due to my working hours. Alternatively if anyone knows of a place that would deliver that would be good too.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks 😊

I was in Chicago for 10 days for work last month. Had to work 9 out of the 10 days and had Thanksgiving off. Completely forgot about Thanksgiving because I’m from Canada but was more than happy for the day off. Spent the day wandering the city and loved every minute of it. Lots of the restaurants were closed except for expensive steak houses and the casual McDonalds I’d see. I started to get really hungry which led to some major hanger going on. Non of the pizza places I wanted to try were open and all the tasty sandwich shops were closed too. I was on my way back to my hotel when I saw Bodega on Clark st open and decided to give it a try. It was so good! I ordered the Carne Asada and Pollo Asado with a couple beers. Big servings and the cheese was cooked deliciously on the soft shell. Vibe was good and servers super friendly. Highly recommend Bodega for anyone looking for some good food and chill time. Would love the name of the sweet and spicy sauce they had at each table too if anyone goes! Forgot to grab a pic and I’m back in Canada again.

hi all! my partner and i are eloping on NYE, and are looking for a nice place to eat that evening. of course, because it's NYE, everything is in high demand. we weren't able to get our top choice, ciccio mio, when reservations opened up this morning. to the point: we're thinking of booking at obelix, but i have some anxiety that we'll look way too out of place. the restaurant seems to be a very bright and open space from what i can see in photos, quite different from what is at ciccio mio. i'm wearing a white dress (not a full blown wedding gown, it's form fitting) with white heels and white coat and he's wearing a very dark green suite. so, help a girl with anxiety out- will we look way too out of place? if so, any other recommendations that aren't already completed booked as of this morning? thanks!!

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Taking my team out for well-deserved holiday drinks soon and looking for a spot that works for 9 people. Something more special than the places you can belly up to with no res, like Lone Wolf or Black Barrel.

It’s on my dime so I want nice but not break the bank nice. I was eyeing Lazy Bird but hear their service can be slow and they boot you out of your table after 90min.

Looking to buy a pizza class as a gift. My partner is interested in getting into pizza making and I'd like the class to teach him what direction he should start in.

I'd like the class to be fairly detailed on different pizza techniques and how speciality tools (IE ovens) / techniques can change a pizza. Does anyone have one they recommend?

I did some research and these are the ones I'm looking at now:

https://www.naveenscuisine.com/classes/

https://www.eataly.com/us_en/classes-and-events/chicago/hands-on-pizza-napoletana-with-rossopomodoro-tickets-1100093221439

https://coursehorse.com/chicago/classes/cooking/baking/pizza-making/neapolitan-pizzeria2

https://bucketlisters.com/experience/diy-pizza-and-sip

https://pizzaculinaryacademy.com/products/new-york-pizza-at-home-january-2025

https://bettieschicago.com/artisan-style-pizza-class/

Bavette’s, Duke of Perth, Best Intentions are my favorites. What an I missing out on?

Why is it so hard to find this Italian Christmas desert in Chicago ? Any ideas ?

I'm coming into town for a few days and arrive in Lincoln Square on Thursday afternoon, looking for a place to eat and a place with good cocktails on Thursday evening thanks

Preferably near the Roscoe village area but very much willing to travel for some exceptional grub.

Just a humble western PA girl searching for her true love (sheetz mac n cheese bites) in the big city

I know there aren’t any Sheetz in the area, but are there any restaurants that carry the same or similar fried Mac n cheese bites? Little golden triangles of desire?

My cravings are insane but it would be more insane to drive 5 hrs for these things.

Flavor bomb

Hi all, would appreciate any feedback on the following:

Thursday (arriving early)

Maybe start with Do Rite Donuts and Chicken

Christmas Market or Good Funk

Hugo’s Frog Bar happy hour

Mary Rose dinner

Friday

Christmas Market or Goodfunk

Mag Mile shopping

Mart Anthony’s dinner

Maybe Au Cheval lunch

Saturday:

Mindy’s Bakery

Beautiful Rind

Billy Sunday

Le Bouchon

I don’t need to leave until later Sunday so I can do some clean up then.

The dinners feel somewhat one dimensional to me but it’s the kind of food that I like, I suppose.

Planning to spend time downtown on the Mag Mile and maybe in the big parks. Looking for fun treats to take home (hence Beautiful Rind and Good Funk as stops).

Thanks all!

Hi all,

I'll be visiting Chicago with my wife in February and was hoping to finally get dinner at Alinea. However, I haven't been able to really decide if we should be aiming for a Kitchen Table reservation or a Gallery one... there doesn't seem to be much information available comparing the two options.

I have a friend who's had the Gallery experience and loved it so I'm more inclined towards that (and maybe trying the KT on a subsequent visit)... but when there's no guarantee that great restaurants will be around forever, I wonder if it's better to just go all-out and do the KT this trip.

Has anyone here tried both and if so, any thoughts on which one we should target for our first visit?

Thank you!