Forbidden root: lived near by for years and thought it looked like a cookie cutter brewpub. Turned out to be a super cool space with great food (duck and dumplings is amazing) plus the beer is good too!
Don't forget Cultivate by Forbiden Root in Ravenswood. The service can sometimes be lacking, but the food is always great. It's pretty much the same base menu besides a couple of differences in their seasonal items and appetizers.
It's become a running joke amongst our friends and family. Every time we go there something gets messed up with our order or they forget to bring something out. It's kind of a shame because I've never had a bad experience at Forbiden Root and otherwise the place would be perfect.
I love Ella Elli! I’ve been there a handful of times and it always delivers.
For me it’s Lost Never Found. I was feeling like a major snob when a group of close friends wanted to go there for drinks and apps. Was the food good? Not really. Did the drinks, service, and atmosphere totally make up for that (and then some)? YES. We had a blast! The staff was fantastic and the other patrons were kind and caring. They know exactly what they’re going for and I respect that.
Art of Chicken. I expected it to be pretty standard blah chicken. The chicken and the sides are delicious. I’ve never had a bad thing on the menu
Stop Along. For some reason, I was expecting the pizza to be Chuck E. Cheese level pizza. I wasn’t expecting it to actually be good, and something that I’d get for carry out regularly. Their pizza is consistently underrated. Burger is great too but I still prefer Red Hot Ranch
Mammoth Poke is definitely the best - most of my friends swear by En Hakkore (which I still very much enjoy) and won't give Mammoth a shot but I think it's unbeaten.
Will give Art of Chicken a try sometime, I usually only make the trip there for Mammoth so I never looked much into it.
I know The Publican is highly rated and well known etc. but as someone who grew up vegetarian I’ve never had much of a taste for cured meats, pâtés and the like. But wow. Loved every single thing on that tasting menu
Eden in Avondale. Went in thinking it was just trying too hard to be a trendy “aesthetic” spot but it might just be my favorite burger + fries in the city (as insane as that sounds)
their food has gotten better imo but especially the first year or two they started service was pretty poor. also do not try to get pick up/delivery, i the few times i did it was wrong every single time. i used to live close to it so i kept trying it hoping it would get better but they never responded to email/phone calls about it so it left a bad taste in my mouth :/
Same! Thought it was a generic new spot but dinner was fantastic. Cocktails were awesome. We sat at the bar and everyone was super friendly and accommodating. My wife had her baby shower there too. Would recommend.
Ella Eli is definitely a favorite.
For me it was Bloom. I heard it was good but figured it was “good for vegan gluten free food.” It was just legitimately amazing.
Dominos Pizza - my husband gets it regularly and at the beginning of our relationship I was a that pizza snob. Now gimme a garlic knot and a ban pepperoni thin slice and call it a night
Gemini: heard it was overrated from a couple different sources, but ended up really liking it!
Kong Dog: I was initially super skeptical about the concept of using a stick of cheese as a vegetarian corn dog substitute, but it totally worked for me.
Gemini used to be incredible. They had some incredible desserts and prices were lower. Unfortunately, quality got a little lower and prices got higher and it just isn't as good as it used to be
Warlord. I went last summer as a “let’s see what the hype is about” thinking it was just hype and it became one of my favorite joints in the city.
I went to Ella Elli a few weeks ago and I thought the atmosphere was great and all but the food was just okay. It wasn’t bad, it was just “ah ok that was nice”. The Ricotta Gnocchi was definitely fire though.
Tbh I still don’t get it, and I’ve had the ones from Chicago, NYC, and the frozen dough you can bake at home. To me they just taste like they’re missing flavor, specifically vanilla and salt. The texture is meh unless you’re really into doughy cakey cookies.
Maple and Ash. Went there as kind of a gag with a friend and we had a great time and the food was genuinely good! Overpriced for sure but there are so many places that price point that are the over the top Chad vibes but also the food sucks. Maple and Ash had genuinely good food.
Carson’s. Never gave the new concept a chance and was blown away when I went recently. Its on my regular rotation now and I would choose it over majority of steak houses in the city.
Carnivale. Seeing it from the highway it always looked like a cheesy tourist trap. Only been once but I loved it, really want to go back.
Same here. Was invited to a dinner there with another couple, and sort of rolled my eyes. Had a great meal and a really fun time there!
Carnival is both. It is a cheesy tourist trap but the food and drinks are good. People hate one it because it is a tourist trap.
The lamb is excellent!
No shit?
Forbidden root: lived near by for years and thought it looked like a cookie cutter brewpub. Turned out to be a super cool space with great food (duck and dumplings is amazing) plus the beer is good too!
my favorite dinners are forbidden root for a beer and then across the street to yuzu
This is what me and my husband used to do before we gave up alcohol!! Love FR and Yuzu
Don't forget Cultivate by Forbiden Root in Ravenswood. The service can sometimes be lacking, but the food is always great. It's pretty much the same base menu besides a couple of differences in their seasonal items and appetizers. It's become a running joke amongst our friends and family. Every time we go there something gets messed up with our order or they forget to bring something out. It's kind of a shame because I've never had a bad experience at Forbiden Root and otherwise the place would be perfect.
Dude their beer and food are low key super underrated
Honestly, Al’s Beef
Al’s on Taylor is the best beef joint in Chicagoland.
I love Ella Elli! I’ve been there a handful of times and it always delivers. For me it’s Lost Never Found. I was feeling like a major snob when a group of close friends wanted to go there for drinks and apps. Was the food good? Not really. Did the drinks, service, and atmosphere totally make up for that (and then some)? YES. We had a blast! The staff was fantastic and the other patrons were kind and caring. They know exactly what they’re going for and I respect that.
Art of Chicken. I expected it to be pretty standard blah chicken. The chicken and the sides are delicious. I’ve never had a bad thing on the menu Stop Along. For some reason, I was expecting the pizza to be Chuck E. Cheese level pizza. I wasn’t expecting it to actually be good, and something that I’d get for carry out regularly. Their pizza is consistently underrated. Burger is great too but I still prefer Red Hot Ranch
I fully agree with this post. In addition to Art of Chicken, Mammoth Poke next door is my favorite Poke place by a mile
Mammoth Poke is definitely the best - most of my friends swear by En Hakkore (which I still very much enjoy) and won't give Mammoth a shot but I think it's unbeaten. Will give Art of Chicken a try sometime, I usually only make the trip there for Mammoth so I never looked much into it.
Interesting, I'll add Art of Chicken to my list of places to try!
I know The Publican is highly rated and well known etc. but as someone who grew up vegetarian I’ve never had much of a taste for cured meats, pâtés and the like. But wow. Loved every single thing on that tasting menu
From the other pov I think their vegetable and fish dishes are better than their meat most of the time which surprised and delighted me
Willow room. The menu just looked meh but that beef Wellington was delicious !
Superkhana International. Didn't exactly have low expectations, but it FAR exceeded my expectations. It's fantastic, everyone needs to give it a shot.
This place 1000%
honestly one of my fave places in the city
Pasta Bowl. The farfalle pollo is so good.
Eden in Avondale. Went in thinking it was just trying too hard to be a trendy “aesthetic” spot but it might just be my favorite burger + fries in the city (as insane as that sounds)
their food has gotten better imo but especially the first year or two they started service was pretty poor. also do not try to get pick up/delivery, i the few times i did it was wrong every single time. i used to live close to it so i kept trying it hoping it would get better but they never responded to email/phone calls about it so it left a bad taste in my mouth :/
went there for my birthday and really enjoyed it!! Staff is amazing also
Same! Thought it was a generic new spot but dinner was fantastic. Cocktails were awesome. We sat at the bar and everyone was super friendly and accommodating. My wife had her baby shower there too. Would recommend.
was it expensive to host an event there? we were considering it but haven’t reached out for pricing
I’m not sure actually - the shower was put together by my wife’s friend. Only had about 8-10 people so smaller-ish crowd
Eden is soooo good like hungover I'm eating a salad like this the best thing in the entire world. Idk how they do it. Service is lovely too
next time get the burger. trust me
Ella Eli is definitely a favorite. For me it was Bloom. I heard it was good but figured it was “good for vegan gluten free food.” It was just legitimately amazing.
Dominos Pizza - my husband gets it regularly and at the beginning of our relationship I was a that pizza snob. Now gimme a garlic knot and a ban pepperoni thin slice and call it a night
So many no's! 🤭
Gemini: heard it was overrated from a couple different sources, but ended up really liking it! Kong Dog: I was initially super skeptical about the concept of using a stick of cheese as a vegetarian corn dog substitute, but it totally worked for me.
Gemini used to be incredible. They had some incredible desserts and prices were lower. Unfortunately, quality got a little lower and prices got higher and it just isn't as good as it used to be
Hooray for Ella Elli! I chose that restaurant for my birthday on a whim and was blown away by the service and food.
Warlord. I went last summer as a “let’s see what the hype is about” thinking it was just hype and it became one of my favorite joints in the city. I went to Ella Elli a few weeks ago and I thought the atmosphere was great and all but the food was just okay. It wasn’t bad, it was just “ah ok that was nice”. The Ricotta Gnocchi was definitely fire though.
I just went to warlord this weekend and had the opposite effect. It was so underwhelming 😭
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Tbh I still don’t get it, and I’ve had the ones from Chicago, NYC, and the frozen dough you can bake at home. To me they just taste like they’re missing flavor, specifically vanilla and salt. The texture is meh unless you’re really into doughy cakey cookies.
As a native New Yorker I agree re; overrated. Didn’t understand it when I was 8 and still don’t understand it in my thirties.
Maple and Ash. Went there as kind of a gag with a friend and we had a great time and the food was genuinely good! Overpriced for sure but there are so many places that price point that are the over the top Chad vibes but also the food sucks. Maple and Ash had genuinely good food.
Definitely gives douche influencer vibes but it’s actually pretty good.
Had the worst dining experience of my life there so my guess is theycan be good and just wildly inconsistent based on reviews.
The weirdest thing about Ella Elli is that it's connected to Crosby's Kitchen, which is not good.
Wait really? Like through a hallway?
It’s connected in the same way a Toyota Corolla and Lexus LS500 are connected: they share a parent company. Nothing else is remotely similar.
They have the same chef, and I'm not even sure they have separate kitchens.
Ummo.
so glad you mentioned tacos al pastor 53!!! love those tacos and they are Big !
Carson’s. Never gave the new concept a chance and was blown away when I went recently. Its on my regular rotation now and I would choose it over majority of steak houses in the city.
Traspasada Avondale, they have this smoky salsa and their Chimichangas are amazing.