Best Authentic Restaurants in River West

Server (Raul) was extremely helpful with great recommendations and friendly. We had a really nice evening.

The food was out of this world good! Our waiter was very attentive. Our experience was 10/10!!

Erie Cafe is a great place for a date, holiday celebrations, good time with friends or just an excellent meal. We go there quite a bit and are never disappointed.

Indeed the diamond nestled in the middle of Chicago! From entering the front door, the staff at Piccolo Sogno make you feel like family...their family. Everything on the menu is delicious, flavorful, authentic Italian cuisine (the lasagna is my fav!). Dining here is ALWAYS a treat for us. Tony, Ciro and Alfredo are the BEST of the BEST! Thank you for another wonderful dining experience!

We ordered the Jampong Mussels, Chef’s Meat Sampler, Doeng Jang Jjgae, and Banchan.. everything tasted good. I mean it tasted as Korean food should, the meat was buttery soft and while I thought it odd to have to order banchan separately… it is unlimited, so there is that. The Jampong Mussels tasted good, but it wasn’t Jampong soup really, it was more Kimchee Jjgae broth with pork (so if you are pescatarian you might want to ask if they can omit or it may not work for you). The cocktails were lovely though (as many people commented… ) I had a Matcha Sour, I believe it was called, so good if you like sweet cocktails and the expresso martini was fantastic. In terms of the ambiance, it’s a nice moody sort of interior. It is dark at night, but because it is a corner restaurant it was nice to see all the night lights come through the windows. All adds to the vibe. All in all would I recommend? If you want to have a Korean experience, but in an elevated atmosphere then yes. The food is good, but was it phenomenal? No… it wasn’t like a Benu (from SF) experience, but could be a nice date night, special occasion, or somewhere you would bring a special guest… that maybe isn’t Korean? Honestly I think the bad reviews were mostly from fellow Koreans, (or at least those who are in the know about Korean food) but like I said it’s very good food, just not anything new or quantity wise, satisfying for the natives.