Chicago Food Crawl

AMBAR Restaurant

March 13, 2026by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

If you’re looking for a brunch in Chicago that is flavorful, unique, and truly worth the hype, our recent visit to Ambar Chicago absolutely delivered. Known for its Balkan-inspired cuisine and incredible small plates concept, Ambar offers an all-you-can-eat brunch paired with bottomless cocktails, and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable brunch experiences we’ve had in the city.

As vegetarians who also eat seafood, we’re always curious (and sometimes a little cautious) when trying new restaurants. But Ambar made it incredibly easy to find dishes that suited our diet while still allowing us to explore a wide range of flavors.

The All-You-Can-Eat Balkan Brunch Experience

The brunch format at Ambar is one of the best parts of the experience. Instead of a traditional buffet, guests order unlimited small plates from the menu, which are brought fresh to the table. This means you can try a little bit of everything without committing to just one dish.

For anyone who loves sampling multiple flavors and dishes, this format is perfect. Each plate is thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented, and the pacing allows you to enjoy the meal without feeling rushed.

Our Favorite Vegetarian & Seafood Dishes

Even with dietary preferences, we had plenty of incredible options to choose from. Some of the standout dishes we enjoyed included:

Crispy Cheese – Creamy, rich, and perfectly balanced with fresh accompaniments. It was light yet indulgent and a great way to start the meal.

Truffle Mushroom Flatbread – This was one of our favorites. The earthy mushrooms paired with the truffle flavor made every bite comforting and flavorful.

Mediterranean-style spreads and breads – The dips and spreads were fantastic and added great variety to the table. Perfect for sharing and layering flavors.

Seafood options – We loved that there were seafood selections available that fit perfectly within our pescatarian diet. The dishes were fresh, well seasoned, and added a nice balance to the meal.

Because the plates are small, we were able to keep ordering and trying new things throughout brunch, which made the experience feel like a culinary journey through different Balkan flavors.

Bottomless Cocktails

No brunch is complete without great drinks, and Ambar absolutely delivers here as well. The bottomless cocktail optionallowed us to try a variety of drinks throughout the meal.

The cocktails were refreshing, well balanced, and never felt watered down or rushed. The staff kept everything flowing smoothly while still making the experience feel relaxed and enjoyable.

Ending with Arabic Coffee

To finish off the meal, we ordered Arabic coffee, which was the perfect ending to an already memorable brunch.

Rich, aromatic, and slightly spiced, it had such a comforting warmth to it. After a full brunch of delicious plates and cocktails, the coffee provided the perfect moment to slow down and savor the end of the meal.

The Atmosphere and Service

Beyond the food, the atmosphere at Ambar made the experience even better. The space is modern yet welcoming, making it a great spot for a casual brunch date, meeting friends, or celebrating a special occasion.

The service was excellent throughout the entire meal. Our server was attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and always happy to recommend dishes. The team made sure plates kept coming at the perfect pace so we could enjoy everything without feeling overwhelmed.

Final Thoughts

Our brunch at Ambar Chicago was truly fantastic. The all-you-can-eat small plates concept, the variety of vegetarian and seafood options, the bottomless cocktails, and the incredible Arabic coffee at the end all combined to create a brunch we’ll definitely be returning for.

If you love trying new flavors, sharing dishes, and enjoying a lively brunch atmosphere, Ambar is absolutely worth adding to your Chicago brunch list.

We’re already looking forward to our next visit—and all the plates we’ll get to try again.

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Chicago Food Crawl

PLANTA Queen

December 28, 2022December 28, 2022by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

So, I am a sucker for new restaurants, I love Asian food and recently I have been loving how restaurants do vegan + vegetarian food, so when PLANTA Queen opened up I KNEW I had to try it. I liked it so much that I went not once, not twice but THREE TIMES in 14 days (specifically 10/7, 10/16 and 10/21- yes I know, AGGRESSIVE, but it was honestly that good). I went with my girlfriend the first time and then I brought my husband. My husband liked it so much, that we found our selves back in less then a week. This is a trendy spot in the middle of River North.

Visit 1- October 7, 2022

When we saw the menu we wanted to try everything, the first thing we got were cocktails- I got the Lych Please and my friend got the Kombucha Mojito. For appetizers and dinner we just shared food, we ended up going with the recommendations from the server. We got the baked crab roll (6/10- this was not one of my favorite items but it was good) and the cauliflower tots (10/10- crispy flavorful and amazing) for starters. For our mains we got the pineapple fried rice (8/10-very good but not as unique as I would have liked) and the udon noodles (12/10- warm, creamy and truffley- simply amazing). Lastly for dessert we got the match “cheesecake” (20/10- the best every topped with a berry compote and coconut cream). Over all, the food was amazing and the ambiance and service was amazing. I think I made a reservation for my husband and I to come back while we were still there!

Visit 2- October 16, 2022

So I had to repeat the three things I absolutely loved from the first visit which was the cauliflower tots, the udon noodles and the matcha cheesecake. The three other things we tired was the dragon roll (10/10- I don’t even like broccoli and I liked this), the ahi watermelon nigiri (10/10- I don’t even know how someone can get watermelon to taste like that) and the jackfruit wings (10/10- this honestly tasted like real wings).

Visit 3- October 21, 2022

This was an improv visit, I was driving back to the city and I was dreaming about the food, and there happened to be reservation available – so naturally we had to go. We decided to skip the cocktails this time and the only item we reordered was the match cheesecake. This time we got the bao slider (10/10- the mushroom was perfect), the torched and pressed (20/10- best flavor on the menu HANDS DOWN, the texture and taste was perfect), the bang bang broccoli (10/10- again I don’t really like broccoli but the sauce and flavor and crispiness was perfect) the dan dan noodles (2/10- apparently szechuan kamut has a numbing sensation in the mouth and we weren’t told so I though I was having an allergic reaction while I was eating this dish).

Over all this is definitely my favorite vegan spot in Chicago, I fell in love with their water glasses so I bought them after my first visit. They also have some specials on different days of the week and I want to go back:

MAKI MONDAYS (AFTER 5 PM) Maki Rolls Unlimited Maki Rolls
POUR DECISION WEDNESDAYS 1/2 priced bottles of wine
DISCO & DUMPLINGS FRIDAY (AFTER 5 PM) dumpling platters
WEEKEND BRUNCH Endless Mimosas & Sake Sangria

If you are looking for an amazing new restaurant to try in the River North area be sure to check out PLANTA Queen.

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Chicago Food Crawl

The Violet Hour + Pub Royale

February 27, 2019August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

We always love to plan elaborate date nights, and we try to hit up as many spots as we can in one night. This time we decided to start at The Violet Hour. A speakeasy I have always wanted to go to. A friend had mentioned that it is quite inside, but it was surprisingly loud that evening, there was even loud music music playing!

Our next stop was dinner, we went to Pub Royale since it was in the same neighborhood as Violet Hour. They had good Indian food as well as Indian fusion food at the restaurant.

We started with an order with the vegetable samosas and the lamb dumplings.

For dinner we split the Pub Royale burger. It was a pretty good burger with spicy pickles and masala aioli.

The desert menu had chai tea dulce de leche donut holes, so naturally we had to order it, also one of the more popular drinks on the menu was a dressed up Hamm’s, which was an interesting twist on beer.

We had a successful date night to say the least!

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Chicago Food Crawl

Aba

January 30, 2019August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

Mediterranean food is probably one of my favorite cuisines and I was so excited to find this spot over the summer. Aba is a hidden gem, you have to take a random elevator up to the restaurant and you don’t know what to expect until you get to the top. Walking in, it was absolutely beautiful. Even though it was summer it was chilly in the evening and we wanted to sit inside. The rooftop was even nicer then the inside. The restaurant was aesthetically pleasing so I loved it the minute we walked in!

We had gone out prior to dinner for some drinks, but the drinks here were very good. They were fresh and unique. I definitely want to go back just for the drinks one day.

The food was amazing to say the least. We actually over ordered and ended up taking the kabobs home. I can’t wait to come back and try the rest of the menu.

PSA: they have heated domes on their rooftop during the winter!

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Chicago Food Crawl

Villains Chicago

October 10, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

We are always on a mission to eat “the best burger ever”, so the day we moved into our new apartment, we went to a bar down the street that had a burger on their menu. Walking into Villains, we already loved it. Very cool ambiance, LOVE THE BEER WALL. The only thing they are missing is a patio. I wasn’t feeling a burger so I ordered a grilled cheese, which came with tater tots. My friend ordered the Villains Burger (North Country Bacon, Hooks Cheddar, Pickles, Red Onion, Beef Fat Mayo & Fries). We were actually pretty disappointed in the burger. It was a thick dry patty, and lacked the flavors we expected. On the other had, the grilled cheese was pretty good, and come on, who doesn’t like tater tots? Over all I think we would definitely come back here, but we would order beer and get a charcuterie plate instead of a burger.

Update: we can’t come back, they recently closed! 😦

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Chicago Food Crawl

Umai

July 19, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

Udon & ramen are always a hit or miss in my opinion. Also, it never tastes as good as takeout: we found this out the hard way! I have had my fair share of terrible ramen, to say the least. We decided to check out Umai since it is down the street from our new building, and we needed a quick lunch on moving day! We were in and out in 20 minutes, and the food was actually very good. It was seasoned well, and came out piping hot, with so may different options to choose from. They even let you add ingredients to the bowl, for example, the one I wanted didn’t have an egg so I added it. The leftovers also traveled well, they separate out the noodles from the soup and pack them in different containers. This prevent the noodles from absorbing all the liquid and becoming soggy. Definitely going to be our favorite spot this winter when you need warm ramen!

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Chicago Food Crawl

A Burger Better then Au Cheval?

June 28, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlife1 Comment

When articles came out stating there was a burger in Chicago better then Au Cheval, we had to try it! Many people were claiming that The Loyalist burger was better then the infamous Au Cheval burger. It was time for me to figure out the validity of that myself. The Loyalist is located under Smyth…there is an arrow that directs you exactly to the right spot. We went St. Patty’s Day weekend on Saturday night and ironically there was no wait. We got seated immediately, which was \thrilling because we heard there is usually a line there depending on what time you go. For starters, the ambiance was nice. It was in the basement and there were tall tables, booths and bar seats. The drinks were good too…I ordered a green drink in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit. We were so excited for the burger we couldn’t even wait. We ordered the Loyalist cheeseburger and we weren’t disappointed. It was cooked just right, it was nice and juicy and there were caramelized AND raw onions on it. The fries were served with a side of garlic aïoli and vinegar which paired great with the burger. Even though it wasn’t “better then Au Cheval” in my opinion, it was pretty satisfying! I think the two burgers are very different and both amazing in their own ways.

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