Best Casual Restaurants in Downtown / Loop

The food and vibes were great! Our waitress, Casey, was amazing. Only thing that was really annoying was their obvious urge to turn tables over. In a matter of minutes, we had 4-5 separate people try to take our food that we were clearly still eating (literally said “no thank you, we’re still working on that” while we were mid-chew). The same thing happened with our drinks. We had a bottle of champagne in an ice bag that we repeatedly had people take out of the bag to check how much was remaining. Other than feeling rushed, this place was awesome.

What an amazing dinner experience! The atmosphere was warm, inviting, and very well decorated. The drinks were top notch, and high quality. We started with the arancini, which was crunchy, the rice was a perfect texture, and it had just the perfect amount of cheese. The table bread was on another level. It had subtle sweet notes, which consisted of honey and orange. I had the tagliatelle. The short rib was moist and very tender, and the pasta was cooked to perfection. My wife had the rigatoni, and she said the pasta was cooked perfectly as well, and the vodka sauce was very creamy and had excellent flavor. The tiramisu was just on another level! I have already recommended Alla Vita to 3 other people in the last 2 days! A must visit......I would give 6 stars if I could!

The food was soooo good! Loved the Leek & Egg plant, Shrimp cocktail, and french onion fondue. Steaks were delicious and cooked to perfection. The sides of fries, Cauliflower, whipped potatoes, and mushrooms were to die for! Needless to say we didn’t make it to dessert, but the service was impeccable and overall it was sooo great!

Hawksmoor is a wonderful addition to Chicago's dining scene! We first discovered Hawksmoor several years ago in London and quickly made it a tradition to have Christmas Eve dinner at their Seven Dials location before returning to the States from our annual holiday trip. This year, our travels brought us to London earlier than usual, so we were unable to continue our tradition there. However, since Hawksmoor Chicago opened, we’ve had the pleasure of dining here several times, and we were thrilled to continue our Hawksmoor tradition—not in London, but in Chicago—tonight! Everything about Hawksmoor Chicago is wonderful—the food, ambiance, and service are all exceptional. The portion sizes are just right, and the quality of the steak and all ingredients shines through in every dish. In a city brimming with steakhouses, Hawksmoor stands out for being unpretentious, fun, and consistently delivering a perfect night out. We’re so excited to have this piece of London here in Chicago, and we’ll definitely be back soon!

The pizza was the best ever! The crust was light and fluffy on the inside and beautifully crisp on the outside. The drizzle of hot honey on the pepperoni option was fabulous. Everyone was soooo friendly and welcoming. I can't wait to visit again!