Best Casual Restaurants in Lakeview / East Lakeview

Our dinner at Istmo was such a pleasant surprise. The staff was kind and knowledgeable. We received a history about the dishes from the owner. The restaurant was beautiful and the food was superb. A complete gem!

Great food and experience! Service was on the slower / less attentive side but overall we had a great time. Tried many dishes and they all were fantastic. Best crab rangoons I have had in Chicago so far!

Loved the food here! The flavors were bold and the tapas concept is great for sharing with groups or on a date. The only complaint would be the tables were close together and the restaurant was very crowded and somewhat noisy. But better full and lively than empty!

This was one of my top five dining experiences ever! We got kitchen counter seating which I love- being right in the mix and chatting with the chefs is my jam! Cocktails were on point but the food…. I mean come on!!!! We had zucchini fritters, a butternut squash filled pasta dish that had this amazing rich and subtly sweet sauce, roasted beets with this crazy pop of pomegranate and risotto with a taleggio fonduta that I will be dreaming about for a very long time! Bravo, rose mary- you killed it!!!!

We were here for a birthday dinner and had a lovely time. The service was excellent with a server who had humor and was attentive. The menu is very interesting offering a wode variety of choices and take on trditional dishes like the Garrsoulet I had, a take off of Cassoulet of course. The Lardo and Tomato toast appetizer was delicous and everyones meal was excellent. The prices are on the high side but we were satisfied. I also reccomment the steak tartare and the burger. The atmosphere is elegant but casual and lovely.