Exchequer Restaurant & Pub

Exchequer Restaurant & Pub
226 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Loop
Exchequer website
The Exchequer is another restaurant/pub in Chicago's loop. It is supposedly known for its famous ribs, but we both passed on that option. The menu is fairly extensive, with everything from pizza, ribs and pasta to seafood, sandwiches and salads. They even have a Capone burger! They also have a bunch of fun Chicago sports and movie memorabilia on the walls.


Despite the plethora of menu choices, we both chose fairly ordinary dishes. I chose the penne pasta with meat sauce. It was alright. Nothing spectacular, but decent and the serving size was rather large. Jenn got the 8" portabella mushroom pizza, a thin crust pizza topped with a generous layer of fresh portabellas. It was very good, but again, nothing to write home about.

Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce

Portabella Mushroom Pizza

Overall, we enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the Exchequer, but the food itself was nothing special. With that said, we would probaly not go back, except maybe to try those ribs. We give the Exchequer a 7.8 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 7.5
Value: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.0
Customer Service: 7.3
Overall 7.8

Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant

Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant
111 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Loop
Elephant & Castle's website
Elephant & Castle is a pub/restaurant with British inspired pub food. There are 22 locations across North America, including Toronto, Boston, San Francisco and three locations in Chicago. We went to the location on Adams Street, which is in the loop and right next door to Club Quarters.


E&C boasts British pub classics like fish and chips and sheperd's pie and of course provides a great variety of beer and whiskey from the British Isles. They also have their own unique takes on pub food like Guiness Meatloaf and Jameson's Chicken. We were in the mood for burgers and beer so burgers and beer we got. I got the Union Jack Beef Burger, a burger basted with Guinness BBQ sauce and topped with bacon and jack cheese. Jenn got the Veggie burger, which was topped with bruschetta tomatoes and pesto mayo. The burgers were well-sized and came with generous toppings that worked well with each other. Add English chips and the obligatory Newcastle and/or Harp and you get satisfying and filling pub food at a moderate price.

Union Jack Beef Burger

Veggie Burger

There's nothing incredibly amazing about this place, but if you're looking for pretty good pub food, great service and a comforting atmosphere, Elephant & Castle is a great place to stop. We give it an 8.2 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.1
Value: 7.8
Atmosphere: 8.3
Customer Service: 8.4
Overall: 8.2

Pequod's Pizza

Pequod's Pizza
2207 North Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Pequod's website

We need to thank our good friends Brad and Lindsey for introducing us to this pizza place near Depaul University. On this visit, we wanted to impress some out-of-towners (Jenn's parents) and Pequod's did not disappoint. We arrived for lunch around noon and got there just in time. Shortly after we arrived, the lunch rush came and the rather small restaurant filled up fast. The lunch rush is most likely the result of Pequod's fantastic lunch special, which consists of a 7" personal pan pizza with one topping plus choice of either soda or domestic draft beer for only $4.95!


We couldn't pass up this amazing deal, so we each got the lunch special. We all agreed that the pizza here is delicious and what makes it stand out is the crust, which is not your typical deep dish crust. Pequod's boasts a "carmelized crust", meaning that melted cheese is fused to the edge of the crust, forming a perfectly burnt edge. And unlike the other Chicago deep dish pizza giants (Giordano's, Gino's), Pequod's doesn't overload on the cheese. It's a perfect balance of cheese, sauce and toppings. The sauce is flavorful and the toppings delicious. I especially recommend the sausage! And while consumption of the other deep dish pizzas in town can make your stomach feel like a ball of cheese, Pequod's isn't too filling. The 7" was plenty for each of us and we left satisfied, not bloated.

7" Personal Pizza with Sausage and Pepperoni

7" Personal Pizza with Green Olives

Overall, Pequod's is delicious deep dish pizza and different from the "other guys". The lunch special is an amazing deal that will have us coming back for more. Combine this with great customer service and a friendly, laid back atmosphere and you get one of our new favorite pizza places in Chicago. We give it a 9.0 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.1
Value: 9.5
Atmosphere: 8.7
Customer Service: 8.8
Overall: 9.0

Garcia's Mexican Restaurant

Garcia's Mexican Restaurant
4760 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
If you're looking for authentic mexican food in Lincoln Square, this is the place to be. Garcia's is another restaurant that we've already been to a handful of times and we know we can always count on a delicious yet rather cheap mexican meal.


Most entrees here are less than $10 per person and the portions are huge. For us it usually means leftovers for the next day. On this visit I got the tostadas suizas, two generously sized tostadas topped with ground beef, veggies, sour cream and melted cheese and served with beans and rice. Jenn got the veggie platter: two veggie tostadas, a cheese quesadilla and rice and beans. All the ingredients were fresh and delicious. I especially enjoyed the avocados, which were creamy, subtle and perfectly ripe. We must also comment on Garcia's margaritas. They are huge, delicious and don't skimp on the tequila. Definitely a must-have!

Tostadas Suizas

Veggie Platter

The quality of ingredients and large portions reign supreme at Garcia's and make it a must-stop for Mexican dining in Lincoln Square. Our only complaint is the atmosphere. The fact that Garcia's is always packed is a testament to its quality and value, but the high ceilings and stone walls make it sound more like a rowdy high school gymnasium. Needless to say, if you're looking for a quiet evening out, this is probably not the place for you. This brings our score down a little, but it's still a great place to stop for authentic Mexican cuisine. We give it an 8.4 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.1
Value: 9.1
Atmosphere: 7.0
Customer Service: 8.3
Overall: 8.4

Roong Petch Thai Restaurant

Roong Petch Thai Restaurant
1828 West Montrose Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Ravenswood
Roong Petch's Website
Roong Petch is a thai restaurant in Ravenswood, right off the Montrose Brown Line stop. Since moving to Ravenswood a few months ago, this has already become a regular destination for us whenever we are craving thai food.

On our most recent visit we decided to take advantage of their lunch special. The lunch special consists of an appetizer, bowl of soup and one of a dozen or so dishes to choose from, all for only $5.50. They even have vegetarian options for the soup and appetizer. We both chose the red curry.

Pot Stickers and Chicken Noodle Soup

Red Curry (w/chicken)

After three or four visits to this restaurant, we really haven't had any bad experiences in terms of the food. The curry is delicious. The vegetables and meat are always fresh, and the dishes are always flavorful. The entrees are reasonably priced and the lunch special is a great deal. One minor complaint is that they only had one server for the whole restaurant during the lunch hour, thus resulting in rather slow service. Friendly, but slow. Despite this, it's still well worth a visit. Nothing special, just tasty, affordable thai food. We give it an 8.2 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.6
Value: 8.7
Atmosphere: 8.2
Customer Service: 7.4
Overall: 8.2

Margie's Candies

Margies Candies
1813 West Montrose Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Ravenswood
Margie's Candies website
We are lucky to have this candy and ice-cream establishment in our neighborhood here in Ravenswood. There's also a second location in Bucktown. The one in Ravenswood is right off the Montrose Brown Line stop and it's incredibly tempting to walk in every time we pass by. Margie's is probably best known for its ice cream, but also offers cakes, pies and plenty of hand-made chocolates. They even have a few sandwiches on the menu for those who want more than the occasional sweet fix. However, ice cream was on our minds for this particular visit.


It was difficult to choose only one item from their extensive list of shakes, malts and sundaes. We finally decided on the Terrapin Sundae, a concoction of two large scoops of ice-cream topped with butterscotch, whipped cream and a small chocolate turtle on top.


Each sundae also comes with a generous serving of delectable hot fudge and two delicious sugar wafers. They also allow you to personalize your sundae by choosing from their dozen or so flavors of ice-cream. Despite this option, we chose traditional vanilla, and were more than satisfied with our sundae. Each topping was succulent and savory, and the hot fudge is to die for. We must emphasize the size of their sundaes. We split this $5-6 sundae and we both had more than enough to satisfy our sweet tooth(s). One minor complaint is that it's a rather small place with limited seating and it can get pretty crowded on a warm summer evening. They do however have some nice outdoor seating during the summer months, so that's a plus. Overall, the excellent quality and value of Margie's Candies makes it a must-stop Chicago ice-cream shop. We give it an 8.9 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.4
Value: 9.2
Atmosphere: 8.3
Customer Service: 8.7
Overall: 8.9

Chicago Brauhaus

Chicago Brauhaus
4732 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Chicago Brauhaus website
We both have German in our blood and we both love a good German beer, so we decided to venture to this Lincoln Square staple with our good friends Brad and Lindsey. The Chicago Brauhaus serves traditional German specialities like wiener schnitzel, bratwurst, and plenty of sauerkraut. We went on a Friday night and this place was hoppin'. They had a polka band playing polka music, along with some occasional weird European electronica. They also have a dancefloor for those who like to dance.


We started with, what else, a round of beer. A liter of Hofbrau Lager to be exact. Yes, a liter each. In other words, 33.81 fluid ounces of German deliciousness. The Brauhaus has about a dozen German brews to choose from with about 6 or 7 on tap. None of us were brave enough to try the Boot, however, which I believe is 2 Liters of beer.


Well, the beer was delicious and refreshing and although we did not get actual dinner here, we got a few appetitizers to tide us over. We started with a giant pretzel accompanied with butter, spicy brown mustard and horseradish. We followed with some fried Jalapeno Poppers. Maybe not traditional German fare, but tasty nonetheless.


Overall, the food was very good, but we noticed that most of the entrees were fairly pricey. In our opinion though, this place is worth checking out for the atmosphere alone. If you like German music, food and tradition, or just a fun, lively atmosphere, this is the place for you. And of course, the Germans know how to brew a good lager as well. We give it an overall rating of 8.3 out of 10.

Quality of Food/Drink 8.1
Value 6.7
Atmosphere 9.1
Customer Service 9.0
Overall 8.3

Welcome

Hello friends. Welcome to our blog. We are Chad and Jenn, two new arrivals to the city of Chicago. We love food, drink and dining experiences. As we wine and dine in and around the Windy City, we hope to share as many of our dining experiences with you, our viewers, as we can.

Here's how our rating system works: We will rate each restaurant according to 1) quality and taste of food and drinks, 2)value, 3)atmosphere and 4)customer service, and then give each restaurant an overall rating of 1-10, 10 being the best of course. We will then have our very own list of the best according to these ratings.