Best Seasonal Restaurants in North Center

Delicious lunch and the best atmosphere and service! Jaafar made us feel like his personal guests the moment we sat down and everyone was so helpful and kind.

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!!!!

Overall, the best restaurant I’ve been to since moving to Chicago. The appetizers were phenomenal, the main courses felt a little short, but still we’re good . And I did notice that they forgot to give us our onion soup and sparkling water we ordered 

Birthday dinner. All of the staff was great, offering complimentary treats along with the meal. Cocktails and the meal was very good. Sauces overpowered some of the dishes, but overall very good.

As fans of Rose Mary we were eager to try El Carciofi and willing to take a 4:45 reservation. This is as fun and as delicious as Rose Mary and shares the same approach to dining—shareable small plates. Interesting craft cocktails, sufficient wines by the glass, exceptionally well trained wait staff and very flavorful food. Gus menu was all Rome inspired so it was a little less diverse than Rose Mary. The artichokes were spectacular crisply Rome style. Every inch was edible. Two to an order but they bring you a serrated knife if you want to have them. We had one other appetizer (calamari), one pasta and one seafood main. The portions are great for two to share but if three or four order another something or two and expect to get just a couple bites not full servings. They have $8 servings of gelato and sorbet and a couple amazing deserts they offered to checkout coats.a nice touch in Chicago’s winter. It’s easy to spend $100 per person if you gave two drinks each and desert. We found street parking but forgot to feed the meter since the sign wasn’t obvious so double check