Candlelite Chicago Lincoln Park — Restaurant in Chicago

What a disappointment. On paper a pizza joint inside a historic comedy theater makes sense, but Candlelite pizzas are incredibly overpriced (and frequently mediocre) and often take longer to make than the runtime of a show.

Worst of all Candlelite has "renovated" the iO space. What was once a unique and welcoming all night hang with layers of comedy history and creativity on display has been replaced with a sterile, grey, and overwhelming cheap feeling nowhere that invokes an Applebee's (I was inspired to write this review after seeing a group of a dozen young adults walk through the door, say "oh there's nothing in here" and then leaving). There were real opportunities for improvement in the bar space, but Candelite seems to wish iO was another boring sports bar instead of a historic comedy institution.

Across the board Candelite refuses to adapt to it's space or capitalize on what iO offers. Your food won't come in time and it won't be worth it, the only saving grace is the staff. Until Candelite backs off of it's crusade against fun you should keep going to shows, get the cheapest drink and tip 200%, but don't buy a pizza unless you want to support the bored destruction of yet another Chicago...

This location just opened and is such an amazing addition to the neighborhood. The pizza was amazing—perfect for sharing. The personal-sized pizzas made it easy to try a few different flavors, and every one we ordered was on point. The perfect Chicago tavern pizza. The chicken tenders were next level—crispy and exactly what you’d hope. Their signature ranch is so good, coming from someone who doesn’t care about ranch. The wings were another highlight, cooked perfectly. We were able to order half mild and half hot. The cheesecake was also sooo good. They also have great cocktails; the margaritas were a hit with our group!

This place has a great vibe, perfect for hanging out with friends, catching a game, or stopping by before/after hitting the comedy show next door. They also have a patio!

Special thanks to their general manager, Fritz, who made our night feel extra special.

Highly recommend stopping by! Can’t...

I want to make this clear that this is a review for the restaurant, and not the comedy theater that it inhabits. Candlelite has bad food, especially the fries, and the atmosphere is terrible. The bar, that the theater and restaurant shared, used to be a warm and welcoming place to sit down, drink, and spend time with loved ones. Their most recent renovation of the space has turned it into a dark, dungeon like atmosphere with painted sheet metal and grey walls. I have no issue with the staff. In fact the staff are the only saving grace of...