Upstairs at The Gwen — Restaurant in Chicago

This is one of my favorite little secret spots ;) I could write pages about this hidden gem but I’ll spare you the boring details. It’s an art-deco inspired rooftop lounge at the Gwen Hotel located in downtown Chicago with a fantastic menu of small plates and delicious cocktails. It’s a laid back, aesthetic and twinkle-lit atmosphere with a beautiful skyline view.

My first visit here was impromptu; I checked out of my hotel nearby and had a few hours to kill before I had to be at ORD. I used yelp to find a new place and this one popped up. I’m so glad that I gave it a try! See the attached pics for visuals of my food!

Unfortunately, it seems like the decadent small plates and cocktails that I ordered are no longer on the menu but here's the rundown anyway:

Meatballs (not pictured) - to die for. I’m a meatball freak but these were some of the best I’ve had. I gobbled them up and probably made a fool of myself but I don’t care. They were that good

Mussels in spicy tomato sauce - also to die for. I usually go for mussels in white wine sauce but I thought that I would try something new. A hit. They need to bring these back. The sauce wasn’t too spicy that it distracted from everything else. It was like medium heat yet it was very creamy. I wish I had taken a picture of the menu so I could attempt to recreate at home

Spicy margarita - can’t go wrong here

Random cocktail - I don’t remember what it was like but it was good enough for me to finish hehe

Mini churros - delicious! Crunchy on the outside, soft and chocolaty on the inside. chef’s kiss

My second visit was with a group of people and I didn’t take photos because I was too busy having a good time. But I highly recommend this spot for a chill rooftop terrace meeting with friends or even lunch/weekend breakfast by yourself if you’re in the...

Where do I start? Ok, I'll start with the positive, a beautiful outdoor space. It goes down hill from. I was so disappointed. We had reservations at 1pm and didn't get our food until 3pm. The server appeared annoyed that we requested ice and an additional water glass which we never received. Some people in our group ordered breakfast and was later told that it wasn't available. They ordered something different. When the orders arrived, it was the breakfast items but incorrect. Minutes later the replacement items arrived. I ordered a burger, a long piece of hair was on my burger. I had to take my burger back inside to the bar to request a new burger. Our server was missing in action. The bartender apologized and took my plate to the kitchen. Meanwhile, one person ordered a rice dish and the rice was crunchy. Others received cold fries, the server knocked over a drink and never returned to clean it up. We later found out that she had actually left for the day and didn't tell us. Back to my burger. It took 3 tries and they still didn't get it right. I just gave up as the parking charges were racking up. The moral of this story is...You should have great service if your food is mediocre 😐. I sadly will not choose this establishment to celebrate my...

If I had the option to select no stars, that's what my family and I would have selected. By mistake I selected 4 guests instead of 5 when I made our reservation weeks ago. We were told they would accommodate us in a spot that would be more comfortable since we were seated at a table for 4. We then pointed out a table that had a couch near the ledge that was empty and dirty. After we asked and waited, we see the move another party of 4 that was already settled and had drinks get moved to that same table we asked for. They were only 4 people and we were 5. I found that to be extremely rude and I was taken back. We are visiting and planned this whole trip out to celebrate a birthday with our kids. We chose to give our business to you and you didn't care to make sure we had a great experience. You didn't care to accommodate us. You didn't care about our requests and we had 2 little girls with us. I almost feel because we had 2 little ones, that's why we were treated like this. Cassidy seemed like she was going to help but didn't. I'm never going to bring business here nor recommend you. Not that you would care. It was clear that you...