Big Star Wrigleyville — Restaurant in Lake View Township

We had our wedding Welcome Party here on Friday, July 11, 2019. First things first, Big Star was AMAZING - from start to finish. You never would have known they had people transition in and out as we planned our Welcome Party - which started last November - ish.

Big Star does NOT reflect the ugly grind of the wedding industry, at all - we found this was sometimes difficult to avoid in the wedding planning world in Chicago. We were determined to return to the scene of where we met, Wrigley, and Big Star checked all the boxes. To preface our search, we did reach out near and far in the Chicago area to simply get an idea of prices. Big Star was the FAIREST, most budget friendly option for a Welcome Party that was for 55-ish people. Every other restaurant, bar, and/or venue that returned back with quotes were INSANELY expensive, and/or had sky high minimums we would have to meet - aka a second wedding.

Big Star offered different options through both alcohol and food packages - all delicious. This helped us to find the perfect plan, to stay well within our budget. There were also a variety of options in terms of where we would have the Welcome Party - we settled on the Cantina on the second floor, which turned out perfect.

Jenn is who we worked with during the final home stretch, and she was a rock star. She truly went above and beyond with the final touches - we dropped off flowers and a banner early - both were hung and put out for us, and she was in constant communication to ensure everything was planned, set up and went smoothly on the day of our Welcome Party.

The weather was perfect - we were able to open up the ceiling to floor windows, overlooking Wrigley, sun light was pouring in, and they were gracious enough to allow us to arrive thirty minutes early to run our wedding rehearsal - another bonus.

Most importantly, the space itself was beautiful. They put out our flowers, hung the banner we brought, tables had chips and salsa (thanks Jen!), and they even had a chalkboard with a custom welcome on it (they asked ahead of time what we wanted on it). Guests were greeted with margaritas, and apps were shortly put out, followed by dinner.

The set-up was flawless, the flow of traffic was perfect, and they supplied a mic for the toasts. Guests RAVED about the food and drinks.

Only constructive notes would be that they didn't put out the Big Star salad initially (one of our included sides), which was important as we had vegetarian guests. They put it out after I flagged Lauren down - she wasn't super friendly about it, but probably busy/flustered with the crowd. Also, after toasts, I realized I hadn't really eaten (who does when you are the "host/hostess?", so we went over to the buffet quickly to make a final plate - we were out of plates, again, Lauren seemed annoyed by the request, but made it happen. Last, they pretty much ushered us out as we approached the end of our event - they stopped serving guests, which was in our contract and fine, but there was no one upstairs - I get it, they wanted to clean up, but to compare, our post wedding brunch was at a similar venue, they didn't rush us out AT ALL - there wasn't an ending time - they simply cut off food/drinks - our bridal shower was the same - guests were never rushed out, the cut time cut off food and drinks. Regardless, guests left, and many of us stayed downstairs, paying for plenty of drinks - bonus for Big Star.

Would we recommend Big Star? Absolutely. Were they the best choice for our Welcome Party? Yes! The most budget friendly? Yes? An authentic, charming choice, reflecting Chicago? Absolutely! Thank you Jenn, thank you Big Star for hosting a fun, delicious, affordable, charming...

Cost: Expensive food and drinks ($5-$8 for one taco, $14+ for one drink). Spent $40+ per person for not alot of food or drinks.

Food: I got the flautas and it was bland. Would not get again or recommend. The al pastor taco was flavorful if a bit dry and over cooked. My friend got nachos which were a pretty large portion (but still expensive). Menu wasn't huge, so not alot of options. They did have vegan taco options though which is nice.

Drinks: I got a lemonade with vodka and it wasn't great. A friend tried a cocktail that was named yellow flower or something like that and said it didn't taste like anything, but she did like her spicy Margarita (for $18).

Service: Server seemed annoyed at splitting the check. I also asked for no tomatoes on my flautas but it still came with them. He was pretty attentive to the table though. And the food/drinks all came fast.

Setup: dim lighting (if thats your thing), wrap around booths that were easy to get in and out of and could fit alot of people. Bathroom is upstairs and not sure if there is an elevator. Entrance is hard to open but they do have a sign saying so.

Location: great location easily accessible by walking, transit, etc with lots of other things to do nearby (we went to a movie afterwards).

Misc: menu says they charge a 3% fee to provide "affordable Healthcare" to their workers. All for that, but it should be built into your business model rather than charging a fee on top of already expensive food and drinks. Also would be curious to hear from employees on how affordable or high quality this healthcare is and who all it is offered to (ie part time vs full time).

Pros: fast and attentive service, comfortable and cute seeting. Accessible location near other things to do. Vegan options.

Cons: expensive and the food and drinks aren't great or...

The food at Big Star has been reliably great for many years now, yet it's gotten even better over the last year with the addition of daily specials such as the burger on Mondays and ceviche on Fridays, free brunch for kids on weekends, and a rewards program that actually WORKS with free meals on offer after just a few purchases. With the fun and personable bartenders, barbacks and managers, it's also an excellent place to hang out whether or not events are happening at Wrigley Field across the street and at the entertainment venues down the street. The strong WiFi connection and many plug outlets along the enormous hollow square bar facilitate phone charging and remote working such that it's easy to pass many hours here, too. ONE CRITICISM: Up until February, the staff really added a lot of color and life to the bar with their own unique apparel. Now they're all in drab black uniforms as though Big Star had been dumbed down to a Chipotle or McDonald's. Several of the other Big Star loyalists and I - who have made Big Star a staple of our lives since the early 2010s - feel really alienated by this. We could understand a lapel or bandana to make it easy to identify staff when they aren't behind the bar, but the uniforms really disrupt the vibrant brand of Big Star to its detriment. If other loyalists and I are going to keep feeling connected to Big Star for years to come, we need it to revert to its totally cool and creative feel and steer clear of becoming another Chipotle. FWIW, some of the newer customers with whom I spoke were also disturbed by...