The Monkey's Paw — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Easily one of the all-time BEST BRUNCHES in the city of Chicago. My friend and I were both blown away by the food and the drinks as were the two people sitting at the table next to us. Chef Rah throws down in the kitchen like no one I know. And what's so amazing is he is still so young. If I weren't in public and if I weren't a lady I promise I would have licked my plate clean. That's how good Rah's food tastes.

My friend and I started out with the Bloody Mary which was by far also one of the absolute BEST Bloody Mary's I've ever tasted! It was incredible. Everything about the drink was perfection - the garnish, the amazing bacony rim (did I mention I really don't eat meat but oh so good), and most especially the actual drink itself (base and mix). I could've easily downed a few of these babies... that good. Though I was also intrigued by their whiskey flight which I am going to have to enjoy on my next visit. Yes, there will definitely be a next visit.

For the food, my friend ordered the Rah's Skillet which was beyond delicious. I had my heart set on Ashely's Morning Fix but unfortunately the bread guy never showed that was not an option. I will have it on my return visit. I ended up going with the shrimp and grits.

I had my heart set on getting a side of grits anyways because the menu calls them Chef Rah's special grits and this girl lived in Georgia for a few years where I eventually fell in love with cheesy good grits and have had a really hard time finding here in Chicago. Oh man, Rah's grits are out of this world AMAZING!!!! And the rest of the dish was just as incredibly delicious..... and let me mention there is meat in there. I had to do it.... I didn't want to upset the chef and ask him to prepare his dish differently as it is quite obvious this man knows his way around the kitchen and pairs certain ingredients together for a reason.

Let me just say that if meat tasted that good ALL the time, I'd probably eat it regularly. Everything about Monkey's Paw was amazing and it certainly didn't hurt that chef Rah visited our table to say hi and see how everything was. Both my friend and I cannot wait to return and from posting a few pics from our brunch we have more friends that will be joining us when we do. Trust me, you NEED to put Monkey's Paw on your brunch list and from what I hear dinner is just as amazing.

Chef Rah - You've...

Monkey's Paw: Overall A.

Went on a Friday night around 6 PM. We are early eaters although in our early 30's. There wasn't a wait for a table, but by 7 the restaurant had filled out nicely. There is a great menu for craft beers, great wine selection, and spirits as well. Draft beer selection included beers from Wisconsin, Michigan (Greenbush) and Chicago master brewers.

We had a cheese plate (3 choices for $11) and it came with house parmigiana cracker-bread. All cheese choices were greeted by, "Oh, wow that's good." We also ordered the olives. Not as warm as we would have liked, but great choices of olives in a single serving jar with lid (presentation only). Both appetizers were great and were nicely paired with our drinks.

For dinner we shared the fish-n-chips. With a house-made batter, it was light and crispy and cooked perfectly. It was reasonably priced, $12 for two pieces that were fair-sized.

The desserts offered were great as well, there was an assortment, but we chose only one to share: cherry-infused chocolate mousse. It was very light and not overly sweet.

The atmosphere was relaxed, a place like this in NYC would have had twice as many tables and packed to the gills, but offered the same food. Service was fast and friendly-joking with me as we complimented the menu.

We will be back soon as there is no other place like it in the neighborhood. (One might argue that 404 Wine Bar could be similar, yes, but they don't meet the food quality and excellent service that the Monkey's Paw has to offer.)

Keep it up...

I’m so thankful my friend took me here! On a cold snowy Friday, this place was warm and cozy — and not just because of the cute fireplace seating area — but because of the charm and exposed brick.

The food was really good: definitely try the cheese curds — perfection! I ordered the pot pie as my entree, flavor was awesome but seemed a little under cooked (hoping it was just a fluke). I tried my friends braised pork ragu, and it was awesome.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with a funny story:

As I mentioned, I ordered pot pie 🥧 for dinner, and was given a very big spoon (pictured). I knew something felt off as the spoon was scrapping both edges of my mouth (you should picture Joker from Batman… that’s how I felt).

After a couple bites, I made what felt like a semi-embarrassing ask, if they had smaller spoons? The bartender didn’t blink an eye, and proceeded to the server station behind me, and I heard her digging through all the silverware. A minute later, she returns with two additional spoons… a “soup” spoon and a “normal” spoon. I immediately had so many questions…

Why are there so many options? Why is a serving spoon in rotation for customer entree dishes? Do people request serving spoons normally?

No matter the answers, I was happy with my new spoon options (I chose the soup spoon), and enjoyed my pot pie!...