Chef's Special Cocktail Bar, located on the the corner of Western Avenue and Palmer Street in Bucktown, is a casual cocktail bar and restaurant. While the restaurant is relatively unassuming from the outside, I completely understand now why the restaurant was as busy as it was on a Tuesday when we walked in. Every dish we had was incredibly flavorful, and I personally feel that the food outshined the cocktails. The food and cocktails were also priced incredibly well.
I think this restaurant is a pretty versatile pick that's great for either a date night dinner, or a casual dinner with friends. For the quality of food you are getting, I think this restaurant is definitely worth checking out! The cocktail bar inside has a dark, speakeasy vibe to it. There is seating inside, as well as a patio where we dined. Here is everything we ordered (and loved) from the menu:
Cocktails: Easy Lover and Lemongrass Gimlet: both of these cocktails were well done, but a little bit on the sweet side for me. I thought the Lemongrass Gimlet with the sochu, chili, and gin had a good balance to it.
Smashed Cucumbers: this is tied for my favorite dish from what we ordered. These cucumbers came out cold, had so much flavor, and were a very refreshing appetizer to have before eating some of the heavier dishes. Highly recommend starting off with this.
Wontons in Chili Oil: the Wontons were also packed with flavor, and a great appetizer to start with that wasn't incredibly filling. I was nervous the chili oil would be overwhelming, but it was the perfect amount to add a little kick.
Hand-Pulled Noodles: this is the other dish that is tied for my favorite on the menu. The tender, wide noodles with the spiced short rib was absolutely delicious. The toasted sesame seeds on top were a great addition, too.
Walnut Shrimp: I really enjoyed this dish. The shrimp is battered and fried, making it a heavier dish, but I think the pickled fresno chili and the radicchio helped balance it out.
Kung Pao Chicken: this dish was a great, classic chicken dish that came with a side of white rice. We really enjoyed this, but if you are looking for dishes that are a bit more unique, I would suggest ordering some of the others we tried.
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