Cuatro

OK, one last update in the saga that was Cuatro. They are permanently closed for business. Looks like the funding didn’t come through and the place is completely vacant. Sad :(

This place may not have the best dinner but brunch is amazing!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the dinner choices but when I went back for brunch I was very impressed.
Orignially my friends and I were trying to go to Yolk but the line was out the door and so our next choice was Bongo Room and it was the same… so we thought hey let’s try Cuatro… and have to say should never have been our third choice.
The freshly squeezed orange juice just kept me salivating for more and the pancakes were light and made to perfection. as I write this review I tried to look up the menu to see what else we ordered and it seems that they have already closed down!
what a disappointment :(well there goes that!
If they ever reopen I recommend brunch for sure!

This place is awesome, I really enjoyed the Kobe beef burger with Peruvian fries (purple yams) and then treated my fat a** to some home-​made corn vanilla bean ice cream, so freaking awesome. I love Corn meal and I love vanilla ice cream. This place isn’t joking around when they call themselves latin fusion — I mean they even fuse their ice cream!
The restaurant is easy to get to and there’s lot of meter parking and there are plenty of seats including bar seating. The place also has live music even during brunch. I’ll be back for sure.

Clearly did not get the memo about the BYOB. Was disappointed that we couldn’t try any of the refreshing cocktails on the menu, I really wanted my caipirinha.
Not sure how this place (when liquor license was intact) turns into a nightclub (ala Rumba/​Nacional 27?) as the space is a lot smaller than it looks from the outside. The music was definitely good… love the tracks on the website, but the restaurant was a little lacking in the excitement department. Don’t know if it’s the economy, the South Loop location… no liquor license doesn’t help at all, but it was not busy at all on primetime Friday night.
Still, managed to have a good time since the food was great. We started out with the cerviche… odd, as it was a salmon cerviche; normally, I’m accustomed to whitefish. Was fresh and visually pleasing, though could have used more lime. For entrees, we got the moqueca do mar and the short ribs. The moqueca was awesome, tasting like a very nice seafood stew with a broth and consistency similar to something of a paella made of liquid (not sure that makes sense, but it was just great). The short ribs were literally fall off the bone… the large bone was mainly for decoration, but i enjoyed its presence for me to pretend to gnaw on a giant bone.
I would love to come back once the liquor license is reestablished.

Back again after a one month hiatus and as my party of three walked to the door we noticed a sign that said «now BYOB». This is the second time I have seen that they don’t serve alcohol anymore in 2 years.
We decided to soldier up and except the fact that brunch would be drinkless :(
My two companions decided to get some OJ which came in very small glasses, but was very good. Our server told us it was freshly squeezed. I already knew what I wanted… The Game Day
The Game Day includes Coconut Milk Pancakes which were more than amazing, breakfast potatoes (delish), eggs any style (got mine egg white scrambled), and the main attraction: The Honey Habenero Wings (spicy and outta this world).
Delish and the Bossa Nova Band played on…

¡Que sabroso!
Oh Cuatro, your Bossa Nova brunches should really become a weekend ritual for me. I can’t picture spending my Sunday morning doing anything else.
Seriously, the only times I’ve ever eaten here have been for the Bossa Nova brunches on Sundays. I always order the Chilaquiles with scrambled eggs and sometimes I get the adobado chicken if I’m really hungry.
The chilaquiles are perfect, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I also usually order a bottle of Sidral Mundet apple soda, it just completes the meal. Their freshly squeezed orange juice is tangy and tasty, but I still prefer the apple-​soda.
I was definitely in the mood for dessert (yes, at brunch) on Valentines Day and my boyfriend and I ordered the crepas de guineitos. We were speechless, we weren’t sure what to expect but what came out was fantastic! The crepes are filled with baby bananas and the sauce that they lay in is so sweet but not overpowering. Also, it comes with a scoop of prailine ice cream that they make themselves.
Cuatro has a wonderful staff and I’ve never had to wait more than 5 minutes to be seated. The waiters are very helpful and always check up on you. This place is truly a gem in the South Loop, get here as soon as possbile — especially on Sunday morning/​afternoon if you enjoy live music while you dine.

This is by far my FAVORITE restaurant! The service, once you are seated, is excellent. The food is beyond good. When I want beef, this is the place I go.
My favorites:
«The best Burger in Chicago» — White — Truffle infused Kobe burger. I put the bacon on the side and remove the top bun. It’s as good as a steak! Add a side of Spinach and you’re all good.
The Strip steak is excellent and you must add the green Chimichurri sauce.
If you dare, top it off with the Batata Cake. It’s delicious! Warm Sweet Potato Cake with a Mango Salsa with a mini scoop of Coconut Sorbet.
Try it, you won’t be sorry!

I’m being too fair in this review because my husbands experience was far better than my own.
We went for the Bossa Nova brunch this morning and the hubby ordered the crab cake eggs benedict while I ordered the steak chilequiles.
The crab cake eggs benedict was OUTSTANDING! I’m ordering this next time — and other restaurants the serve this dish needs to use Cuatro’s rendition as an example to follow. Big plump, luscious crab cake.
My dish however — I didn’t love. it was just ok. I prefer fresh foods over fried and I just made a bad choice. it wasn’t what I was in the mood for.
Service was decent not spectacular. Will be back just for the eggs benny. it’s the best I’ve had in the city.

Is this for real? I’ve been to Cuatro) since it opened up and I’ve never written a review for this place… SHAME ON ME!
I remember checking this place out when it first opened and they had no liquor.
Great service and good food. Been coming back since it opened. Love the weekend music.
Keep up the good service Cuatro!

Three words: Bossa Nova Brunch.
Never been here for anything else, but the few times I’ve gotten myself down to Cuatro for their outstanding Bossa Nova Brunch have been absolutely magical.
The first time, I pretty much just randomly picked it out of a list on Metromix (ouch! sorry Unilocal…) because my sister’s fiancé’s parents were in town from Italy and we wanted to do something special on their final morning in the city. The description – live bossa nova band plays while you munch on tasty south american cuisine – intrigued me, and away we went. Holy moley, was that freakin’ awesome or what?!
We had a large party (not too big, but there were 6 of us), which ended up working in our favor for a change – one of the biggest booths is right up front, near the band, and mostly separated from the rest of the place. This was excellent, as we had a fantastic view of the band (which kicked ass in every way; mellow but impressive, authentic but not contrived) and sort of felt like we had the place to ourselves, as well. In short, the atmosphere was great, and sold me immediately. (It’s quite tastefully decorated inside, too, by the way)
On to the food. WOWZERS! I’m a HUGE chilaquiles fan, so imagine my salivating delight at seeing them on the menu… served with PRIME RIB. Hellz yeah! I also got bites of the phenomenal French toast, the crab cakes benedict (what?! yeah, that’s right), huevos rancheros and an omelet. Even the potatoes, normally a standard side, were amazingly tasty. And the drinks – yum, yum. My girlfriend got the forbidden fruit sangria (excellent) and we all had coffee (delicious, rich).
The best part of Bossa Nova Brunch is that the prices are right in line with what you should expect for brunch in Chicago… but the food is a couple of notches above. Throw in the lovely live music and you’ve got one of the most hidden brunch gems in the city.

Absolutely delicious!
I came here for brunch on a cold wintry Sunday morning and it was such a great choice. I did not know what I was in store for because from the outside it looks like an old warehouse with nice windows. When we walked into the place, it was decorated very chic and contemporary… a square frame here, an aquarium (Andre!) with live fish there, live music was being played as well.
Unfortunately the place was packed so we were forced to sit at the bar and wait for a table. The bar is small, about 8 chairs or so but the service was very good. We ordered two cups of coffee and waited for our table. The coffee was extremely good, I usually like my coffee strong and this one was full of flavor. :)
We waited about 15 minutes and then were sat in a cozy booth for about 5 people but since there were only 2 of us, we got to stretch out. Immediately, we had a waitress who refilled our coffee and gave us menus. Yum, I was starving. Ordered the pork empanadas as an appetizer and it was great. I don’t usually like minced meat but it was pretty good. Next, I had some huevos rancheros, (say that 5 times fast), which came on a sope instead of a tortilla, I liked that they switched it up like that. If you know me well, you know I’d kill for sopes and empanadas. I also ate most of my dining companion’s chilaquiles, which I have to say… are better than El Milagros! Damn, why did I say that out loud. They were just so perfect, with the best tomatillo sauce… I dream of them every night…
So yeah, get here for brunch or die.

The empanada with goat cheese was incredible. Mohito’s tasted fine, I had a pomegranate and a traditional. Seemed like there was less booze in the traditional one. The pork chop with mole I got was a little too big, but I felt like I just had to finish it.
After about 10:00, it turned even even more into a Latin nightclub with DJ and it became packed.

Took my friend for her bday brunch on a Sunday. It was Fantastic! I had the french toast and she had the Caribbean crab cakes, which were scrumptious. They also have a full bar so I could have my Irish coffee. The service was great and the Bossa Nova band was on point.
We also went for dinner and the stuffed trout was a good choice. I personally think the décor is aesthetically pleasing. Cuatro has a sophisticated and contemporary feel. Everyone has a nice time. Its definitely not a stuffy place where you feel like someone is looking at you like you don’t belong there. The food is wonderfully prepared, it won’t break the bank and parking is easy.

Cuatro is a date night place for my husband and I.
We enjoy the food, the atmosphere, and the service. We have enjoyed the time we’ve spent here with just us, or with friends.
We highly recommend it.

This place is not messing around. The drinks are seriously strong, the food is awesomely spicy, and the service was flexible and friendly.
Let’s start with the service. My friend chose Cuatro for her birthday celebration. I made a reservation for 6 people at 8:00pm. The hostess was great about letting three of us sit down when the rest of our party was running late. And when our party expanded to 9 people, they were very accommodating and pulled another table over for us, despite the busy evening. Thank you friendly hostess!
Now the drinks. Everyone knows I love a good cocktail, but I had no idea what I was in for when I ordered my Bombay Sapphire martini. It was seriously the biggest martini I’ve ever consumed. Literally overflowing and mixed perfectly. Yummy. I thought that might be the end of my drinking, but I couldn’t pass up the Fresca Margarita with muddled cucumber and orange. Again, delightfully strong and fresh. Delicious. But I couldn’t stop there. I had to try the Caipirinha. Perfectly made, and again, strong. Drinks are $ 13, but you certainly get your money’s worth. We were there for 5 hours and I had to cut myself off after the third drink. Way to go Cuatro!
The food. I’d heard that the pinchos de pollo are spicy, but I never believe it ’til I taste it. I was certainly hoping they were because I never order chicken in a restaurant. Never. Well these pinchos de pollo did not disappoint. Really spicy, and I mean it. Delicious and great with the peas and rice and plantains.
The night we were there they had a DJ playing until 2am. Packed crowd and good music. Perfect night for the birthday girl, and I managed to make it out of there for about $ 60, and that included pitching in for my friend. Hooray!

I’ve only had drinks here and I enjoyed myself. Granted, my friends are fun, but still… LOL. I have a friend who says they make the best dirty martinis in town, and I have to believe her when she says that b/​c she drinks them all over the city! :)
All the drinks were good, the crowd is diverse, the music is fun, and the vibe is still laid back.

I must have gone on an off night… with all these reviews for 4 and 5 stars there’s obviously something I missed.
Both my BF and I went here and agreed it was far less than stellar. Not bad on the prices but the flavors we were hoping to get were not present.
I love the set up of the place and the wall photos are amazing– totally my style! The food was just so under par. The ceviche had no spice, the service was not very good at all, and there were these little gnats that wouldn’t leave our table alone… we were seated near the bar so maybe they were trying to get at the fruit?
Anyway, It seemed like there were a lot of large groups of regulars there because the customers and employees were on a first name basis and I enjoyed seeing the camaraderie… but our table just got no love. We waited for what seemed like forever for each dish and no one came by to check on us at any point.
To top off the bad dining experience, I used the bathroom before we left and the door was broken but not in a way that you couldn’t lock the door, it was so I couldn’t unlock the door. I was trapped in the stall for nearly 15 minutes, my cell phone had no reception to call my bf, and I was basically at the mercy of the next person to enter. Thankfully an employee or regular customer came in and freed me but it was clear that the door issue was not a new thing because the woman said «oh, the door stuck again?». Why would they have not fixed this or put some sort of sign up suggesting the buddy system?
I don’t know, this place just didn’t tickle my fancy.

Call it 4 ½
After being too overwhelmed by the drink selection to make an «appropriate» choice, I first opted to go with the Dirty CEO martini which, in my mind, was just about the best vodka martini I’ve ever had shaken outside of my own home. By the time my dates arrived, I was almost finished with it and we all moved towards the Fresca Margarita which was a fabulous if not neon red margarita thanks in part to the blood orange mix. We drank them out of the blood orange mix half way through dinner and my final drink of the evening was the Cuatro Margarita.
We started with the tuna Ceviche which was more than just tuna; the appetizer was redolent with rock shrimp, calamari, tuna and a piquant sauce. We also ordered two of the empanadas to share including the luxurious crab and goat cheese and one filled with duck served with a garlicky pesto of parsley/​cilantro/​culantro. The fillings were slightly overpowered by the perfectly wrapped and fried dough, but delicious nonetheless.
After perusing the menu, I decided to go with the perfectly spicy pinchos de pollo, grilled chicken brochettes expertly basted with a fiery tamarind jerk sauce and served with moros and cristianos and perfectly cooked maduro plantains.
One of my dates opted for the stuffed trout and the other ordered a three potato mash in corn crepes. Believe me, the menu is perfectly punctuated with all kinds of steak and pork, so if that is more to your liking, please be assured Cuatro has that too.
As it had been revealed that we were there to celebrate my birthday, the ubiquitous birthday dessert was sent out with a candle, but the trio of dark chocolate, pistachio and vanilla bean ice cream were excellent. I don’t think most restaurants do very well with desserts, and ice cream is usually the biggest offender in terms of quality, but not here. It was very clear to me, from the blue crab in the empanadas to the French-​style ice cream that Cuatro cares about every last ingredient and the quality and integrity of those ingredients. A decadent chocolate mousse cake was also ordered for the table and it was also quite excellent and served with the same vanilla bean ice cream.
I will definitely be going back, if not only to have a great drink shaken, but to sample more of their tempting Nuevo Latino menu.

Yes I know, I’m shocked too! I was downtown and on the south side even, for a place like this I might do it again.
Traveling for what felt like days for Friday night plans, I left my cozy corner up north to venture into the dark and unknown Southside of Chicago. I survived and I’m here to tell my story. Surprising enough parking was a breeze and for a Friday night I was astonished at how many spots there were. I heard people raving about this place but when my group of four arrived there was only two other tables seated. Throughout the night there appeared to be more people but the place wasn’t full at all.
Our waiter was great (he looked like he could have been Paul Giamatti’s (Sideways) brother), very friendly and had excellent recommendations, he was quick with the food and the pouring of our wine. They are BYOB right now due to losing their liquor license but they said it should be back in a month. From my understanding this helps the bill a lot because Cuatro is a little pricey with their drinks.
The service was good but the food is what gives Cuatro the 4 stars. There was not one thing that I tried that I didn’t like. Everything looked so good we had to share. Here are some of the excellent foods I had and highly recommend.
The Empanadas de cangrejo –fresh crab and goat cheese filled dumplings, pico de gallo, avocado salsa cruda (my favorite)
The Ensalada de xuxu– broiled, spice rubbed chayote squash, baby spinach, cucumbers, pear tomatoes, queso frito, bitter sweet vinaigrette.
The Bistec a la parrilla –12 Oz. Uraguayan New York strip, chorizo twice baked potato, sautéed spinach, green chimichurri sauce (Didn’t eat the steak but it was cooked perfectly and the potato was awesome)
The Pinchos de pollo –grilled chicken brochettes basted with tamarind jerk sauce, moros & cristianos, maduro plantains (my dish and it was so good I had a hard time sharing, also fyi this is the spiciest dish on the menu)
The Cachapas de papa –Colombian style corn crepes filled with three-​potato mash and Costa Rican irazu cheese, aji mirasol sauce, zucchini con crema.
The Pastel de queso –Mexican vanilla scented cheesecake made with fresh farmers cheese, oaxacan chocolate sauce, dark bolivian chocolate ice cream. (you gotta have dessert).
All extremely fresh, all strong in flavor, and all begging me to go back to taste again.
FYI they don’t valet until a certain time at night. Also no corkage charge, whoo hoo!

There is a delicate line between «upscale» and «snooty,» one that Cuatro dances on quite skillfully. I’m a simple girl: give me some interesting food that tastes good, don’t be too show-​offy and don’t charge me out the wazoo for it and I’ll be happy.
Cuatro made me very happy. We like «nuevo Latino» food and have been to Nacional 27 a bunch of times but wanted to try something different. Our Cuatro experience was delicious from beginning to end. I had the chicken brochette, which was WAAAAY spicier than the kind I’m used to at tapas places (I can’t say the waiter didn’t warn me) but balanced by sweet plantains. Hubby got the duck special, which also had a pleasing sweet-​savory presentation. Service was attentive, and there was live music — a delightful bonus.