Best Restaurants with a Fireplace in Belmont Cragin

Violet Hour has a great vibe and really friendly service

Great food and service! We were a party of four and the staff was on top of it! We will be back.

Last night at Elske was our favorite dining experience in Chicago so far. We moved here 1.5 years ago and have had some great meals, but this was truly above and beyond. The “smoked tea” blew our minds (they smoke vegetables for the broth above a live fire that you can see from the dining area) and reminded me of a rich greens-laden broth (think intense pot likker) braised with soy sauce. We’d also never had sturgeon, which was perfectly dense and flaky at the same time (halibut could never). Finally, don’t skip on dessert: the sunflower seed dish and the pear meringue were, again, mind-blowing texturally, were served at the perfect temperature, and were both challenging and comforting to eat. So, so good. Oh! I also ordered an NA martini which, unlike many mocktails, was super flavorful and so I wanted to drink it slowly, just like with a real cocktail.

What a treat to rediscover RL after moving from Chicago a few years ago! On a bitter cold and snowy day, we decided on a last minute late lunch and had a marvelous meal. Our server, Amanda was outstanding, personable and enthusiastically answered my husband's questions about the walleye, which he throughly enjoyed. It was light and flavorful and deemed as good as (though he meant better) than the shore lunches he had while fishing in Canada. I enjoyed the off the menu special crab cake that was sumptuous and delicious to the last bite....better than the ordinary restaurant fare. Though we usually like to read the dessert menu and then pass so we can smugly congratulate ourselves on our willpower, we gave in this day when Amanda told us about the peanut butter cheesecake-like texture presented as a small cake shape and drizzled with chocolate. Boy if there was ever a time to deviate from our cautious approach to desserts, this was it! This was how do they describe it, "smack your mama good?" That was it. So good we talked about it on our way back home to Michigan...the entire visit this time renewed our love for Chicago and the little moments like this that mean so much. A great way to spend some time during a classic urban winter snow storm. Thank you Amanda and the talented RL chef!

Servers were so nice and the food was like heaven on my taste buds. Best espresso martini I’ve ever had!