mEAT Streeterville

Bacon wrapped dates are probably best thing on the menu. Brussels are lacking, all other food I’ve tried has been okay. Would give 3.5 stars if I could because the cocktails are fantastic. Perfect place to grab an after work or pre-​event drink with a friend!

Great location, awesome staff, amazing food. what more can you ask for?!? The surf and turf is godly, and don’t forget the nachos and flat breads for starters. I don’t Unilocal much, but I had to for this spot. YOU HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT! And if you’re at the bar and you have a wonderful bartender by the name of jake. tell him «David sent you» and I promise he will treat you right! Happy eating!!!

Amazing food, amazing atmosphere! I’ve had the whole menu here and nothing disappoints! The nachos are huge it could feed 4 people! Great proportions, reasonable prices! Staff is so fun! Don’t miss out on drinks from Toya! Great, low-​key spot for the locals and visitors! Much praise to James, the manager!

Love the location, away from the crowds but right in the heart of the City. Food and drinks spot on. Service extraordinary and overall we had a great time! Highly recommend skewers and maple foam manhattan.

The crab Ragoon flatbread is a MUST try, it was freakin AMAZING, savory and flavorful, everything a true foodie loves. The bacon wrap chicken was delicious, although I could barely taste the cream cheese or the jalapeño pepper it was suppose to have in them. The cobbler sangria is delicious, I wish I could take a pitcher of it home. The staff were very professional.

We decided to check this place out on a sleepy Sunday night and I’m so glad we did, it’s awesome! When we went in, we were one of only a few tables dining so we got a great seat by the window.
We started out with a couple of cocktails, the maple foam manhattan and the Vieux Carre. Just coming from Hong Kong where drinks with giant mountains of foam are a thing, I was pleasantly surprised that they took it easy on the foam on the manhattan. It was a perfectly reasonable amount of foam. Yes, this is real, I’m actually discussing foam. It was a very tasty drink. In fact, we tried three different cocktails and they were all very good.
For dinner, we decided to have the beef tenderloin tips and the twin lobster tails with a side of fondue mac and cheese. Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of lobster but this lobster may have just made me a convert… or maybe it was the insanely delicious garlic butter that came with it. Either way, I loved it and I loved the beef tenderloin with horseradish as well. Both skewers were cooked and seasoned perfectly and we enjoyed every bite. The fondue mac and cheese was also very good. We wrapped up the night with some avocado mousse and cheesecake.
Overall, this is a great spot. The food was great, the service was friendly, and the atmosphere is cozy. Glad we finally made it in!

A gem hiding in the shadow of water tower place! Great for couples and families. The ambiance is fabulous… You enter up a curving set of rich wooden steps in the gorgeous lobby of a residential building. The interior is dark and cozy with delightful raised booths. Service was outstanding. Thank you, Luis, for taking great care of us.
The quality of the meat and seafood skewers was so high that you did not need the sauces. We had bacon wrapped chicken, beef, scallops, and lobster. The grilled vegetables in the balsamic reduction were perfectly done. And a finale of chocolate fondue… wow! We will be back anytime were in the area!

So we have now frequented both Chicago mEAT locations and this one just doesn’t stack up. The skewers were great but it kind ended there.
COCKTAILS: Not seasonal. The cocktails that we saw on the menu were more suited for summer dining than the cold winter night that we dined. Cucumber gimlets and such. I ended up going for the alcoholic root beer instead. It seemed to suit the night and the meal better. I was very happy with this choice.
SALAD: We shared the bacon and egg salad. It was nice that it was topped with two poached eggs, making it easy for two to share. There was little bacon or grilled onions leaving mostly just a ton of greens. Sub par overall.
SKEWERS: The seared scallop skewer was excellent and I would highly recommend it. The scallops were done to perfections and the sauce that comes with is just the right amount of flavor so it only adds to the dish and doesn’t take away any of the sweet, succulent scallop flavor. The bacon wrapped chicken was good but could used more of the cream cheese and jalapeño filling.
SIDES: Fondue mac and cheese — not really. This is a pasta dish NOT mac and cheese. Not very cheesy. Says it has bacon, peas and sun dried tomatoes. Okay we found one piece of bacon, some peas and an over powering amount of the sun dried tomatoes. When I order mac and cheese anything I want that cheesy, gooey, creamy, rich consistency. Really decadent. This was nothing of the sort. With the exception of the little bit of cheese melted on top I couldn’t find any cheese in the dish even though it says it is made with both cheddar and Gouda. Huge disappointment. We also got and order of the creamed corn. Also disappointing. It was chewy and you would be left to gnaw on the shell of the corn kernels long after you swallowed the rest of your forkful. Should have been sweet, creamy and tender but it was none of these.
The service started off rough but improved by the end of the meal. Both the waitress and the manager seemed to start the evening with an attitude but we happy that they both lightened up by the end of our meal. In the end we happy with service.

So good! We made reservations like 5 times and kept having to reschedule. Finally made it in after a day of shopping. The ambience is chic and cozy. Luis was our server but I think there are two individuals with the same name. We started with the stuffed mushrooms and the sausage flatbread. Both were very good. We moved to the surf and turf skewer which is beef tenderloin, shrimp, scallop and lobster tail. We also had the bacon wrapped chicken skewer which is bacon wrapped chicken with goat cheese and jalapeño. Yum, yummy, yummy.. We had the mac and cheese as our side. I had two glasses on Rose and my bf had a Manhattan.. All really good. It is our new neighborhood haunt because not only is the food great, it isn’t too expensive, and it’s just a comfy relaxing, chill kind of spot.

This is the second location for mEAT in Chicago, and its location to the Loop and Michigan Ave show compared to the Boystown location. Right around the corner from Water Tower Place on the busiest road in the city. I like the feel better; dark, lounge-​type atmosphere w less street visibility and a great private bar vibe. Think speakeasy meets downtown lounge. Booth seating near the bar was nice. There’s also a gorgeous table seating area with windows to the street but a ton of privacy. The dining room is a mix of reclaimed wood, brick, leather, and concrete. Holiday décor is up, too, and the manager (great guy) mentioned while chatting w us that they’ll be adding some more winter drinks to the cocktail menu (although we tried two cocktails and they were both FANTASTIC creative takes on classic cocktails-​highly recommend the sangria-​pineapple foam combo but can’t remember the name. The Pisco was good too. Very spirit-​forward).
We ordered quite a few menu items, used a great groupon and the meal was WELL worth the price. TRY THE STIFFED MUSHROOMS AND THE BACON ONION TART. Just do. And the Surf and Turf Skewer was to die for. In the future I will order two of them and try the bacon wrapped dates. We also tried the Rosemary pork, which was delicious, but, as pork tends to be in restaurants, was a tiny bit dry after hanging for ten/​fifteen minutes and we ended up using a sauce intended for the steak… Still a great choice.
By the way, dive into the kale chips they offer at start of meal; they’re perfectly done and much better than you’d expect of not a kale fan.
Lastly, our server was great. He offered his own opinion but also listened to what our interests were, and didn’t give us that «oh you’re using a groupon» attitude, which was refreshing. The groupon got us in, but we will be back time and time again bc of his service. Also, a coat check is available at the host desk, which is nice in the winter.

Hands down… Best food of any skewer or Brazilian steakhouse themed restaurant.
Our recommendations:
Beef Tips (cooked MR and to die for)
Scallops
Shrimp
Cheese Fondue
Mushrooms.
GO GO GO!!!

Disappointed.
Was looking for a different kind of restaurant for our list night in Chicago. Read the reviews and it sounded like it would be good menu and fun experience.
Well the atmosphere is nice. The concept is interesting. But our service lacked and the food was mediocre.
We started with the bacon onion flat brrad/​puff pastry tart. It was bland. The puff pastry had more flavor than anything else.
We picked the steak tips and rosemary pork for our skewers and the Greek potatoes.
Thw steak tips while tender had a very liver like flacor/​taste to them. Cheap cut of meat used for the price charged. The horseradish yogurt dip was bland.
The rosemary pork was dry and over cooked. The chutney served with it was awesome, but that’s the only flavor from it. The rosemary was not found and it was very dry.
The Greek potatoes sounded amazing. But again fell flat. They were crisp on the outside and dry on the inside. It needed something acidic to bring out more flavor and needed something to add moisture. It was so dry and bland when taking a bite. When I spooned over what butter/​oil was in the dish onto the potatoes it tasted much better but just was not enough.
Granted we don’t live in the city but when we do return to Chicago we will not return here and definitely will not recommend them to our friends in the city.

My husband and I had a Groupon for mEAT and decided to try the Streeterville location on a Friday night. We arrived in time for our 6:30 reservation, were quickly seated in one of their booths, and were introduced to our server Luis. He asked if we had ever dined at mEAT before and we said «Yes, but the boystown location». As soon as we said «boystown», Luis stood back, looked offended and said «I don’t know what that is», «I don’t know that location». We thought his reaction was kind of strange but didn’t think much of it, so we went ahead and ordered a bottle of pinot grigio.
A few minutes later another server named Larissa came to our table and asked if we wanted to order an appetizer, we told her that we had already been served by Luis and she quickly said «No, I am your server now» without any other explanation. We thought the sudden switch of servers was pretty strange especially since Luis continued to serve all of the tables around us.
We went ahead and ordered the hot bacon flatbread for an appetizer and the rosemary pork and meatball skewers for out entrée and waited for our bottle of wine to arrive. When the wine did arrive, we were disappointed that it wasn’t chilled, the wine was served to us at room temperature which made it tough to enjoy.
The flatbread arrived soon after and it was delicious. Lots of bacon and giardiniera and it was cooked just right. However, our entrees were a big disappointment. The pork skewer was over cooked and dry and the meatball skewer was under cooked and pink in the middle. We were looking forward to both skewers and were bummed that they were not very good.
However, the dessert did make up for the underwhelming entrees. We ordered the turtle fondue which came with cheesacake, marshmallows, brownies, bananas, strawberries, and pineapple. Very very good. I could not stop eating.
All in all, my experience with mEAT was a disappointment, I would recommend the restaurant for a drink and appetizer or for dessert, but not for a full dinner.

Got the surf and turf, bacon wrapped chicken and grilled veggies.
Two negatives on food — 1. Lobster was VERY over cooked. What a shame! 2. Veggies were oily and also a bit overdone.
Scallops, shrimp, been tenderloin and chicken were all good.
All in all I didn’t find the experience particularly special. Food was good but definitely overpriced.
I would recommend asking them to bring out skewers as courses. We ordered two for two people and they came out at the same time. The meats were cold by the time we made our way up both the skewers.
FIVE STARS for cocktails. They are very very yummy.

Concept is cool they hang your meat skewers in the middle od table.
Food is really so so… we had crab flat bread. Salty and burned. Skewers of pork mint with berries, shrimps, dates wrapped in bacon. Pork was not that good. Shrimp was ok. Dates was ok too… food seem cold, meaning not as hot temperatures. Food wise i would give rating two.
Wine.most red bottle runs around $ 44. We tried what the waiter recommend… again, pretty disappointed. I usually never leave my drink… but could not finish… due to taste.
Friendliness was ok too. Our waiter was ok.
Overall, I leave at three but not worth to go back.

mEAAAAT! We got a couple of items to try on our first visit and was pretty full by the end of dinner.
Bacon onion tart — delicious! The pastry is super flaky and hot when it’s first served. Gobble it down, don’t let these get cold.
Cauliflower purée — Woah, so this is my new favorite side dish of the week! It’s so smooth and creamy but still maintains the very strong flavor of cauliflower.
Pistachio crusted pork — The pork is cooked really well and the pistachio crust on the outside adds a crunchy dimension. Be careful when you pull down the pork from the skewer because the crust doesn’t stick on the meat very well. It separates really easily which I was sad to see :(
Beef tenderloin tips — Also loved this one — super savory, beef is tender. I wasn’t a huge fan of the yogurt horseradish sauce on the side but the beef itself is excellent.
Bacon wrapped dates — Good, but very make-​able in your own kitchen. Skip this unless you absolutely have to have it.
I recommend coming with a group of 3 – 4 people. Any larger and you’ll likely have to order double portions, especially for the meats and also if you have a hungry crew.

Came back with a Groupon, and a few things have changed:
— it’s summer now, so the outdoor patio is open! It’s kind of awkward though because the waitstaff is constantly in and out of the front door of the building, which is the entry way to the apartments and not very close to the mEAT kitchen. The door isn’t propped open, so when food comes out, someone has to help hold the door.
— service is not very attentive. Too leisurely for our liking this past Saturday night.
— found out the kale chips are only by request. I had to request it twice, as the waiter clearly forgot the first time.
After the $ 80 Groupon, we still shelled out $ 69 (including tip and tax) for the meal, which included 4 skewers, a side, and a drink. The $ 35 lobster tails were expensive and so so. Our favorite skewers are still the andouille sausage and scallops, both for their flavor and juiciness. Overall, the experience just wasn’t as good as last time: the kale chips were bland, the mushrooms weren’t as flavorful, and the service was a bit painfully slow.

I bought a groupon and decided to check this place out.
We sat outside and started with a cheese fondue. The server advised us that the fire could go out with the wind but we decided to risk it. Glad we did because it wasn’t a problem at all. The cheese was delicious. They didn’t bring enough bread and veggies but refilled after we finished with the first basket.
We each ordered a cocktail which was small and overpriced. Basically the usual scene in downtown Chicago these days. It was vey good though.
We decided to get the steak skewer, bacon wrapped chicken skewer, and Mac and cheese. First came the Mac and cheese and beef. They came a few minutes apart and the Mac and cheese almost went to the wrong table. Well, the chicken actually did go to the wrong table. The server figured out what happened and apologized and hurried out the next chicken. By the time we got it we were already full. We took a bite to try and the chicken inside was raw. Guess they hurried a little too much. Too bad because it tasted great. It took forever for a server to come by again and when he finally did we sent it back, too full to order another.
Although all these snafus sound problematic, they handled it perfectly. The head chef came by with a vaportini and asked what else we needed. We ended up ordering a chocolate fondue. It was my birthday after all. They ended up comping the dessert and the drink which they didn’t have to do but left a great impression in my mind. It’s not like our meal was cheap either way.
I’m excited to go back and get the bacon wrapped chicken the way it’s intended to be. I know this place is paleo friendly but the non paleo options are legit too. I’m still dreaming about the chocolate fondue.

Kind of like a Brazilian steakhouse but with out the swords! Nice atmosphere and nice menu! We got the stuffed mushrooms to start — delicious! And then tried the Lemon chicken, Rosemary pork, scallops, and bacon wrapped dates. Along with the Brussel sprout side. Our verdict: the Dates won over all — amazing combination! My second favorite was the Pork — great taste profile with the chutney. The lemon chicken really had no flavor — not dry at all tho. The Brussel sprouts were great too — I’m going to add balsamic to mine once I make them at home! The Kale chips were not a huge hit with our group but we saw other tables loving them.
Lastly we tried the Vaportini — very different and interesting!

It was here that I realized that I had been to at least 6 unique establishments and had not yet had a bad meal.
Sidenote: The Trump, although it’s Ritz-​Carlton branded, is not actually THE Ritz-​Carlton in Chicago. Call it «Trump» or prepare to deal with some confusion between you and the cabdriver.
Now, back to the review. I got a little bit lost and didn’t want to waste the cab fare. So, I scrolled through bookmarked recommendations and came across this one, not too far from the ACTUAL Ritz-​Carlton. :p I came here full from a meal that I’d had hours ago. Frankly, I came to get a little boozed-​up and mellowed-​out. Don’t judge. But, I decided to order something to munch on so that I wouldn’t look too pathetic sitting at the bar all by myself with a non-​girly looking (ei, STRONG) drink in my hand.
I ordered a Vieux Carre that came with a Honey Ice Cube. Then, I ordered a plate of Stuffed Mushrooms. You know, ’cause I’m a classy lady that eats food while drinking. Riiiight…
Anyway, that was the first time I’d ever had a Vieux Carre and it was a variation of the original. Honestly, who cares? If it’s good, it’s good. And this, my friends, was good. No, it was fantastic! Whatever was in it was smooth and well blended. I couldn’t make out distinct sharp flavors. The ice cube, as it melted, sweetened the drink. And, as you can see from the picture, I asked for a second ice cube to take with me. And, I don’t care what anyone thinks, that thing was good! Not as good as when it’s floating in a mix of liquors, but still really, really good. It was difficult to keep my composure and limit myself to just one drink. But, it was strong and I’d need to find my way back to my hotel. Enter food, stage left.
I thought that the Stuffed Mushrooms would be nibbled at and a bit of a chore to choke down since I’d just eaten. WRONG. Overused, but highly appropriate word– «Delicious!» Another superlative: The best stuffed mushrooms I’ve ever had! Simply, the best. They were stuffed with cheese and rosemary and breadcrumbs and were piping hot and crispy on top and served on a hot skillet with shredded melted cheese on top and stuff. Maaaaan! *sigh* I knife & forked it. I did. Kept it together. But, if I was alone… it would’ve been a different story! It would’ve been ugly. Nobody wanted to see what I wanted to do to those mushrooms.
Too much? Okay, I’ll pull back. :p Simply, the food and drink far surpassed my expectations and not one thing marred my experience. I left full and happy and smiling naughtily to myself in 30-​degree whether with a honey ice cube in my hand. :)