We ordered the hippo bread, cauliflower, ravioli with clams and the hangar steak. All so delicious! The hippo bread is soft and sweet with that butter. The cauliflower is shareable and so good! The ravioli was fine and the hangar steak was slightly sweet and tender. Our waiter, Alejandro, was so attentive and answered all of our questions. He was fabulous! The kitchen is open so you can look and see which is always fun! Love the music, too! We walked past the restaurant but then I remembered it was by the pizza place so we circled back and found it. Can't wait to return!
Diane M.
We loved our experience at Hippo! The butternut squash cappellacci was fantastic (the fried sage was a really nice touch), and the herbed ricotta tortelloni was good too. Make sure to ask for a complimentary focaccia to dip in the pasta sauce afterwards. The Brussel sprouts salad was a simple dish but well done. My favorite menu items were probably the tai snapper ceviche and the grilled tandoori spiced striped bass. Service was great, they accommodated allergies at our table well, and the space has a fun vibe. Will definitely be back to try the cauliflower and a few other dishes!
Jenn C.
Amazing service and delicious food! The pasta was very fresh and the flavors were all delicious. We had every last drop of the food. You can ask for bread (it's free but they don't advertise it) and use it to sop up all the flavorful sauces. Street parking was not hard to find. The restaurant itself looked trendy and cute.
Mo N.
You see and feel the experince of a well honed eating experience. The group has polished the art of dining over many restaurants over many years. Maybe a little too polished and lacking funk but over all excellent. Their special (not on the menu) was Spagetti pomodoreo (spagatti the don't make in house). Our friend Pauline order Tagliatelle pomodoro (Tagliatelle which they make in house). It was absoultuely divine....we called it Pauline Pomodoro. I think they need a new menu item........
Lori A.
I had always visited beam pizza right in front, but never considered going to the restaurant behind it until today. We got the best seat in the house, which is table 31, so definitely try to request that if you're going there. The table is right in front of the kitchen, so you see the chefs' hard at work and it totally reminded me of the TV show called "the bear." I got a delicious orange wine, which you can't go wrong with because it's not too light or too heavy to be eaten with food. Here is what I ordered: The hippo rolls, which is a delicious in between of a dessert bread and regular bread. The coexisting flavors of honey and sea salt is the perfect combination for your sweet or savory tooth. The griddled cauliflower, which is a beautiful presentation and an awfully big size for an appetizer The duck Ragu, which is your regular Ragu, but of course, if you like duck this is worth getting The butternut squash capellaci. The portion was fairly small on this one. I would've wanted more, as you could see from the picture, but it was my favorite dish for sure. And the "Dila o" orange wine which is long gone and there is no photo of because of course that was finished first!
Carmen R.
Stoped by for a quick bite to eat and let me tell u it was more than what we expected place is beautiful and the service was exceptional, highly recommend this place, food is amazing and bartender makes the best drinks.
Gavin Davis
A great place for a special dinner.Kid-friendliness: Very kid friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alexis G.
I absolutely love this place, my fiancé and I come here often for date night, it's one of our faves. I recently came with a gf and was super excited to show her how cute the place is & the quality pastas they serve (she was craving pasta & it's the first place i thought of). My go to are the hippo rolls, they're nice and fluffy with a sweet yet savory taste, the cream is perfect for the salty bread finish. I usually get the pork tagliatelle but I have tried the chicken and steak which are at the top of my list. Lastly I just have to thank all the servers who've shown me such a great experience every time, honestly they're just exceptional. They always have great recommendations as well. If you want a memorable date or a nice hangout, this place is it. I definitely recommend getting a reservation before heading out, maybe even a day or two ahead. Also, don't be fooled by how cold it is outside when the only available space is there, they have so many heaters that you won't even notice you're outside.
Xhian McIntyre
Food is good but you pay $300 to sit in a parking lot. Also super loud and can’t hear people at the same table. Recommend they provide discount for parking lot dining.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 2
Sam Dreyfus
Great service and excellent food made for a really nice evening. The pastas were delicious!
My wife loves Hippo and I can't say I blame her. We've been a few times now and have gone through a good chunk of the menu without ever really being disappointed. The brussel sprout salad is a standout favorite of mine, but all of their pastas are amazing and their breads are fresh and buttery. Service is great too with the people who work here clearly taking pride in their work. I would love to see a more robust cocktail menu, but their cocktails aren't half bad either.
Kathryn Chamberlin
Food was great. Was very crowded on a Thursday night so highly recommend reservations. Will be coming back to try more
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cherith Zanghi
The orange wine was good. Cannot recommend the food, unfortunately
Chriss W.
Def a go to spot in hlp. Quality food that is hard to come across. I would recommend any of the dishes.
Andreas K.
We inevitably had to come back again, this time a party of four. Pandemic was remote history and the real feeling of dining out had started to come back. Hippo was great. Our server was visibly proud of all the delicatessens that were offered. And everything we chose was on point. PREVIOUS REVIEW This one in Highland Park was long on the to-do list but better late than never. The place is very cool and trendy, understandably so - it is cool and therefore trendy. And not too easy to get a table. We got a Saturday one at 9 pm, and I'll get back on that issue. But let me first state that the food was super delicious, tapas-style in sequential fairly small portions, until inevitably all stomach space is used up, in a good way!! The menu is not endless, but everything on is sounds attractive. So, we chose the griddl'd fett'unta bread, the royal hamachi crudo (2nd fav), griddl'd cauliflower (1st fav), burrata from puglia, herbed ricotta tortelloni, cedar-smoked ocean trout. Dessert looked tempting but I had made a Tiramisu at home that was waiting - so we passed. In summary, everything not only looked beautiful but was on point, and the full bouquet of flavors melted on the taste buds. The server Mickey was charming, the bill contactless. But one issue - not her fault - was not appreciated at all. We had the table reserved for 9pm, arrived at 8:55, had to wait until 9:12 - which all would have been absolutely okay, had we not been told 8 minutes later, i.e. at 9:20, that we only had 10 minutes left to order anything as this was the "last call to the kitchen". C'mon!! That is politely put just extremely poor business practice. Not liked at all!!!
We ordered the hippo bread, cauliflower, ravioli with clams and the hangar steak. All so delicious! The hippo bread is soft and sweet with that butter. The cauliflower is shareable and so good! The ravioli was fine and the hangar steak was slightly sweet and tender. Our waiter, Alejandro, was so attentive and answered all of our questions. He was fabulous! The kitchen is open so you can look and see which is always fun! Love the music, too! We walked past the restaurant but then I remembered it was by the pizza place so we circled back and found it. Can't wait to return!
We loved our experience at Hippo! The butternut squash cappellacci was fantastic (the fried sage was a really nice touch), and the herbed ricotta tortelloni was good too. Make sure to ask for a complimentary focaccia to dip in the pasta sauce afterwards. The Brussel sprouts salad was a simple dish but well done. My favorite menu items were probably the tai snapper ceviche and the grilled tandoori spiced striped bass. Service was great, they accommodated allergies at our table well, and the space has a fun vibe. Will definitely be back to try the cauliflower and a few other dishes!
Amazing service and delicious food! The pasta was very fresh and the flavors were all delicious. We had every last drop of the food. You can ask for bread (it's free but they don't advertise it) and use it to sop up all the flavorful sauces. Street parking was not hard to find. The restaurant itself looked trendy and cute.
You see and feel the experince of a well honed eating experience. The group has polished the art of dining over many restaurants over many years. Maybe a little too polished and lacking funk but over all excellent. Their special (not on the menu) was Spagetti pomodoreo (spagatti the don't make in house). Our friend Pauline order Tagliatelle pomodoro (Tagliatelle which they make in house). It was absoultuely divine....we called it Pauline Pomodoro. I think they need a new menu item........
I had always visited beam pizza right in front, but never considered going to the restaurant behind it until today. We got the best seat in the house, which is table 31, so definitely try to request that if you're going there. The table is right in front of the kitchen, so you see the chefs' hard at work and it totally reminded me of the TV show called "the bear." I got a delicious orange wine, which you can't go wrong with because it's not too light or too heavy to be eaten with food. Here is what I ordered: The hippo rolls, which is a delicious in between of a dessert bread and regular bread. The coexisting flavors of honey and sea salt is the perfect combination for your sweet or savory tooth. The griddled cauliflower, which is a beautiful presentation and an awfully big size for an appetizer The duck Ragu, which is your regular Ragu, but of course, if you like duck this is worth getting The butternut squash capellaci. The portion was fairly small on this one. I would've wanted more, as you could see from the picture, but it was my favorite dish for sure. And the "Dila o" orange wine which is long gone and there is no photo of because of course that was finished first!
Stoped by for a quick bite to eat and let me tell u it was more than what we expected place is beautiful and the service was exceptional, highly recommend this place, food is amazing and bartender makes the best drinks.
A great place for a special dinner.Kid-friendliness: Very kid friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I absolutely love this place, my fiancé and I come here often for date night, it's one of our faves. I recently came with a gf and was super excited to show her how cute the place is & the quality pastas they serve (she was craving pasta & it's the first place i thought of). My go to are the hippo rolls, they're nice and fluffy with a sweet yet savory taste, the cream is perfect for the salty bread finish. I usually get the pork tagliatelle but I have tried the chicken and steak which are at the top of my list. Lastly I just have to thank all the servers who've shown me such a great experience every time, honestly they're just exceptional. They always have great recommendations as well. If you want a memorable date or a nice hangout, this place is it. I definitely recommend getting a reservation before heading out, maybe even a day or two ahead. Also, don't be fooled by how cold it is outside when the only available space is there, they have so many heaters that you won't even notice you're outside.
Food is good but you pay $300 to sit in a parking lot. Also super loud and can’t hear people at the same table. Recommend they provide discount for parking lot dining.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 2
Great service and excellent food made for a really nice evening. The pastas were delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
My wife loves Hippo and I can't say I blame her. We've been a few times now and have gone through a good chunk of the menu without ever really being disappointed. The brussel sprout salad is a standout favorite of mine, but all of their pastas are amazing and their breads are fresh and buttery. Service is great too with the people who work here clearly taking pride in their work. I would love to see a more robust cocktail menu, but their cocktails aren't half bad either.
Food was great. Was very crowded on a Thursday night so highly recommend reservations. Will be coming back to try more
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The orange wine was good. Cannot recommend the food, unfortunately
Def a go to spot in hlp. Quality food that is hard to come across. I would recommend any of the dishes.
We inevitably had to come back again, this time a party of four. Pandemic was remote history and the real feeling of dining out had started to come back. Hippo was great. Our server was visibly proud of all the delicatessens that were offered. And everything we chose was on point. PREVIOUS REVIEW This one in Highland Park was long on the to-do list but better late than never. The place is very cool and trendy, understandably so - it is cool and therefore trendy. And not too easy to get a table. We got a Saturday one at 9 pm, and I'll get back on that issue. But let me first state that the food was super delicious, tapas-style in sequential fairly small portions, until inevitably all stomach space is used up, in a good way!! The menu is not endless, but everything on is sounds attractive. So, we chose the griddl'd fett'unta bread, the royal hamachi crudo (2nd fav), griddl'd cauliflower (1st fav), burrata from puglia, herbed ricotta tortelloni, cedar-smoked ocean trout. Dessert looked tempting but I had made a Tiramisu at home that was waiting - so we passed. In summary, everything not only looked beautiful but was on point, and the full bouquet of flavors melted on the taste buds. The server Mickey was charming, the bill contactless. But one issue - not her fault - was not appreciated at all. We had the table reserved for 9pm, arrived at 8:55, had to wait until 9:12 - which all would have been absolutely okay, had we not been told 8 minutes later, i.e. at 9:20, that we only had 10 minutes left to order anything as this was the "last call to the kitchen". C'mon!! That is politely put just extremely poor business practice. Not liked at all!!!