Cafe Birdie

the food is always great and a really cool restaurant

Second time here. Both times hostesses were amazing. Friendly, kind, affable. Server first time was friendly, second time was...not someone who I believe is "naturally" suited to the service industry. Cold and off putting...kinda like the food. Both times I have come here, the food has come out insultingly quick and been cold. I dealt with it the first time and sent food back the second time...but the second round was also cold. Overall, this place has a lot to work on. The bones are healthy and strong, but the overlaying muscle and skin here are weak.

The only reason not to recommend Cafe Birdie is tha fact that it will become too popular and I will not be able to get a seat. Stange but delishous group of food - have the Caesar its the best.

The food was solid and the service was great. Great neighborhood restaurant.

Shared 4 dishes, the beet burrata salad and the pea & snap pea appetizers were amazing. The Scallops were slightly undercooked and the harissa fried chicken were nice but the veggie dishes were our favs. Cocktails were great. Lovely room, noisy but not so much that dinner conversation was uncomfortable. Friendly staff.

First timers. Everything was great. From host greeting to exit. Favorite item was the mushroom toast. And who doesnt like an Aperol Spritz? 😁 We will return!

The fried chicken and cacio e Pepe is a must!

so delightful.
the food the service the room.
everything was lovely. thank you!

The portions were tiny and overpriced. I paid $14 dollars for 3 pieces of regular sized shrimp and a cup of cauliflower grits. My friends who ordered the Birdie breakfast were served about a half cup of potatoes that were cut into ity bity pieces. It was a little embarrassing to treat friends to a brunch that I expected way better food quality. I don’t mind the price, but it was way overpriced for what we got.

I hate to write a bad review of this place as I've only heard amazing things about it, but it didn't live up to the hype for us. We ordered 3 items to share (prawns, mushrooms and chopped salad) and at the end of the meal we both agreed that it was all very bland and the flavors it did have seemed off. I'm hoping we ordered the 3 worst things on the menu and that everything else is great. I would go back if someone else wanted to, but not as my first choice.

Chef Russell Victorioso's menu is one of the most comforting and familiar, yet full of play and charm! The Italian and Mediterranean inspired dishes are immediately satisfying, and the south east Asian touches on select dishes add an element of excitement and vibrancy. The setting is cozy and urban, with service that is friendly and thoughtful.

Great atmosphere in trendy Highland Park. The bloody Mary’s had No vodka and I would say the food was marginal! It was for a Birthday celebration and it was not noted by the staff!! Not overly impressed!

Place was packed! Very lively and fun- great music: good hip hop . Really nice staff and our waitress knew her wines! Food gets better every time I go! Lots of vegetarian choices. I could go every day of the week and not get sick of it.

Great food atmosphere and service. Only wish they'd play the background music way lower, so I could have a conversation.

We usually love Cafe Birdie. This was not a good experience, however. The concept is to order small plates and to have them come out one or two at a time. Our small plates pretty much came out in two large groups. The experience was very rushed, and the food got cold. We were a party of five. The restaurant wasn't crowded, so there was no excuse for the rushed food. Also, it was pretty chilly in there because the back door remained open for ease of delivery of food to the patio patrons. The interior lighting could have been better also. :(

Excellent all-around, and Judith, the manager, is wonderful.

Delicious, terrific and inventive food. Great Atmosphere and not too noisy. Our server was wonderful! I had to take 2 stars off for the overly strict no substitution policy. They wouldn't even not sprinkle nuts on top of something because of a nut allergy in our party, they made us order something else. I get not wanting to open up Pandora's box of customers getting all creative with your menu, but this seemed unreasonably harsh. Really did love the restaurant though, I hope they can change that policy.

Food was great, the staff was great, our server wasn’t good but the other servers helped out. Also at one point a couple servers and the manager were in a corner laughing....but all in all a really good meal with just like one or two things.

Fantastic nebu with great staff and great neighborhood (albeit gentrified) feel. The bar out back looks awesome though we didn’t sample.

A lovely place and good meal. Our server was spot on.

Cafe Birdie is a neighborhood gem. Highly recommend for any occasion. Great quality, ambiance, staff, and food is amazing!!

Wonder evening. My wife and I shared the Caesar salad which was ok followed by a wonderful dish of cauliflower then the best fried chicken I’ve ever had and finished with the flank steak cooked to perfection. Highly recommend to everybody.

Great local trendy place. Unusual tasty dishes. A great find.

This was my 4th time at Cafe Birdie. The service was excellent as always. I got the beet hummus toast, which took a while since they had to make the hummus. I've had this before and really enjoyed it but this time was different. The hummus didn't have the creamy texture, it had so much moisture from the beets that it made the toast soggy :( Now I don't know if I would order this again. Love the ambiance, will likely come back, hopefully this isn't the case for other people's experience!

Great food! Sharing dishes -we were 4 people and we are vegetarians who eat fish-plenty of choice
We selected about 8 dishes and we were full! I would say mains are better than the deserts which were a bit average

The food is very good!! Our third time here

Food was good, some dishes better than others. Ambiance was great. We had a nice time.

Café Birdie is a neighbourhood gem in Highland Park, perfect for a casual date, meeting up with a few friends, or just for times when you want to get out of the house. I’ve been here for dinner and brunch a few times, and it has never disappointed. The food is classic, but with creative twists (eg. for brunch they have shrimp and grits on the menu, but make the “grits” out of quinoa and cauliflower), and always tasty. Combine that with friendly, unpretentious service, and you’ve got a winner.

We had the nicest waitress who was a pleasure to have serve us. Dinner was delicious and I can never get enough of the fried chicken! The burrata was also yummy. We will be back soon.

It was great! My favorite dinner item was the Cacio Pepe pasta and Meatballs. Our waiter Karl was perfection.
If I had to change anything it would be adding an ice cream option on the dessert menu.

Love Birdie. It's become one of our neighborhood favorites. The cocktails are creative and evenly balanced. There's something for everyone. The service can be a little touch and go, but never so much that it ruins the experience. Setting and decor are both cozy and elevated. Our favorite dishes are the sweet potato w/cashews (sounds simple but is killer) and the Morrocan chicken.

great service, beautiful space, very cool 'speakeasy' hidden in back, while in front a perfectly run restaurant with great food and service

Cafe Birdie is becoming my favorite Sunday funday brunch spot. Love the service and the food never disappoints!!!

Cute spot. Food and service were good. Nice spot for brunch, date night, group meal. We'll definitely be back. :)

Fabulous brunch menu! Great food and ambiance. Husband died and went to heaven over the biscuits and gravy with fried chicken side!!

Delicious food, perfect portions, nice ambiance, great experience!

First time sitting inside here. It’s very nice but very loud. The outdoor experience here is preferred but probably not ideal when it’s colder in the winter.

Beautiful location, but the food was served cold and the staff could not find the time to sweep the floor between tables, so the floor was literally awash in crumbs and "funk" so layered they cast shadows. The funk was gross, but the cold food really did it for me...we ordered 3 main dishes and while all were delicious and unique, they ALL came out cold and since they were all served together, stupidly, they went from cold to ice cold before we could even get halfway through any of them. The location is gorgeous, but not enough to bring me back.

Really lovely, easy going date spot. Food is always delicious, comforting and original with unexpected depth of flavor.

Eclectic menu as opposed to a theme. The environment is fun but also very loud

Very good, even inspired, dishes. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Way too loud however. Should not have to shout to be heard over the din. Eat to the beat is getting old in the hotspot dining scene. Other ways to provide high energy.