Debbie was a fabulous server. We had to be careful because one person in our group had experienced a food allergy a few months prior. Debbie took the time to listen, consult with the kitchen, and served us a fabulous feast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kris Walser
Cocktails were excellent, especially the Old Fashioned - smokiness was present and very well balanced without being too sweet. Arancini was fantastic, top 3 I’ve ever had. Pork chop was a bit overcooked but the burger and bucatini were top notch. Carrot cake was divine, perfect balance of flavor and not overly sweet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Ililta Midekssa
The restaurant is beautiful, very cozy good vibes. We felt welcomed by the host/hostess when we first walked in. Service was good, our waiter was new but he did a good job.
The 2 star review is mostly for the food. We had the pok pok wings for appetizers and it felt like we were eating rubber. I had the half grilled chicken and I give it a 6/10. The rice that came with it was amazing. My friend had salmon with cauliflower which was amazing, 10/10 highly recommend it. The drinks were great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
barb reinert
The food was amazing and service was the best. Noise level made it very hard to hear each other.
Enjoyed it very much. Same price as restaurants with less atmosphere, quality, and service. Gemelli Verde was so tasty. Would eat there again.
Kinda noisy. Could use sound dampening.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leila Hamzagic
We chose Altera to host our small, intimate wedding dinner for 18 guests, and they did a fabulous job. Ben, the general manager, provided us with so much helpful information and was incredibly accommodating. The food was perfect, and the service was even better! Ben helped set up a couple of table decorations in advance, created custom menus for our party, and ensured that every single one of our guests was taken care of, including me and the groom. I can't say enough good things about our experience with Altera. Absolutely incredible. Thank you!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mary Parker
Both the food and the service were fantastic. Highly recommend, get the wings!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe Boys
Excellent restaurant in Highland Park. Extensive menu with varied offerings ranging from Chilean Sea Bass to a half chicken. We also had the salmon, asparagus, and johnnycake which were all excellent. We arrived on the earlier side which was nice as first as it wasn’t as crowded as it was when we left. The only qualm was that noise carries with the concrete floors and hard services. Food, drinks, and service were all excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
temiloluwa adeyemi
I got the Dan Dan Noodles, and I was looking forward to it but was disappointed.
What i liked: the sparkling NA drink was good. the texture of the noodles and the food presentation. My server asked if she could get me a replacement dish, which I appreciated, but did turndown because I was already turned off by the meal and wasn't interested in going through the menu again.
What i didn't like: the food was too salty. Very salty. Both the noodles, bok choy and the meat. I could not eat past five spoons. I hate wasting food and really tried eating as much, especially since I was very hungry, but I couldn't just get myself to eat that salty of a dish. My friend got the oxtail dish which I tried but it was kind of mehhh. If you just had the dish without seeing the name, you won't know it was an oxtail pasta dish. Again, there was a lack of flavor.
--- I really hope there is improvement in the future because it's a nice spot. I won't be going out of my way to visit again though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Nancy Vang
Food was okay and service wasn't the greatest experience for our party of 8. Our server seemed annoyed of our party or something, or maybe she was having a bad day, but she wasn't as attentive to us. Overall, we would most likely not return.
I ordered the marinated cucumbers, beef salad, and miso salmon. The cucumbers were refreshing and a great starter. We also liked the beef salad, but the fact that they beef were on skewers were a bit of a hassle to share. I didn't enjoy the miso salmon. Something was off tasting with the salmon and the puree underneath it, so I didn't eat it. It def wasn't my favorite.
Everything was great, the drinks were done very nice with care, the salmon was very nice, the butternut squash was exceptional.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brittany Johnson Wagner
Excellent service. Loved the decor. We ordered the dan dan noodles, the asparagus and grapefruit salad, and le cheeseburger. The food was good, but I would try other items on my next visit.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ruth Kashmark
Food was delicious. Miguel was behind the bar and very helpful with all of our questions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Carolina Margaria
The cocktails and service were excellent. The food was ok, nothing was bad, but nothing was amazing either. Overall I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again but I also wouldn't avoid it, it just wasn't worth the price point. We ordered: - Irish Chips (ok potato with great garlic aoili) - Hamachi Crudo (overpriced for quality) - Dan Dan Noodles (needed seasoning) - Johnny Cake (best thing we ate, def recommend) - Pok Pok Chicken Wings & Marinated Cucumbers (not bad, not great) - Arancini (was gummy and lacked seasoning) - Gyoza (lacked flavor, very little filling) - Crispy Brussels Sprouts (just meh, needed more seasoning) - Altera Cheeseburger (pretty solid burger)
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Dayana
I have been here twice for brunch and both times the food and drinks were so good!
My drink of choice is matcha and I can say you can't go wrong with hot or iced here! I added some vanilla syrup to my iced one and it was so good. Still earthy but not bitter and definitely not watery.
The first time I had the kayanas, Irish chips (breakfast potatoes) and Johnnycake (corn pancake). All 3 were better than expected and the expectation was high for the Johnnycake. The sourdough in the kayanas was thick and sour. All the other ingredients worked so well together and my only critique is that the chili oil wasn't spicy. We accidentally ordered too many Irish potatoes and didn't finish them but they were good and the dipping sauces were varied. The Johnnycake was so good (trying to find a new corn pancake after the downfall of my previous favorite) but we couldn't taste the jalapeno in the maple syrup (this time).
For my most recent visit we had the cinnamon roll (new item), Johnnycake and breakfast sandwich. Again, everything was better than expected. The Johnnycake was better (crispier edges) and you could taste the jalapeno in the maple syrup! The cinnamon roll was a nice surprise, the chai spices were there but not overpowering and it all tasted like a gentle apple pie without being too sweet. The breakfast sandwich was good but cinnamon roll and Johnnycake were my favorites!
I don't know if it's just the time we go, or if it's a little underrated but it's so chill in there. Both servers that we have had have been very friendly and super accommodating by answering any questions and letting us make small changes or giving options for drinks. Food always comes out at the perfect temperature.
Debbie was a fabulous server. We had to be careful because one person in our group had experienced a food allergy a few months prior. Debbie took the time to listen, consult with the kitchen, and served us a fabulous feast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cocktails were excellent, especially the Old Fashioned - smokiness was present and very well balanced without being too sweet. Arancini was fantastic, top 3 I’ve ever had. Pork chop was a bit overcooked but the burger and bucatini were top notch. Carrot cake was divine, perfect balance of flavor and not overly sweet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
The restaurant is beautiful, very cozy good vibes.
We felt welcomed by the host/hostess when we first walked in. Service was good, our waiter was new but he did a good job.
The 2 star review is mostly for the food. We had the pok pok wings for appetizers and it felt like we were eating rubber.
I had the half grilled chicken and I give it a 6/10.
The rice that came with it was amazing.
My friend had salmon with cauliflower which was amazing, 10/10 highly recommend it.
The drinks were great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
The food was amazing and service was the best. Noise level made it very hard to hear each other.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Salmon, Marinated Cucumbers
Enjoyed it very much. Same price as restaurants with less atmosphere, quality, and service. Gemelli Verde was so tasty. Would eat there again.
Kinda noisy. Could use sound dampening.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We chose Altera to host our small, intimate wedding dinner for 18 guests, and they did a fabulous job. Ben, the general manager, provided us with so much helpful information and was incredibly accommodating. The food was perfect, and the service was even better! Ben helped set up a couple of table decorations in advance, created custom menus for our party, and ensured that every single one of our guests was taken care of, including me and the groom. I can't say enough good things about our experience with Altera. Absolutely incredible. Thank you!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Both the food and the service were fantastic. Highly recommend, get the wings!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent restaurant in Highland Park. Extensive menu with varied offerings ranging from Chilean Sea Bass to a half chicken. We also had the salmon, asparagus, and johnnycake which were all excellent. We arrived on the earlier side which was nice as first as it wasn’t as crowded as it was when we left. The only qualm was that noise carries with the concrete floors and hard services. Food, drinks, and service were all excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I got the Dan Dan Noodles, and I was looking forward to it but was disappointed.
What i liked: the sparkling NA drink was good. the texture of the noodles and the food presentation. My server asked if she could get me a replacement dish, which I appreciated, but did turndown because I was already turned off by the meal and wasn't interested in going through the menu again.
What i didn't like: the food was too salty. Very salty. Both the noodles, bok choy and the meat. I could not eat past five spoons. I hate wasting food and really tried eating as much, especially since I was very hungry, but I couldn't just get myself to eat that salty of a dish. My friend got the oxtail dish which I tried but it was kind of mehhh. If you just had the dish without seeing the name, you won't know it was an oxtail pasta dish. Again, there was a lack of flavor.
---
I really hope there is improvement in the future because it's a nice spot. I won't be going out of my way to visit again though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Food was okay and service wasn't the greatest experience for our party of 8. Our server seemed annoyed of our party or something, or maybe she was having a bad day, but she wasn't as attentive to us. Overall, we would most likely not return.
I ordered the marinated cucumbers, beef salad, and miso salmon. The cucumbers were refreshing and a great starter. We also liked the beef salad, but the fact that they beef were on skewers were a bit of a hassle to share. I didn't enjoy the miso salmon. Something was off tasting with the salmon and the puree underneath it, so I didn't eat it. It def wasn't my favorite.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Everything was great, the drinks were done very nice with care, the salmon was very nice, the butternut squash was exceptional.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent service. Loved the decor. We ordered the dan dan noodles, the asparagus and grapefruit salad, and le cheeseburger. The food was good, but I would try other items on my next visit.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Food was delicious. Miguel was behind the bar and very helpful with all of our questions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The cocktails and service were excellent. The food was ok, nothing was bad, but nothing was amazing either.
Overall I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again but I also wouldn't avoid it, it just wasn't worth the price point.
We ordered:
- Irish Chips (ok potato with great garlic aoili)
- Hamachi Crudo (overpriced for quality)
- Dan Dan Noodles (needed seasoning)
- Johnny Cake (best thing we ate, def recommend)
- Pok Pok Chicken Wings & Marinated Cucumbers (not bad, not great)
- Arancini (was gummy and lacked seasoning)
- Gyoza (lacked flavor, very little filling)
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts (just meh, needed more seasoning)
- Altera Cheeseburger (pretty solid burger)
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
I have been here twice for brunch and both times the food and drinks were so good!
My drink of choice is matcha and I can say you can't go wrong with hot or iced here! I added some vanilla syrup to my iced one and it was so good. Still earthy but not bitter and definitely not watery.
The first time I had the kayanas, Irish chips (breakfast potatoes) and Johnnycake (corn pancake). All 3 were better than expected and the expectation was high for the Johnnycake. The sourdough in the kayanas was thick and sour. All the other ingredients worked so well together and my only critique is that the chili oil wasn't spicy. We accidentally ordered too many Irish potatoes and didn't finish them but they were good and the dipping sauces were varied. The Johnnycake was so good (trying to find a new corn pancake after the downfall of my previous favorite) but we couldn't taste the jalapeno in the maple syrup (this time).
For my most recent visit we had the cinnamon roll (new item), Johnnycake and breakfast sandwich. Again, everything was better than expected. The Johnnycake was better (crispier edges) and you could taste the jalapeno in the maple syrup! The cinnamon roll was a nice surprise, the chai spices were there but not overpowering and it all tasted like a gentle apple pie without being too sweet. The breakfast sandwich was good but cinnamon roll and Johnnycake were my favorites!
I don't know if it's just the time we go, or if it's a little underrated but it's so chill in there. Both servers that we have had have been very friendly and super accommodating by answering any questions and letting us make small changes or giving options for drinks. Food always comes out at the perfect temperature.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Johnnycake
Loading...