“ I moved to the West Loop back in July and I have never tried Carnivale before. Carnivale's been here for a very long time since 2005 and me and my friend decided to try it out on a Saturday night around 7pm. The place was packed so a reservation in advance is highly recommended. We walked in and we were seated almost immediately. The vibe was colorful with music playing loudly and I definitely felt like I was in Latin America. Apparently they have dancers going around as entertainment on the weekends , which is something I did not expect whatsoever. Some people dressed up, but you can definitely get away with casual attire. There was a decent amount of families with children as well. We started off with drinks. I ordered the Carnivale Old Fashioned, which was mid, and my friend ordered the mojito. My Old Fashioned was very mid, which I kind of expected, but the mojito was very good. The mojito had a good balance between refreshing and mint. Carnivale is kind of like tapas style and shareables. As shareables to start, we had the Smoked Mushroom Croquettes & Colombian Arepa & Pork Belly. Both dishes were very good. They were distinct, had solid flavor, and had a decent portion size. I don't like mushrooms, but they were good. They were fried so that is probably why I liked it. Our main dish was the Seafood Paella. The dish was humongous and you could have definitely split between 3 people as splitting between the two of us was a lot of food. I am not the biggest fan of Paella as I think it usually lacks flavor and the rice becomes too crunchy; however, this was definitely one of the better versions (correct way) that I have had. The rice was super fluffy and it came with a ton of seafood. Lastly, we saw every other table order some cotton candy, so of course we had to bring out the kids in ourselves and order it. It also came with some caramel popcorn (not Garrett's and more like Boy Scouts of America), which was a nice added touch for your sweet-tooths out there. Overall, the food was good; but I just don't think it was anything really spectacular. Cabra would be a good comparable in regards to food and this was definitely better for families and bigger groups. Prices were pretty average for Chicago. $14-$18 cocktails, $12-$20 apps, and $40/entree, but big enough for at least two. Service was adequate and we were definitely there for a long time. Tables don't really turnover much there so that is why I highly recommend a reservation. Overall, I see why Carnivale is such a popular spot in Chicago and it's definitely worth a visit if you like Latin American fare with some entertainment. ”

“ What a fun restaurant! It felt so festive! The service was great. Refilling water glasses, checking back to see if we needing more drinks, double checking with the chef to make sure everything I ordered was gluten-free... Etc. I believe our server was Roman. He was very good. We will definitely go back again. Next time we might try to go when they have a show. We all kind of shared our food with our party of four. We started with the guacamole and I had a separate basket of gluten-free chips. It was very good. It was mild, but there were peppers on top if you wanted to heat it up a bit. Our friends had the lobster paella. It was very tasty and had just a little bit of a kick to it. They said it would be good for one hungry person or two people to split. Our friends split it and still ended up taking some home. They also had a Caesar salad salad that everyone liked. My husband and I split the meal of chicken, salad and french fries. He also had a side of the street corn. Everything we sampled was very good. Highly recommend. ”

“ This is one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Chicago. I have celebrated so many special moments here with the people I love in my life over the past 15 years. They recently renovated the bar area decor, which was really fun!! The new update is a neon tropical Vibe, totally in sync with me!! I'm a huge fan of their steak w/ chimichurri sauce. So that is definitely what I had. I'll visit again before I leave the city. Yummy!! The Service was slow, so I definitely felt like staffing and timing needs to be improved. And there was an issue with one of the desserts that we ordered. It was missing two of the key ingredients cacao nibs and blueberries. Other than that, I had an amazing time and it's still on my topGo to spots when I'm in chicago. Let me know if you check it out ! ”

“ This is definitely one of our more memorable restaurants. There is a convenient pay parking lot behind the restaurant if you don't want to go searching for street parking (be aware of the potholes!) - the lower tier parking doesn't have potholes. The outside of the building is painted with bright multiple colors and the signage is quite festive. The inside was equally quite festive in decor and abundance of colors. There appears to be a bar and dance hall to left of entrance and then the formal restaurant to the right. The building appears to have been converted from a very open prior establishment. The dining area had high ceilings, and the decor was consistent with the theme of Carnivale. We had traditional Cuban mojito and nonalcoholic mojito. For appetizer, we shared the 4 Ceviche sampler. Wow. All had distinct authentic flavor and spices. I especially loved the spicy Ceviche. Then we had the Lobster paella - that is very original as we frequent South American and Cuban restaurants, and this is not a common find in restaurants. The presentation was unique, and that dish was delicious. Full of flavor. We also had the chicken dish that was seared well on the outside and juicy on the inside. The fried Yucca was perfectly seasoned and complemented with a tangy side sauce. Finally, we shared the Puerto Rican Tembleque - the cream tasted clean and fresh with a topping of delicious fresh fruit. They gave us a cotton candy after dinner treat for free. The serving sizes were quite large, more than enough to have a second meal at home. Our server was pleasant and attentive; and our plates were promptly taken away when done. ”

“ fun and colorful restaurant with delicious food. came here with some colleagues and immediately loved the fun and colorful decor. food was good! I really enjoyed the ceviche sampler which was so tasty and unique - not like anything I've ever had. guacamole was fantastic! carne asada was also tasty, but the chocolate cake was too decadent for me. on the whole a good experience. would definitely recommend to other! ”

“ Great restaurant for small groups! I took my wife here for her birthday and we enjoyed our meal. All of the entree's are Caribbean inspired dishes and they are all delicious. I wouldn't say that this restaurant is kid friendly. ”

“ I've always loved Carnivale. It's been a while since I've been back to Chicago and I just had to dine here. It's always good to go with a group of friends, and those I brought had never been here. The food and drinks are excellent, and so reasonably priced! My boyfriend and I split the Argentinian Parrillada (grilled meat platter) because we couldn't decide what to get, might as well try it all. It says it's for two, but this could feed four! It was so good. Highly recommend, and take the rest for leftovers, or just invite more friends! Will be back next time I'm in Chicago. ”

“ Second time visiting. Came for the Cinco de Mayo celebration and although disappointed that there wasn't many celebratory specials (as advertised), we still had a delightful lunch experience. There was a show of multiple dancers and service was spot on. So spot on our waiter basically recited the entire menu to us. We started with guac and chips, the guac does have a tiny kick to it, and I ordered the beef empanadas and crispy potatoes. The empanadas were great, the potatoes I might have ate one and can do without in the future. The vibe was fun and exciting, but getting there at 2pm we expected more liveliness, but overall it was good. ”

“ What an experience we had at Carnivale! The colors and decorations set this place apart from anywhere else and you can feel the exciting Latin energy as soon as you walk in. There is a cocktail lounge, plenty of spots for pictures and a large main hall with two floors of seating. On Friday night, they have Samba Dancers which got all the guests clapping and dancing, making the experience even more enjoyable. As for the food, all of our dishes were delicious! They are large portion sizes so best to get a few entrees and split at the table so you can try many different dishes! We started with calamari and shrimp quesadillas, both of which were excellent. For our mains, we got the seafood paella which was rich and flavorful. We also ordered the braised short rib which was tender and served on a bed of warm grits. The Argentinian Parrillada was a large platter of different meats and potatoes, and they had no problem substituting the pork for more steak and chicken. All three entrees were excellent and the five of us left feeling very full. Carnivale is a great place to come for a celebration, you can't go wrong when the food and vibes are 10/10! ”

“ The vibes were immaculate! We came by for dinner on Sunday night and were seated immediately. We were one of the first few groups there, but it quickly filled up as the night went on. The atmosphere is bright and colorful just had the names. No corner left uncolored. Bathrooms are downstairs all the way at the end of the hall, and down the hallway there were various artworks and murals to keep you fascinated while you make your way to the bathroom. For my drink, I have the mango aqua fresha and it was delish! It tasted refreshing! My husband got the old fashioned which tbey smoked in front of us, which was cool to see! To start we got the Brussel sprout salad, and the arepas. The Brussel sprout salad was quite a surprise as it didn't have very much Brussel in it, but it was delish! The arepas had enough short rib on them to be an entree alone, not that we are complaining but certainly a plentyful app! For my entree I got the lechon asado, and it was incredible. It came with grits. The pork was moist and flavorful, and each bite made you want to eat more no matter how full you got. The desserts were rather disappointing, the panna cotta's texture and flavor didn't quite match up it tasted a bit plasticy because there were a few too many flavors happening on the plate. All in all, we had a great experience and can't wait to come back! ”