"Consider Amaru as a secret weapon restaurant. It looks like your typical neighborhood spot in Wicker Park when you walk in—meaning small and narrow, minimally decorated, with a bar dominating the space. In other words, whoever you take here probably won’t be expecting the food to be as fantastic as it is. Everything on the Latin American menu is delicious and is very affordable. In fact, the giant $13 bowl of ceviche is some of the best we’ve had. And thanks to extra touches like flaming cocktails and the fact that they play old-school hip hop, a dinner here always ends up feeling like a good time." - adrian kane