Private Affairs

"This upscale Mediterreanean spot in the Gwen Hotel is from the same team as the fancy French restaurant Brindille, and the excellent (and now closed) Naha. While the food at Kostali is perfectly fine, it isn’t good or interesting enough to warrant the price (for example, the burrata costs $22 and entrees range from $30-60), or the inescapable fact that you’re eating on the fifth floor in the middle of a hotel. The dining room is stuffy, you can hear the crowd from the bar in the lobby during your entire meal - in other words, there are better options for an expensive meal downtown." - Adrian Kane

"Relaxing, carefree and casually elegant, Kostali offers a transportive coastal experience in the heart of Chicago. Here, we offer cuisine inspired by the great coasts of the Mediterranean, including Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Tunisia, Lebanon, Israel and Morocco. Join us for Tipsy Tea! Every Weekend - Saturday at 12pm & 230pm, Sunday at 1pm"

"James Beard Award-winning chef Carrie Nahabedian has a hit on her hands with Tipsy Tea Parties, her boozy take on high tea at Kostali inside the Gwen hotel. Groups can opt for Spill the Tea packages featuring alcohol-infused cuppas like Glow UP (Hennessey infused with apple cranberry tea, cinnamon syrup, and apple) alongside towers of sweet and savory snacks. Reservations and more details are available online." - Naomi Waxman, Eater Staff

"The Tipsy Tea Party features bottomless tea cocktails such as We’re All Mad Here, a blend of scotch, peach liqueur, mango tea, sugar and lemon, and Spill the Tea Sis, made with chai vanilla bourbon tea, cardamom, cognac, orgeat and lemon. You can also get unlimited prosecco for the same price. Make a reservation via Tock." - Samantha Nelson

"It doesn’t get any better than a “Tipsy Tea” party, and chef Carrie Nahabedian is doing it big at her Mediterranean-influenced eatery at The Gwen. You may choose from two boozy packages at Kostali: Spill the Tea or A Bit of Bubbly & Spot of Tea for 90 minutes every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Both are bottomless, with unlimited tea cocktails for the former and all-you-can-drink prosecco or traditional tea for the latter. The idea of infinite No Drama Llamas (high mountain mango tea-infused macchu pisco, ginger liqueur, lime, coconut liqueur, high mountain mango tea) sounds tempting. Each package comes with a tea tower topped with a variety of house-made sweet and savory treats like vanilla cream scones and smoked salmon toast." - Audarshia Townsend