Exposure Restaurant & Lounge

Ha ha! I am not surprised this place closed. This place was all over the place. Whoever put this restaurant together was desperate to keep it open. Too many genre’s going on here. They had Tapas and then Jazz and Blues. How do these mesh together? Then they totally changed the restaurant to something called Utopia which was Carribean Cuisine which was worse. My friends had bet the over/​under when this place was going to close. And a name like Exposure? You should have named it Strange’ like from Boomerang! Lol. Glad it closed so something new can go in here.

Better service after changed owner!
Totally change,
I think some menu same as before «Exposure» but service is not same.
Much much better service right now so, definitely I will back this place some time soon.

Let’s start with the good because I always try and find something nice to say.
— The bathroom is nice. Done.
Okay, now on with the review. This is my 3^rd time at exposure. I went when it first opened and I thought it was nice. The second time was for a birthday party and I noticed a signifigant decline in the establishment itself. All of a suddent it turned into a club and they were playing Lil Wayne and it was extremely hot and sweaty.
This brings me to my third visit which occured tonight. It was pretty terrible. We had a horrible server named Kira a.k.a «Kiki» with an extra long ponytail who was awful. We waited over 30 minutes for her to ask us for drinks. She missed several items in our order, and was too busy paying attention to her boyfriend to bother checking on us to refill our drinks. She also added a 20% gratuity to the bill for her complete lack of service which is not mentioned on the menu. When we asked the manager Toni about it she said it’s at the servers discretion to add the 20% to our bill???
To summarize our food wasn’t so great, the service was beyond TERRIBLE and this place is going downhill quickly. It’s sad because I try my best to support neighborhood establishments, especially those managed by minorities. I think this place will be closed before the year is up. I’ll be trying out the new Tapas place that will be opening in Solo’s old location on 17^th and State.
P.S.
All the menus had a typo. Someone didn’t bother to spellcheck «Housee Salad».

I’ve read a lot of the so-​so to piss-​poor reviews of Exposure and I can’t say that I disagree with some of the assessments.
But I maintain that they get four stars. Here’s why:
– Well, first, I’ve always been treated extremely well and had great food here.
– Second, I think they recognized their limitation as just a «small plates» restaurant and smartly chose to expand to the «supper club» concept. As a tapas joint, it doesn’t stand up to the better ones in the city. But as a «supper club» with a variety of events as well as the standout dishes they offer, it works quite well.
Management accomodated a group I’m affiliated with holding a private party there on a Monday night, when they are not normally open, and it was a smash hit. We were all appreciative of the great hospitality and effort to make us happy. It ain’t Emilio’s or Café Iberico and if you think you’re getting that, you’ll be disappointed. If you take in what they do offer and do well, you’ll be pleased.
– Third, the calamari is STILL a killer. You must have it. Now!
– Finally, it’s a great addition to the Wabash Corridor, and compared to, say, Mercat a la Planxa, very reasonably priced.

This is my first time reviewing anything on Unilocal.But I felt compelled to give my first review to Exposure. Where do I begin. I came to Exposure to meet up with co workers and friends to do a send off for a co worker. We hung out at the bar area of the restaurant and had a good time talking. Initially I wanted to totally like this place but it needs some work.
Why does this place score 2 stars from me? First off the only reason this place got a second star was because the bathroom was stellar. The first star was for the fact the music and atmosphere was nice. But for everything else I expected much better. Some of the tapas and food are overpriced and not so good. The crunchy calamari salad was a hot mess. Not fresh and too sweet. If you eat calamari enough you know the difference. Dousing it with ultra sweet sauce to cover it up is not gonna fly. I couldn’t even finish it. That in itself is rare. Too much Crème Brulee. I don’t need all that. Keep it classy and small. Not supersized and in a huge cappucino mug.
At the end of the night I was looking for someone at coat check so I could get my bag. The same ponytailed bartender that served our drinks volunteered to get my bag. Which I thanked him for. He was getting ready to give me something else out of coat check when I saw my bag off to the side and pointed to it nicely thinking he was gonna hand it to me. And looks at me like I’m supposed to pick it up. I ask him to hand it to me and he cops an attitude. I don’t know if I was supposed to take this whole episode as bad sarcasm or what. I didn’t get into an argument about it. I would suggest if you don’t want to further lose customers get rid of JERK bartenders. This incident knocked off another star or two I could have given. Then as a bad joke or insult he puts a box on my head. No one deserves a bartender putting a box on their head and this after giving a 20% tip.
Yes this what he did.
Truthfully I’m astonished to see some high reviews here. Either I was there on a really off night or this kinda of unprofessional service happens a lot but people are too busy having fun with their friends or date to notice. As much as I wanted to like this place it’s disappointing. Some changes need to be made here before I think about heading back. Which is sad because this place is close to my work.

This place has a bit of an identity crisis, but no one will say ‘it ain’t interesting’. The décor is kinda busy, but a relaxed space. The food is good and interesting, but lower on the value scale (a bit pricey for what you’re getting). Service has always been friendly and efficient, and the bar menu is also changing with some creative choices on cocktails.
Worth a look if you’re a South Looper, but you’ll probably be happier next door at Zapatista or Opera.

Have to agree with the other reviewers, just basically a hodge podge of appetizers. Drink service was way too slow (our 3^rd appetizer arrived before the mojitos did).
And, as someone else noted, it was DEAD out front compared to Zappy’s next door (hmm…)

We’re new to the SoLo, and I have to say that this experience left us baffled by the check and disappointed in our cocktails and the service. It was a hot, hot night in August and after a rough week at work, both of us wanted to be a little pampered. We took a seat on the patio, citing people watching as our top hobby, and weren’t disappointed with the ambiance.
But our drinks were amateur, and the food was hit or miss. That said, if the bill were around $ 100, we would be able to swallow our pride along with the gnocchi we ate. But it was a whopping $ 160, and we only had one cocktail each, salads and three tapas. Huh?!
There are so many other options in SoLo, in fact, just doors down. In my opinion, there’s a reason it’s easy to get a table at Exposure. It’s just completely unremarkable. Which is fine, but not for a couple c-​notes.

Okay, so maybe I’m a little biased, being a SoLo resident and all, but this is by far the best restaurant we’ve got in my opinion. Apart from Bongo Room, the other places on our little Wabash «restaurant row» have only seen me once over the past 6 years!
Anyway, I’ve been on a Sunday late afternoon when the place was empty, as well as on a hoppin’ Friday night for a singles’ mixer in the lounge. Both times were stellar! When dining, we had the attentive Brian waiting on us and giving us great conversation. In fact, both times I’ve been, I’ve had nothing but pleasantries from waitresses/​hostesses, etc.
Typically, when I think tapas, I think Spanish, and the menu definitely wasn’t Spanish, but heck, it’s still a variety of small, savory snacks. I wanted to order the whole menu, but the hot tapas are the best! Good variety with elements that give them a little «extra». My favs are the pulled pork sandwich, the chicken satay with a little kick, and I’m totally strung out on the truffle fries! It’s taken me 36 years to stumble upon such yum? Now the wok charred edamame? Not so much yum. Just keep it simply salted and loose the spicy stuff.
The Mojitos (both in rasberry, strawberry or mixed) are tasty and made just right. But be warned, you’d better let the bartender know to be easy on the alcohol if you don’t like your drinks strong.
Great place to go after a date for a late-​night snack or just for dinner. My favorite little happy place in the SoLo hood.

I’ve been here a few times, both for drinks and for dinner. This place is open a little later than most of the restaurants in the area, so I often end up here by default. It’s not that expensive, they have a nice outdoor dining area and the inside is pretty sexy looking.
Their truffle fries are to die for. I’ve also had the mussels, which were acceptable, but not the freshest ever. The pulled pork sandwich was tender and mouthwatering. Everything else I’ve tried on the menu was pretty good.
The only real problem I have with this place is the service. The servers, while friendly, are usually really inattentive… even when it’s not that busy. I would definitely add another star (maybe 2) if they worked harder on improving the service.

Ok, so this really isn’t a true tapas bar. It’s more like a list of appetizers. The morroccan lamb lollipops were the only thing I tasted. pretty good.
The waiter was the sweetest man ever to keep me in strong whiskey drinks all night. Oh, but boy did I pay for it later. My night was summed up like this…
Met Sean for dinner, ate too little, drank way too much, got yelled at for missing the last train, stumbled back to my friends apt, fell asleep, woke up thinking I was back in LA and ran to catch the early morning train back to Indiana! Good times!
I will be back here to taste more of the menu and must make sure to sip more water between drinks!

After hearing about Exposure from a girl in one of my classes a friend and I decided to try it out one Thursday night. We ordered a delicious fondue that I can’t remember the combination. I ordered the teriyaki steak skewers which were absolutely amazing with the horseradish sauce they came with and my friend got a pretty delicious looking salad. The fondue was amazing with the apples, pears, broccoli, mushrooms, and bread that it came with. Our waiter was very nice and attentive. They were good with refilling our drinks. I also loved the ambiance and the interior, and I’m planning on going back to try even more of the menu.
UPDATE:
Exposure now serves brunch. We actually had the same waiter who was incredible. The service was friendly and prompt and it was the only restaurant within 2 miles without a wait over an hour. Actually, there was no wait. There brunch menu is extremely limited, but because eggs benedict is pretty much my favorite food and they had three different kinds I was happy. Both were served with their potatoes au gratin which were also absolutely delicious. I was happy with it. Also, their bread pudding is ABSOLUTELY to die for. Breakfast was EXTREMELY expensive though. Regular eggs benedict and the filet benedict were both 15 dollars which is the only reason they lose a star. I can go to any of the other brunch places in the S. Loop and get eggs benedict for 8 dollars.

I’m quite sorry to see poor reviews here. i had a fantastic time! I had:
–bacon wrapped dates with asian slaw and red pepper sauce. good stuff. i have made these before but not with the dipping sauce.
–chicken satay skewers. these are made with thigh meat. ours weren’t undercooked. I thought using the dark meat made them much more flavorful than breast meat.
–crab cakes – one of the highlights. they have a slight kick to them.
–fontina fondue with veggies and bread.
–crab and tomato bisque – this is fantastic. one of teh best parts of the meal.
–truffle french fries. They come with two fantastic dipping sauces.
–beef teriyaki. I only had one bite so i can’t really speak on these, but my partner loved them.
We also drank mojitos that I thought were well mixed.
if you want the most bang for your buck, stick with the vegetarian items. Their servings seem much larger than the meat items, at least for what we tried.
I really enjoyed myself. the music wasn’t so loud that you couldn’t hear the conversation going on but you still felt like at a lounge rather than a restaurant. Yes, it’s not a cheap dinner but I honestly can’t say we had one «miss» at our table, and I left completely, utterly stuffed. I would be happy to return and i’d recommend it to others.

Exposure has great ambiance and overall our group of eight had a great time while we were there. The great time has more to do with the company than the dining experience. There is potential for a great dinning experience though.
The Good — The mojitos are served in a pint glass so you get a lot of bang for your buck. The bacon wrapped dates were the consensus winner of the night. I also enjoyed the scallops and the teriyaki beef. Another table winner, but not my favorite, was the fondue. Our server was really nice, although not very attentive. The ambiance was one of the main saving graces. I felt like I was in a nightclub turned restaurant. The décor has lots of red velvet and mirrors.
The Bad — There was a tiny spider on the table when we sat down. One of our girls immediately killed it with a napkin. That’s the way we roll! Yes, we did get a replacement napkin. The sangria was terrible. In fact, it was so bad the drinks were sent back. After several tastes around the table we decided they were made with stale wine. The only disappointing dish was the steak served with foie gras. (I thought that stuff was outlawed in Chicago) We got about a 3 ounce steak that just wasn’t up to par for $ 20.
Exposure Tapas is another South Loop restaurant that is making the area a hot bed of hip spots. I’ll definitely go there again in the future to give them another try. I think in some respects we just had an off night with the spider and bad wine. Otherwise it would have been a much better review.

Exposure is on the right track, but hasn’t quite made it there yet.
Food sounds delicious on paper, but the reality doesn’t quite live up to expectations. Great presentation on most dishes, but the flavors and textures don’t match up to the visual — dishes don’t really blow you away.
Furthermore — and this is somewhat petty — I was incredibly turned off by the many spelling mistakes in their menu. «Reisling» for «Riesling»? «Parmesan Reggianno» for «Parmeggiano Reggiano»? «au piovre» for «au poivre»? If you’re being charged $ 12 per small plate of appetizers (and they’re pretty small), you want to feel like your chef is minding the details — and that to me includes the proper spelling of the dishes s/he’s preparing.
My other irritation was the dessert menu — nothing really innovative going on here: Crème brûlée with brownie bottom; strawberry shortcake ice cream sundae; bread pudding. Three versions of the same thing, more or less.
Ambiance is nice and I’m glad to see that the South Loop is finally getting something a little more hip.

I went on a Wednesday night with three of my girlfriends for 7:30 reservations. The place was suprisingly quiet. There were a just a few other tables seated.
We enjoyed all of our dishes. The 4 of us ordered 7 small plates and fondue.
Calamari — Delicious! The calamari was tender and the sauce was delicious, although it did have a bit of a kick. It was served on a bed of greens, which had some yummy treasures in it so we even picked at the greens.
Fontina Fondue — Good cheese fondue. The dippers were ok, but left a little bit to be desired.
Bacon wrapped dates — Really yummy. The only thing that would make them better is a little bit of sauce on them (like ba ba reeba).
Beef skewers — soooooo good. great dipping sauce too.
Crab cakes — good.
Au gratin potatoes — very good. My friend thought they were the best she’d ever had, they weren’t for me, but they were tasty.
Mac & Cheese — very good
The décor and live pianist created good atmosphere, but I wasn’t super excited about some of the individual decorative choices. Regardless, atmosphere was good. The only bad thing about the place was the nasty smell coming from stinky cigars being smoked in the bar area.
The service was fine. They didn’t bring us new plates until we had the fondue, which was after we’d gone through 7 small plates. I’d suggest putting enough plates for everyone to have 2 – 3 on the table, or come by more frequently and change them out. Could also improve the timing, almost everything was brought out at once. I’d suggest asking the guests how they’re eating (i.e. family style or individual plates). Dress — fashion denim or dressier for females.
I’ll definitely go back. I was really happy with the food. I wish I lived across the street from this place, I’d love to have this as carryout! One of my friends does live across the street and she’s been over there 5 – 6 times already.
Definitely give this place a try!

Another great addition to the S Loop. Went here saturday with a group of 12 for my birthday. Great Service, great food, all around amazing time. The food was spread out and the drinks were flowing. No 5 b/​c we did have to wait a few times for drinks, but we were not drinking like normal people that night :-)
Highly recommended, wonderful food and experience. Jazz/​R and B club coming soon downstairs. Cannot wait!

Overall, a great addition to the neighborhood. The dining area is small as the restaurant is bi-​level, with a downstairs music venue opening in the fall. There is a modest lounge area with couches and high tables that makes for a great place to snack or wait for a table.
We went on a Saturday night at 9pm and there were only a few tables available. The menu is extremely diverse with an assortment of hot and cold small plates. The cheese fondue is very good, we ordered gruyère with a side of truffled french fries for dipping. It was a very good combination. The calamari was a bit soggy but had a nice kick to them. The lobster spring roll was fresh and very good. Only downer was the oxtail gnocchi. The gnocchi was a little overcooked but the oxtail somewhat made up for it. In the end, I think it was the combination of so many different foods that made the gnocchi as the last course a bad choice on my part.
The décor is fun and different. There are varying textures at odds that balance the room well. Only complaint is the clear glass columns they used to box in the wooden beams. This space is very tight to begin with and the additional girth on the columns only add to the problem (the waitstaff kept walking between the tables and nearly knocking over our glasses, very disconcerting).
At around 10.30, live jazz came on and they were fantastic. A great surprise to the evening.

We went to Exposure for a late-​night drink and appetizer, and our overall experience was wonderful.
Food: The spicy calamari was tender and delicious, with just the right amount of heat. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate fondue. The chocolate was perfectly blended, not too thick and not too runny for dipping. It was a heavenly treat, especially the vanilla/​toffee cake they serve it with. (Watch out — it’s addictive.) Drinks were good and very strong. We thought everything was reasonably priced too, which made the dining/​drinking experience that much better.
Service: Our service was outstanding. Everyone from the hostess who greeted us to the busboy that cleared the tables was helpful and friendly, and they all seemed genuinely happy to be working there.
Music: The best part of the night was the live jazz band. They were amazing, and it really gave the whole place a laid-​back, club-​like feel.
Décor: For still being «in progress,» the place looks great. Velvet red walls, lots of mirrors and glass. A sultry kind of look. The hostess told us they are working with local artists to put art installations on the walls and possibly host «gallery nights.» A great idea. Also, the lower level is still under construction and will soon be a live music club, with the upstairs being devoted solely to dining. We can’t wait for the club to open!
Bottom Line: The South Loop needs more places like Exposure. We will be back!

I confess. I am an aging, spoiled prima donna. If I could, I would spend my days getting facials and my nights sipping cocktails at lovely little places like Exposure. I’ve dined here several times, and each experience has been better than the last. The drinks were quite good… and very reasonably priced. I also enjoyed the food… unlike some tapas restaurants, the servings are actually large enough to satisfy your hunger. The bacon wrapped dates are almost orgasmic, with a spicy remoulade and a fabulous salad mixture. The lyonnaise potaotes are worth a third, fourth and fifth trip and the spicy calamari is beyond description. Lightly battered and crispy, but not over done.
I think I am in love…