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312 Eats
Streeterville · $

Pinched on the River

4.3725 reviews ·Opentil 9 tonight
Summertime in Chicago is all about Al Fresco, and having drinks and food and pinched on the river is a must
jane valjane val · 581 Google reviews
Read the reviews on Google →

Pinched on the River — a food spot in Streeterville. Good service that doesn't feel rehearsed, and vegetarian-friendly. [$, patio]

🌱Vegan & vegetarian friendly — real options, not one sad pasta.
☀️Patio — a Streeterville classic in summer.

What 725 diners keep saying

Fast serviceCozyOutdoor diningQuick bite
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Reserve on OpenTable
443 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611
Streeterville
Today11AM-9PM
Sun–Thu11AM-9PM
Fri–Sat11AM-10PM
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What 725 diners keep saying

verbatim, from Google
Review photo by Kevin Kirst
Jul 2026

Excellent dinner with my daughter at Pinched on the River”. Service staff was kind, prompt and attentive. I had the Mediterranean Pasta dish with chicken… it tasted fresh, unique and just wonderful! My daughter shared the falafel was great. We entered from the street on the upper level and was simply taken aback by how beautiful the outside seating was. Staff was able to shift us from inside to outside. So glad the did, because it was heavenly outside. Elevated the meal to an experience. Highly recommend!

Kevin Kirst

Kevin Kirst

99 reviews on Google

Review photo by Nate Barth
Jul 2026

The espresso martinis were amazing, and the food was just as delicious. Stefan and Mily were both fantastic. Even after we changed sections, they continued to take great care of us and made sure we had everything we needed. Their attentiveness and friendly service made our experience even better. The beautiful outdoor seating was the perfect finishing touch.

Nate Barth

Nate Barth

7 reviews on Google

Review photo by Bethany Mitchell
Jul 2026

Our server Millie, was absolutely outstanding! She was knowledgeable, attentive, friendly, and made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived. She gave excellent recommendations, checked on us at just the right times, and made the entire dining experience even more enjoyable. The food was amazing, every dish was fresh, and flavorful. The outdoor patio is gorgeous and creates the perfect atmosphere for a relaxing meal. Overall, we had a fantastic experience and can’t wait to come back. Highly recommend!

Bethany Mitchell

Bethany Mitchell

7 reviews on Google

Review photo by Plowhorse
Jul 2026

Chill. Great food, great drnks, and a low key place on the Chicago River to let an afternoon ease by. The service is very attentive and polite, and welcoming to our dog as well. Mediterranean is the menu but think more eastern side of the Med - so a little Arabic flair that ups the taste.

Plowhorse

Plowhorse

292 reviews on Google

Review photo by Corey Raines
Jun 2026

Spicy chicken sandwich was great hands down the best I have ever had.

Corey Raines

Corey Raines

44 reviews on Google

Review photo by Paige Knight
Jun 2026

This was incredible. Family and I had been coming here for years before we moved to Florida 4 years ago, but today our plane landed and we decided the first place we had to go to was pinched. I asked in the car ride over if we thought the owner would be there, because she always was at the original location in Lombard. She was! The food was as incredible as it was before & the chips and dessert were phenomenal. The location is BEAUTIFUL and the atmosphere was fantastic. She remembered our family and we had such a great time.

Paige Knight

Paige Knight

18 reviews on Google

Review photo by Diamond Taylor
May 2026

My dad and I decided to give this place a try on a busy Friday afternoon. The food was great, and our server, Stefan (I believe, my apologies if I misspelled it), was extremely patient and hardworking! I tried the chicken shawarma, and it was perfect!

Diamond Taylor

Diamond Taylor

2 reviews on Google

Review photo by Kim Lee
Oct 2025

1st time here and I live in the area. Food was delicious. I had falafel, salad, roasted pepper hummus,Mediterranean salad with an angry orchard. I love the outside seating on the river

Kim Lee

Kim Lee

41 reviews on Google

Review photo by Maxim Dolinskiy
Oct 2025

Phenomenal service and delicious food. I had my post graduation dinner here and we were blown away with the service. The location of the restaurant is great as well, if you get a chance to sit outside make sure to! Make sure to make dinner reservations!

Maxim Dolinskiy

Maxim Dolinskiy

80 reviews on Google

Review photo by Marguerite Wright
Oct 2025

I had a wonderful time for my birthday! Glad my daughter suggested it.

Marguerite Wright

Marguerite Wright

44 reviews on Google

Review photo by Jacob Crawford
Sep 2025

Food was so fresh, homemade, with the perfect portioning of ingredients. Dined alfresco which was perfectly shaded with trees with a view overlooking the water. What a calming & inviting feng shui. Highly recommend their homemade beignet.

Jacob Crawford

Jacob Crawford

66 reviews on Google

Review photo by jane val
Sep 2025

Summertime in Chicago is all about Al Fresco, and having drinks and food and pinched on the river is a must! As the name implies this restaurant is right on the chicago river. The view is gorgeous and the food and drinks are heavenly. Although pinched by the river has a chic and elegant dining area with a big beautiful bar indoors for those cold winter days, summer time at Pinched On The River can't be beat. For drinks we tried the Mango Maria and the Watermelon Margarita. So refreshing! We sstart with the Mushroom Pasta Flatbread and the Mediterranean Fish Tacos for our appetizers. For our main entrees, we had the Poseidon Bowl (anazing!) and the Chicken Mushroom Pesto Pasta. The pesto was so good, I wanted more of it. The deserts were outstanding and enough for 2 people each. Sea salt caramel cheesecake (so decadent) and the Beignets Charcuterie, just like the ones we had in new orleans. Be sure to eat them warm. It's gorgeous here relaxing, and comfortable, has great food and drinks with exceptional service! What more could you ask for?

jane val

jane val

603 reviews on Google

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