EL Ideas

Request, invoice, confirmation

Request a date on OpenTable for 1 to 8 guests. The listing confirms the official site's process: if there is space, you receive an emailed invoice and payment secures the reservation. Larger parties email reservations@elideas.com. Use Notify Me if it is full.

Solo diners are welcome. We have not verified the release schedule, cancellation, rescheduling or transfer rules. Read the invoice and its terms before paying. Questions go to reservations@elideas.com or 312-226-8144.

OpenTable request and payment instructions

A food budget for two

Two dinners are 2 × $195 = $390 before tax and service. The service percentage remains unverified; read the invoice total. OpenTable describes no-corkage BYOB. Count your shop cost separately, along with any gratuity and unverified supplements.

Price and no-corkage BYOB

What to bring and what to tell them

The FAQ says "We accept almost all dietary restrictions (including vegan)," and the request form has a place to list them. Confirm the exact ingredients you avoid before reserving; this statement is not an allergy guarantee.

For drinks, the FAQ's answer starts "Whatever you love!!" and then gets specific. Start with sparkling, then a light-bodied white or red. It warns off "big/young cabs and overly-oaky/malolactic chards," and says beer pairs well too. EL Ideas works with Perman Wines, which can deliver. The site doesn't publish a menu. Ask the restaurant for bottle suggestions for your date.

FAQ with dietary and beverage advice

Find the dead-end street

EL Ideas is at 2419 W. 14th Street in Douglas Park, at 14th and Western just south of I-290. The FAQ estimates about 15 minutes from the Loop without specifying a starting point or travel conditions. Use current directions and allow for delays. Turn down the dead-end street, and the restaurant is on the first floor of the three-story building on the left. Street parking is free. There's also a lot up the little hill on the north side of the street, and the FAQ says you can park there. The no-parking signs are for events at Cinespace. As for dress, EL Ideas asks you to dress "for a night on the town as opposed to a day at the beach." The site doesn't mention step-free access.

FAQ with directions, parking and dress

OpenTable flags wheelchair access without an entrance or restroom description. Confirm the route. Age rules, dietary notice and duration remain unverified. Its hours of Tuesday through Thursday 7 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. do not establish your seating time. Our planning advice is to confirm the finish before adding another commitment.

Listing hours and access flag

Compare before booking

Schwa's prepaid offers start at two guests; EL Ideas accepts one-person requests. Two Schwa menus are $430 to $470 before tax and unverified service, versus $390 at EL Ideas on the same menu-only basis. Neither total includes what you spend on bottles.

Feld charges $540 for two with service before tax and drinks and excludes vegan dining. EL Ideas says it accepts vegan requests but requires confirmation of the exact restrictions. EL Ideas also allows no-corkage BYOB, whereas Feld permits no corkage.

Schwa · Feld

Sources and editorial approach

This is a researched planning guide, not a review of a firsthand meal. Prices and policies are those available when checked. Cost examples are our calculations with exclusions stated. Confirm the details for your date with the restaurant.

• FAQ with price, booking process, dietary, drinks and directions
• Official reservation request
• Official site and phone
• OpenTable: request, BYOB and access, September 30

Checked September 28, 2026. Send a correction with the detail and a supporting source.

Public booking listing checked September 30, 2026. We did not verify live availability or final checkout. Other sources retain the dates stated.