HQ Howard Quintero

Great food. The pot roast sandwich is absolutely amazing. The chutney on it makes the sandwich. The resturant has a nice clean atmosphere. The bartender Nelly is very nice and welcoming. Will definitely become one of my regular spots.

This place is a GEM! Great brunch but even better dinner! Amazing bites you don’t want to pass up are the cheese bites, and the buffalo chicken wrap is to die for! My sweetie had the prosciutto wrapped pork loin and loved it! Also, the blueberry sangria is AWESOME!!! I totally recommend HQ for anyone who loves food!

My fiancé and I had dinner here recently as we like to find new places to try! The food was fantastic! We shared a bunch of things and everything came out delicious. We got the kale salad, the bacon wrapped jalapeños, and a spicy pasta. For dessert we shared the banana foster. Yum! Highly recommend!

We live in the neighborhood and this is our go to place. The kale salad was spectacular and the airplane chicken will make your taste buds soar (pun intended)

Had the stuffed jalepeños peppers, they are to die for. Also had the meetloaf. Great flavor awesome presentation! Highly recommend this place.

I had a date here because he lived in the area but I had no clue about this place other then the raving reviews. When I arrived on a Friday night for dinner, there were a few patrons at the bar. The location is off of a main road and is not flashy from the outside. Inside it is a nice little restaurant with a nice bar in the front. The bartenders were very nice and recommended the Brewery vivant undertaker beer which was awesome and now my favorite beer. I had the pork loon carrots and potato strings which was good and the server left is alone for the most part. Nice experience but I have to wonder if the reviews are a little inflated… maybe from an event or by friends of the establishment???

This place is an absolute gem.
We went to celebrate a family members birthday and we couldn’t have gone to a better place. The service was excellent! We actually were served by the owners wife who was wonderful. The appetizers were phenomenal! We tried the jalapenos wrapped in candied bacon and they were so delicious. A perfect blend between spicy, sweet, and savory. The short ribs are very decadent and the mashed potatoes with the horseradish is the perfect complement. I actually don’t usually like horseradish but this was the perfect balance!
We had the owner, Eduardo Quintero, come out at the end of the meal and he talked to us for a while also which was really nice. We will definitely be coming here more often especially because they change up their menu depending on what is in season so that everything is fresh. The chef is definitely a hero in the kitchen because every single thing we had was delicious.
This is a top knot restaurant bringing value to the neighborhood.

This place was very nice on the inside, somewhat in the middle of no-​where in Chicago and surrounded by even less.
The bar area was very clean as was the interior. The wait staff was very courteous.
Highlight of the evening were the candied bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers… amazing! and inexpensive.
They had a very extensive drink list.
I had the Burger *HQ burger — and it was great, very tasty, not greasy. If it weren’t for my wife’s this place would have gotten 5 stars.
My wife had the Short Rib with horseradish mashed potato and kale chips. It had a very good flavor and tender and generously portioned. Kale chips were perfect, the horseradish potatoes were delicious, however, it was a bit fatty. Moreover, I am of the opinion that the short rib could have been even more tender.
Very good experience, will certainly come back if in the area, and it’s definitely worth a one-​time stop if you are outside the area!

I wanted to love this place, but I didn’t. Very friendly staff, the food was just missing something. I ordered the burger which was suppose to be spicy, but it wasn’t. For the neighborhood the prices were high and I’m not a cheap person when it comes to quality food. I want to support the neighborhood but I probably won’t be back.

OMG this place is a hidden gem totally.
Great ambience, the place is decorated beautifully.
The service was excellent.
Had the cheese appetizers awesome.
The main courses were delightful. I cannot wait to go back again and again. We are going to bring our Bucktown foodie friends and show them that our hood has got game.

I’m updating my post after the, «HQ is closed indefinitely» scare. Thankfully, they’re not closed.
I’ve dined here about eight times since HQ opened. Each time, with the exception of the most recent, my dining companions & I were the only customers in the restaurant. This has always been worrisome to me, because what the chef does in the kitchen is nothing short of magical and people need to try his food (and, I don’t want this restaurant to close).
Onto the food review– The most recent visit was on Nov 21. I had the horchata spinach salad to start. It’s a dinner size portion, so I ordered it with the intention of having leftovers. I really don’t like horchata as a beverage. I find it way too sweet. But, as an ingredient (or at least its flavors) in a salad dressing, it’s delicious! Combined with leafy fresh spinach, parsnips, apples, etc., this is a flavorful salad. For my entrée, I had the pasta in a spicy vodka sauce. Delicious! Spicy is right! I enjoy spicy food and this fit the bill. Again, I had leftovers. Yum! My dining companions had the following: Caesar salad & short ribs and fire roasted vegetables & Moroccan eggplant tagine. My take on their meals (yes, I tried bites): the Caesar salad is a traditional Mexican Caesar salad. You will be disappointed if you’re expecting thick bottled Caesar dressing. HQ’s take is heavy on anchovy flavor. Thankfully, this traditional preparation is the preferred taste and it was thoroughly enjoyed. The short ribs were delicious. The meat was super tender and moist (I hate that word) and the gravy flavorful. The horseradish mashed potatoes were excellent. The horseradish was not overpowering, but was very present. The fire roasted vegetables were tasty. I particularly enjoyed the roasted brussel sprouts. The tagine with couscous had a robust flavor. It’s a vegetarian dish, but is hearty and delicious.
We tried a couple of HQ’s specialty cocktails. All were tasty. My take on cocktails is you either like them or you don’t based on your own liquor preferences. So, my suggestion is if you like gin based drinks, order a gin based cocktail, you won’t be disappointed. We skipped on ordering desserts because we were already gluttonous.
Overall, a top notch meal with great service. I can’t wait to go back!

Consistently delicious, wonderful service and great atmosphere. We are very picky about brunch and HQ has not let us down, even my kids love it there. Seems that its always a bit quiet when we are in and I really hope that the neighborhood embraces HQ so its more than just a hidden gem.

A most excellent weekend brunch in a neighborhood with few options. I had a scotch egg, which was uniquely superb, and the pork fried steak, which was great. Excellent gravy! My nieces had a crêpe which was perfectly prepared. I declined eggs with my pork so they didn’t charge me for my side of bacon.
Get down and check it out irving parker’s!

Came here on a Monday night and sadly the place was empty, but Im hoping thats just bc of the weather bc Im a big fan of nicer places opening up in my neighborhood. I had the lox appetizer and it was great, the flavors went well together and the salmon and capers were not overpowering as they sometimes can be. Then I got the braised short rib and it was enormous! The meat was tender and fell off the bone, it was fantastic. It came with horseradish mashed potatoes which were overpowering. Probably good if you’re a big fan of horseradish bit i couldn’t handle it. Also on the plate was some flash fried kale which was way too oily for me. Overall, I was pleased with the meal and plan to be back.

GREAT place! Dined there for the second time last night and we will be back! We have now had the pot roast sandwich (sans bread), the Lox (a really special appetizer), the roasted vegetables, airline chicken (tender, moist with a great canelli bean and mushroom side) and the bananas foster desert and have been extremely pleased with the taste, preparation and presentation of all dishes. Great beer list (many local brews), decent wine list with fair prices on all. Easy, free street parking, too!
Visit Phil Howard (the H) and Edwardo Quintero’s (the Q) restaurant and you won’t be disappointed! Go for bruch, drinks and apps after work at the bar, or for a full dinner. Let’s help these independent business people succeed in our neighborhood!!!

What I admire most about Howard Quintero is the determination and risk involved in opening a nicer restaurant in Irving Park. The food and service are both very good, and i’ll definitely be returning to try the pot roast sandwich and their brunch menu.
The atmosphere is cozy, with dim lighting and music playing at a reasonable level. The space was completely redone from the last restaurant here, and it looks good. Definitely a good date place. Laid-​back friendly service, eager to please.
The menu is somewhat small but very well executed. Veggie burger was unique, with an addition of smoked paprika in the mix (just an educated guess). Short ribs were good, the sides were exceptional. Mashed potatoes and crispy kale were delicious, an app of kale chips prepared this way would be a great menu addition. Overall dinner was very satisfying, i’d return again.
I really hope everyone in the neighborhood supports them and realizes the need for local independent businesses like this one. HQ is doing a great job.

Excellent food! I had both dinner and brunch at this local restaurant. High quality dishes and amazing ingredients. Staff was awesome and very welcoming. I will be back and I’m looking forward to trying more of their upcoming creations.

Solid 4 stars. Great place with dinner options to please most everyone. Burgers, pasta, steak, and all very good. My sleeper pick was the truffled Mac and Cheese. So creamy and rich it was orgasmic. Must try here. Also tried the pot roast sandwich and the pesto pasta with shrimp. Delicious.
End the dinner with a bananas foster and your done for the night. This rich delicious dessert is worth the Calories.
Atmospheric is cosy and approachable. Beer, wine, and cocktail selection is quite good too.
Can’t wait to come back.

First of all, LOVE that this business is taking a chance opening in this neighborhood. I hope more people go check it out so that it is able to stay around and figure out its niche for the area. I think there is definitely a place for it here!
I’ve been here twice in one week. Both times there was one really outstanding thing to be had and everything else was good.
Brunch — The outstanding dish was the country fried pork. It was amazing! The other dish we had at this meal was the avocado eggs benedict which was fine but needed a little something. Might I suggest some crumbled bacon on top? On the plus side: Brunch cocktails are very reasonably priced.
Dinner — The outstanding dish at this meal was a starter — the smoked lox cracker. As good as anything I’ve had at a downtown restaurant. The taste/​texture everything was spot on. Everything else we had, again was, good. The entrees sort of had the feel of something that we could have made at home. So much attention was paid to the flavors and elements of the appetizer the entrees were a little bit of a let down.
Fingers crossed this place hangs in there and in the process fine tunes their already promising menu! Good luck guys!

Want to go upscale? go low-​key? grab a nice cocktail, or play trivia with Geeks Who Drink on Thursday night?
HQ seems to do it all. It’s an interesting spot and fills the void in this relatively lackluster area for nice places to eat.
Stopping by for dinner early means we had fresh hot, complimentary bread and butter. Perfect timing, fresh out of the oven hot, mmm!
Pot roast sandwich with sweet onion jam is like a gourmet version of a Philly cheesesteak with portions that can easily be shared. Moroccan eggplant tagine is a nice option for vegetarians, but seems to be missing something — meat? lol. Also, you can add sides for $ 5, so I wanted to try the Truffled Mac & Cheese. I found it to be a bit salty. Either way, I liked that you add sides and not take them away… so we can still keep our fries. There was a lot of food and I definitely took some home.
I know many will say they can’t quite categorize this place, but think of it as having options. The history of this place is interesting and our server, which may have been the owner, is super easy to talk to. I hope these guys stick around, especially that pot roast sandwich is still lingering in my mind, very well made.