Something’s HAPPening Elite Event @ The Happ Inn

You can’t get lost getting to Happ Inn. It’s right on Happ Road, after all, and just steps from the police station (just off the Edens Expway, westbound off Willow Rd. or via the «scenic drive» from the Lake St. exit). For this Elite event, since we weren’t in the restaurant proper, we got to use a special events entrance just to the south of the main doors. The standouts of the evening, in terms of food & drinks, were the pricky pear margaritas, the yummy shrimp tacos from Nano Taco across the road, and their fabulous guacamole and chips! There were also the endless trays of stuffed mushrooms! Peter and I wound up toasting the evening with our cups of the butternut squash soup (perfect for the early Fall chill!). The other standouts were the great Unilocalers who attended, Happ’s marvelous crew of servers and hosts, and of course, Angela and her helpers, who organized the whole event, including fun Unilocal tchotchkes to take home.

Another awesome experience with a great group of Unilocalers! Angela set us up with the great owners of this place in Northfield where we met in the private bar and meeting room in back.
We we offered a buffet of delicious flatbreads, pulled pork sliders on eggy little brioches, along with the Inn’s signature fresh quacamole. Add personal servers with silver trays of stuffed mushrooms, tilapia ceviche, butternut squash soup tastings, & crispy camarones tacos, and we were set for the evening on food. As for beverages, there were an assortment of wines, beers and their house signature prickly pear margaritas to wash everything down.
Next was a demonstration of how to make the signature guacamole with tips and tricks for making it at home. We had a couple of giveaways, and I walked out with a super cool molcajete (Mexican mortar and pestle) to make the guac at home. Then there’s the Unilocal swag: mints, bottle openers, chapstick, gloves, beer glasses and candy. It’s all great for the taking!
The best part of these events, however, will always be the new, enthusiastic Unilocalers I get to meet. The Elite crew is a great crowd. They’re not shy, super smart, very friendly and an overall good-​time group. It’s always a fun party. Wallflowers need not apply!

Another great event courtesy of Angela!
The restaurant features a mostly American cuisine, but a lot of Latin influence thanks to the chef. The shrimp tacos and guacamole were by far the best things to have, followed closely by the stuffed mushrooms and the butternut squash soup.
The magaritas were nice and stiff, and the pink color didn’t make me feel less masculine.
Thank you for a wonderful evening in Northfield!

Lovely gathering of the North Shore Unilocal crew! I had such a great time. This event was thoughtfully planned out from beginning to end — thanks to Angela the everso sweet community manager and the team at Happ Inn.
This is my first time venture to a North Shore Unilocal event. Everyone was incredibly friendly and just sought to have a good time. Plenty of food and drinks. Zach the bartender poured throughout the night and got to know all of us with the help of these name tags.
Crispy shrimp tacos, stuffed mushrooms, butternut squash soup were bussed around the room, while 3 different kinds of flatbread, guacomole, pulled pork sat at the food table. I could not stop eating those tacos and finding myself hard to resist… just ONE more.
If that wasn’t enough, a demo by the chef entertained us with his skills and trivia and a Halloween candy glass to end the night. Fantastic event!!!

Great restaurant and great event!
Thanks Angela for putting together such an amazing night. My friend and I had a great time.
The food here was amazing and the service was great. Can’t wait to come back here for dinner.

Had a good time at The Happ — thx NS Elite!
Munchies included stuffed mushrooms, fish tacos, mini pork sliders, flat bread pizza and fresh guacamole and chips. Featured beverage of the night was the prickly pear margarita — yum! As well as some yummy beers to choose from.
Bling Bling fun thing things to take home — can’t wait to use my Unilocal bottle opener.
The party room at The Happ worked extremely well, you would never know there was a busy restaurant just outside the room, close to the bathrooms, with it’s own bar lounge.
The service was great and we were treated to a meet and greet with the chef and owner and a live guacamole presentation.
Raffle prizes and I learned something new, did not know that The Happ owned Taco Nano.
My wife and I have been to The Happ before and are fans. My personal fave food item is the cuban sandwhich.
Thx again to The Happ and Unilocal NS Elite for hosting this event — good times, good times.

As usual Angela has organized a great eent for all of us. I honestly never set foot in Northfield, not because of bias, but because I really didn’t know what this area has to offer. So that was already a plus of this location.
The selection of food… wow they weren’t messing around. By far the tacos made with fried shrimp were my favorite. Crispy and not a standard taco. There was plenty of raddish in there which just added to the yummyness (that is a real word, I promise).
I also enjoyed the butternut squash soup, the guacamole, and the various flatbread pizzas. The pulled pork sliders were ok. I take my bbq very seriously so don’t let my review make you not want to eat them.
The beers were beers, I really cannot review the quality of a bottle of beer that the bartender just served me. But they did have Laganitas IPA which I enjoy, so that was a plus for their selection. I also sampled their cactus pear margarita. It was a little sweet, but not overly sweet. I enjoyed it in all its pink glory.
Finally one of the chefs showed us how he makes his guacamole. While there weren’t any crazy tricks, it was just fresh ingredients and mizzed to the proper amount. Tasted good.
I’m pretty sure this has convinced me to come back another time.

This was my first North Shore Unilocal event and I have to say that Angela and the Happ Inn staff did a great job. This was a more intimate event than most of the Chicago events that I’ve been to with probably no more than fifty people. There were two bartenders so there were no drink lines and there were passed appetizers as well as a table that always had food on it, even at the end of the event!
The featured cocktail was the Prickly Pear Margarita and it was delicious! Of the many food choices, my favorite were the shrimp tacos and the pulled pork sliders. I had a couple of each plus sampled the flatbread pizza, guacamole and chips and tilapia ceviche, which were also good.
It was nice to meet some new people as well as talk to some old friends. This was a great event.

What a great, relaxing event!
I came alone (long story) after a very rough, tiring day. Everyone was very welcoming, and I never felt like the third wheel. I tend to like the North Shore events the most because they tend to be casual, welcoming affairs. When I arrived, the staff ushered me in like an old friend.
The food was downright excellent. My favorites had to be the butternut squash soup shooters and the shrimp tacos. Those were some of the best shrimp tacos I have had in a long time. I can’t forget to mention the bartenders as well. They were really on top of their game and knowledgeable about their drinks. The prickly pear margarita was worth my 1 — 2 drink per week restriction.
Thanks Angela for a great evening!

What a great place to gather some awesome people to enjoy incredibly delicious food!
Special thanks to Angela, for putting this Unilocal event together!
I really enjoyed the tilapia civiche and butternut squash soup– they standout as memorable amid all the yummy appetizers. Hands down, the crispy shrimp tacos stole my heart (via my tummy)
Exceptional service by Zach and the tour by chef Freddy was an unexpected and much appreciated surprise!
This was my first elite event, and I can’t wait for the next one! Such a privilege and honor to be a part of!

Thank you Unilocal team for a wonderful event. Happ Inn is a favorite spot of ours. Loved the guacamole demo! The munchies and atmosphere made for a wonderful night.

Delicious food (that never stopped!), amazing guac, yummy drinks, awesome guac presentation, and great crowd. One of the better Unilocal Elite events I’ve attended!

What a perfect Elite event! The menu, service, and hospitality were superb! Carlos, Freddie, and TJ were gracious and amply filled my tummy many times over. The bar was overflowing with beer, wines, and their special ‘prickly pear’ margarita which was delightful!
They served the best guacamole with hearty chips, pulled pork sandwiches, 3 different kinds of flatbreads, ceviche, and scrumptious shrimp tacos from Taco Nanos. I almost forget the stuffed mushrooms… so savory.
Chef Freddie demonstrated how to make the perfect guacamole. The only thing I’m missing is the molcajete which lucky Kenneth received for guessing right on how many pounds of guacamole was served during the last Super Bowl…8,000,000!
Great giveaways were had by 3 lucky Unilocalers to dine at the Happ Inn & Taco Nano as well as fun Halloween goodies for all. Great night! Thanks Angela for a lovely evening!

My friends and I had an absolutely wonderful time. The entire staff was very welcoming & friendly throughout the night. The food (ceviche, guacamole & chips, flatbreads, shrimp tacos & delicious stuffed mushrooms) and drinks (beer, wine, & prickly pear drinks) were great! They had a guacamole making presentation by the chef, three gift cards as a raffle prize, a molcajete as a prize for answering Chef Freddy’s trivia question, and tons of cute Unilocal swag :)
Thank you Angela & Unilocal for such a great event and thanks to everyone who came and said hello to this shy goofball :)