Sepia Restaurant Review

My favorite Chicago restaurant. Chef matches flavors perfectly and great wine selection

Fantastic staff and extremely clean. We were really impressed with how Sepia handled the dining process with virtual menus and receipts., allowing for little to no items being passed back and forth. The food was excellent and absolutely quality.

I'll preface my review by saying that the service and ambiance were great! My critique is strictly about the food!

Imagine receiving a serving of tortellini with only 4 shells of pasta in an oversized bowl, no meat. OR imagine macaroons the size of a marshmallow!

I am a foodie and consider myself to be a connoisseur of fine dining in Chicago, as I was born and raised in this city. I came to this place for New Years Eve simply because they were offering a "six- course meal" dining experience for the evening. At a whopping price of $125/ person, one would expect to leave full and satisfied. However, what we received were six TASTE PORTIONS (if you can even consider them that) of entrees from their regular menu.

Although the dishes were served separately, everything we ate could have fit onto one large plate with space to spare. The overall taste of the food left more to be desired, as there is nothing that I would absolutely have to try again. Needless to say, I left this place still hungry, dissatisfied, and $300 less wealthy than I walked in.

I love this place. The bar is completely old school and always manned by amazing bartenders who know their stuff. The food here never disappoints and the ambiance is simple, classy and elegant. Go here if you want a grown-up night on the town with a restaurant that puts their emphasis on great cuisine and impeccable service.

Perfect for a business dinner, a special date or just a great night on the town, Sepia is hands down my favorite restaurant in Chicago and never disappoints.

Nice service and well decorated chocolate moose. Desdert wine was excellent!!

The presentation of the food is exceptional and the food was probably good. They kept bringing drinks but no food. We waited an over hour and a half for the first course. We asked the server to please bring out the first course. He brought out more bread. It was the poor guys second day and he was confused. He wasn t trained and didn t have any knowledge of the menu. After 3 hours; we left without having the fourth course served. It might have been a great experience if the food would ve been brought out within a reasonable time or if the server wasn t so overwhelmed and undertrained.

I have been going to Sepia for many years and have always had a great experience- local food, unique combo s, and a speakeasy vibe. We did their takeout tonight and I felt compelled to write a review. We ordered the eggplant entree for two which came with a gazpacho soup, salad, dinner rolls, broccoli, and dessert. It was flavorful and multi-dimensional. Will definitely be ordering again.

Truly delicious. Service was impeccable and the food was absolutely delicious. Everything you'd expect of a top tier restaurant.

This place was great. Had a Quintessa wine tasting this night. Has a private room for parties. Had a drink in the restuarant and it was great.

Tried the tasting menu and 3/5 of the dishes were great. 2 were cold / undercooked / sold out; drinks were excellent as well. Even through all this Tangie was graceful and amazing. Please fix the inventory issues with food coverage and chef capability on a Saturday night. Could be a great place, but currently not enough attention paid to be worth a Michelin rating, at least for our visit.

Loved it!! Everything was incredible from the food to the service.

Beautifully presented in an understated ambience, Sepia is refined and doesn t need to try hard to excel. The team are expert and friendly, service is fluid and the quality and menu are exceptional. Highly recommended.

One star prix fixe menu that costs less than my regular hotpot dinner so yay!
Non-special food that you forget about once you leave the door, but was pretty good while you were eating.
Ok cocktail.
Waitress didn t know anything about wine but was really nice and enthusiastic!
If restaurant can update their menus more often this could be a good regular food spot!

Ok spot for tasty american food. It was so tasty. I've had nothing but pleasant experiences here and plan to keep coming back. The bill was appropriate for the quality.

Went on the restaurant week 2019. We didn t like the duck liver mousse, a little too greasy and not delicate in the flavor. I like the agnolotti and the chocolate mousse! The ocean trout is a meh, bland and doesn t have the level of surprise in sepia.

Have eaten here three times now. First two were for restaurant week and the third was regular menu. The first experience was the best. 1st review: Very good food. Visited for restaurant week, but will definitely return for the full menu. Service is great. Cocktails are great. Decor is classy.

The second two visits the service seemed cold and lacked the friendly touch I expect from not only Michelin rated, but from Midwest Chicago dining hospitality. The food from the second restaurant visit was lacking. The regular menu on the third visit was very good.

Former employee, repeat customer, every time, exceptional service and food... Drink too...

Mother's day brunch was overpriced. The extra charge for drinks drove up the cost even more. The whole experience wasn't helped by finding out someone else's tab had been added to ours. When we pointed this out it was quickly rectified. We left agreeing we should have gone to The Publican instead.

Delicious dinner! Great service! The falafel dish was a great vegetarian option. I also got roasted radish side dish which was absolutely delicious. The main dishes are not very large, so you will definitely want to have an appetizer or side of veggies as well.

Classy setting but not pretentious, refined food but accessible. Good cocktails too. Great service.

Just had lunch here, and it was excellent. Great service, great food. Portions are what they should be. Had the steelhead. Highly recommended.

Was very excited to experience all that Sepia had to offer with a friend from out of the country. Her first time in America. From the moment we walked into the restaurant (the space was utilized beautifully might I add), it felt business as usual. When I told the host of the occasion, the response was very flat and frankly not quite welcoming. We were seated and looking forward to a wonderful meal. Then the evening took an unexpected turn. I had to send my drink back as it was awful. (Later I learned that mixology makes the martini alitle differently than what I am used to). I sent it back and received pretty much the same one back. Could not drink it. The server Jason was not friendly at all. Very mater of fact and not helpful. Felt as if we were taking up his time. We decided to just order a couple of starters rather than the tasting menu (it looked exquisite). When the starters where served, I made what I thought was a funny comment about the cheeses all being from the British isles, asked if a jig came with the service. The response from the server was basically we are not a macaroni grill and u should go there if u want that kind of service. We were stunned. Made to feel as if we did not belong. I was so upset that I did not eat my dish and ask that it be taken to go. For what was to be a very special dining experience for us two foodies at an Andrew Zimmerman restaurant was utterly disappointing. The treatment was appalling. The sad part is that it was very clear we were unhappy but no one asked or took the time to figure out what was wrong. Felt as if they couldnt wait til we left. Frankly I could not get out of there fast enough. Never ever been treated that way in a fine restaurant. We ended up going to the mag mile for a meal.

Effortless dining at Sepia thanks to the impeccable team, both front and back of the house.

A wonderful restaurant experience, all but impossibly close to Ogilvie Station. I had the pancetta sandwich (a symphony of fat and flavor) along with thick fries gently fried in duck fat. My dining comopanion had the chickpea crepes. All food and drinks wer superb. The atmosphere was modern and cool. I will certainly return here when I need a treat above and beyond the average lunch.

A West Loop resident long before Fulton Market became Chicago s hottest hangout, Sepia s reopening sees the Restaurant operating in a new era of social distancing and time limits while the current $65 prix fixe may just be the Windy City s best Michelin-starred bargain.

Housed in a 19th century print shop since 2007, restaurateur Emmanuel Nony smartly recruiting Executive Chef Andrew Zimmerman in 2009 and since earning accolades from the French tire guide, JBF and Jean Banchet Awards, diners visiting Sepia in the era of Covid-19 will begin their evening with checked temperatures followed by city-mandates necessitating masks be worn any time staff approach the table with fresh serviceware or even a refill of Water.

Undeniably inconvenient, QR Code menus another anomaly amidst this temporary new normal, it is largely thanks to the room s grand appearance and gracious service that an air of refinement is retained, though the greatest part of Sepia s appeal remains attributable to Chef Zimmerman and CDC Kyle Cottle s Food.

Best classified as Contemporary American, though oftentimes globally influenced and focused on seasonal Produce, dinner began with an amuse of lemony Cucamelons amidst modernist textures, a breath of freshness quickly gone and followed by the first of two Parker Rolls that were nothing like the Boston namesake but nonetheless buttery and delicious.

A complimentary duo in terms of influence, Zimmerman s training at the French Culinary Institute and time at NoMI visible in finessed flavors while Cottle s tenure with Achatz is evidenced by manipulated textures that act to enhance rather than just show off, Foie Gras Mousse comes curved at $15 supplement, and eaten left-to-right explores Liver s ability to magnify everything from earthy Sunchoke Chips to dried Shiso and juicy Cherries.

Adding another $16 for a second plate from course two, Corn Agnolotti with Pickled Blueberries and popped Sorghum suspiciously similar to Marc Vetri s dish at Osteria Fiorella just one week prior, suffice it to say that although good it in no way compared to Chawanmushi that reminisces of Quenelles de Brochet with a velvety mouthfeel and generous amounts of Lobster.

Not about to pass on Duck, the combination of Stonefruits and Midwest Onions acting as a deft foil to complex Sauce, Dessert sees newly-acquired Pastry Chef Lauren Terrill prone to whimsy, her globally-traveled palate presenting aggressively spiced Funnel Cake with Nuts, Berries, Peaches and Citrus.

We went here for the first time during the restaurant week. Out of the whole prefix dinner menu, what we liked the best was duck liver mousse. They were very generous with the portion of the duck liver mousse. The pork loin was a bit too dry. Ocean trout was good but nothing too special.

Had a business dinner here in their private event space. The space itself is excellent and the service was solid. We had a fixed menu and I ordered the chicken and apricot tart. The salad was light and fresh but tasty. The chicken was well seasoned but a little over cooked. I did like the couscous and vegetable medley. Dessert was very tasty apricot tart but if you blinked it was gone it was so tiny. Overall, it was a tasty meal but nothing amazing.

This restaurant is perfectly fine. The atmosphere seems a bit business-y and the bar is far from hopping (I don't believe they are going for that vibe anyway) but the food was great. We ordered the chef's tasting menu and it was delicious. Warning: It was very expensive. My only real complaint was that our table of 6 was seated in an alcove in back corner of the restaurant which I thought was odd considering the majority of the restaurant was empty.

Worthy of it's Michelin star. Pleasant, unpretentious service. Enjoyed an excellent tasting menu with accompanying wine selections. Fairly priced for what you get.

Good ambiance, not very loud. Tasting menu was creative and delicious.

I went here for a client lunch and didn't want to leave. The spot is cozy and offers delicious food. The atmosphere was modern and cool. I look forward to returning with a work activity or for a special occasion.

Exquisitely imagined and executed dishes; attentive service. Easy to see why they got a Michelin star!

Happy hour is great. Good prices for great drinks. The dinner itself was ok but there were a few misteps (duck was super tough...). Not what I expected from a Michelin star restaurant. The service was ok

I believe it all starts with co-owner Donato Poto at Providence. It is clear he cares about every detail. He personally made my guests feel welcome and gave personal attention to the entire meal. He has an amazing staff who know just what to do to create a wonderful dining experience. Donato it would seem to me has hand picked the very best talent available anywhere. There is a gentleman his name was Adam who orchestrated everything to perfection, including having Donato help introduce various courses of the meal. Every detail was perfection. The outstanding reputation they have is earned every day.

A really stellar experience, our host and sommelier were fantastic, excellent services and great conversations. Went here for celebration dinner with my wife. Arrived a bit early and was able to get cocktails at the bar, truly on point. Great intimate spot, I was somewhat concerned that the smaller venue would have us right on top of our neighbors, but the spacing was great. Wonderful time!

The food is good but portion size way too small, second time I went and I m still hungry. There was no guidance for menu and they didn t give me a dessert menu. Bad service. Again food is good.

Sepia has an amazing aura - we were placed in the back room in the private dining area to host our party of 7. I thought overall the food was actually very delicious. We ordered one of every appetizer, and nearly every entree as well. What stood out:

Appetizers:
- Gnocchi was amazing
- The soup was absolutely delicious also
- Cheese/meat platters were okay

Entrees:
- The char was pretty good, although a bit small
- The steak was not bad, it's a decent choice if you like steak and aren't too particular
- The duck = BEST. Everybody who ordered it thought it was absolutely delicious

Desserts:
- The free toffee they provided was probably the best
- The pumpkin cake wasn't bad, but wasn't mind blowing with the ice cream either

I thought the service was very top notch. The only thing I didn't like was when I told them to order 1 of every appetizer and they didn't put in the order. Then I asked them if they ordered every appetizer for us, and he said no, and that we shouldn't since the soup is for one person. However, we all wanted a taste of the soup, so we ended up ordering it anyways.

Also, I was the host of the event and ordered all the wine. However, the waiter actually went to another person to ask him what wine he wanted to buy after, which I thought was awkward since I was hosting.

Overall, I think it's a great business venue, or for a date.

One of my favorite restaurants, always a pleasurable time and amazing food

I can't believe Sepia is Michelin Restaurant. I spent about 120 $ for dinner but ended up eating extremely salty clams, and other ordinary foods. The size of the foods was small, but the foods only are okay, more like something you could purchase at 40-50$. I think Sepia didn't treat this event seriously. Sepia possibly reduced the quality of foods to deal with the reduced profit.

Also, the service was terrible. We ordered Sparking water, but during the meal, waiter added plain water to our Sparking water!!! The remaining sparking water was screw up, and that's not a mistake a Michelin Restaurant should make. Plus, the manager didn't come to ask us how was the meal. The dinner was not busy at all, so I guessed the manager didn't care a lot about the Chicago Restaurant Dinner

Delicious and beautiful food. The taste is Rich and balanced, highly recommend.

Happy hour was the highlight. Drinks amd bites were fabulous. Dinner was underwhelming. Staff was excellent but I was surprised and disappointed that the dinner menu was uninspired and the food itself didn't have the finesse I expected with a Michelin star...

This place was incredible! Boyfriend surprised me for my birthday (May 13) and made us reservations for dinner. From the moment we walked in, I felt welcome and excited. We ordered a couple cocktails while deciding on food - ultimately chose the tasting menu with the wine pairings - which was the best decision! Clean plate club on everything - it was all delicious!! Would definitely come back for another date night or with friends! The decor and setting is fantastic!

The menu can be a little light, but a solid contribution to the foody scene.

Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Fantastic place for dinner and delicious seasonal cocktails. Definitely plan on returning for another meal.

trying to hard for my taste. They sacrifice tasty for exotic/exciting. So everything sounds great on paper, but just tastes okay generally... but you're paying for the paper description, not flavor...

High standards getting higher, can satisfy even the most refined palates. Each meal brings you such a tasty flavor. Wonderful interior design and professional staff. Worth every penny. Recommended

The events and the website was my initial motivation for dining at Sepia. The place was very small and the parking was limited so you are better off taking the train.The food was nice but I've had better and the service could of been better. I would recommend this place to friends as my overall assessment.

Good happy hour drink specials. Great service. Small out door patio.

Wonderful space, food, and wine list. I can actually hear my friends talk in the dining room. Lovely

Deliciously designed offerings to bridge a past-future hunger and interest.

Unremarkable food with high end prices. Three little nuggets of falafel does not make an entree.

Great restaurant! We did the tasting menu with wine pairings, and everything was perfect. Great staff and nice ambience. Not too loud, which I really appreciated.

One of the best restaurants in Chicago. Staff is very professional and catered to every need. Nice a la carte options if you don't want to do the tasting menu. Food was absolutely outstanding.

Good food and good service. Nothing in particular seems extra ordinary about this restaurant and i would return for the service and food.

Well this place was great! Food was amazing, service was amazing!

Food was decent enough. Duck was on the rare side. Service was very slow - took almost an hour to get orders in

This is a relaxing dining spot that's great for a business lunch or casual dinner with friends. Love, love the menu options.

Atmosphere is very comfortable and accommodating. Wait staff knowledgeable and very friendly. Food was exquisite. Will go back when we are in town.

american food, mmm, so good. I was super full. This place has a great atmosphere.

Always delivers a beautiful meal. Flawless really. Cocktails excellent. Not an inexpensive place for these reasons. But not as pretentious or painfully trying to be precious and exquisite as some of the newer places in the neighborhood.

Bartender Kieth has excellent selection of Tequila and scotch. Halibut was excellent, properly prepared. Relaxed atmosphere, comfortable environment. Now on my Chicago favorites list.

This place gives wonderful service as well as tasty food. My favourite place in the area. The food served quick and the rates are fair. I recommend this place.

Really good cocktails apres work, really good food apres cocktails. Definitely deserves the star.

I tried this jewel during Restaurant Week and I can t wait to go back. The flavors and portions were just right. They had a great lunch crowd and very good service. The coursed lunch was perfectly and I would recommend this place.

Five stars? the food satisfies a gourmond, its delicate, adventuresome, well prepared and interesting. The dining room is well layed out, sxcept the banguets, with generous spacing. The wine list and service was outstanding, with interesting wines by the glass which makes pairing more eventful. The wine staff is superb

Great food! Friendly staff. This is one of my go to places. I will be back

My office isn't far from Sepia, and I often have business lunches here. It is a classy environment, and the food is wonderful. It is just unique enough for out-of-towners to feel that they've had a unique experience, but not so creative that it's inaccessible. Ask for the sparkling waters/flavored sodas of the day - those are usually delicious, as is the fresh lemonade.

Great food, very nice staff members, constantly excellent ambience. They charge convenient prices and the food quality is good. Fantastic work.

Ok spot for quality American food. nice location to meet with family. the service was very sociable and kind.

still serving unique, imaginative dishes in a romantically lit dining room; all dishes are very good with a few veering into outstanding territory, including many of the flatbreads; service is polite, friendly and attentive

Favorite 1 Michelin star restaurant. Superb food and service. At decently affordable rates. Will come again, and you should too

I went for lunch and enjoyed my meal. Starter soup was good. This place is definitely big plates, small portions type of restaurant. I loved the wood around the restaurant - the entryway, the bar. Service staff was amazing and our waiter was knowledgeable. I didn't give it 5 stars because I felt the meals took a long time to come out every time. The restaurant is small but they have 2 corner tables that are a little private and secluded that are a nice option. Other than that, great experience.

Best Old Fashioned I've ever had. Great dining experience if you want a nice night out.

This place a has great happy hour. I enjoyed a few drink by myself in a setting that was much less busy than I expected. The best part is that my all time favorite cocktail, the French 75, was on their happy hour menu. I will definitely be returning another time to get the full dining experience.

Servers are great, but the food is on 2 stars. For this amount of money, you expect more delicate taste, and you just get tons of salt and pepper instead.

This was my first time ever dining at Sepia and I must say, I was impressed. Sepia is moderately priced, especially for the quality of food the are creating. The food and menu is of a different order entirely wide variety, often locally sourced, and presented creatively. The cocktail menu was, creative and the cocktails were delicious. The wine list, had some big names, but also some hidden gems. This was very cool to see. The night that I visited the restaurant was busy, and the team looked to be understaffed. The service was good, but not what I was expecting considering what I have heard about there service. Overall, my experience was great, and I look forward to returning in the future.

Only had cocktails and apps. Staff very attentive and pleasant. The food was nice, refreshing and able to accommodate a diner with restictions. Nice place to go.