We loved the back bar area, the super creative bar menu (both the actual menu, and the cocktails), and the crystal clear view into the kitchen. It was mesmerizing watching the chefs at work delicately plating each delicious dish. The dishes were all beautiful and tasty. I always love a non-alcoholic pairing - as I feel it gets a lot more creative than your standard wine pairing - and this one didn’t disappoint!
We loved the back bar area, the super creative bar menu (both the actual menu, and the cocktails), and the crystal clear view into the kitchen. It was mesmerizing watching the chefs at work delicately plating each delicious dish. The dishes were all beautiful and tasty. I always love a non-alcoholic pairing - as I feel it gets a lot more creative than your standard wine pairing - and this one didn’t disappoint!
Yesterday we went with the expectation of having a first class dinner for my Birthday weekend celebration in Chicago. Unfortunately it was not like that. Starting with the way the reservation website is designed. You don't even know if you're sitting at the bar, since you don't expect in a Michelin star restaurant to sit at the bar looking at the liquors to have a dining experience. That's how it happened to me. Arriving at the restaurant with enthusiasm they sit us at the bar. I tell the waiter if we are going to stay there or is it for something specific. He tells me that I reserve the bar for dining. In fact, when I verified it was like this and we realized that the reservation form of the web, which is compartmentalized by experiences and the bar, which seemed super strange to us. I have eaten in different stars 1 and 2 and they never give us the option of a bar, you arrive for the experience. At Claudia beyond the structure of the little house that looks super charming from the outside, our experience inside was very sad. Then I ask the waiter about the tasting menu and he tells me that they don't have it only a la carte menu when on the website and the instagram profile they talk about a tasting menu of several courses. Already feeling super uncomfortable, anyway we decide to ordered some things of the menu. After a while we see that at the table behind us at bar they were offered a tasting menu and I ask the waiter again if the bar and table menus are different and he answered yes. My annoyance continues to rise and I ask him if a table is possible since there are 3 empty tables, which he answers that the chef already has the amount of food prepared for those reservations and that beyond what is already reserved he cannot do anything else beyond offering us separate menu items. I am shocked by this response. The cocktails we had were great but the communication to explain to the client is terrible in this place. They give you information incomplete and never explain us properly since the beginning was I should expect. They have no idea of hospitality. We literally left the place without eating. It's a shame that places like this exist with such a lack of service and understanding. I have no idea what industry they work for. I do not recommend it.
I wish I would have gotten a picture of the drink menu bc it was so neat! We have been to a lot of fine dining restaurants in Chicago, including Alinea, and Claudia was a cooler experience. Just perfect from beginning to end (ambiance, presentation, service (phenomenal), food quality and taste) . I don’t want to give away too much but please try this restaurant! They’re not even a year old so I’m not sure where some of these negative reviews are coming from that are 2 or more years ago. Head chef, Trevor Teich, comes to your table a few times to give some background on some of his creations and we thought that was really rare!! Thanks Claudia team for everything, y’all rock!
The Chef's table is the way to dine here! Watching the preparation up close and personal was amazing. The tasting menu is top notch. Special thanks to Chef Trevor for stopping by our table to describe one of his incredible dishes!
This meal was amazing. I was not expecting to have such a unique experience, and yet it was probably one of the best meals of my life! The atmosphere was cozy and inviting. The cocktail “Beware the Chupacabra” was not only delicious, but beautiful.My advice is to go and just trust the chef. You will try things that you had no idea could go together or taste so good. Everything was presented in such a special way and tasted so good it felt almost spiritual. (OMG the Bento Box and Lobster Pie!!)I also have to mention the impeccable service. It felt choreographed it was so perfect. Truly a “must go” destination in Chicago.
I cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience at CLAUDIA. Not only was the food and the ambience spectacular, but every member of the staff and kitchen was commitment to providing true fine dining. Thank you to Dylan for going above and beyond to make our experience memorable. I will be coming back to CLAUDIA and recommending to everyone I know!
I walk by this place all the time and had no idea that it's a restaurant. We did the chef's table and it was excellent. Tasting menus typically have a course or two that I don't like but not at Claudia. At the end of the night I had trouble picking a favorite from all of the food that we had because I loved all of it. I felt good at the end; not too full or heavy and not still hungry. The staff was amazing too. Everyone was so friendly yet professional. By far one of the better tasting menu experiences in Chicago.
High end, beautifully executed food
Our dinner was beyond disappointing. There wasn’t a single decent course and the lobster was so undercooked it was inedible. When I mentioned it to the manager, he said that he had gotten no other complaints (he was very nice and apoplectic; I’m not suggesting he was dismissive) even though the table next to us had a bad experience and I heard him apologizing to them. To be clear they offered some sort of comp and I said no. Though the company was terrific (and saved the night), the food was so bad we ate little and had to scrounge for snacks at home.