Mon Ami Gabi

Horrible experience. Will never order or go to this restaurant again.
Received a call AN HOUR after I placed on order via Grubhub saying that they had no way to get my order delivered to me. The restaurant then asked me if I had any ideas on how to get my food delivered to me. I said I did not and the man then stated, «Well, I guess I have to cancel your order.» And he did. And I am without dinner at 9:00 at night.
Thanks for nothing Mon Ami Gabi!

Fantastic food and service. Red meat is to die for. The fried chicken thighs was the best I’ve ever had! Whipped cauliflower divine. Superb cocktails and wine.

The location is great, food is great, décor is great, and the service is great. I’ve been here for dinner, drinks, and brunch several times and the place consistently delivers on food quality and service.
This place gets extra points for it’s location. An ideal Sunday is brunch at Mon Ami Gabi, then a stroll through the nearby Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory.
Try it. You’ll like it.

I have only been here for brunch so that is what this review pertains to.
They open at 10am and since it is located close to where i am staying, I was there before the doors opened at 10:03am. I was greeted by a friendly hostess, seated promptly and given water.
The décor is a traditional french bistro with light relaxing music playing that created a nice atmosphere for a Sunday brunch.
I wanted to try a brunch cocktail so I inquired about the bloody mary but was informed the mix was not made in house so I opted for a fresh orange juice mimosa instead. The mimosa was very light on the OJ so I requested a side of orange juice and the waiter was very nice and brought it without hesitation.
Egg White Omelet — egg whites, asparagus, spinach, peas.
I added jarlsberg cheese to it. This was cooked perfectly, not too oily and the veggies were very fresh, including the peas. It was delicious. The hash browns were not that good but I prefer real chunks of potatoes to the stringy lukewarm hash browns that never seem fresh to me. I asked for ketchup and tabasco for the hash browns as I planned to eat some of them anyway.
They give a baguette and butter to every table, but I told him not to waste it since I am gluten-​free. I ordered a side of gluten-​free toast to accompany my omelet which came with a side of butter. The toast was small but toasted to golden brown perfection and was good.
My bill came to $ 26 which is reasonable for the service, atmosphere and quality food.
Overall, a great experience. I will come back again and sit outside on the patio once the weather warms up.

A lovely spot for Sunday brunch-​especially if the weather is nice! They have a great patio overlooking Lincoln Park. Have not had a bad entrée here yet-​especially love their egg dishes. Service can be spotty at times but overall it’s a wonderful dining experience.

Such a shame this place went down in quality. The scallops were the small cheap kind. Their pâté was overly hard. The bread was overly toasted. Even the pork wasn’t made with enough butter. Really a shame. We had a really aggressive waiter who never introduced himself and repeatedly tried to awkwardly shove a wine menu in our faces and take our wine orders. Then he poured additional glasses of wine without our agreeing to it first. At least the wine was quite good!

I fell in love at Mon Ami Gabi… literally. When I first started dating my husband, we would walk around the corner from my condo and come here for lovely romantic dinners together.
Fast forward more than a decade. We finally made it back with my boys, who are now 7 and 9. It was a Sunday night and boy this place was still just as full and popular as it ever was — a testament to just how much people love this place.
We made reservations on Open Table… it’s quick, easy and you really should have a reservation or you’re going to be waiting a long time!
A personal and long-​standing favorite at Mon Ami Gabi is the merlot butter filet with pom frites. This is the kind of dinner that you actually have dreams about… trust me.
When you go, you’ll see lots of couples (old and young) as well as groups of friends dining together. You’ll also see families… but they take the earlier seating generally. And families that do come here generally make an effort to keep the kids in the seats.
Try Mon Ami Gabi and you will find a local favorite that has stood the test of time… not an easy feat in Chicago!

My husband, a good friend of mine and me were in town from Los Angeles and really wanted to try out steak in Chicago. We received a list full with Restaurant recommendations for this city from a good friend. We browsed through them and found out that not many restaurants were open on a Sunday evening.
Anyhow, we decided obviously for Mon Ami Gabi (which means my friend Gabi, if you don’t know french: D). The «french cuisine» restaurant has a lot of excellent reviews and we were eager to try it out.
The restaurant is located in a beautiful hotel with free coat check (pretty neat if you wear five layers of clothing in this unbelievable cold weather).
We ordered following dishes:
— Baked goat cheese as an Hors D’oeuvre
— Bordelaise steak as the main
–Vegetable tagine, frisee & kale salad (without the bacon), whipped cauliflower and brussels sprouts
We shared all the dishes because we wanted to try out as much as we could.
First of all the service is excellent — very friendly and always made sure our glasses were filled up.
The baked goat cheese was swimming on a bed of tomato sauce. The sauce compliments perfectly the smooth & flavorful cheese. It was perfect with the crispy baguette on the side.
Everything was amazing. The creamy whipped cauliflower mash, the roasted brussels sprouts and the frisee and kale salad. I really recommend the vegetable tagine. I never had it before and the seasonal vegetables were perfectly cooked.
The highlight was of course the bordelaise steak, which was swimming in a red wine sauce & topped with caramelized onions. I would recommend to order it medium cooked or even raw because it is very thin. We ordered it medium well and it was more on the dryer side but still delicious!
I highly recommend this place and will definitely come back. OH, one more thing: It was really affordable. So I would also recommend it to students and bigger groups if you don’t want to spend a fortune for a good steak!

My girlfriend and I were walking through Lincoln park zoo for Valentine’s Day and decided to come to this restaurant as an impromptu early dinner. As we didn’t have reservations and happened to be an hour early before opening hours, we spoke to the manager and he said we could dine at 5pm as long as we were out by 6:15. No big deal for us
We ordered the escargot and onion soup for appetizers. I was very underwhelmed by the escargot as they come without the shell and were just overly chewy. The onion soup came out Luke warm and we actually needed to ask them to reheat (we are really not that picky so it’s a big deal when we ask for them do something like that) also quite surprised it wasn’t hot when we were literally the first guests in the restaurant.
For main course we decided to have the seafood platter and the hangar steak in Merlot cream. Although we asked to have the seafood be served first, both entrees came out together. The seafood platter was mediocre at best but probably wouldn’t order again (oysters were delicious though). The hangar steak was overly cooked and at this point in dining had also cooled so it was burnt outside and Cold inside. Refer to pictures for reference.
Dessert was the caramel crème brûlée and found it to also be mediocre.
With the meal at this price point I would have expected more and the server just seemed completely out of it. I probably won’t be returning here for any special occasions in the future.

Best brunch to date. This French treat is nestled right in my coworkers apartment complex in Lincoln Park. Instant jealousy. I’d love to walk off the elevator and straight into this place everyday.
The décor is kitschy yet tastefully playful French. It’s super cute inside. Service was great and our waiter was very attentive.
For brunch, I was adventurous and got the chickpea cakes eggs benedict. It’s exactly what you think, two small delicious and savory cakes made out of chickpeas, topped with poached eggs and a wonderful vert hollandaise sauce. I was a bit skeptical of the cakes, but they were crispy on the outside and had the perfect soft consistency on the inside.
It was filling but didn’t leave me with the usual regret of a greasy (yet satisfying) brunch. If you’re into off the beaten path breakfasts, I’d recommend this plate.

I love love love this place. Such delicious food with a great vibe in general. I unfortunately wasn’t 21 yet when I went there, so I can’t tell you about the wine. But our appetizers and entré’s were very good. Be sure to make a reservation because this place can definitely get crowded. Good for large group’s or date’s.

Delicious!
Came by here the other night for dinner with a friend visiting from out of town. Our goal: STEAK FRITES. I went for the Classique Steak Frites cooked medium. It was cooked to perfection and served with a generous dose of green butter to lather it up for every bite. Fries also cooked to perfection as well. Overall a well executed classic steak frites dish!
Prior to being seated we hit the bar for a round of cocktails. I opted for the bourbon symphony which is a concoxion consisting of calvados, vourvon, cointreau, and lemon. I would probably would pass on as it tasted super watered down as it was server over a full glass of ice.
Anyways, if you’re looking for steak frites, look no further! Be sure to set a reservation in advance. This place is always bumpin’ for dinner.
‘Til next time, cheers!

Great option if you’re looking for good food and service without breaking the bank. If you’ve been to a MAG before, this one is essentially the same, although it seems a bit smaller. Not just the confined seating that Chicago (and French) restaurants are know for, but smaller as a whole. Because of it’s location (in LPC and in a residential building) the clientele was older. It doesn’t matter to us, it was just very noticeable.
The menu is the same as other and the other reviews highlight the better items. Our personal favorite is the escargot, muscles, and the Roquefort steak. I know it’s terrible to request it, but a little dijon on the side with that and the frites was amazing. The deserts were great and honestly big enough for multiple (2 – 3) people to share.
The service was great.

Went here for a date night over the holiday season. Been here a few times before, and the ambiance, décor, and menu hasn’t changed — a good place for people who want a trusty standby in the neighborhood. Had to wait a bit past our reservation to get seated, but we were able to grab a drink at the oh so tiny bar and bring it into the Belden-​Stratford lobby to enjoy. Once seated, service was well-​paced and friendly. Enjoyed the classic steak frites, mussels, and yummy bread service. Also loved the bottle of 2012 Pinot Noir we had! Oh, and can’t forget the dessert – love their profiteroles! Would recommend this place to anyone who likes a classic atmosphere and classic French fare in a low key/​non-​pretentious but still slightly fancy environment.

Mon Ami Gabi was quite a treat. It’s located inside a residential building, so that might throw you if you’re looking for a restaurant in its own building. The place is quite small and dimly lit. I wouldn’t say it’s a romantic atmosphere because it’s a little too loud, but it had a nice ambiance.
We began our meal with their complimentary warm baguette and butter. They also served us a weird trapezoid of shredded carrots.
The French Onion Soup was good. I feel like that’s a hard dish to screw up.
I ordered the 12 oz. NY strip steak and frites. I appreciate that my server allowed me to sample both the bordelaise and bearnaise sauces on the side. The steak was good. The frites were excellent.
We passed on dessert, but we did enjoy a bottle of the Louis Latour Bourgogne Gamay wine. It’s a very light red. I’m normally a pinot noir guy, but my lady wanted something light. This fit the bill. At $ 40, it was one of their cheaper bottles.
Our server was excellent.
I would happily return to Mon Ami Gabi, though it’s very expensive. It will probably end up on my once-​a-​year list.

It had been 20+ years since I’d been in this place, so we decided to go last night. The décor still is nice. The architecturally significant structure that it is in is VERY beautiful, the Belden Stratford apartment building.
With that said, calling it «french» is a bit of a stretch. Don’t get me wrong, the food IS good enough, just not all that authentic. If they didn’t have French names on the menu, you might not necessarily find the preparation to «taste» French. It might possibly «look» French in some cases, but just barely. Bottom line, it’s a chain.
But the quality is pretty good. It is a bit LOUD and crowded in general. We were walking around the neighborhood and decided to go depending upon the anticipated wait time. They said close to 1 hour. We thought about it and said, OK. Well, it ended up being almost 90 minutes. So they could use a little help with their planning and management.
Most of the staff was polite, but they could use to smile just a little bit more. The place really is just a very well decorated production kitchen and the «move ‘em in, move ‘em out» drudgery likely wears upon the staff, or seems to. So while it is OK, I would not go out of my way to go here. Only go if you happen to be near it and it is very convenient, AND if you get the idea that it is not crowded that day. Again, the food is OK, not great.

Gosh, how fast this place has gone down hill! For years our «go to place» for a special occasion, date night, a celebration of any kind.
Last few times we found the service to be indifferent at best. Kind of mediocre attention, disengaged, impatient waitstaff.
The Hanger Steak was good, the Vegetable Terraine — mediocre, not very hot, the Skate, one of my favorites was oily, must have sat in butter, or oil for an extended period.
3 Times over the past 3 weeks, none up to standard.

Kudos to the bar tender Jordan for keeping me and my wife entertained for an hour while we enjoyed our cocktails (okay just me, my wife isn’t drinking for a few months!). The service was excellent and the other employees that were picking up their drinks for their tables were funny and welcoming as well. For a neighborhood bar I would pick this place in a heartbeat. Oh and they have French pastis (not to be confused by pasties) here!

I just discovered this place for delivery recently. I really like the quality, for being a chain restaurant concept, they really do a good job. I like to order their scallop appetizer with carmelized leeks and shallots with butter. I’m telling you, delish! I also like their French onion soup, their steak and fries with béarnaise sauce also rocks! I have liked everything I’ve tried and the delivery is pretty fast and served warm.
I am a fan and will continue to order from here when I want to treat myself to a nice dinner in.

Love love love this place! My husband took me here last weekend for my birthday. We already want to go back! The prices aren’t too expensive. It’s definitely worth it with. the quality of the food and services.
As an appetizer we ordered the goat cheese in tomato bisque. Delicious! A must try.
We both ordered the French onion soup. It wasn’t my favorite. I could have done without ordering it.
For entrees, I ordered the hanger steak with MERLOT BUTTER! It was cooked to perfection. I was so sad when I got full and had to box it up. My husband ordered the chicken grand-​mere. It was delicious too, but my husband wished he had ordered the same thing as me. ;)
For desert we ordered a lemon crème brûlée. Again. Delicious!
The cocktails were very good and they have a great wine selection.

I was really excited to come here and specially to bring my wife here because we love french food and have been looking for a good place since we visited San Francisco.
The place seemed nice, but it is really compact sitting inside. I know you’re in Chicago, but do you seriously need to place tables that close?
She order the halibut special, I had the caramelized sea scallops .
My plate was good.
My wife’s plate however was far from our expectations.
The fish was flavorless and I could tell you it was because I tried it.
Someone from the other table got up to the restroom and almost knocked my wine glass since we are so close. Fortunately I caught it before it spilled all over us.
Parking. we’ll is Chicago lol…
Overall disappointing, did live up to their reviews.

Knowing Mon Ami Gabi is more on being a French restaurant, I was never really interested in trying this place. After a friend and I had dinner at another restaurant, we had decided to come to this restaurant for a cocktail. We were able to obtain couple of seats at the quaint bar. Jordan, bartender, had greeted us with a smile and set us up with a menu to review and then proceeded to take our drink order.
By the time, Jordan brought us the drinks, we had decided to split an order of Frites and Fries. Our order was placed. Jordan was very attentive to us and to his other customers and to the servers. Within 10 minutes or so, the food runner brought us our meal on two seperate plates. The steak was done perfectly while the fries were seasoned just right. No desserts this time.
The restaurant is on the smaller side, however, it did remind me of some of the restaurants in France. The restaurant has a great fenced in patio. The restaurant was certainly not loud. You could have a conversation without raising your voice.
From the time we had walked into this restaurant to the time we had left, we had a great tme. Thanks Jordan!

Mon Ami was nice but not great.
–Be careful where you are seated. Near the kitchen door is an inferno.
–Tables are too small for four gents and the wooden chairs are torture
–Unless you complain you will receive highly watered down drinks
The goat cheese is good but not that good. Other food was decent. The Belden-​Stratford lends an upscale backdrop.

We patronize Mon Ami Gabi because they get it right, every single time.
If you Mon Ami often enough, you may notice that the staff does not change very much. The staff knows very well what they are doing and treats guests like old friends and family. They notice when you are our for a celebration even if you do not mention it. They will bring you profiteroles and congratulate you or say Happy Birthday/​Anniversary accordingly.
Our meals at Mon Ami are never rushed. The crusty French bread is always amazingly fresh. I love the goat cheese appetizer. Entrees are adequately portioned and always prepared correctly.
Mon Ami may be part of LEYE, and a small chain, but it is a very worthwhile dinner restaurant.

My family likes to gather here for meals. We usually have a big group and order many dishes. During my last visit I got scallops and whipped cauliflower. The scallops were cooked perfectly (I can’t stand overcooked seafood) and were layered on scrumptious vegetables with a marvelous sauce. The cauliflower is a great alternative to mashed potatoes. Plus, it was something my 6 month grand daughter could taste while everyone else ate (she is very curious about food and wants everything).
The wine selection is top notch along with service and décor.
We always eat everything never leftovers, even with deserts.

I had only been to the Mon Ami Gabi in Vegas, and when I found out there was a Chicago location I was super pumped. I was even more pumped after dining at the Chicago location, since it’s just as excellent as its Vegas counterpart.
–Tip #1: the entrance is located in the lobby of the Belden Stratford building
–Tip #2: check out the Lincoln Park Zoo (for free!) across the street afterwards
Went here for Sunday brunch. Reservations were easy to get, as we were able to make reservations 1 hr before our desired brunching time. I always get the steak frites or the croque madame whenever I go, both of which are amazing and I highly recommend them for anyone dining here for brunch for the first time. However, today I was feeling adventurous so I decided to try some new things. I ordered:
–Crème brûlée french toast: A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. The french toast was thick and prepared beautifully. The entire dish had just the right amount of sweetness. It comes w/​a blueberry compote that is just heavenly. This dish was shared, and now I’m really wishing I had just ordered it for myself!
–French kiss breakfast sandwich: this was a bit messy to eat, but worth it. I had no shame looking like a 2 year old w/​food all over my hands and mouth! If you like chicken liver, you’ll like this sandwich. Plus, there’s a fried egg on it — how could you possibly go wrong? The fries, as always, are amazing (they’re not the fries you’re used to — these ones are super thin and super crispy).
I’ve never been here for dinner (when we’re in Vegas, this is usually a recovery meal for brunch, and dinner is always some buffet). Now that I know there’s a Mon Ami Gabi in the same city I live in, I will definitely be coming back to try the dinner menu!

Hosted my best friends bridal shower here and it really was an incredible experience from prep to the end. When I was getting quotes the event coordinator Lily responded right away. She responded to every question I had (and I had lots of questions) and made several accommodations to my group.
I got so many positive compliments on the shower from guests and the food was delicious. Best part was that we were able to stay within budget after an unexpected increase in our guest list.
Thank you to the entire staff for providing such great service.

Oh symphony of crackle, only good bread sounds like this! (stole that from Ratatouille) But holy cow do they have tasty bread, and they bring you a ton of it, warm, with butter! I think next time I might just eat that and leave…
Do you like cheese? YES! Get the Baked Goat Cheese. I could go there and eat only this as an entire meal. Holy cow, once I was halfway through it I debated asking them to cancel my entrée.
Smart thing I didn’t cancel it. I got the Dijon Steak medium. The steak was cooked just right, still pink in the middle. It came with a huge pile of frites (fries for you Americans) that, with the already over generous helping of baked goat cheese I’d had I could not finish. They were however, very crispy and shoestring style, my favorite!
On top of this, I couldn’t believe the price, it was WAY cheaper than I had expected.
You should go to Mon Ami Gabi. Now! But… make sure you don’t take up all the tables because I’ll be coming for more baked goat cheese shortly.

No doubt Mon Ami Gabi is a stylish and much sought-​after restaurant. Our group of 4 headed over after dinner in River North to experience their dessert and drink offerings. Upon entering at around 10ish, it was still so busy that we waited about 10 – 15 minutes for a table to open up. Not a problem, as it’s situated in the Belden Stratford hotel so there is plenty of space to wait in the grand lobby.
The hostess was not too friendly but we really liked our waitress. White chocolate bread pudding, crème brûlée, chocolate cake, and raspberry sour cream ice cream were chosen to satisfy our sweet tooths. All were divine. Decaf coffee and good conversation complimented the desserts well, and made for a pleasant night. I would probably recommend Mon Ami for a little older crowd, special occassion, or fancier date night.

D’abord je voudrais sincèrement m’excuser de mes collègues la conduite tumultueuse comme elle était tout sauf silencieuse. Les places assises sont proches et douillettes conformément au romantique et à l’ambiance intime. Les escargots de bourgogne dans le beurre d’herbe d’ail étaient très délicieux. J’attends impatiemment d’apprécier ce plat partout comme réalisent. Le boeuf bourguignon était tendre et le steak classique et le saumon saisi de thym de citron était la vigne de. Le personnel de restaurant était attentif et accomadating. Une suggestion pour accomplir l’expérience dînant doit jouer la musique française au lieu de la musique américaine à l’arrière-plan. Comme chacun dans le restaurant pourrait entendre dire que nous avions un temps magnifique. Merci. In English De Vine.