Sepia

have to agree with the other recent Unilocalers. this place was a total let down! over priced and nothing that left me saying «damn that was amazing!» which for a Michelin rated restaurant you would expect leaving with raving reviews.
plus, we had to wait in a crammed stairwell with two other couples before we got seated, right against a radiator/​heater thing which basically made it unbearable.
there is soooo many amazing hidden gems in this city, this place was a total waste of time and money.
also, wine list prices do not reflect the quality of wine at all. should have spent that $ 70 at Binnys and stocked the bar cart at home!!!

The menu is tired. Nothing exciting. Used to be a great place and super nice. Dinners I’ve had in the past were always so elegant, delicious and changed with the seasons.
However, the worst thing is actually on the beverage side.
Wine list is a ripoff. We are talking four to five times markup on everything and it’s a name dropper delight. Want something with unique and fun. Not stuffy, uptight, and ratings driven. No thanks. Time to look to change that or good luck in this town, with better lists, better selection and not your everyday brands you can find along the pages of the wine magazine favorites list.

We visited Sepia during Chicago Restaurant Week after a friend recommended it. We opted for the four course dinner menu. Of all the courses we had, the first course was my least favorite. It’s not that it wasn’t good, it just wasn’t memorable. We ordered the cured mackerel and the salad of fennel. To begin with, I’m not a fan of mackerel. It’s a bit too fishy for me. I did enjoy the garnish, which was a perfect blend of salty and sweet from the olives and raisins. The salad of fennel was sort of a one note and didn’t really wow me. I really can’t even recall what I liked about it, but I do remember it was very refreshing.
This second course was incredible and I would eat both dishes again in a heartbeat. We had the braised duck raviolo and the soft boiled egg. I love duck in all it’s forms, it’s one of my favorite meats. The raviolo was so good, seriously, one of the best dishes of the night. The sauce they used brought out the sweetness in the duck. The soft boiled egg was good, but the real star was the mushroom ragu. I would order just a bowl of that and eat it all day.
The third course was my favorite of the night with the best dish being the grilled Berkshire pork collar. The meat was so tender and flavorful and absolutely perfect with the spoon bread and collard greens. At the table next to us, a woman sent the dish back and it took everything in me to not grab it and eat it. The spice crusted whitefish was also very delicious and by no means a dud. The pork was just a knockout.
The final course of the meal was just as good as the previous. The ginger-​lime parfait was so light and elegant. The flavors weren’t overpowering and the coconut crumble added a nice texture. I preferred the chocolate hazelnut tart, because it was the kind of dessert that I always crave. It was chocolaty, but not too sweet. It was my last bite of the night and the perfect end to our first meal at Sepia.

We visited Sepia for Chicago Restaurant Week. This was my first time eating at a Michelin star restaurant and it was absolutely worth the hype. I think it might be more enjoyable to dine off the set Restaurant Week menu, but the food was still excellent and surprisingly reasonably priced for fine dining. Loved the romantic atmosphere. Cocktails are spendy, but well-​made.

Yum-​yum! So glad I tried Sepia for Restaurant Week this year. Everything we ordered was so well-​executed.
I only had one bite of (my companion’s) pork, but it was so tender and the smoked apple butter «awesome» territory. That plate was distilled and elevated southern grandma cooking at its best. I aspect of the whitefish was really good and the flavors were like a tour of Southeast Asia. The absolute best thing I ate was the soft boiled egg with mushroom ragout and truffle butter toast. It’s a simple flavor combination but it was perfectly done. I could have eaten 15 of those. I want more right now. When I saw the same thing it delivered to the table next to me, I almost wanted to lean over and congratulate them on the food they were about to eat. I could go on about that egg for ever.
The service was good. They were very busy that evening but still held it down with no issues. I like the hip décor and lively atmosphere. Yes, the tables are close together, get over it. What a ridiculous thing to complain about! I’d much rather that they cram us all in there so I can more easily get a reso. I’m looking forward to going back for their regular menu, and maybe bringing them up to 5 stars.

Sepia, a 1 Michelin star restaurant, was a disappointment.
I visited Sepia during Restaurant Week (RW) and was overall unimpressed. Now, I understand that the food served during RW is not a true sample of the full menu, however the quality and flavors should remain at par regardless of the occasion. After all, this is a Michelin rated restaurant! So I have decided to write a review under this caveat, knowing that my opinion may be biased by the Restaurant Week menu.
First thing I noticed was that Sepia was packed for lunch on a weekday! Kudos! RW is working well for the restaurant industry! Despite its lunchtime popularity, we were soon shown our seats.
The staff was friendly, helpful, and knowledgable. We felt very comfortable and were taken well care of.
The disappointment came from my food. I ordered the blood orange salad, which was ok but not a plate I would ever repeat, and a pork sandwich, which tasted well but nothing impressive. Finally, the dessert was bland and uninspiring. It didn’t satisfy my sweet tooth so I ended up walking to the French market to get myself a couple of macaroons.
I think my biggest disappointment comes from the fact that I had huge expectations of Sepia. If a Michelin 1-​star restaurant offers a sandwich, you expect it to be a frickin home run! Yet, it was nothing close.
I look forward to trying Sepia’s full menu. It’s RW menu was a total disappointment.
… on a side note, the fries that came with my sandwich were great!

I was pleasantly surprised with my experience here after reading some less-​than-​stellar Restaurant Week reviews. My boyfriend and I did the three-​course dinner along with the wine pairings and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Despite the menu being different in the restaurant than online (the Braised Duck Raviolo, which I was looking forward to, was only available with the four-​course selection, while the Cured Mackerel was the other three-​course option), I was very pleased with everything that I ordered. The Fennel Salad was fresh and delicious, and I loved the Butternut Squash Risotto. The Chocolate Hazelnut Tart was also excellent. The food presentation was impressive, and I enjoyed the ambiance, although the tables were a bit uncomfortably close together. The service was also prompt and kind. This experience was leagues ahead of my dinner at Naha earlier this week, which was $ 44 for three courses, compared to the $ 33 at Sepia. I look forward to visiting again!

Tried out Sepia for the first time last night for restaurant week. Restaurant week can be hit or miss, so I was interested to see what it would be like at Sepia. We were pleasantly surprised!
The atmosphere was cozy — it definitely has cool décor and is a great place to cozy up for a drink on a cold winter night in Chicago. I was part of a party of 5, and they seated us in a private little alcove that made the experience really pleasant. The service was attentive — the waiter didn’t mind when I asked him detailed questions about all the options!
The food was great! I started with the Salad of Fennel which was delicious and light! It was mostly blood orange which was really fresh and delicious and the presentation was great. I then had the spice crusted whitefish. The fish came over a curried sauce with potatoes and broccoli. The veggies and sauce were delicious. The fish was a bit on the bland side for me, but it was still good and was a healthy portion size for restaurant week. My friends got the butternut squash risotto which everyone loved, but the portion sizes were tiny! Alas, this happens with restaurant week and is probably the only reason for the 4 rating vs. a 5.
For dessert we all had the hazelnut tart. It was delicious! More like a mix between a brownie and biscotti and less like a tart.
Overall we had a very positive experience and will be back!

I went here for restaurant week and tried their lunch. First, let me tell you that everyone in your party needs to present before they will seat you. Even if just a party of two and decided to drop your guest off while you go off to the meter down the street.
The ambiance is nice warm feel to it with tiny two seater tables that are too close together. In fact ever time the waiter came by to serve the people next to us I would feel his presence. Also, I can hear their conversations loud and clear whether or not I wanted to (which I don’t) and I’m pretty sure they can hear ours too. I think that’s fine in a fast food place but not in a place where I would consider fine dining. A little space and privacy please.
The food consisted of appetizer, entrée and dessert. The food overall is fresh, straight forward and nicely done for being massed produced. I’m not going into great details about this but lets just say it was good. Sandwich was nothing special and I wouldn’t order this again. All of the presentation was spot on.
Lastly, the part that leaves the bad taste in my mouth is the slowness of service. Generally speaking the meal should have been done in about an hour but it was closer to two hours when we actually got out. The people next to us was seated after our appetizers came out and left before we did. I would have liked to try this restaurant again but I have my reservations.

Sepia was disappointing and expensive.
My girlfriend and I came here during restaurant week 2016 and ordered the 4 course meal. The interior was charming with vintage lighting and a tone in the titular Instagram filter. We had the option of choosing three or four courses and whether or not we wanted wine pairings. The difference in price between 3 or 4 courses with wine pairings was 17 dollars per person. We opted for the wine pairing, which included four flights of wine with each course.
To be honest, both the wine pairings and the dishes weren’t super exciting. We started off with a fennel and blood orange salad that was way too acidic. I once had Hydrocholoric Acid spilled on me in Chemistry class and eating the salad gave me a similar sensation. The wine pairing wasn’t memorable.
The second course was the extra course that cost an extra 17 dollars. The wine pairing was a decent champagne but the course itself was a single duck ravioli with some sauce. The meat was kind of dry and didn’t have the same rich duck flavor that I’m used to.
The third course was a pork body part of some kind. The only way I can describe it is that it was like chewing on a sponge. The meat somehow found its way into my teeth at first chew. After a few bites, I sent it back (first time I had ever done this in a restaurant) and the waiter offered me the fish dish instead, which was actually quite tasty. However, it took an extra 30 minutes and was not any too special for the amount that we paid for.
The dessert was like a Clif bar on a plate.
Wow, writing this up now, I’m wondering why I even gave the restaurant two stars. For what it’s worth, the service was solid and the fish ended up being tasty, but for a Michelin restaurant and the price that I paid for, the meal was not great.

I was really excited for Sepia, but the experience was underwhelming. Perhaps the restaurant week menu was weak, but I don’t plan on coming here to try the normal menu anytime soon. We got everything on the prix fixe lunch menu, so I’ll go through them.
Appetizers were the the fennel salad and beef ragu pappardelle. The fennel salad was probably the worst dish of the night. The portions were tiny and the flavors did not complement each other at all. On the other hand, I thought the pappardelle was the best dish of the night. The slightly tough texture of the noodles were great and the flavors of the sauce was solid, but a bit on the salty side.
The main courses were the rainbow trout and pork shoulder sandwich. The trout just tasted so normal and plain. Nothing jumped out for me while trying the trout. The pork shoulder sandwich was decent. The flavors were nice and the pork was tender, but I feel like I could’ve gotten something similar at Subway.
Desserts were ginger-​lime parfait and chocolate hazelnut tart. I’m not a big fan of ginger, so I didn’t like the parfait much. The chocolate hazelnut tart was a bit too strong and sweet for my taste.

I’m giving Sepia a review based on my experience during restaurant week.
I came here with a friend for lunch for restaurant week and ordered the tagliatele with duck sugo, braised pork collar sandwich, and the ginger lime parfait. The tagliatele was flavorful, and I thought it was done very well (although a bit on the heavy side). I’ve never had duck sugo/​ragu before– but now I’m a big fan! The pork collar sandwich was also delicious: thinly sliced pork collar with an apple and cabbage slaw. Sweet, savory, slightly acidic, and it worked beautifully. The ginger lime parfait was more of an ice cream and it was a great ending to the meal. Not too heavy, and drizzled with a mango coulis and a coconut crumble that added nice texture.
The service here was spot on– the staff was very knowledgeable and professional and took great care of us. The décor and ambiance at Sepia is amazing. Comfortable yet posh, and very chic. I hope to come back very soon. Well done!

I absolutely love the décor and ambiance of this place! It’s awesome. We had great happy hour prices drinks at $ 6 each before dinner which I recommend going for from 4 – 6, otherwise drinks are double to price.
We came for restaurant week with their fixed menu. I did three courses for $ 33, and for a Michelin starred restaurant that price is awesome! However, I left expecting more from the food. I started with the fennel salad, unique flavored, but needed more greens. I had the pork collar for my main course which was so tender and good, but again I felt it wasn’t anything to rave about. Dessert was great too. A friend got the soft boiled egg which looked phenomenal. She said it was her favorite dish for sure!
I guess I am comparing this place to Boka, another Michelin stared restaurant, which I thought was much more creative with their food and that their dishes had complexity. However, all restaurant try to create a different vibe, so to each their own.

We went during restaurant week. We had high expectation because it is a Michelin one star. But really it was just a good restaurant, nothing amazing or especially delicious at all. Maybe it’s because the restaurant week special menu didnt showcase the best Sepia could offer. Otherwise I feel it’s just not worth that one star.

Amazing and upscale Chicago restaurant without being too pretentious!
Great place to go for a celebratory meal. Waiter was attentive and food tasty very delicious and cooked to perfection…

I can’t believe I’ve waiting so long to write my review for Sepia — procrastination at work again.
I am by no means a food professional, I love to cook and love to eat even more. I probably haven’t even touched a third of the restaurants in downtown Chicago (or surrounding Loops) but I think it’s safe to say that Sepia comes out on the absolute top. I’ve dined here 3 times over the last year for different occasions. I’ll make this more simple and combine all three into one stellar review.
Sepia is most definitely high end. The interior is absolutely stunning and the perfect romantic date spot. All 3 times I have had the most professional staff help us select our menu items. There’s a large black and white theme within the décor which I think kicks it up on the classy level. I’ve definitely come across some pretentious dining spots on the higher end side but this does not fall under that category even with the price tag.
Most importantly, the food here is in another realm of standard Chicago restaurants. The presentation is absolutely beautiful. They pair the drinks on the menu to contrast with the seasonal offerings. When we came one of the times with my mom — their menu was girl scout cookie themed. Lord help me.
I ended up recommending this restaurant to a close friend who needed some place that would customize a menu for a celebration — I knew the second she mentioned something like this that Sepia was THE spot. I don’t foresee this place ever failing me.
If you are celebrating a special occasion — Sepia is your best choice in the area!

I took my husband here to celebrate his birthday with reservations made weeks ahead. It was also our last night in the Windy City, making this dinner a sweet way to end our trip.
Sepia is appropriately named not only because it used to be a print shop in the 1800’s, but it’s also the backdrop color of the restaurant. The eye-​catching chandeliers add a sense of subdued classiness to the interior without sacrificing the warmth. That said, the easy elegance is not only evident in the ambiance but with the food and staff as well, making Chef Andrew Zimmerman’s Michelin rated restaurant worthy of the said accolade.
I had a PISCO SOUR ($ 13) to kick-​off my evening and had the sommelier pick my red wine to pair with my main course. The celebrant was happy to stick with beer all night. To say the least, in that department alone, we were well taken cared of already.
FOIE GRAS ROYALE ($ 16) was my choice of appetizer. The terrine was exquisite with a velvety texture and earthy flavor profile. A little heavy with the toasted brioche to start but worth every bite. The birthday boy went the surf n turf route, BAY SCALLOPS ($ 18) that came with refreshing grapefruit, aromatic parsley, and chewy pig ears. He really liked this and so did I. Easy 5 stars for both starters.
For our main course, red meat for the lady and white meat for the gentleman. The DUCK BREAST ($ 36) is normally served medium rare but this I asked to be cooked medium. I thought it was delectable, tender, and flavorful, however, the SKATE WING ($ 28) outshone the duck the instant I had a taste of it. The fish was so delicate and fresh; cooked beautifully with notes of butter and garlic. I also enjoyed the black pepper gnocchi and walnut bagna cauda served alongside, making this dish a clear winner of the night.
We shared his birthday dessert of PASSION FRUIT SEMIFREDDO ($ 10) with toasted meringue, chocolate cookie, and passion fruit curd. A bite of paradise was to be had with the distinct taste of this tropical fruit paired with the sweetness of the meringue and cookie.
Beautiful to the eyes and palate — that pretty much sums up our dining experience here.

I love a meal that’s so good, I forget to take pictures. This was a joy from start to finish!
My friend and I shared the gnocchi to start, and the beef ragu really made that dish so special. It was the ultimate savory comfort food.
We then split the duck breast entrée, which they plated into two small portions for us. I really appreciated that. We had the duck breast medium rare. If I ordered it again I would get it medium, but it was not my favorite dish we had, so I probably wouldn’t order it again. Don’t get me wrong, it was very tasty, but it was nothing compared to…
The strip steak entrée. We had this split as well, and it was just absolutely perfect. The potato and turnip components with the greens alongside the steak and the jus were just perfect. It was also extremely savory, but perfectly seasoned, not too salty or anything. I think the only thing I wished for was more vegetables overall.
This was a great experience. Definitely nice for a quiet dinner date. Not a place to go with a loud group of friends unless you ask for a private group table. I’d be back. this was one of the best meals I’ve had in Chicago!

Well done. We came for our anniversary. Great service and food. We really really liked the drinks. I did the tasting menu which was a better value.
Recommended, just don’t come in with the mindset of Alinea.

Boyfriend and I have decided we will only go to Michelin start restaurants for special occasions and this place was on our list.
It’s in a kind of tucked away part of downtown. There wasn’t anything I could see near it that was open and the block was pitch black which had me a little apprehensive.
Step inside and that changes. The restaurant is romantically lit and the décor is very lush but understated.
We started off with drinks. I ordered the Shipwrecker which lived up to its name. I wasn’t totally wrecked but after my second drink, I was pretty far gone. I was happy about that because getting older is not easy people!
The crowd at the restaurant looks mostly like business professionals, people who are definitely over 30. My boyfriend and I were by far the youngest which did not make me feel guilty about being drunk at all.
Usually being tipsy makes you like food more but I have to admit I was pretty underwhelmed. The only other Michelin star restaurant I’ve been to is Boka which kicks this restaurants a**.
At Boka each order came with, some probably bs, but very appreciated story of conception for the plate and why it’s special or an explanation on the interesting mix of flavors.
At Sephia, we didn’t have any of that. Service was good but I was left expecting more.
I didn’t really care for some of the dishes. My favorite was the sweet corn tortoloni. Wow, that was a pleasure to eat. The bread they bring you out prior to your main courses is also pretty good.
The calamari dish and steak entrée were okay. My boyfriends meagre dish was pretty good. Fish was soft and juicy.
I had a special birthday dessert which I enjoyed thoroughly.
What I noticed about this place in comparison to my last Michelin experience is the way the food produces flavor. Sephia relies heavily on seasoning for strong flavor and not an interplay of ingredients.
It was really a nice night and experience but I hold Michelin star restaurants to a higher standard. Had this been just a swanky restaurant with $$ prices would have probably given this place 4 stars.

Date night here at the Sepia can probably run you around $ 200 or more. The drinks alone are like $ 15. And the entrees run around $ 30 – 40 or more.
But they do have some quality entrees. We had the chicken and chicken sausage and the duck plate. Very nicely prepared.
Our waitress was super nice and super cool.
And I like this part of town since it’s not too busy and there is plenty of street parking. Small bar with a decent wine selection. Cocktails were pretty good.
1 star Michelin in 2014.

Why Sepia blew it with me! Not too long after having a five star experience there, I had gone back with an old friend from out of town and his new lady friend. It was a Monday night and we had an 8 pm reservation.
We had gotten there less than 10 minutes after 8, and we’re told that we couldn’t be seated because they had just sat the 8 pm seating and the kitchen was slamned (in 10 minutes?). Made no sense. I said «you took the reservation for 8 pm but now are telling me you can’t honor it»? They concurred. I said «I see an empty table for 4». They said «oh yes, that’s your table, we just can’t seat you and we’ll let you know when we can.»
So now me and my guests are being inconvenienced because they are not honoring their accepted reservation. They asked us to wait at the bar and they world seat us shortly. We were still cool, obliged and had a drink. Well, almost 40 minutes later we were seated at our table which had been empty since we arrived. On three occasions I asked when we could be seated and kept being told a few more minutes, or «WE’LL let you when» (in other words, stop bugging us) and became testy at my requests to know when we could be seated. 40 minutes! Come on!
You world think that after making us wait 40 minutes to be seated at our available table that they would at least offer to pick up our drinks for us, but no such decency occurred. Had we known we were to wait 40 minutes at the time, we would have left.
Once seated and now quite hungry, we sat there for another 10+ minutes without anyone acknowledging us, bringing us bread, menus, anything. Finally I saw the hostess walk by and ask her for bread and she got us a basket.
Not an experience I expect from a restaurant of Sepia s caliber and not for the money we pay for our experience.

** This review is for the restaurant week lunch menu. **
Upscale restaurant with fantastic service, but average food that isn’t quite worth its price.
The fennel salad was the most underwhelming; the different components of the salad didn’t quite go together, nor were they plated in a way that allowed them to be eaten together. I ended up feeling like I was eating fennel and chasing that with the blood orange.
I thought the trout was decent – an interesting amalgamation of crème fraîche and capers that presented a lighter flavor profile, but nothing spectacularly amazing. Likewise, I enjoyed the mango and ginger combination in the ginger-​lime parfait, which kept the dessert from becoming too sweet.
Overall, a decent meal that wasn’t quite worth its price. On the service side, the pacing of the meal was a bit on the slow side but otherwise the staff and ambiance were great.