Brindille - Chicago, Illinois

Dane J.

I recently visited this restaurant for an anniversary dinner with my girlfriend, who is a big fan of French cuisine and thought it would be a perfect fit.

We ordered the lamb and steak from their autumn menu, paired with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. While the wine was excellent, the food was just okay and left something to be desired. In my opinion, the dishes at Mon Ami Gabi and Dear Margaret are much tastier, and I highly recommend those restaurants if you’re seeking authentic French food.

Although the atmosphere was fine, we experienced strange and subpar service. After we asked our server about the portion sizes of the main dishes, we were met with cold and abrasive service for the rest of the evening. Unlike most restaurants where servers check in on their guests, our server did not check on us a single time after taking our order, except to bring us dessert menus after we had finished our meal, which we politely declined. This lack of attention was particularly noticeable because he regularly checked on every table around us and had multiple conversations with the diners to our left and right.

The final disappointment was when he dropped off our bill without a single “thank you” or any acknowledgment of our time at the restaurant. Our server was an older, bald man with glasses.

Overall, if you’re looking for French cuisine or a nice place to celebrate, I highly recommend Mon Ami Gabi or Dear Margaret. The service there is consistently warm and welcoming, and the food is excellent. Or at the very least, if you do still choose to come here, avoid asking any questions about the menu and hope you don’t get the same server that we did.

Orest A.

There is just something off about this place. Feels like it wants to be fancy and modern, but at the same time food seems like a french restaurant you would find in Rosemont. For the same price point, there are many places in Chicago that are miles ahead in all respects.

Starting from the drinks: a meh cocktail list, a generic wine list (they didn’t even pour, just brought a full glass), and a mocktail that I am certain came from a store lemonade from Jewel. Food wise again it was forgettable at best. We tried a foie grass which came buried in jell-o, which I thought was illegal to serve outside of hospitals. We ordered fries which were frustratingly cut like toothpicks. The venison was tasty but there wasn’t much of it.
Our server was very polite but not particularly attentive.

Robert

Food was delicious we had the Chicago restaurant week process fixe dinner. The waiter Evan appeared friendly but seemed to be rushed. He never checked back on how our meal was and when I told him it was my Friend’s birthday right before the dessert course the dessert appeared with no candle or mention of birthday. Waited brought check while we ate dessert. No offering of coffee or after dinner drinks. And we both had drinks at dinner. This type of services is sub par for a restaurant at the caliber of this one. But even though the food was great the lack of good service will prevent me from returning or recommending this restaurant to anyone. My date did mention the service issues we had to the owner and he just said it shouldn’t be this way. But he did nothing to offer us perhaps a coffee or some gesture to make it right. Come on are you that greedy?

Rebecca F.

Dinner was wonderful! I think Brindille is the best restaurant in Chicago. The food is so creative and innovative, for instance the jelly cubes on the foie mousse that provide a whimsical contrast of texture and flavor. And it’s clear that the chefs are also able to execute the best of timeless French techniques. Treat yourself to Brindille!

Maureen P.

Wow, and not in a good way. Server (bald older man) was so not pleasant and was very uppity and condescending in his attitude towards us. I have never experienced such a rude person waiting on us as this person. He made the meal VERY uncomfortable. Why do they keep him on as I’m sure he is the person complained about in other reviews? He never told us his name and this is probably why. The restaurant was not even half full on a Friday night? Foie gras was delicious as was the lobster soup. Pork chop was a pork chop- nothing special. Dessert donuts were nothing more than funnel cake. Ugh. Will never go back- mostly bc of that waiter.

Daniël

We really enjoyed our meal at Brindille. The service was friendly and very attentive, the ambience quite pleasant, and the food was great.

The one critical note would be that it’s not cheap - we had seen the regular menu on their website and thought it was quite expensive. When we went, it was during restaurant week, and the menu price even then was up there, with portions being somewhat stingy.

We did really appreciate our food and the service though, and we’ll probably go back to try the regular menu too.

Honorable mention for their version of an île flottante- it was absolutely delicious.

Michael C.

I honestly didn't have any expectations coming here. I was a bit skeptical at first but once the food was served, it became very apparent that I'd be dining at Brindille again, in the near future. First and foremost, I would've never guessed that such a wonderful place was so close to me. I've been searching for a decent French restaurant for a while. Boka's new venture was quite a big let-down and I've been needing to recoup myself after that experience. I don't know whether or not their menu rotates, but if it does, their current menu is delicious and I'd gladly go back to try it seasonally. First off, the Ramequin of Foie Gras Royale. If I could, I would order this 10x and have that be my entire meal. It was definitely one of my favorite items. The next dish that is a definite reorder, if available, would be the Brindille Tarte Tatin. My only qualm with that item is the size. I wish it was larger so I could've had more of it. Another dish that was small but packed a lot of flavor was their Seared Foie Gras and Apple Brioche Bread Pudding. In hindsight, my party (four adults) should've ordered two of those to share; however, that's just my opinion. The Salade Lyonnaise of Pork Belly, Coddled Duck Egg and Crisp Brussels Sprouts wasn't great, just good. The dish could have used a bit more pork belly, but that's the inner carnivore in me speaking. Overall, the salad was well balanced. As for entrees, three out of the four stayed with me, one, not so much. Let's start with the good first. Firstly, the Whole European Dover Sole Meuniere. It was paired with some pasta (could've had a slightly larger serving size) and four fillets. Secondly, the Lacquered Aged Moulard Duck Breast a l'Orange and a Confit of Belgian Endive. Truthfully speaking, if a French restaurant has duck l'orange, it'll be my first go-to entree to order, in order to test whether or not they're up to par. Needless to say, Brindille stepped up to the challenge and knocked it out of the ballpark, 10/10 on the duck. Their third entree that deserves a great review would be the Medallions of Ranch Venison. Although not the most photogenic of dishes, it was delicious nevertheless. Don't let the bland color scheme fool you. Everything on the plate worked harmoniously in my mouth and was wonderful. Unfortunately, the fourth and final entree, their Braised Lamb Shank wasn't anything to write home about. I'm not saying it wasn't good, but it reminded me of a pot roast that. Don't get me wrong, the lamb was very tender and melted in my mouth; however, flavor profile wise, it didn't leave a very big impression on me. They offer tasting menus, 5 course/8 course at $155/$205. I'm not sure what the portion sizes are for the tasting menu, but if it's full sized portions from their a la carte, it'd be well worth it.

D ?. H.

We enjoyed visiting Brindille since it was opened. Coming from the Four Seasons in LA and Naha, the Brindille team has definitely created some of the best French dishes (with a spin) in the past and present. The importance of creative French cuisines is the balance of the flavors from fresh ingredients and yes the sauces. Everything I have had here, were made perfectly with care. It is difficult to describe all of my experiences here so you will just have to try it yourself. But you won't regret it that is fo sure.
However, we used to enjoy the atmosphere at Brindille before COVID, quiet, quaint , romantic even, which is what you expect for a French joint. The last few visits, the place has turned into a sports bar or TGI Fridays. Large tables, loud, drunk and completely out of control. This is the down side for me, hence the 4 ⭐. But if that is what you are into, good for you.