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Chez Joel, Chicago, IL
Award-winning

Chez Joel

4.7 (2740)
$30 and under
French
1119 West Taylor, Chicago, IL 60607

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 15 times today

About this restaurant

  • Charming
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Great for outdoor dining
In the midst of Little Italy, Chez Joel creates the tastes and aromas of France for. Featuring traditional favorites, Chef Joel Kazouini offers his straightforward, expertly prepared Southern French cuisine. Chez Joel’s atmosphere is reminiscent of a true French bistro; its walls adorned with French posters and tables covered with butcher paper. The cozy environment makes Chez Joel the perfect spot for any romantic meal, and when weather permits, garden tables offer an open-air experience where you’ll find one of the most divine al fresco dining settings in the city.
Chez Joel Since 1999

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    French
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Joel Kazouini
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Neighborhood
    Little Italy / University Village
  • Cross street
    May Street
  • Parking details
    Valet at Dinner: $7
  • Public transit
    Racine Blue line..Taylor bus, Number 8 Halsted bus.
  • Additional
    Beer, Beer Garden, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, High Tea, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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What 2,740 people are saying

Chez Joel reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Chicago / Illinois

    French

  • Chicago

    French

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Chez Joel offers an enchanting blend of French cuisine and warm ambiance, nestled in Chicago's Little Italy. The outdoor patio is perfect for summer evenings, while the indoor setting is cozy. Guests rave about the "fabulous food," "attentive service," and delightful desserts. Despite occasional service hiccups, it's a cherished neighborhood gem.
2,740 Reviews
  1. Jim VIP

    Chicago / Illinois95 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A great place to celebrate Bastille Day! The group celebrated with roasted chicken, ahi tuna, onion soup and the buratta salad. The Sauvignon Blanc was an excellent complement to the meal. Service was solid.

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  2. Susan

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    3.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    Most of the dishes we had were good with just a few exceptions. The burrata salad was excellent. The mushroom soup was very good. The rib eye steak was good. The ravioli was ok. The foie gras was most disappointing. The portion of actual foie gras was minuscule relative to the price of over $20. The foie gras was sitting on top of a pile of mushrooms to make it look like more than it was. Under the mushrooms was a pool of oil which was very unappetizing. It was served with plain white bread, not brioche the classic toast served with foie gras. Worst of all was the wait staff. Our waiter had an attitude, not a good one. He was annoyed that we asked for separate checks. At the end of the meal he gave us one check and was even more annoyed at having to redo that. Then he divided the check into meals ordered by each party totally incorrectly and had to do that over again. The busboy took away the remains of a salad which we were holding to be packed to go, without asking if we had finished it. When we asked for it to be replaced, the waiter looked at us as though we were crazy! We had to insist before it was handled appropriately. The dirty dishes sat on the table long after we were clearly finished. After they were removed, no effort at all was made to clear the remaining scattered French fries. When the plate with the dessert spoons was placed on the table, it was put directly on top of mess that hadn't been cleared. We had to ask for it to cleared and the busboy we asked was also quite annoyed that we were troubling him with this request. It was a real shame that a lovely evening in a beautiful garden with good food was spoiled for no reason by an unpleasant wait staff.

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  3. Adam VIP

    Chicago / Illinois38 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is always stunningly displayed and scrumptious

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  4. Mark VIP

    Atlanta69 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Chez Joel has been our "go-to" restaurant for years. They fell down on the job during our recent visit. We waited over an hour for our meal. We were served shortly after I complained. No apology. We had a surly server who turned out to be the assistant manager. The salmon dish was good, but the fish of the day was overcooked. The filet was served with Foie Gras. The steak was good, the Foie Gras was disappointing and not worth $60.

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  5. Lynn VIP

    Chicago / Illinois16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This restaurant is one of our favorites. If the weather is nice you must sit outside! The food was great as usual and server do great.

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  6. Chuck VIP

    Chicago / Illinois55 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on July 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Chez Joel is a Chicago gem, a French restaurant tucked comfortably into the Taylor Street Italian neighborhood. Combine the calming ambiance of their outdoor patio with excellent food prepared and served by efficient and friendly staff and you have a wonderful dining experience. If you go once, you will return.

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  7. Cynthia

    Chicago / Illinois5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on July 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I am a frequent diner at Chez Joel. I love the food, service and ambiance.

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  8. Morgan VIP

    Philadelphia County1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Enjoyed sitting on the patio fabulous service and food that was fresh

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  9. g VIP

    Chicago / Illinois38 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Outdoors quiet but indoors noisy. Romantic and cosy. Good value, excellent food, authentic. Great deserts.

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  10. Delia VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area100 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on June 29, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    We had eaten at Chez Joel many times and it was formerly a nice restaurant with good food and service. Last evening the service was rude, inattentive, and ineffective. The food was inedible and was not served based on the order placed. The fish special was tough in the middle and unable to be eaten. The rack of lamb was ordered with potato and Parisian vegetables and was served by a rude male buser with the wrong vegetables. The buser then insulted me when I pointed out that the vegetable order was incorrectly served. He claimed to be the owner’s nephew which apparently made him think it was acceptable to tell us that he knew better what we ordered than we did. When I asked to speak to a manager he said the manager was his uncle and was not in the restaurant. We just wanted the food we ordered to be served. He walked off and left us with the wrong food. Some time later another woman came by after our original server never came to check on us, and she claimed to be the floor manager. We explained what had happened, she apologized, and said she would remove the inedible fish entree from the bill. My plate was taken away with the inedible fish as well as my wine glass and my nearly empty water glass remained where no one offered me anything further to drink. The potato ordered with the rack of lamb was brought in a side dish several minutes after the lamb was served. I should mention the original server gleefully told us when we both asked to have a vegetable that was available on the menu that evening substituted with our entrees that there would be an additional fee for the substitution. In all of our prior visits to Chez Joel this was never a problem or an additional fee. We declined to order dessert. The floor manager then came back by to say she had taken care of the check since the experience was so poor and unacceptable. We Appreciated that but such a poor experience is unforgettable.

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FAQs

Chez Joel offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (312) 226-6479.

Chez Joel is rated 4.7 stars by 2740 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Chicago / Illinois
  4. Chicago
  5. Little Italy / University Village

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 15 times today
Google Map for Chez Joel

1119 West Taylor, Chicago, IL 60607

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Cross street
    May Street
  • Neighborhood
    Little Italy / University Village
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    French
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet at Dinner: $7
  • Public transit
    Racine Blue line..Taylor bus, Number 8 Halsted bus.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Joel Kazouini
  • Additional
    Beer, Beer Garden, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, High Tea, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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