avec

My husband and I went for brunch @ 11am on a Sunday. Once we found the (hidden) front door we were greeted warmly. The choices for seating are two: side-by-side @ the bar or at a six person communal table on wooded seats (pillow cushions available).

The menu for brunch was limited - which almost caused us to leave: we wanted breakfast food. We decided to share the French toast and the Mexican eggs with sardines (No thanks! You can keep the fish!). The French toast was more "cakey" than "bready" - which I loved! It was tasty and fluffy (yes, it was fluffy, sort of pillowy) and was served on syrup accompanied by a sweet fruit compote (plums?) and almonds. My husband did not like it but enjoyed the egg dish which was served very hot with homemade potato chips on top...a new take on hash browns, I guess.

The service was friendly and quick. The food was hot and fresh. The coffee was good and our mugs were never empty.

Excellent food and service! Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Also every dish was delicious! Well thought plates with unique ingredients and sauces.

Amazing food. Great service.

Some dishes were too spicy, but food is usually really good.

Superb meal. We ate a whole whitefish, a Branzino dip, paella, and pizza and devoured every bite. The Branzino dip, the whole fish, and the navy beans served with the whole fish were particularly noteworthy.

Not really worth the price and doesn't live up to the reviews. I had been wanting to try this place for years and finally did. Pretty disappointed. Went with a couple other ladies and we all agreed this place just wasn't great. For the price there are so many other options in Chicago. I wouldn't come back.

Not good for a business meal

It was my third time at Avec. As the other ones, excellent food and service, good prices for food and wine list, and relaxed and casual. It is an outstanding choice for creative mediterranean food at good prices.

The staff wasn’t flexible at all with food allergies. We waited 50 mins to get our food. Waitress wasn’t paying attention at all. Very loud and cold inside.

Terrific food and service. Great selection of international wines.

We were running late and avec was nice enough to still accommodate us and allow us to choose to sit at the counter versus the community tables. The table set up is pretty packed so recommend sitting at the counter if you are going with only one other person. The food is unique and rich and the service was great.

Avec was an amazing find. We read that it gets busy, so we came in for an early dinner--4:45--and were seated right away. The food was delicious and the service attentive. We ordered the dates, the pork shoulder and the lamb neck--mouthwateringly delicious choices. We didn't mind eating communal style, but were unable to have much of a conversation once the place filled up.

Thanks to Sandra for outstanding, unobtrusive service and for guiding us to just the right red wine fur our meal. Chatted cabbage is absolutely amazing—with the quinoa and radicchio was as gorgeous as it was delicious. Paella was tasty. And the bread in unfailingly delicious. So glad we were able to snag a reservation, even if it was 4:30pm!

Love this place, food is alway good, but the seating is so close together! We were pretty up sitting on top of the couple next to us.

Super hip and great value for inventive and exciting cuisine. The chefs clearly take pride in what they do, and the chorizo date appetizer will haunt your memory for weeks, drawing you back to Avec for another sensational meal.

Fantastic food and attentive service in a casual setting with communal seating.

Buen lugar y comida

Enjoyed our anniversary dinner. The food was really good minus the whole bass being a tad bit dry.

Great food well prepared. Noise level was overbearing. Service was delightful and very helpful

Food very good. The pork shoulder dish was enormous, good for two even three to share!

Great food as always. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city.

The chorizo bacon wrap was awesome.
The butcher streak was full of flavours

Awesome food, creative. Lots of flavors. Small plates are great.

Go with the small plates. Universally terrific. Some of the entrees (paella, for instance) feel like experiments that didn't quite hit the mark. Small but excellent wine list and an eclectic beer list. It's a super loud but fun spot.

one Of the best dinners in my life

As always. Perfect!

I only saw shared tables or bar seating, so I wouldn’t recommend going for an intimate or special occasion, but it’s fine for a regular date night or dinner. The food is delicious, and the wine list has plenty to choose from. The brandade and paella were my favorites.

Great food. Cool vibe. Communal seating is a little awkward. But the food ... oh my. Must try the dates. and I don't like dates! Such imaginative food. Highly, highly recommend.

We went to Avec for an anniversary. Very, very good food with a great environment. It’s pretty relaxed service with a lively atmosphere.

Absolutely amazing. Bacon wrapped chorizo dates are a MUST order.

Great food - we loved the avocado salad and the bacon wrapped chorizo dates! The location is cramped, but you definitely have your own space when seated. Definitely recommend.

Avec used to be my favorite restaurant - but the food quality and service have gone down. They also squished us in and put a chair at the end when the seats next to us were open.

The food was ok, we saw a few fruit flies on our food, that kind of ruin the experience!

Best meal in a long time. Unique dishes. Will be back.

Food was wonderful! Service was Horrible!!! I can stress how bad service was., slow , and rude. Our server never checked on us. Never offered refills on wine. We had bought a glass while we checked out bottle selection. Never got option to buy bottle we picked. Had to stop her to order entrees. When we finally order entree then she came back to make sure we really want ed them . Suggested the would take too long.

Avec is incredible. It utilizes fresh and delicious ingredients to amplify dishes and really seize the maximum potential of flavor and texture. This was only my second time at Avec, but I will definitely be back for their dates alone. I am told their menu changes, but the dates have always been a constant - and for a great reason! Perfectly cooked, with the texture of the meat and the date not giving too much of a "mushy" feel as I've tasted in other meat-date dishes. The sauce it came with didn't overpower the savory taste of the date itself, which was the star of course. But at the same time, it complemented the dates perfectly, with a subtle balance of both sweet and salty. I literally have 0 criticisms when it comes to the dates, which I am definitely getting every visit.

The cocktails are also a good amount of "strong" without being too alcohol-y. They're creative, but also play on particular mixed drinks you may have had before, so it's not completely foreign.

Overall, food, drink, atmosphere (the service was excellent) was 5/5, 10/10. Would HIGHLY recommend, am definitely coming again.

Tasty food and nice atmosphere. Great for special celebration.

Hands down best food I had in Chicago

The flavor profile of every single dish that we ordered was amazing. The salad was an afterthought and I am still talking about it 5 days later.

I made a reservation for my husband's birthday dinner through open table. I made a special request saying It was for the birthday. I was a little disappointed with the fact that they never acknowledged about my husband's birthday. Many restaurants we've been, they always acknowledged our anniversaries and birthdays. It's not a big deal that they didn't say anything or put a candle out, but it would've made our dining experience much more special. I highly recommend Avec for creative Mediterranean food. However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for a special occasion.