Opus Restaurant & Cafe

The waiter Tie was very attentive ( but not too much) and accommodated all our requests. We had a lovely experience

My husband loved his rack o lamb. I was disappointed with the filet mignon. It was tough.
The whiskey sour was terrible? Wine was good

Arrived early seated at a table in an unacceptable location . Had to deal with a manager when we could easily have been moved. Service was very slow and the food while expensive was just mediocre.Menu was very limited and pricey. Overall other than its location next to Symphony center I would never recommend it .

The food was very good. The seats comfortable. The decor was interesting.

The best part of the meal was our waiter, Tigh. Wow. He was great, gracious, nice, not obtrusive.

T

One of the worst dining experiences I've ever had in Chicago. Amateur for both service and quality of food. I will never go here again - it's hopeless. Won't last long.

We went there since it was next to Symphony and how disappointing it was. My steak was cooked correctly but was cold. My daughter’s fish was hot but the rice it was served on was cold. No one ever asked how our food was. Too bad. Nice ambiance.

This is a very nice place in the same building as the symphony. They have been open a few months and desperately need to work on service and their kitchen. Several tables around us waited for over an hour for entree No one seemed to know including our earnest but ineffective waiter

This was my first and likely my last visit to Opus. My husband and I have CSO season tickets. We frequently enjoyed our preconcert meals at Tesori, which was the previous restaurant in this space. Opus was overall a disappointment. The music (Santana) was loud, the service was poor and the food was overpriced and average. We asked to see a dessert menu three times and were never given one. We gave up, asked for our check and then the manager came to our table, apologized and gave us free Beethoven cookies. I’m not sure why Tesori closed, but if our experience was typical I don’t think Opus will be around for long.

The service inflexible. Both entrees were poorly made.

We had lunch here prior to a concert at the Chicago Symphony. Delicious flat breads. Spicy bloody Mary at little too spicy - will order the regular one next time. They took our coats and kept them until after the concert - very nice.

Exceeded expectations based on prior reviews. It was lunch and in the bar area. But the menu was v satisfactory for our purposes (pre- symphony) and our waitress attentive and as efficient as possible given that the kitchen is probably overwhelmed on symphony days and nights.

We are Chicago Symphony subscribers and enjoy having lunch before the concert. Unfortunately the service, not only on this occasion but previous occasions has been poor. We decided to give it another chance since the restaurant is fairly new and perhaps needs to get the kinks out.... we will be going The Gage down the street instead.

The many staff members caring for us were all trying their best and very friendly. They need more training however. For instance, entree came in the middle of us eating our salads with the server stating, "Someone told me to bring this to your table." We ordered a glass of pinot noir. The server came back and told us none was available. The fixed price menu did not include a dessert. Other more comical events happened again with staff having the best of intentions. Food was mediocre.

Great new restaurant. Perfect place to eat before or after attending a performance.

The new management apparently only recently took over and still has to work out some kinks, but was very gracious in making up for the shortcomings. It is worth another visit.

Spotty beginning : played table-lotto with hostess (in a near-empty room), server was “nice” but tentative and not sure of the menu, and dinner “special” was gone before we could order (before 6PM and this is what drew us to the restaurant in the first place!) NONETHELESS! Management stepped in, genuinely apologetic, and the meal went flawlessly after that. 1) Food/wine was great. 2)Service “recovered”. 3) We WILL go back ... perfect before/after Symphony (and, oddly enough, great for morning coffee!!)

Well worth another visit - looking forward to the outdoor area in the summer.

Good food, great service. Don't need more characters.

The service was slow and erratic and it’s clear the staff are still in need of training. However the food was quite good, so for a quick meal before or after CSO, this is still very attractive.

Love that the seating revolves around the symphony events, so you don’t have to worry about being late. We enjoyed the quiet of the restaurant and could really hear our guests without raising voices. Relaxing and delicious!

The food was terrific and the service was very attentive. If anything was out of place, staff was on top of it.

Our party even received complimentary dessert as a part of our visit.

We will definitely visit again.

The food was overpriced for what you get, it’s basically cafeteria food dressed-up to look better and then prices higher for the presentation. Literally, the “tomato bisque“ soup was just a cup of marinara (red) sauce.

Pasta was too plain and too much Gatlic. Need red meat sauce with meatballs or sausage types of pasta. . More hearty pastas. Bread selection very good. Excellent service

The food ranged from good to very good. Our main problem was the wine list. There was 1 reasonable wine, a 1/2 carafe for $18. The bottles on the small list were all between $65-75! They were sold out of the carafe wine by 6:00, but after we asked (We shouldn't have had to ask), they substituted one of their expensive wines at the carafe price, so no complaints about that. One of the managers told us they will be out with a larger and cheaper wine list soon. The servers were excellent, but the kitchen a little slow. We got appetizers quickly, but a long wait for main course. We didn't have time for desert, even tho we started at 6 for an 8:00 concert. We will definitely try it again.

Three of us were going to the CSO that evening. We had gone to Rhapsody and Tesori many times before the symphony and always enjoyed our dinner. This was our first time—and last— at Opus. We had a 6:00 reservation before the 8:00 concert. We were served our appetizers in a timely manner and liked what we had. But we were not served our entrees until 7:30. My capon was barely warm but since we already had to gobble down our food, I did not send it back. The others had short ribs that were fine. We asked about our entrees many times after 7:00. Our waiter was very nice but he was not cooking the food! We will never go to Opus again. It’s too expensive (the only Pinot noir on the wine list was $70 and there was nothing else for less than $60) and they are still disorganized after being open for 3 months. This is very unfortunate!

The food was good but portions way too small for the price point. The prix fixe meal isn't coursed out so your dinner seems rushed. No lingering in the dining room is the goal. My cocktails came in different glasses each time; the second being significantly smaller than the first. The servers did a good job and were very friendly and attentive. Too many choices in the area to make it a "go to" spot.

I would like a few more choices on the menu but it's great for a meal before a concert; very efficient

Food was fair, just ok. Service was great. My companion did not feel well during the night. Thinks it was the shrimp as they were soggy. Too bad because it is convenient for the symphony.

Maitre’d was so kind to give us a table for 6 an hour earlier than I had reserved. The server, Todd ( I think) was excellent and very kind and tolerant with 3 young children. The brunch buffet was excellent and a very good value. We will definitely return.

This place still doesn't have its act together, which makes for difficulties for patrons who need to get to a concert or show. Our 6:15 reservation got us into our Symphony Center seats only five minutes before the 8 pm performance. Service was affable, but glacially slow. It took 3-4 minutes for them to collate four sets of two-page menus before we could be directed to our seats, some of which were way too close to neighboring tables for other to pass through. It took ten minutes for them to take our drink orders and said drinks did not arrive until after our entrees arrived a little after 7 pm--and we had to ask for them because they'd apparently been forgotten. Our soup was good, but they brought the wrong soup to one of our tablemates. The bread basked contain stale dinner rolls, whose flaccid crust was clearly the result of being stored in plastic, and sweet, thin raisin crisps. I liked the crisps a lot, but sweet breads before dinner probably wouldn't appeal to everyone, and none of my companions even tried them. Our mushroom flatbread had a tasty enough, but the crust was burned black. Our pasta with sausage tasted fine, but the amount of sausage was tiny, especially for $25. It took forever to get our dirty plates removed and dessert menus provided. Our dessert, a sort of rectangular dark chocolate truffle, tasted quite good, but was served so cold that it took a lot of muscle to cut it. Between the clueless service, high prices, and variable food quality, we're not planning to return. It's a shame: the room is pretty, it's convenient for the symphony, and we loved Tesori, the restaurant that previously occupied that space.

Our yearly Christmas concert at orchestra hall

I had the short ribs and my wife had the salmon. Both were very good. A little small but good

We had salmon and filet mignon. Excellent! We split the recommended chocolate dessert. So delicious.

Service was botched. Waiter forgot to enter one guests entree, so one entree was late. It is awkward to serve some people and not others at a fine dining restaurant.

I was hesitant to go here due to negative reviews; but we gave it a shot since many of the reviews were made around the time they first opened. I’m glad we decided to give it a try! The food was fantastic and the waitstaff was very attentive. They seem to have worked out all of the kinks. They also didn’t flinch when we asked if they could accommodate a special meal request for our very picky eight-year old. We plan to make this a regular pre-symphony stop from now on!

Tasty entrees, though selection a bit thin. The desserts were great. Everything was nicely presented. Can’t say enough about the attentive and friendly wait staff. My friends and I will be back. Perfect for pre-symphony dinner.

Another wonderful experience! Was really impressed with service, they really went the extra mile to celebrate my birthday with a glass of champagne. That was such a nice touch!!!

Looking forward to coming back!

Great before or after CSO

Service was very good. My soup
And pasta was very good. The bread basket had a very nice assortment. The brut sparkling wine was very nice. The music was a Spanish flavor and very tasteful and at an appropriate level. The remodel very nice. The cafe idea in the front is a good idea. Glad a Restuarant is back in the spot. Very convenient for after the symphony

My friend and I dined at Opus for Sunday Brunch, before our CSO concert. We had no idea what to expect as there is no published menu. I'm a dairy-free pescatarian. We were pleasantly surprised. The buffet served plenty of options that I could safely eat. I was able to get an egg-white omelette, though it required a visit to the chef.

It was risky, as they advertise serving a limited menu as a prie fixe. I had attended events catered by Jewel and knew of their reputation for excellent food, so we decided to take a chance. Had I not had this previous experience, we might have skipped this dining option as too uncertain.