Sepia

We had dined at Sepia several months ago and had a good experience. However our dinner Sunday was very sub par. First off the waiter was rude at best. He was condescending and impatient. The food was not up to prior standards. Three people in our party sent their plates back to the kitchen as the meat was almost raw and it was cold.

One of the best resturants in Chicago.

This place was amazing. The host and my server Kevin were spectacular. The food was phenomenal and had me feeling like Remy in Ratatouille when he puts the food in his mouth and visualizes the taste in sounds and colors. Food shouldn't just be eaten it should be an experience and Sepia did a magnificent job in providing it.

Great food perfectly paired, service is top notch

Absolutely fabulous. We were semi-regulars many years ago when they opened, and were fickle and moved on to all the new spots as they opened... but just went back (with their Michelin star) and were absolutely delighted (as were our clients). Modern, on trend, delicious food, without being so out-there-crazy-trying-too-hard ~ Andrew Zimmerman's food is wonderfully inventive and delicious. Presentations are gorgeous. Service thoughtful and easy-going. Still a beautiful room. AND bonus... we could actually enjoy a conversation WHILE we were eating! Definately you should go.

Fantastic experience and overall ambience.
Great service and great food.
This is one of my favorite date places, with an amazing wine collection, and a great delectable collection of food options. Loved the lamb chops with biryani!

As a Michelin-starred restaurant, Sepia is way below my expectations. The only dish I found surprising for the night is the Japanese sweet potato ravioli. Both of the main dish, duck breast and wagyu beef, were quite fair. I can find so much better place in Chicago than Sepia with the same price. The bread was actually good and I really like the ambience. But the food, won't came back for that.

Excellent food, dessert ok, atmosphere could be more relaxed. staff wasn’t so welcoming. Beautifully designed restaurant respecting the heritage.

An amazing place to have lunch! I would love to return for dinner. We had the Prix Fixe lunch and all of the courses were fantastic. The decor is outstanding and the service was perfect. When the noticed that it was a business lunch they did not rush any of the courses. I would recommend to anyone.

This was our third or fourth time and we have always enjoyed it but not after this past time We waited 45 mins to get a glass of wine. wine was spilled on table while pouring . Duck breast was not cooked as requested but delicious. They were completely understaffed. the staff threre was gracious but I can go any place else and be served in a more timely fashion

It was lovely it really was I just wasn’t blown away by anything in particular

Service was terrible. We were seated for 15 min before a drink order was taken. Another 30 minutes went by and we had to ask a busboy for our waitress, so we could give our food order. No apologies, no explanation. The busboys were quite rough with the water service, water splattering everywhere and reaching over people to refill water glasses. We’ve dined here 4 times in the past 2 years and have considered it a favorite. The level of service has deteriorated. Won’t be back

Fabulous from first bite to last

We were a party of 5 celebrating a family birthday. We were given a round table off to the side which was excellent. Our waitress seemed a bit condescending and almost hostile toward me. She got my entree order wrong and tried to say it was me - which it clearly wasn’t. This meant 4 people were eating and I wasn’t. Someone came over to the table to apologize which you would expect but there was no offer of monetary compensation which would have been gracious.
The food was outstanding and the periphery service was excellent.

Love Sepia!

Our meals were excellent. Given the number of waitstaff service was not great. The starter and dessert given were an added bonus.

Great choice for business lunch. Allow plenty of time. A little “relaxed” on bringing the check which was perfect for our situation.

Amazing food. Creative menu. Great service. Will go again next time I am in Chicago.

Excellent food and staff.

Showed up 10 minutes early for our reservation and was asked to wait in the Lounge area and order a drink while our table was being prepared. Proceeded to wait in the lounge area for 20 minutes (10 minutes past our reservation) while being ignored by the server (passed by our table numerous times). Party of same size that arrived after us was seated first.

During dinner the steelhead was woefully undercooked- I expected the fish to be medium rare but the fish had barely been cooked at all, resulting in a less flavorful and texturally unappealing dish.

Solid wine list and overall the food (apart from the trout) was slightly above average, but not worthy of the Michelin star in my opinion.

Overall there are MUCH better options than Sepia for a $500 dinner for 2 in Chicago.

Atmosphere, ambiance, food was perfect.

Amazing meal! Highly suggest the wine pairing menu!!

It was our second time to visit Chicago and the restaurant scene had never failed us so far. We tried Sepia and its sister restaurant, Proxi, and both offered very good food, value for our money and the service was excellent. Alex, our server, gave us recommendations on what dishes to try, and engaged us in a genuine conversation without trying too hard to please us. Everybody was welcoming and made sure our visit to the restaurant would be memorable for us, not just because of the food but also for the excellent service. Definitely worth another visit next time we’re in Chicago.

Great food! Wonderful service, we did the tasting menu,really enjoyed it.
Fun cocktails and great wine list.

one of the best lunches I have ever had. Try it you will be glad you did

I really wanted to like Sepia much better than I did. We were there for a 5 p.m. dinner reservation and at 4:58, hostess said she would have to check if she could seat us, because the dining room officially did not open until 5 p.m. 🙄 Our waitress was lovely and helpful and explained the dishes very well. I was not impressed by the menu. It was very limited, IMHO, and expensive. My trout was not cooked as well as I would have liked it, but it tasted fine. My husband had a falafel dinner and it was fine, but expensive at $22. We ordered charcuterie plate and also a cheese plate for an appetizer and there were four small cheeses and a brioche for $15 on the cheese plate and limited meat on the charcuterie plate also for $15. The drinks were good. The dinner for three was over $300 and I thought it was not worth the price. I also felt the chairs were not particularly comfortable - lower to the table. Again, I wanted to like this restaurant and food, but it was just okay.

First timers with a party of six. From "soup to nuts" the meal and experience was exquisite. We were seated in a small private dining space that was adjacent to the main dining area.
Knowledgeable staff, very comprehensive wine and spirits list and of course the food was delicious.

Dinner here on 11/3. I put together a 5 course tasting. The highlight? The 2nd dish of my evening - a Japanese sweet potato filled ravioli. It was amazing. Distinct flavors, great balance and smartly plated. The lowlights? EVERYTHING ELSE. Indifferent service, dishes served cold. Poor timing (some courses were served about 5 min apart, others about 35 min apart). There was a lack of any genuine spirit in either the food or the service. The Team was very ready to talk to each other (and about guests) but not so engaged in actual service. Its so rare that I disagree with the Michelin guide about starred restaurants? But in no way, by ANY measure is Sepia deserving of a star IMO. There are fantastic restaurants in Chicago. Restaurants that are relevant, innovative, sincere. Restaurants that care about the quality of experience that they provide. Sadly, Sepia is not one of those.

We tried the tasting menu which was fun and delicious. We would definitely go back.

Lovely dinner and service - I highly recommend the tasting menu/wine pairing! We'll definitely be back.

The Sepia staff was extremely attentive to the notes we placed during our reservation. Overall, we received outstanding service and had a fantastic experience.

Well constructed dishes and flavor combinations

So good, the staff makes sure you have a great time and the food is top notch I couldn't recommend enough.

A Fall season tasting nenu. Delicious. Casual but attentive service.

Wine service was very disappointing

Great spot, will come back again next time I'm in Chicago.

My husband and I decided to go to Sepia to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. We were greeted warmly by the hostess upon our arrival and seated quickly. However, we then waited over 10 minutes to be greeted by our server - she was friendly but did not acknowledge the delay. We ordered drinks and then placed our entree orders. Our server was occupied so another staff member came over to take our order -- we didn't mind that and appreciated the team effort but it reinforced the fact that they seemed to be understaffed.

Our food was delicious - we ordered the pork and the trout and we finished all of both entrees. The only problem was that by the time our server came over to check on our meals, my husband was completely finished eating and I was almost done. Our server asked if we wanted more bread to which we said yes (it was delicious), but then by the time the bread finally came out both of our entree plates had been cleared from our table so the nice gesture fell flat. We didn't order dessert but I did order an espresso, which took close to 10 minutes to make it to the table but it was nice to have with the mini macarons that we were given.

Overall, we really enjoyed the food and everyone was friendly enough, but the extremely slow service and lack of attention was disappointing on a night that was supposed to be a special celebration for us.

Great food!

Food was beyond delicious. My wife and I had things to discuss which didn't get done. All we wanted to talk about was the food. Tremendous time. We cannot wait to be back in town again and have another opportunity to enjoy again.

Sleek, elegant dining in Chicago's Fulton River District. Exceptional service and attention to detail. The food is outstanding prepared with seasonal ingredients providing a unique variety to the menu. Highly recommend the celery root and apple soup as well as the duck. Definitely a restaurant for special occasions and fine dining.