This is the first Michelin star restaurant I have ever been to that I intend to return to. There’s so much BS in Chicago and Boka is the exact opposite. Every course was a banger. They made an exception for me on the tasting menu because I don’t eat veal. Usually wine pairings are 40/60 hit/miss but there was only one paring I didn’t like and that was out of personal preference. The staff was awesome. I will 100% be back. This place is demonstrably better than Smyth, Oriole, Alinea, Elske, and Sepia.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Claire Hess
We came in for restaurant week in January and had a great experience! Really enjoyed the atmosphere of the dining room, although the courses seemed a little rushed at times. Especially enjoyed the duck leg ravioli and scallops. Hoping to come back again to try another tasting menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Chad Kowalewski
I had a fine visit to Boka recently. I came here on a Tuesday date night. Was met with very friendly staff at the front and a handful of people waiting to be seated. Our table wasn’t ready yet so they lead us to the bar area while we waited, before we even fully sat down they let us know that our table had opened up and was ready to sit us. I think this leads into the best part of our visit. The staff. Across the board everyone was very friendly, diligent with their work, and knowledgeable about the restaurant, menu items, and more. Our table was constantly being stocked with more silverware, removing old plates. There was never a long time after we finished a plate that it sat empty. They also had a ton of workers. It seemed like there was a million people running around keeping this place going, and they were all great.
The food was okay. I think my favorite dish was the chestnut agnolotti. Very rich but also light and a tasteful starter. The bread was wildly soft. If you need to swap out some pillows at home just grab a batch of these things and use them because that’s how soft they were. They have a pastry team that isn’t a part of the restaurant? I don’t know how it works but they get a kudos from me. The beef tartare was very solid. The crisps on top were a nice bit of a crunch to go with the cold aged beef. Everything after that was okay. Both our entrees were alright. My dates cocktail was fine. Nothing was bad but there wasn’t really anything outside of the staff that was fantastic. Boka is a fun spot to adventure off to but as far as food goes there’s a long list of places I’d go before coming back here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Andrew Wester
My girlfriend and I went here for an anniversary dinner, and needless to say, it was the best meal I've ever had in my life. I 100% will be back here next time I am in Chicago - best michelin starred meal ever!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Bathje
My wife and I visited here for our anniversary on Saturday 2/21/26. The service was fantastic! To start they handed us menus with our anniversary printed on them. I started with a drink that was amazing, their What's Up Doc cocktail and I highly recommend it. We came at 5pm and they gave us one of the best seats in the house. Our critic would be on the scallops and my wife's entree the short rib. The scallops - we decided to share, so the kitchen split the plate for us, the scallops had a great texture, but they came out warmish and COVERED in sauce. The short rib - was a nice sized portion but tasted like corned beef, not what either of us expected. The desert was the highlight of our dinner we ordered the Namelaka and it was delicious!
One final statement. I know this is a Michelin star restaurant known for it's food and service but my vocation is in the maintenance field. So I was disappointed when I used the men's washroom. The washroom had a goober on the wall directly next to the sink, there was a chip in the ceramic space heater, and the first door you see as you head downstairs to the bathroom was very askew.
Regardless of all that we did have a great experience. Thank you to the staff for being so attentive!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Robert Oakwood
Lived up to the hype. Their basement full of Michelin stars is well worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elsie Marroquin
Came here with a girlfriend. The food did not disappoint. The service was exceptional.
Restaurant week was overwhelming for the hostess. She was very curt & did not take our coats. Thankfully the rest of the evening went a lot better.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joshua Kleckner
One of the best restaurants in Chicago. I've been there twice, once for restaurant week and once for Valentine's Day. This years restaurant week menu was great, but it couldn't hold a candle to the Valentine's Day menu from a couple years which was one the best dinning experiences I've ever had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Karl Androes
My favorite place from four we went to as part of Restaurant Week in Chicago. Will go again here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lauren Sun
Went for restaurant week and incredibly disappointed by the service and how they treated us. The food was mid and cold, the dessert tasted like Tums, but the most disappointing thing was the service. We had an 8:45 pm reservation and arrived at 8:45 (with one of us arriving at 8:35). They didn’t seat us for over 20 minutes past our reservation time and we were just standing there. I went in a group of 5 and not a single round of food was given to the correct person. We all objectively look different and so it was really baffling why the orders were getting delivered to the wrong people, repeatedly. Not that it would have made it justifiable if we did look similar but anyways. I had to switch plates with my friends for almost every meal. And it was different people getting the wrong orders every single time. And when I had inquired about a candle for my friend’s bday, they placed the candle in front of me instead of my friend. I was the one that asked for it???????? And I specifically said “It’s my friend’s birthday. The guy with the glasses” and pointed to him. Also our main server seemed to refuse to make eye contact with us and rarely looked at us while he was talking, but seemed like he was not doing the same to other tables. The silverware placed at every course was placed haphazardly to the point where I felt like I was reaching into my friend’s plating area to get my fork. And the entire time it felt so rushed, like they seated us late for reasons that we weren’t responsible for and were making it up by rushing our food
Anyways, really disappointing service for such a highly regarded restaurant. We left feeling like we were treated like an after thought and will not be coming back any time soon.
We went here for restaurant week and they had a great menu with multiple choices each course Highly recommend the beef tartare, the scallops, and the Icelandic cod. But all the dishes were fantastic! I did get to taste from my table mates.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J.
Went for restaurant week. The food was nothing short of incredible. Augustus treated us like royalty. Every now and again you are reminded what a truly perfect restaurant experience is; this is it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Perfect
J Mueller
Recently ate here for the first time during restaurant's week. The food was amazing, but the service was outstanding. I have never felt more valued and welcomed in a restaurant. We were late due to a snow storm, and Madi welcomed us with such kindness and without any concern. Our waiter, Augustus, was one of the best servers I've ever had. And, Ellery was extremely kind and made us feel at home. It was such a great experience and I would highly recommend Boka to anyone looking. We are grateful and will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shelby
I went for Chicago Restaurant week and got the four course meal. The food was good overall. A few dishes weren't my favorite but that was probably just my taste. The dessert was very good. The service was quick and great. Noise level was perfect and only complaint about ambiance was it was a bit too warm inside. I wouldn't go back if it weren't restaurant week. Personally the food wasn't good enough for me to pay more than $60. But maybe for you it would be.
Emily Easterling
Amazing service, Kevin was the greatest. We went for restaurant week. The food was great and very creative. Recommend the tuna appetizer and the brownie dessert! The chicken was delicious but not what I’d write home about.
This is the first Michelin star restaurant I have ever been to that I intend to return to. There’s so much BS in Chicago and Boka is the exact opposite. Every course was a banger. They made an exception for me on the tasting menu because I don’t eat veal. Usually wine pairings are 40/60 hit/miss but there was only one paring I didn’t like and that was out of personal preference. The staff was awesome. I will 100% be back. This place is demonstrably better than Smyth, Oriole, Alinea, Elske, and Sepia.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came in for restaurant week in January and had a great experience! Really enjoyed the atmosphere of the dining room, although the courses seemed a little rushed at times. Especially enjoyed the duck leg ravioli and scallops. Hoping to come back again to try another tasting menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I had a fine visit to Boka recently. I came here on a Tuesday date night. Was met with very friendly staff at the front and a handful of people waiting to be seated. Our table wasn’t ready yet so they lead us to the bar area while we waited, before we even fully sat down they let us know that our table had opened up and was ready to sit us.
I think this leads into the best part of our visit. The staff. Across the board everyone was very friendly, diligent with their work, and knowledgeable about the restaurant, menu items, and more. Our table was constantly being stocked with more silverware, removing old plates. There was never a long time after we finished a plate that it sat empty. They also had a ton of workers. It seemed like there was a million people running around keeping this place going, and they were all great.
The food was okay. I think my favorite dish was the chestnut agnolotti. Very rich but also light and a tasteful starter.
The bread was wildly soft. If you need to swap out some pillows at home just grab a batch of these things and use them because that’s how soft they were. They have a pastry team that isn’t a part of the restaurant? I don’t know how it works but they get a kudos from me.
The beef tartare was very solid. The crisps on top were a nice bit of a crunch to go with the cold aged beef.
Everything after that was okay. Both our entrees were alright. My dates cocktail was fine. Nothing was bad but there wasn’t really anything outside of the staff that was fantastic.
Boka is a fun spot to adventure off to but as far as food goes there’s a long list of places I’d go before coming back here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
My girlfriend and I went here for an anniversary dinner, and needless to say, it was the best meal I've ever had in my life. I 100% will be back here next time I am in Chicago - best michelin starred meal ever!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife and I visited here for our anniversary on Saturday 2/21/26. The service was fantastic! To start they handed us menus with our anniversary printed on them. I started with a drink that was amazing, their What's Up Doc cocktail and I highly recommend it. We came at 5pm and they gave us one of the best seats in the house. Our critic would be on the scallops and my wife's entree the short rib. The scallops - we decided to share, so the kitchen split the plate for us, the scallops had a great texture, but they came out warmish and COVERED in sauce. The short rib - was a nice sized portion but tasted like corned beef, not what either of us expected. The desert was the highlight of our dinner we ordered the Namelaka and it was delicious!
One final statement. I know this is a Michelin star restaurant known for it's food and service but my vocation is in the maintenance field. So I was disappointed when I used the men's washroom. The washroom had a goober on the wall directly next to the sink, there was a chip in the ceramic space heater, and the first door you see as you head downstairs to the bathroom was very askew.
Regardless of all that we did have a great experience. Thank you to the staff for being so attentive!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Lived up to the hype. Their basement full of Michelin stars is well worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here with a girlfriend. The food did not disappoint. The service was exceptional.
Restaurant week was overwhelming for the hostess. She was very curt & did not take our coats. Thankfully the rest of the evening went a lot better.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best restaurants in Chicago. I've been there twice, once for restaurant week and once for Valentine's Day. This years restaurant week menu was great, but it couldn't hold a candle to the Valentine's Day menu from a couple years which was one the best dinning experiences I've ever had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My favorite place from four we went to as part of Restaurant Week in Chicago. Will go again here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went for restaurant week and incredibly disappointed by the service and how they treated us. The food was mid and cold, the dessert tasted like Tums, but the most disappointing thing was the service. We had an 8:45 pm reservation and arrived at 8:45 (with one of us arriving at 8:35). They didn’t seat us for over 20 minutes past our reservation time and we were just standing there. I went in a group of 5 and not a single round of food was given to the correct person. We all objectively look different and so it was really baffling why the orders were getting delivered to the wrong people, repeatedly. Not that it would have made it justifiable if we did look similar but anyways. I had to switch plates with my friends for almost every meal. And it was different people getting the wrong orders every single time. And when I had inquired about a candle for my friend’s bday, they placed the candle in front of me instead of my friend. I was the one that asked for it???????? And I specifically said “It’s my friend’s birthday. The guy with the glasses” and pointed to him. Also our main server seemed to refuse to make eye contact with us and rarely looked at us while he was talking, but seemed like he was not doing the same to other tables.
The silverware placed at every course was placed haphazardly to the point where I felt like I was reaching into my friend’s plating area to get my fork. And the entire time it felt so rushed, like they seated us late for reasons that we weren’t responsible for and were making it up by rushing our food
Anyways, really disappointing service for such a highly regarded restaurant. We left feeling like we were treated like an after thought and will not be coming back any time soon.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
We went here for restaurant week and they had a great menu with multiple choices each course
Highly recommend the beef tartare, the scallops, and the Icelandic cod. But all the dishes were fantastic! I did get to taste from my table mates.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went for restaurant week. The food was nothing short of incredible. Augustus treated us like royalty. Every now and again you are reminded what a truly perfect restaurant experience is; this is it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Perfect
Recently ate here for the first time during restaurant's week. The food was amazing, but the service was outstanding. I have never felt more valued and welcomed in a restaurant. We were late due to a snow storm, and Madi welcomed us with such kindness and without any concern. Our waiter, Augustus, was one of the best servers I've ever had. And, Ellery was extremely kind and made us feel at home. It was such a great experience and I would highly recommend Boka to anyone looking. We are grateful and will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I went for Chicago Restaurant week and got the four course meal. The food was good overall. A few dishes weren't my favorite but that was probably just my taste. The dessert was very good. The service was quick and great. Noise level was perfect and only complaint about ambiance was it was a bit too warm inside. I wouldn't go back if it weren't restaurant week. Personally the food wasn't good enough for me to pay more than $60. But maybe for you it would be.
Amazing service, Kevin was the greatest. We went for restaurant week. The food was great and very creative. Recommend the tuna appetizer and the brownie dessert! The chicken was delicious but not what I’d write home about.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
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