Every dish was fantastic and delicious. Wish we had some more time to explore the menu a bit more - had a late reservation. Good drinks too.
Thaw Dar
The food is really nice but too many seafood in tasting menu. It will be a bit noisy if you were seated near the bar.
Sam
Boka was amazing! We had a fabulous meal full of strong flavors and textures. We started with the mousse which is light, yet full bodied. Our drinks were very good too. I had the arctic char, and my wife's chicken was excellent. It was tender and flavorful and moist. We had two desserts too that were great. Jamal was a very nice and attentive waiter.
T
I did like everything we ordered, but the duck was tough and the short rib was not really any different from other well made short ribs...
therese
Amazing EVERYTHING! Service was top notch- despite the sommelier being out fir the evening, our waiter was knowledgeable to offer a great jammy wine selection. Roasted mushroom chicken was an tasty dish that i'm still thinking about 24 hours later
Ellen J
Boka remains our favorite restaurant in Chicago, and our meal was as wonderful as ever. The oyster preparation was remarkable, the chicken liver mousse rich and creamy, the scallops beautifully seasoned and presented, and the rack of lamb melted in my husband's mouth! He loved his dessert, and I was delighted to have a glass of nonalcoholic sparkling wine for a change.
Adrian
My wife and I came here for our 9 year anniversary for a quick trip to Chicago. We had a late reservation but that did not stop the staff from being absolutely outstanding. From the moment we walked in we were greeted by their amazing host who started our night out with only kindness and knowledge of the establishment. Then the support staff promptly began service and was absolutely on top of any needs throughout the night, along with excellent communication of the menu with every item delivered. The hospitality and absolute attentiveness of our server was above and beyond as well, with treating us with some accommodations of a few items we didn't order so we could experience more of the menu. I appreciate and applaud the amazing crew here from support, front of house, management, and absolutely amazing job their kitchen did with every bite we had. I thought I knew the flavors I was going to experience but with each dish I was blown away with the complexities they offered. Thank you all so much for the exceptional experience and we hope to see you again.
Andrew
Hadn't seen my best friend in a while and wanted to have a really delicious meal. Booked a little last minute so all that was available was bar-seating but it was absolutely perfect for the occasion. Mandy and Jesse took terrific care of us and balanced 8 courses of easily some of the best dishes I've ever tasted with a casual vibe. Everything was terrific - I chose to go with the standard wine pairing which was generous in volume. Highlights were the Grilled Green Asparagus (I know, asparagus!), the slow-roasted Colorado lamb loin, and the ocean trout. Those were truly delicious but the Black Truffle Scarpinocc was, and I don't say this lightly, -the- best pasta course I have ever had in my life. This was a meal that I will never forget. Thank you, chefs and the whole team at Boka.
Walaiporn
We have a wonderful experience here especially the foods and cocktails was beautiful and amazing. Overall satisfied we love it a lot. We here for celebrating our summer break and they make it 100% the best! we can't wait to get back to try testing menu. This is the right decision ever. Btw,We got Oysters,Scallops,Beef tartare,Chickens truffles,Dry-aged duck end up with Strawberries sake. You can't miss any of them.
Betsy
Truly a great meal. The ricotta tortelli with peas and was a triumph. The chicken and duck were as good as described by several critics. The dessert called Strawberry Sake was complex and delicious.
The service was impeccable, all that you would expect from a Michelin dining experience. The chef's tasting menu was spectacular, it doesn't include anything from the a la carte menu so it's truly a unique experience every time. We will absolutely be returning again
Carter
One of the best meals that my wife and I have ever had. There wasn't a single dish that disappointed, and the price was well worth it. The service was exceptional. Our waiter was very polite and did a great job of keeping an eye on us throughout the night.
David
It has been a decade since we dined here. Brief impressions. Four hostesses at the hostess stand. Smarmy waiter. Drinks were diluted. Steak tartare was more vegetable than meat. Artic Char was grossly oversalted so much so that it seemed to salted cod from Portugal.
Roman
I sat at the bar and had drinks and an a la carte meal. The food was delicious and the service from the bartender was exceptional. When I told him that I was trying to limit saturated fat, he went back to talk with the pastry chef who came up with a delicious dessert for me. It showed how much the restaurant cares about every guest!
Ryan
Dining at Boka was, quite frankly, an exercise in disappointment. The sweetbread was outright unpleasant—its cloying, winey aftertaste lingered like a sour note, and the overall impression was disturbingly close to the sensation of someone spitting in your mouth. Harsh? Perhaps. But so was the dish. The chicken, likely sous vide or low-temperature rendered, was paradoxically tough and unyielding—hard to cut and even harder to enjoy. The same goes for the duck: slow-cooked yet somehow not tender. I'm not sure how that's even possible. Then came the lion's mane mushroom, which was aggressively earthy in all the wrong ways. It smelled like wet soil and tasted like it had been foraged directly into the dish, topped with something green and grassy that only exaggerated the discord. When I mentioned the odd flavor to the waiter, he explained it was “because it's smoked.” Apparently, Boka prides itself on smoking everything. But if smoke is used as a gimmick rather than a flavor enhancer, it fails to impress. The goal of seasoning and technique is to delight—not to remind your diners that the kitchen owns a smoker. This isn't a performance of culinary ambition—unless owning a smoker and overusing it counts. And to top it off, all the entrées—the chicken, the duck, the mushroom—were served at the same time, causing everything to cool off before I could work through even half of it. Instead of a thoughtful, composed dining experience, the meal felt rushed, unbalanced, and ultimately indifferent to the actual enjoyment of the food.
Every dish was fantastic and delicious. Wish we had some more time to explore the menu a bit more - had a late reservation. Good drinks too.
The food is really nice but too many seafood in tasting menu. It will be a bit noisy if you were seated near the bar.
Boka was amazing! We had a fabulous meal full of strong flavors and textures. We started with the mousse which is light, yet full bodied. Our drinks were very good too. I had the arctic char, and my wife's chicken was excellent. It was tender and flavorful and moist. We had two desserts too that were great. Jamal was a very nice and attentive waiter.
I did like everything we ordered, but the duck was tough and the short rib was not really any different from other well made short ribs...
Amazing EVERYTHING! Service was top notch- despite the sommelier being out fir the evening, our waiter was knowledgeable to offer a great jammy wine selection. Roasted mushroom chicken was an tasty dish that i'm still thinking about 24 hours later
Boka remains our favorite restaurant in Chicago, and our meal was as wonderful as ever. The oyster preparation was remarkable, the chicken liver mousse rich and creamy, the scallops beautifully seasoned and presented, and the rack of lamb melted in my husband's mouth! He loved his dessert, and I was delighted to have a glass of nonalcoholic sparkling wine for a change.
My wife and I came here for our 9 year anniversary for a quick trip to Chicago. We had a late reservation but that did not stop the staff from being absolutely outstanding. From the moment we walked in we were greeted by their amazing host who started our night out with only kindness and knowledge of the establishment. Then the support staff promptly began service and was absolutely on top of any needs throughout the night, along with excellent communication of the menu with every item delivered. The hospitality and absolute attentiveness of our server was above and beyond as well, with treating us with some accommodations of a few items we didn't order so we could experience more of the menu. I appreciate and applaud the amazing crew here from support, front of house, management, and absolutely amazing job their kitchen did with every bite we had. I thought I knew the flavors I was going to experience but with each dish I was blown away with the complexities they offered. Thank you all so much for the exceptional experience and we hope to see you again.
Hadn't seen my best friend in a while and wanted to have a really delicious meal. Booked a little last minute so all that was available was bar-seating but it was absolutely perfect for the occasion. Mandy and Jesse took terrific care of us and balanced 8 courses of easily some of the best dishes I've ever tasted with a casual vibe. Everything was terrific - I chose to go with the standard wine pairing which was generous in volume. Highlights were the Grilled Green Asparagus (I know, asparagus!), the slow-roasted Colorado lamb loin, and the ocean trout. Those were truly delicious but the Black Truffle Scarpinocc was, and I don't say this lightly, -the- best pasta course I have ever had in my life. This was a meal that I will never forget. Thank you, chefs and the whole team at Boka.
We have a wonderful experience here especially the foods and cocktails was beautiful and amazing. Overall satisfied we love it a lot. We here for celebrating our summer break and they make it 100% the best! we can't wait to get back to try testing menu. This is the right decision ever. Btw,We got Oysters,Scallops,Beef tartare,Chickens truffles,Dry-aged duck end up with Strawberries sake. You can't miss any of them.
Truly a great meal. The ricotta tortelli with peas and was a triumph. The chicken and duck were as good as described by several critics. The dessert called Strawberry Sake was complex and delicious.
Restaurantji Recommends
The service was impeccable, all that you would expect from a Michelin dining experience. The chef's tasting menu was spectacular, it doesn't include anything from the a la carte menu so it's truly a unique experience every time. We will absolutely be returning again
One of the best meals that my wife and I have ever had. There wasn't a single dish that disappointed, and the price was well worth it. The service was exceptional. Our waiter was very polite and did a great job of keeping an eye on us throughout the night.
It has been a decade since we dined here. Brief impressions. Four hostesses at the hostess stand. Smarmy waiter. Drinks were diluted. Steak tartare was more vegetable than meat. Artic Char was grossly oversalted so much so that it seemed to salted cod from Portugal.
I sat at the bar and had drinks and an a la carte meal. The food was delicious and the service from the bartender was exceptional. When I told him that I was trying to limit saturated fat, he went back to talk with the pastry chef who came up with a delicious dessert for me. It showed how much the restaurant cares about every guest!
Dining at Boka was, quite frankly, an exercise in disappointment. The sweetbread was outright unpleasant—its cloying, winey aftertaste lingered like a sour note, and the overall impression was disturbingly close to the sensation of someone spitting in your mouth. Harsh? Perhaps. But so was the dish. The chicken, likely sous vide or low-temperature rendered, was paradoxically tough and unyielding—hard to cut and even harder to enjoy. The same goes for the duck: slow-cooked yet somehow not tender. I'm not sure how that's even possible. Then came the lion's mane mushroom, which was aggressively earthy in all the wrong ways. It smelled like wet soil and tasted like it had been foraged directly into the dish, topped with something green and grassy that only exaggerated the discord. When I mentioned the odd flavor to the waiter, he explained it was “because it's smoked.” Apparently, Boka prides itself on smoking everything. But if smoke is used as a gimmick rather than a flavor enhancer, it fails to impress. The goal of seasoning and technique is to delight—not to remind your diners that the kitchen owns a smoker. This isn't a performance of culinary ambition—unless owning a smoker and overusing it counts. And to top it off, all the entrées—the chicken, the duck, the mushroom—were served at the same time, causing everything to cool off before I could work through even half of it. Instead of a thoughtful, composed dining experience, the meal felt rushed, unbalanced, and ultimately indifferent to the actual enjoyment of the food.
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