This restaurant is a delightful surprise! Great food, with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that is awesome. I have eaten in many fantastic restaurants in my life, and Claudia ranks amongst the best. The food is imaginative and delicious, the service is impeccable, and the atmosphere serene. It deserves more than the one Michelin star it has been awarded.Their cocktail program is second to none. They apparently always have a theme. Currently it is Sherlock Holmes. The drinks all have components based on Sherlock Holmes stories. It is creative, fun, and the cocktails delicious. I had The Sign of the Four, with oyster infused gin, lemon, jackfruit, sherry, rosemary, and Szechwan peppercorns. This drink was perfect: balanced, complex, and yummy. The Hound of the Baskervilles gets set on a glowing base. Truly Great Cocktails!The first course was served in a bento box. There was a squid ink madeline, a potato fritter like thing topped with caviar, a crispy cracker with yummy toppings, and tuna stuffed with foie gras. The last was so delicious, I could have a plate of just that. Next up was a dish based on asparagus. It was plated beautifully, with egg yolk jam, caviar, and a foamy goodness on the side.Course three was a torchon of foie gras served with pistachio and gooseberry. Stunningly delicious!I got a huge kick out of the snails in the woods, beautifully plated with flowers, and in shades of"Always be My Maybe", a recording of birds songs on a player with headphones! Too funny!After an intermezzo of cucumber, ginger, sake, and lime, came quail with pickled ramps served on the most beautiful plates you have ever seen.The turbot of the next course was served with a beautiful morel and perfectly cooked.Maybe my favorite course was the lobster, served with a complex mixture of "granola", peas, carrots and a delicious sauce. So good! The final savory course was rabbit presse and loin served with fiddlehead fern and a consomme that they infuse at your table. So, yes, lots of theater, but the food and service is just impeccable.Followed were two desserts. The first was a riff on a negroni, with all sorts of interesting textures of mousses and gelees. The final dessert was yogurt sorbet, served with a berry "consomme" and little tuffs of cake. Light and lovely, and a great end to a great meal. It was a perfect Spring menu.The wine pairings were very interesting.I cannot say enough about both the excellence of the service and the food. Truly a great restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Calypso Major
i, for one believe that CLAUDIA in all caps is an extremely offensive name, as my dead dog's daughter was named claudia. also, claudia means lame- a perfect summation of my experience at this godforsaken restuarant.the courses were very paltry, heavily seasoned, no flavor. the wine list made me drunk- something that i of course could not desire, as i was driving home that night. we came all the way from st kitts just to dine here and we were welcomed with abysmal trashy service (the waiter did not refill my water glass. ten thousand times).the bathrooms were locked and there were unspeakable stains on the floor when we came into it. i kid you not, there were wolves inside the restaurant.finally, my phone died inside the restaurant clearly because the lights draw power from your telephones and then they overused it and it died.never come visit CLAUDIA. my dead dog daughter's will be missed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jiren Qi
Ate a piece of plastic wrap out of the chicken… The replaced meal was cold inside. The only made up the restaurant did was a free glass of drink… Air conditioning was too cold to enjoy the meal. Hard to believe that’s the Michelin standard. It’s the worse Michelin experience we had ever so far.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Jeremy Bradley
I booked a bar reservation at CLAUDIA for my wife's birthday and totally had a blast. The restaurant is long and narrow, with the bar at the back. My first thoughts walking in was how quiet and romantic the atmosphere was. The decor was elegant and not overdone. Once seated at the bar by the hostess, we were greeted immediately and handed menus. The drinks all had some Sherlock Holmes theme, each with a story attached. They were amazing as were the a la cart food selections available. Definitely take your special someone here for a good romantic evening. The dinner reservations looked fun, but we opted not to because it takes 3 hours. But each plate brought out to customers looked fun with major presentation points.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eva S.
These guys are crushing it! The food and drinks were unique, beautiful and delicious. The wine pairings were delightful and the service was excellent. This has easily become one of my favorite restaurants of all time. Looking forward to returning next time we’re in town.
David Young
I had an excellent night at Claudia, but what really made the night was the staff. We absolutely loved interacting with Kylie, Mason, and Kevin. They added a lot to the evening, and made the whole night much more light hearted yet also more intimate.I learned a lot about wine from Kevin in particular, and I have to say, as a frequent patron of many of Chicago's Michelin stars, it's rare to have a somm take extra time to talk wine with customers in an understandable and unpretentious manner. He really and truly seems to love wine and did an excellent job making it accessible to commonfolk like myself, while still sharing lots of interesting tidbits and facts to take home.Kylie and Mason both were excellent, and seeing their interplay and clear professional chemistry on display made the night that much more entertaining and good spirited. They were both top tier servers and hosts, yet even on a night that was short staffed took the extra time to converse with us about a myriad of topics that made us feel extra cared for. I can't remember a better wait staff than these two, and especially not one that made us feel more welcomed. It almost felt more like two friends sharing a culinary experience of theirs with us rather than an interaction in consumerism, and we appreciated it greatly.Now to talk more about the food and restaurant itself, we did the tasting menu and wine pairing. For this, be prepared to drop about a grand. This is on the expensive side for a 1 michelin star restaurant but not unheard of. Discussing favorites on the menu might be somewhat fruitless, as it sounds like the menu changes quite often, offering a different experience each go-around. But in the interest of reviewing, favorites included:The potato beignet with caviar, mushroom herbal soup/tea, roasted eel, pork belly, and the ever creative "snails in the woods". I thought the latter was particularly excellent, offering an on-theme French dish in a much more accessible way for those that might not typically like escargot.So why four stars? Well after a 4 hour experience and nearly $1k, I got some great food and great wine pairing, but after 8 relatively small to medium sized dishes I still left hungry, which wasn't my experience at any of the other starred restaurants I've been to. I didn't feel like dropping even more money to fill up and just ate extra at home. The only thing even remotely "substantial" was probably the lobster dish, but nothing else had any sort of filling heft to it. This was the only little disappointment given the time and money put into the experience and the delicious quality of the food.But overall, an amazing restaurant with top notch staff and top notch food quality. If they could beef up just one of the courses to be a little more filling or substantial, it would get an easy 5 stars from me.
jesse wang
Aside from the main dining area and chefs table, there is an Elegant bar that allows walk-ins. Limited ala cart menu. Good experience.
Marie Gilberte Cineus
I was not impressed at all with their flavors, the snail course (third course) was flavorless, the main course with the pork was very salty, the desert course itself was just blend. After eating at Sepia and Alinea, I was expecting their food to be above that of Sepia and in the same level as Alinea, unfortunately I walked out of there feeling so disappointed. I wish I had returned to Sepia instead of going to Claudia. The experience was just awful to say the least. Each time I finally got one thing that was enjoyable I was worried about what is coming next because the consistency was lacking. If you want to enjoy a great fine dining experience, I wouldn’t recommend Claudia.
Christopher Ruiz
Came here pre-star (one of our first “post pandemic” nights out) and it was such a great night. The staff was amazing and we had a great meal. Cocktails were great and the wine pairings were perfect. Only hope is in the future they build out a vegetarian option so that I can come back more frequently with my wife - was not the best option for a vegetarian.
Donald Oliphant
My wife and I had dinner at Claudia last Saturday and had a great experience. The courses were well timed out, tasted delicious, cocktails were great with a cool backstory to each, and the service was exceptional. The staff was very knowledgeable, polite, approachable, and funny! The Michelin star is well earned and we would highly recommend Claudia!
The chef and restaurant deserve a star for creativity but in the end the food, while beautiful, fell flat flavor wise and the portions were ridiculously small. The service was impeccable so I left another star. I spent over a thousand dollars for two people at this restaurant and afterwards still went back to the hotel and ordered take out because we were still hungry. Overall, we had a fun experience but I would never return because the food just wasn’t good enough to justify the price. I’m really surprised because this is the first Michelin star restaurant that has disappointed me.
My Name Is.
We had a reservation, but they canceled it about 4 hours before we were supposed to arrive, citing "pandemic" concerns because their staff didn't show up to work. Keep in mind that we're past the pandemic stage in this country, so I'm not sure how true this excuse they gave me is. While I did get a full refund, not having people show up to work is concerning. I planned our evening around coming to this place because I heard so many good things about it, but now I'm not sure of we'll ever return because reliability is important. Do better with your staff.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
michaelcU9437WL
We had a reservation, but they canceled it about 4 hours before we were supposed to arrive, citing "pandemic" concerns because their staff didn't show up to work. Keep in mind that we're past the pandemic stage in this country, so I'm not sure how true this excuse they gave me is. While I did get a full refund, not having people show up to work is concerning. I planned our evening around coming to this place because I heard so many good things about it, but now I'm not sure of we'll ever return because reliability is important. Do better with your staff.
Fei W.
We loved the back bar area, the super creative bar menu (both the actual menu, and the cocktails), and the crystal clear view into the kitchen. It was mesmerizing watching the chefs at work delicately plating each delicious dish. The dishes were all beautiful and tasty. I always love a non-alcoholic pairing - as I feel it gets a lot more creative than your standard wine pairing - and this one didn’t disappoint!
Jordan Brunel
Claudia is simply stunning. Everything exceeded our expectations and then some. The creativity and craft is on display at all times. This is a must for any Chicago diner.
This restaurant is a delightful surprise! Great food, with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that is awesome. I have eaten in many fantastic restaurants in my life, and Claudia ranks amongst the best. The food is imaginative and delicious, the service is impeccable, and the atmosphere serene. It deserves more than the one Michelin star it has been awarded.Their cocktail program is second to none. They apparently always have a theme. Currently it is Sherlock Holmes. The drinks all have components based on Sherlock Holmes stories. It is creative, fun, and the cocktails delicious. I had The Sign of the Four, with oyster infused gin, lemon, jackfruit, sherry, rosemary, and Szechwan peppercorns. This drink was perfect: balanced, complex, and yummy. The Hound of the Baskervilles gets set on a glowing base. Truly Great Cocktails!The first course was served in a bento box. There was a squid ink madeline, a potato fritter like thing topped with caviar, a crispy cracker with yummy toppings, and tuna stuffed with foie gras. The last was so delicious, I could have a plate of just that. Next up was a dish based on asparagus. It was plated beautifully, with egg yolk jam, caviar, and a foamy goodness on the side.Course three was a torchon of foie gras served with pistachio and gooseberry. Stunningly delicious!I got a huge kick out of the snails in the woods, beautifully plated with flowers, and in shades of"Always be My Maybe", a recording of birds songs on a player with headphones! Too funny!After an intermezzo of cucumber, ginger, sake, and lime, came quail with pickled ramps served on the most beautiful plates you have ever seen.The turbot of the next course was served with a beautiful morel and perfectly cooked.Maybe my favorite course was the lobster, served with a complex mixture of "granola", peas, carrots and a delicious sauce. So good! The final savory course was rabbit presse and loin served with fiddlehead fern and a consomme that they infuse at your table. So, yes, lots of theater, but the food and service is just impeccable.Followed were two desserts. The first was a riff on a negroni, with all sorts of interesting textures of mousses and gelees. The final dessert was yogurt sorbet, served with a berry "consomme" and little tuffs of cake. Light and lovely, and a great end to a great meal. It was a perfect Spring menu.The wine pairings were very interesting.I cannot say enough about both the excellence of the service and the food. Truly a great restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
i, for one believe that CLAUDIA in all caps is an extremely offensive name, as my dead dog's daughter was named claudia. also, claudia means lame- a perfect summation of my experience at this godforsaken restuarant.the courses were very paltry, heavily seasoned, no flavor. the wine list made me drunk- something that i of course could not desire, as i was driving home that night. we came all the way from st kitts just to dine here and we were welcomed with abysmal trashy service (the waiter did not refill my water glass. ten thousand times).the bathrooms were locked and there were unspeakable stains on the floor when we came into it. i kid you not, there were wolves inside the restaurant.finally, my phone died inside the restaurant clearly because the lights draw power from your telephones and then they overused it and it died.never come visit CLAUDIA. my dead dog daughter's will be missed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ate a piece of plastic wrap out of the chicken… The replaced meal was cold inside. The only made up the restaurant did was a free glass of drink… Air conditioning was too cold to enjoy the meal. Hard to believe that’s the Michelin standard. It’s the worse Michelin experience we had ever so far.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
I booked a bar reservation at CLAUDIA for my wife's birthday and totally had a blast. The restaurant is long and narrow, with the bar at the back. My first thoughts walking in was how quiet and romantic the atmosphere was. The decor was elegant and not overdone. Once seated at the bar by the hostess, we were greeted immediately and handed menus. The drinks all had some Sherlock Holmes theme, each with a story attached. They were amazing as were the a la cart food selections available. Definitely take your special someone here for a good romantic evening. The dinner reservations looked fun, but we opted not to because it takes 3 hours. But each plate brought out to customers looked fun with major presentation points.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
These guys are crushing it! The food and drinks were unique, beautiful and delicious. The wine pairings were delightful and the service was excellent. This has easily become one of my favorite restaurants of all time. Looking forward to returning next time we’re in town.
I had an excellent night at Claudia, but what really made the night was the staff. We absolutely loved interacting with Kylie, Mason, and Kevin. They added a lot to the evening, and made the whole night much more light hearted yet also more intimate.I learned a lot about wine from Kevin in particular, and I have to say, as a frequent patron of many of Chicago's Michelin stars, it's rare to have a somm take extra time to talk wine with customers in an understandable and unpretentious manner. He really and truly seems to love wine and did an excellent job making it accessible to commonfolk like myself, while still sharing lots of interesting tidbits and facts to take home.Kylie and Mason both were excellent, and seeing their interplay and clear professional chemistry on display made the night that much more entertaining and good spirited. They were both top tier servers and hosts, yet even on a night that was short staffed took the extra time to converse with us about a myriad of topics that made us feel extra cared for. I can't remember a better wait staff than these two, and especially not one that made us feel more welcomed. It almost felt more like two friends sharing a culinary experience of theirs with us rather than an interaction in consumerism, and we appreciated it greatly.Now to talk more about the food and restaurant itself, we did the tasting menu and wine pairing. For this, be prepared to drop about a grand. This is on the expensive side for a 1 michelin star restaurant but not unheard of. Discussing favorites on the menu might be somewhat fruitless, as it sounds like the menu changes quite often, offering a different experience each go-around. But in the interest of reviewing, favorites included:The potato beignet with caviar, mushroom herbal soup/tea, roasted eel, pork belly, and the ever creative "snails in the woods". I thought the latter was particularly excellent, offering an on-theme French dish in a much more accessible way for those that might not typically like escargot.So why four stars? Well after a 4 hour experience and nearly $1k, I got some great food and great wine pairing, but after 8 relatively small to medium sized dishes I still left hungry, which wasn't my experience at any of the other starred restaurants I've been to. I didn't feel like dropping even more money to fill up and just ate extra at home. The only thing even remotely "substantial" was probably the lobster dish, but nothing else had any sort of filling heft to it. This was the only little disappointment given the time and money put into the experience and the delicious quality of the food.But overall, an amazing restaurant with top notch staff and top notch food quality. If they could beef up just one of the courses to be a little more filling or substantial, it would get an easy 5 stars from me.
Aside from the main dining area and chefs table, there is an Elegant bar that allows walk-ins. Limited ala cart menu. Good experience.
I was not impressed at all with their flavors, the snail course (third course) was flavorless, the main course with the pork was very salty, the desert course itself was just blend. After eating at Sepia and Alinea, I was expecting their food to be above that of Sepia and in the same level as Alinea, unfortunately I walked out of there feeling so disappointed. I wish I had returned to Sepia instead of going to Claudia. The experience was just awful to say the least. Each time I finally got one thing that was enjoyable I was worried about what is coming next because the consistency was lacking. If you want to enjoy a great fine dining experience, I wouldn’t recommend Claudia.
Came here pre-star (one of our first “post pandemic” nights out) and it was such a great night. The staff was amazing and we had a great meal. Cocktails were great and the wine pairings were perfect. Only hope is in the future they build out a vegetarian option so that I can come back more frequently with my wife - was not the best option for a vegetarian.
My wife and I had dinner at Claudia last Saturday and had a great experience. The courses were well timed out, tasted delicious, cocktails were great with a cool backstory to each, and the service was exceptional. The staff was very knowledgeable, polite, approachable, and funny! The Michelin star is well earned and we would highly recommend Claudia!
Restaurantji Recommends
The chef and restaurant deserve a star for creativity but in the end the food, while beautiful, fell flat flavor wise and the portions were ridiculously small. The service was impeccable so I left another star. I spent over a thousand dollars for two people at this restaurant and afterwards still went back to the hotel and ordered take out because we were still hungry. Overall, we had a fun experience but I would never return because the food just wasn’t good enough to justify the price. I’m really surprised because this is the first Michelin star restaurant that has disappointed me.
We had a reservation, but they canceled it about 4 hours before we were supposed to arrive, citing "pandemic" concerns because their staff didn't show up to work. Keep in mind that we're past the pandemic stage in this country, so I'm not sure how true this excuse they gave me is. While I did get a full refund, not having people show up to work is concerning. I planned our evening around coming to this place because I heard so many good things about it, but now I'm not sure of we'll ever return because reliability is important. Do better with your staff.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We had a reservation, but they canceled it about 4 hours before we were supposed to arrive, citing "pandemic" concerns because their staff didn't show up to work. Keep in mind that we're past the pandemic stage in this country, so I'm not sure how true this excuse they gave me is. While I did get a full refund, not having people show up to work is concerning. I planned our evening around coming to this place because I heard so many good things about it, but now I'm not sure of we'll ever return because reliability is important. Do better with your staff.
We loved the back bar area, the super creative bar menu (both the actual menu, and the cocktails), and the crystal clear view into the kitchen. It was mesmerizing watching the chefs at work delicately plating each delicious dish. The dishes were all beautiful and tasty. I always love a non-alcoholic pairing - as I feel it gets a lot more creative than your standard wine pairing - and this one didn’t disappoint!
Claudia is simply stunning. Everything exceeded our expectations and then some. The creativity and craft is on display at all times. This is a must for any Chicago diner.
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