WOW!!!! Amazing food you cant even describe how good this is!!!! Will be going back for sure. The Chef and staff are super nice and it is definetly an experience!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chefs
Daniel Wolpert
An incredible experience - unusual - like a dinner party - bringing your own wine with no corkage is great and they have an ice bucket and corkscrew waiting for you. We had a guest with a very large number of allergies and the chef catered to her with a different or modified dish for each course. Highly recommend El Idea - delicious food and ambience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve Grantz
I loved this place. I just wish I had one more "meat" meal. It was great tho. Great atmosphere
Whoever said this place "tried too hard" was outta their mind. The crew did a fantastic job making everyone feel comfortable but not forcing anything.
The mussels and the final dessert were my favorite, but I enjoyed all tastings. Nice work El Ideas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Dao Ly
Absolutely wonderful experience. We loved all of it. Highly recommend. The final dessert was absolute perfection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle
Well, that was boring.
My brother took me here because he had a really nice experience years back when he first tried El Ideas. I think they may have run out of ideas since then. The owner started off the evening with a speech about how "not pretentious" they are. The amuse was supposed to support the statement about the lack of pretention, so they had us lick frothy wasabi off our plates. Honestly, it was like they were trying super hard to not be pretentious while pushing their dishes and atmosphere into an undeserving level of pretention. None of the dishes were very creative, the plating didn't justify the price tag, the seasonings must have been on vacation because they were not there, and the flavors in most of the dishes were competing with one another. The cook on Scottish egg dish was not consistent - it was essentially a quail egg stuffed inside a duck sausage meatball thing. It was one of my least favorite dishes because (and I'm gonna be petty here) it was yucky. Aside from that, one person at my table had a runny yolk and the rest of us had a solid yolk. I assume the yolk was supposed to be runny and they managed to overcook the other ones. Not ideal for a restaurant with a Michelin star. The owner seems very proud of his "French fries and frosty" dish that is consistently on the menu. I did not enjoy it. Having us mix (as part of the presentation) the enjoyable freeze dried ice cream top with the overly salted and warm potato leek soup underneath just ruined the ice cream portion for me. It was really unfortunate because I wanted to be able to at least enjoy the ice cream top before tasting the questionable potato leek soup. I don't understand how they could over-salt a dish that has remained on their menu for so many years. I couldn't finish it. At the end of the meal, they invited us to walk to the back of the restaurant to serve ourselves a cup of tea or coffee...I guess this is part of the whole not being pretentious schtick. I didn't care for it. I paid enough to at least have the option of a cappuccino at the end of my meal. With such pretentious prices for such mediocre food, I would have at least appreciated that. In the end, it felt like they were trying way too hard to push this "chill" vibe and missed the mark in so many areas. I'd say the vibe came across as quite pretentious.
P.s. the bathroom is meh...I am someone who cares about the bathroom at a restaurant. The teddy bear art that looked like it was stolen from a child's room was, again, maybe a weird attempt to seem less pretentious? Like, "look at our super chill art. We totally don't care about fancy art." But it was just weird (and not in the good way).
TLDR - would not recommend. Michelin may want to reconsider that star.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Kendrick Hagwood
If you haven't been, book your reservation NOW! Great custom chef experience. High quality food that seems unreal! I NEVER try new foods but I did and I LOVED it. The service is better than any other, food is even better
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Fries and Frosty, Chefs
Brian G.
El Ideas is an amazingly creative and delicious culinary experience! The prix fixe menu provides a guided tour of what great chefs can do when unleashed. They can even accommodate special requests if you talk to the staff ahead of time. They are Michelin star rated, so it's also one of the best places to dine in Chicago overall. Explaining what you are eating with each course makes it a social and intellectually engaging experience as well. If you've never been here, you should plan for a classy adventure in unique flavor and texture combinations. If you have been here before, expect that your next visit will be as inspiring and unique as your last. All of this at the best price for this kind of dining, you can't go wrong!
Parking: There is enough parking for every guest. Be aware that many of the posted "no parking" signs specify that they only apply to trucks, implying that they do not apply to regular cars that might need to park there for dinner reservations.
Kid-friendliness: I don't think this venue is generally appropriate for kids, but if they are especially mature, interested in fine dining, and can act the part, then perhaps it may make sense.
Wheelchair accessibility: There were some ramps and sidewalks, but it may be difficult to enter the establishment door with a wheelchair. If you use a walker, cane or crutches, it's probably navigable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chefs
Taylor Hipskind
Went here in May for my wife’s birthday dinner. El Ideas was absolutely outstanding.
We took a taxi here as it is pretty off the beaten path in Douglass, and pulling up, the place is just a building - no signs or anything, which gave it a nice surprise for the birthday, as my wife had no idea where we were until we walked in.
While the place is small and intimate (it seats probably 20 people), it’s not stuffy - I wore a blazer, but most were wearing button downs with jeans, some in a polo shirt, and a couple of people in t-shirts. It’s a mix, and you can be as dressy or as comfortable as you’d like. Their whole vibe is to “turn fine dining on its head”, as Phillip said right off the bat.
It is BYOB, and most guests brought wine. My wife and I brought our favorite beer, which we were able to place into the ice bucket on the table when we arrived.
As others have said, you can go into the kitchen to watch them prepare dishes and talk to the chefs/owner (Phillip). Phillip announces each dish being served, and it feels like a full event, rather than just a dinner. It’s a three-man show - one guy checks you in and is the person who brings you silverware, then there are two chefs who make, plate, and serve the dishes. Definitely less of a full-service restaurant vibe, and is truly a dinner party vibe.
While it is like a “dinner party”, interaction between us and other guests was minimal (which was fine with me, as I was trying to have a nice birthday date). When we walked to the kitchen, some other guests were there and I made a small comment to another guest about the place, but that was it. I’m sure you can interact more if you would like to, but it is not needed or expected.
The food was absolutely outstanding. Every single dish blew me away. My wife and I were speechless with every bite. Compared to many other Michelin-starred restaurants I’ve dined at, the food at El Ideas blew all others out of the water. We could not stop talking about the food afterwards. There was truly nothing that was a let down, but to that extent, nothing “stood out” since every single dish was just so immaculate. The entire meal was the stand out and the show.
If this is your first Michelin-star experience, or if you are a Michelin connoisseur to the point where you have a Michelin Man on your apartment wall, I highly recommend giving El Ideas a try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jev A
No joke, I had a Ratatouille moment. I cannot say enough good things and I’m truly blessed to have been twice now both of which I was dreaming of the food the entire week after. I especially like the attention to detail not of just the food, but even the decor and the themes in each room. I don’t want to give anything away, but one of the bathrooms is quite entertaining. #blue I just need to get my hands on that book! I do not make the mistake of joking around about getting ketchup with one of the dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chefs
Liz Shane
Hands down the best meal of my life and a truly unique experience.
What an amazing experience! Unique flavors, all delicious! Fun quarks that encourage laughter and conversation! So worth it, thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bryce Podgorsek
This is a true gem of a restaurant. My family will routinely travel for tasting menus and this is a standout for all of us; it was also hands-down the best of our trip. It's a relaxed and fun atmosphere where they encourage guests to come and hang out with them in the kitchen while they cook. Everyone is friendly and contributes to making the experience special. They have a BYOB policy which is a lot of fun; my family forgot about this and ended up having some wine delivered to the restaurant.
Now for the food. They embrace the 'Elevated Ideas' name when it comes to their food; oftentimes, I find that when restaurants are trying to be creative, taste can sometimes suffer, but not here. Their flavors were top-notch with very whimsical and creative presentations. One dish in particular--their signature--is one of those rare special dishes that I will always remember. We will be back, and we will be recommending this restaurant to others. I have been to many restaurants in Chicago and this is among the very top tier. Do not hesitate to get tickets to this fantastic experience.
Dietary restrictions: They were very accommodating to me and my mom, who both have some allergies. We spoke with others, who were vegetarians, and they were commenting on how creative their substitutions were.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Donna Tong
So intimate and small, this was the perfect environment for my friend and I to spend NYE. I loved the details on every plate and the thoughtfulness behind the journey of the experience. I don’t want to spoil any surprises but Foss knows how to break the ice and how to keep you surprised. He also makes some pretty delicious food haha
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe Curtis
Amazing! Amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jonathan Lee
Really fun BYOB “dinner party” vibe in an intimate space where guests are encouraged to come up to the kitchen and interact with the staff as they work. Chef Foss and company were incredibly kind and welcoming between serving up absolutely amazing dishes. Will absolutely be headed back soon.
WOW!!!! Amazing food you cant even describe how good this is!!!! Will be going back for sure. The Chef and staff are super nice and it is definetly an experience!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chefs
An incredible experience - unusual - like a dinner party - bringing your own wine with no corkage is great and they have an ice bucket and corkscrew waiting for you. We had a guest with a very large number of allergies and the chef catered to her with a different or modified dish for each course. Highly recommend El Idea - delicious food and ambience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I loved this place. I just wish I had one more "meat" meal. It was great tho. Great atmosphere
Whoever said this place "tried too hard" was outta their mind. The crew did a fantastic job making everyone feel comfortable but not forcing anything.
The mussels and the final dessert were my favorite, but I enjoyed all tastings. Nice work El Ideas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Absolutely wonderful experience. We loved all of it. Highly recommend. The final dessert was absolute perfection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Well, that was boring.
My brother took me here because he had a really nice experience years back when he first tried El Ideas. I think they may have run out of ideas since then.
The owner started off the evening with a speech about how "not pretentious" they are. The amuse was supposed to support the statement about the lack of pretention, so they had us lick frothy wasabi off our plates. Honestly, it was like they were trying super hard to not be pretentious while pushing their dishes and atmosphere into an undeserving level of pretention. None of the dishes were very creative, the plating didn't justify the price tag, the seasonings must have been on vacation because they were not there, and the flavors in most of the dishes were competing with one another. The cook on Scottish egg dish was not consistent - it was essentially a quail egg stuffed inside a duck sausage meatball thing. It was one of my least favorite dishes because (and I'm gonna be petty here) it was yucky. Aside from that, one person at my table had a runny yolk and the rest of us had a solid yolk. I assume the yolk was supposed to be runny and they managed to overcook the other ones. Not ideal for a restaurant with a Michelin star.
The owner seems very proud of his "French fries and frosty" dish that is consistently on the menu. I did not enjoy it. Having us mix (as part of the presentation) the enjoyable freeze dried ice cream top with the overly salted and warm potato leek soup underneath just ruined the ice cream portion for me. It was really unfortunate because I wanted to be able to at least enjoy the ice cream top before tasting the questionable potato leek soup. I don't understand how they could over-salt a dish that has remained on their menu for so many years. I couldn't finish it.
At the end of the meal, they invited us to walk to the back of the restaurant to serve ourselves a cup of tea or coffee...I guess this is part of the whole not being pretentious schtick. I didn't care for it. I paid enough to at least have the option of a cappuccino at the end of my meal. With such pretentious prices for such mediocre food, I would have at least appreciated that.
In the end, it felt like they were trying way too hard to push this "chill" vibe and missed the mark in so many areas. I'd say the vibe came across as quite pretentious.
P.s. the bathroom is meh...I am someone who cares about the bathroom at a restaurant. The teddy bear art that looked like it was stolen from a child's room was, again, maybe a weird attempt to seem less pretentious? Like, "look at our super chill art. We totally don't care about fancy art." But it was just weird (and not in the good way).
TLDR - would not recommend. Michelin may want to reconsider that star.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
If you haven't been, book your reservation NOW! Great custom chef experience. High quality food that seems unreal! I NEVER try new foods but I did and I LOVED it. The service is better than any other, food is even better
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Fries and Frosty, Chefs
El Ideas is an amazingly creative and delicious culinary experience! The prix fixe menu provides a guided tour of what great chefs can do when unleashed. They can even accommodate special requests if you talk to the staff ahead of time. They are Michelin star rated, so it's also one of the best places to dine in Chicago overall. Explaining what you are eating with each course makes it a social and intellectually engaging experience as well. If you've never been here, you should plan for a classy adventure in unique flavor and texture combinations. If you have been here before, expect that your next visit will be as inspiring and unique as your last. All of this at the best price for this kind of dining, you can't go wrong!
Parking: There is enough parking for every guest. Be aware that many of the posted "no parking" signs specify that they only apply to trucks, implying that they do not apply to regular cars that might need to park there for dinner reservations.
Kid-friendliness: I don't think this venue is generally appropriate for kids, but if they are especially mature, interested in fine dining, and can act the part, then perhaps it may make sense.
Wheelchair accessibility: There were some ramps and sidewalks, but it may be difficult to enter the establishment door with a wheelchair. If you use a walker, cane or crutches, it's probably navigable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chefs
Went here in May for my wife’s birthday dinner. El Ideas was absolutely outstanding.
We took a taxi here as it is pretty off the beaten path in Douglass, and pulling up, the place is just a building - no signs or anything, which gave it a nice surprise for the birthday, as my wife had no idea where we were until we walked in.
While the place is small and intimate (it seats probably 20 people), it’s not stuffy - I wore a blazer, but most were wearing button downs with jeans, some in a polo shirt, and a couple of people in t-shirts. It’s a mix, and you can be as dressy or as comfortable as you’d like. Their whole vibe is to “turn fine dining on its head”, as Phillip said right off the bat.
It is BYOB, and most guests brought wine. My wife and I brought our favorite beer, which we were able to place into the ice bucket on the table when we arrived.
As others have said, you can go into the kitchen to watch them prepare dishes and talk to the chefs/owner (Phillip). Phillip announces each dish being served, and it feels like a full event, rather than just a dinner. It’s a three-man show - one guy checks you in and is the person who brings you silverware, then there are two chefs who make, plate, and serve the dishes. Definitely less of a full-service restaurant vibe, and is truly a dinner party vibe.
While it is like a “dinner party”, interaction between us and other guests was minimal (which was fine with me, as I was trying to have a nice birthday date). When we walked to the kitchen, some other guests were there and I made a small comment to another guest about the place, but that was it. I’m sure you can interact more if you would like to, but it is not needed or expected.
The food was absolutely outstanding. Every single dish blew me away. My wife and I were speechless with every bite. Compared to many other Michelin-starred restaurants I’ve dined at, the food at El Ideas blew all others out of the water. We could not stop talking about the food afterwards. There was truly nothing that was a let down, but to that extent, nothing “stood out” since every single dish was just so immaculate. The entire meal was the stand out and the show.
If this is your first Michelin-star experience, or if you are a Michelin connoisseur to the point where you have a Michelin Man on your apartment wall, I highly recommend giving El Ideas a try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
No joke, I had a Ratatouille moment. I cannot say enough good things and I’m truly blessed to have been twice now both of which I was dreaming of the food the entire week after. I especially like the attention to detail not of just the food, but even the decor and the themes in each room. I don’t want to give anything away, but one of the bathrooms is quite entertaining. #blue I just need to get my hands on that book! I do not make the mistake of joking around about getting ketchup with one of the dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chefs
Hands down the best meal of my life and a truly unique experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
What an amazing experience! Unique flavors, all delicious! Fun quarks that encourage laughter and conversation!
So worth it, thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a true gem of a restaurant. My family will routinely travel for tasting menus and this is a standout for all of us; it was also hands-down the best of our trip. It's a relaxed and fun atmosphere where they encourage guests to come and hang out with them in the kitchen while they cook. Everyone is friendly and contributes to making the experience special. They have a BYOB policy which is a lot of fun; my family forgot about this and ended up having some wine delivered to the restaurant.
Now for the food. They embrace the 'Elevated Ideas' name when it comes to their food; oftentimes, I find that when restaurants are trying to be creative, taste can sometimes suffer, but not here. Their flavors were top-notch with very whimsical and creative presentations. One dish in particular--their signature--is one of those rare special dishes that I will always remember. We will be back, and we will be recommending this restaurant to others. I have been to many restaurants in Chicago and this is among the very top tier. Do not hesitate to get tickets to this fantastic experience.
Dietary restrictions: They were very accommodating to me and my mom, who both have some allergies. We spoke with others, who were vegetarians, and they were commenting on how creative their substitutions were.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So intimate and small, this was the perfect environment for my friend and I to spend NYE. I loved the details on every plate and the thoughtfulness behind the journey of the experience. I don’t want to spoil any surprises but Foss knows how to break the ice and how to keep you surprised. He also makes some pretty delicious food haha
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing! Amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really fun BYOB “dinner party” vibe in an intimate space where guests are encouraged to come up to the kitchen and interact with the staff as they work. Chef Foss and company were incredibly kind and welcoming between serving up absolutely amazing dishes. Will absolutely be headed back soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Fries and Frosty
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