We left after hearing they couldn’t accommodate our dietary restrictions
We made the reservation after reading online they accommodate all dietary restrictions. We get there and they told me I couldn’t do the tasting menu because my date had to do the a la carte option due to her restrictions.
For reference, my allergies are tree nuts, and my date is dairy-free and pescatarian—not exactly unheard-of requests.
Had I went alone I could’ve done the tasting menu but since I was with someone who couldn’t I wasn’t able to. Simply doesn’t make sense to me.
If you have ANY dietary restrictions, don’t bother. Save yourself the disappointment. This place is for people who can eat everything and question nothing.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mike Dienhart
Thought Elske was very good, but I need to come back and try more things and take more time there too decide if it was *great*. In full disclosure, I was running late for a show and only had an hour - and that's not nearly enough time to really relax into a meal. Even with that in mind, I had time to try four dishes and enjoyed every one of them. My favorite was the Annatto Zucca, with the Smoked Char a close second.
The space is great - love Scandinavian design. Volume level was perfect - could easily converse across our table but never felt like we had to endure anyone else's conversation. Great place to catch up with friends or take a date, based on that alone! Loved the courtyard, I would so come back here for a drink and snack by their outdoor fireplace, complete with cozy blankets. Hygge, indeed! Lastly, service by Hanna was perfect. She was on top of everything, not flustered by our time constraint, and was attentive without ever being intrusive. She offered good suggestions from the menu and wine list, and was prompt with the bill to make sure we got to our show on time.
Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
CStopher
Incredible experience overall. Service was amazing and we were accommodated for our gluten sensitivities. Not a cheap meal, but worth the price - I think this was the best dinner of my life!
Cesar
This is an unpretentious Michelin star restaurant delivering delicate flavors. The bar program was the surprise element.
Chrono
Elske is the rare Chicago restaurant that feels like a quiet revolution: Danish hygge colliding with Midwestern bounty in a room so serene you can hear the fire crackle and your own heart slow down. David Posey’s cooking is breathtakingly precise yet never fussy; every plate looks like a Rothko painting and tastes like the best memory you didn’t know you had. The signature duck liver tart arrives like edible jewelry (burnt hay crust, black currant, frozen foie gras snow that melts into something indecently luxurious), while the sunflower seed parfait with licorice and dill pollen is the kind of dessert that rewires your brain. Nothing here shouts; everything whispers genius. The pacing is flawless, the wine pairings (especially from their largely natural list) are thrilling, and the staff move with a warmth that makes fine dining feel like coming home. What cements Elske as one of America’s great restaurants is its stubborn refusal to chase trends or Michelin stars (even though it quietly holds one). Instead, it doubles down on seasonality, joy, and that elusive Danish concept of “enough.” A late-summer dish of raw hamachi with gooseberries and elderflower might be the most refreshing thing you eat all year; a winter plate of charred cabbage and smoked mussel cream will ruin all other vegetables for you forever. The backyard courtyard, glowing with string lights and a wood-burning hearth, is pure magic on a cool night. Elske doesn’t just feed you; it recalibrates your expectations of what a meal can be. Years from now, when someone asks about the best dinner of your life, this will be the one you describe with tears in your eyes and a stupid grin you can’t wipe off.
Zia Chaney
Superb! Would go back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Patrick Finn
This was my first time dining at Elske, and I really enjoyed it. We were there to celebrate a late birthday and opted for the tasting menu. To be transparent, I chose the vegetarian version, which isn’t the regular offering, but I was overall satisfied with what I received. All the dishes were excellent, offering a nice variety of flavors, and were on par with the non-vegetarian version, aside from the lack of protein. The highlight was probably the first dish, the pasta dish, and the palate cleanser. I was a bit disappointed with the dessert; it wasn’t bad, but given the caliber of the other dishes and the price, I expected a bit more. Overall, it was a good experience, and I would return. Perhaps next time for à la carte or drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Amy
I always want to speak to a restaurant's accommodation of allergies because that does not happen enough in reviews explicitly—we have to have our own apps for that. For people with severe reactivities, we always feel like we are not only difficult to include but also met with a wide array of issues from assurance of safety to attitudes about our needs, to having extremely limited options. Fine dining tends to be safer since they are made from scratch kitchens anyhow, but this establishment already had a very accommodating tasting menu when it came to my severe gluten allergy. I must tell you how difficult it is to find a place willing to deal with allergen omissions in a tasting menu, so I am 9 times out of ten unable to even do a tasting menu. They took me on without hesitation. I found it highly inclusive, and was able to partake in virtually every course without missing the integrity of the dishes with omissions because it was already accommodating. For dessert, I was unable to have the same things as my dining companion, but after letting them know upon booking that I had such an allergy, they made me my final course just for me that still blew me away—even designing a wine pairing to go with it as we elected the wine pairing option. We had a delightful time, the pace was dialed in, and staff were incredibly knowledgeable, attentive, and pleasant. We were waffling about doing ala carte or the tasting menu and if that is you—just do the tasting menu, you won't regret it! Add the wine pairing if that is your thing, I am super particular about my wines and would never choose half of those for myself—but their selections really made everything sing. We had the best time!
Emily
The food was delicious. Our favorites were the cod, lamb and pistachio skyr. We felt the service people were smug and cold. We wouldn't go back or recommend because of the service.
Liz
Food was ok, but the service was so slow and we really didn't get much help from our server in terms of ordering. We asked to make sure there was enough food for everyone, and with 4 men and 3 women there just really wasn't enough food. We got no guidance on portion size, which is really disappointing. We also would have loved to have tried dessert, but at 10pm, we worried that dessert would take another 45 mins. Overall, the experience was really ruined by how long it took for each dish to come out. Elske seems to have gone downhill since I last was there.
Elske is understated in the best way. The cooking is clean, elegant, and grounded in Scandinavian simplicity. Flavors are subtle yet deeply satisfying, and the pacing is smooth and relaxed. The outdoor courtyard adds charm to the experience. Five stars for its quiet confidence and beautifully executed dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Abraham
Sat at the bar due to a scheduling snafu on my part but glad we did. The bartender Monica was awesome. She gave us outstanding recommendations and was friendly and engaging. The artic char ( every bite was a flavor surprise), the scallops and the pork ribs were spot on. Great experience!
Christine Kim
We came for dinner, and it was disappointing to say the least, especially for a one Michelin star restaurant. We opted for al a carte and between the two of us, we shared the smoked char with shishito peppers, pickled onion, and saltines (there were too many clashing flavours going on and the char was salty), seared scallops with cauliflower, peach and almond (the scallops itself were well cooked but this was the opposite of the other dish where the cauliflower, peach and almond didn't shine through), annatto zucca with butternut squash, calabrian chili, and pecorino (overly rich but too little squash and no chili kick) and the roasted duck breast and sausage with golden beets, sprouted rye and gooseberries (the duck breast was overcooked (not pink) and it wasn't very refined). However, the service was good and attentive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
K\u0026A Chicago
The food at Elske was excellent — creative, well-balanced, and beautifully presented. Unfortunately, the overall experience didn’t quite match the quality of the kitchen.
The interior feels a bit tired — some worn seats and marks on the walls make the space look less polished than you’d expect at this price point. The design has that Scandinavian minimalism vibe, but it comes across more like an old IKEA setup than intentional simplicity.
Service was mixed. The cooks who brought the dishes were wonderful — friendly and enthusiastic. The main waiter, however, felt less engaged and not as professional.
It’s a shame because the food really shines, but the atmosphere and service held the experience back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 3
Matthew
I came a few years ago and the food was what you would expect from a Michelin restaurant. This trip, every item fell short besides the desert, which was fantastic. For the price and the expectations that come with the Michelin star, I doubt I'll be back.
We left after hearing they couldn’t accommodate our dietary restrictions
We made the reservation after reading online they accommodate all dietary restrictions. We get there and they told me I couldn’t do the tasting menu because my date had to do the a la carte option due to her restrictions.
For reference, my allergies are tree nuts, and my date is dairy-free and pescatarian—not exactly unheard-of requests.
Had I went alone I could’ve done the tasting menu but since I was with someone who couldn’t I wasn’t able to. Simply doesn’t make sense to me.
If you have ANY dietary restrictions, don’t bother. Save yourself the disappointment. This place is for people who can eat everything and question nothing.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Thought Elske was very good, but I need to come back and try more things and take more time there too decide if it was *great*. In full disclosure, I was running late for a show and only had an hour - and that's not nearly enough time to really relax into a meal. Even with that in mind, I had time to try four dishes and enjoyed every one of them. My favorite was the Annatto Zucca, with the Smoked Char a close second.
The space is great - love Scandinavian design. Volume level was perfect - could easily converse across our table but never felt like we had to endure anyone else's conversation. Great place to catch up with friends or take a date, based on that alone! Loved the courtyard, I would so come back here for a drink and snack by their outdoor fireplace, complete with cozy blankets. Hygge, indeed! Lastly, service by Hanna was perfect. She was on top of everything, not flustered by our time constraint, and was attentive without ever being intrusive. She offered good suggestions from the menu and wine list, and was prompt with the bill to make sure we got to our show on time.
Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Incredible experience overall. Service was amazing and we were accommodated for our gluten sensitivities. Not a cheap meal, but worth the price - I think this was the best dinner of my life!
This is an unpretentious Michelin star restaurant delivering delicate flavors. The bar program was the surprise element.
Elske is the rare Chicago restaurant that feels like a quiet revolution: Danish hygge colliding with Midwestern bounty in a room so serene you can hear the fire crackle and your own heart slow down. David Posey’s cooking is breathtakingly precise yet never fussy; every plate looks like a Rothko painting and tastes like the best memory you didn’t know you had. The signature duck liver tart arrives like edible jewelry (burnt hay crust, black currant, frozen foie gras snow that melts into something indecently luxurious), while the sunflower seed parfait with licorice and dill pollen is the kind of dessert that rewires your brain. Nothing here shouts; everything whispers genius. The pacing is flawless, the wine pairings (especially from their largely natural list) are thrilling, and the staff move with a warmth that makes fine dining feel like coming home.
What cements Elske as one of America’s great restaurants is its stubborn refusal to chase trends or Michelin stars (even though it quietly holds one). Instead, it doubles down on seasonality, joy, and that elusive Danish concept of “enough.” A late-summer dish of raw hamachi with gooseberries and elderflower might be the most refreshing thing you eat all year; a winter plate of charred cabbage and smoked mussel cream will ruin all other vegetables for you forever. The backyard courtyard, glowing with string lights and a wood-burning hearth, is pure magic on a cool night. Elske doesn’t just feed you; it recalibrates your expectations of what a meal can be. Years from now, when someone asks about the best dinner of your life, this will be the one you describe with tears in your eyes and a stupid grin you can’t wipe off.
Superb! Would go back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was my first time dining at Elske, and I really enjoyed it. We were there to celebrate a late birthday and opted for the tasting menu. To be transparent, I chose the vegetarian version, which isn’t the regular offering, but I was overall satisfied with what I received. All the dishes were excellent, offering a nice variety of flavors, and were on par with the non-vegetarian version, aside from the lack of protein. The highlight was probably the first dish, the pasta dish, and the palate cleanser. I was a bit disappointed with the dessert; it wasn’t bad, but given the caliber of the other dishes and the price, I expected a bit more. Overall, it was a good experience, and I would return. Perhaps next time for à la carte or drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I always want to speak to a restaurant's accommodation of allergies because that does not happen enough in reviews explicitly—we have to have our own apps for that. For people with severe reactivities, we always feel like we are not only difficult to include but also met with a wide array of issues from assurance of safety to attitudes about our needs, to having extremely limited options. Fine dining tends to be safer since they are made from scratch kitchens anyhow, but this establishment already had a very accommodating tasting menu when it came to my severe gluten allergy. I must tell you how difficult it is to find a place willing to deal with allergen omissions in a tasting menu, so I am 9 times out of ten unable to even do a tasting menu. They took me on without hesitation. I found it highly inclusive, and was able to partake in virtually every course without missing the integrity of the dishes with omissions because it was already accommodating. For dessert, I was unable to have the same things as my dining companion, but after letting them know upon booking that I had such an allergy, they made me my final course just for me that still blew me away—even designing a wine pairing to go with it as we elected the wine pairing option. We had a delightful time, the pace was dialed in, and staff were incredibly knowledgeable, attentive, and pleasant. We were waffling about doing ala carte or the tasting menu and if that is you—just do the tasting menu, you won't regret it! Add the wine pairing if that is your thing, I am super particular about my wines and would never choose half of those for myself—but their selections really made everything sing. We had the best time!
The food was delicious. Our favorites were the cod, lamb and pistachio skyr. We felt the service people were smug and cold. We wouldn't go back or recommend because of the service.
Food was ok, but the service was so slow and we really didn't get much help from our server in terms of ordering. We asked to make sure there was enough food for everyone, and with 4 men and 3 women there just really wasn't enough food. We got no guidance on portion size, which is really disappointing. We also would have loved to have tried dessert, but at 10pm, we worried that dessert would take another 45 mins. Overall, the experience was really ruined by how long it took for each dish to come out. Elske seems to have gone downhill since I last was there.
Restaurantji Recommends
Elske is understated in the best way. The cooking is clean, elegant, and grounded in Scandinavian simplicity. Flavors are subtle yet deeply satisfying, and the pacing is smooth and relaxed. The outdoor courtyard adds charm to the experience. Five stars for its quiet confidence and beautifully executed dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sat at the bar due to a scheduling snafu on my part but glad we did. The bartender Monica was awesome. She gave us outstanding recommendations and was friendly and engaging. The artic char ( every bite was a flavor surprise), the scallops and the pork ribs were spot on. Great experience!
We came for dinner, and it was disappointing to say the least, especially for a one Michelin star restaurant. We opted for al a carte and between the two of us, we shared the smoked char with shishito peppers, pickled onion, and saltines (there were too many clashing flavours going on and the char was salty), seared scallops with cauliflower, peach and almond (the scallops itself were well cooked but this was the opposite of the other dish where the cauliflower, peach and almond didn't shine through), annatto zucca with butternut squash, calabrian chili, and pecorino (overly rich but too little squash and no chili kick) and the roasted duck breast and sausage with golden beets, sprouted rye and gooseberries (the duck breast was overcooked (not pink) and it wasn't very refined). However, the service was good and attentive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
The food at Elske was excellent — creative, well-balanced, and beautifully presented. Unfortunately, the overall experience didn’t quite match the quality of the kitchen.
The interior feels a bit tired — some worn seats and marks on the walls make the space look less polished than you’d expect at this price point. The design has that Scandinavian minimalism vibe, but it comes across more like an old IKEA setup than intentional simplicity.
Service was mixed. The cooks who brought the dishes were wonderful — friendly and enthusiastic. The main waiter, however, felt less engaged and not as professional.
It’s a shame because the food really shines, but the atmosphere and service held the experience back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 3
I came a few years ago and the food was what you would expect from a Michelin restaurant. This trip, every item fell short besides the desert, which was fantastic. For the price and the expectations that come with the Michelin star, I doubt I'll be back.
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