Sepia

Recommends

Tom B.

Joined 9 months ago

Excellent restaurant. We were there couple of weeks ago. We loved the environment. The interior of the place was very cozy. The food was amazing and portaions were great. Great experience.

Recommends

Valerie Moloney

Joined 8 years ago

A one-time print shop breathes life into River West with its contemporary American fare and tasteful decor.. The Scene
Monochrome never looked so stylish in a space drenched in chocolate, a signature color and an homage to the ink used in vintage photographs. A front lounge features upholstered banquette seats and marble-topped tables, while the adjoining main dining room gets a dose of drama with smoky antique mirrors, custom millwork and oversized crystal chandeliers encircled by pewter glass cylinders. Guests are older, bejeweled and elegantly dressed.

The Food
Rustic, farm-fresh produce marries well with an equal-parts seafood and meat menu. Soft-shell crab opens your palette with a salty bite, only slightly tempered by cool, crushed zucchini and a silky olive tapenade. Rabbit, sliced in thick pieces and butter-knife tender, lacks the gamy texture one would expect, but falters with its lukewarm temperature. Heirloom tomatoes and leeks add subtle sweetness to flaky, perfectly seared striped sea bass. A flat-iron steak can't be missed with its bed of crunchy greens and crispy fingerling potatoes.

Recommends

nolachitown

Joined 7 years ago

Wonderful Experience All Around... The location, the decor, the food (unique - I loved the sting ray as an entree and octopus for our appetizer), the service are fantastic at Sepia. I saw this place on Metromix TV and immediately made reservations for a nice, quiet weekday dinner with a friend. We were immediately seated, and the staff went above all expectations. The scene at the bar is just as nice. I'll definitely be back.

Doesn't Recommend

joemichaelsmith

Joined 5 years ago

Decent at Best. I went there Friday night and was mildly impressed with the decor and ambience. I was looking forward to the elk chop although was informed this was no longer on the menu. Instead, I ordered the lamb chop which was very dry and bland. I have eaten at plenty of 4 - 5 star restaurants in my life and was not very impressed. Overall, the wait staff was very pleasant although the food lacked substance and flavor.

Recommends

ericnewyork

Joined 5 years ago

fantastic place!. Sepia is a fabulous place! We moved from New York, one of my favorite cites for its amazing food. Sepia delivers. I can see this place becoming a real Chicago treasure! Even tried their brunch, so yummy!

Doesn't Recommend

samchmell

Joined 5 years ago

they won't return your call. i enjoyed it for lunch with my daughter, son-in-law, and friend for lunch. i really wanted to take my wife for a nice dinner. i left 7 messages over a 3 week period for a reservation. no calls returned. FORGET IT !!!

Doesn't Recommend

xjeffx

Joined 6 years ago

Disappointed in Food & Service. Were told that our party of 3 needed to be there at 5:45 PM. Ordered appetizers, 5 minutes later waitress returned to tell us that she was out of potato soup appetizer. I wondered what else restaurant would have been out of if we had a later reservation. Made appetizer substitution, pasta/shellfish was not very impressive. Octopus/tomato was somewhat charred and over cooked. Waitress did return with 3 small cups of potato soup for us to try ( which would have been enough for the 1 person that had originally ordered that appetizer). Bus staff removed appetizer plates and, within 60 seconds, the main course arrived. I had to comment to waitress "How fast do you need this table?" She made a small apology. A restaurant of this hopeful caliber should not have had two strikes against them already. Prices are enough that they should allow some time between courses for digestion and conversation. I have been going to restaurants for 60+ years anywhere from neighborhood diners to 4 star restaurants in the USA and abroad. I have on occasion worked in some high class restaurants, so I know how kitchen and wait staff should be expected to perform. The place was busy upon our leaving. Maybe they will be treated nicer. Maybe this place needs time. But I won't be going back or recommending it. Wine displays were nice.

Recommends

jlh67

Joined 7 years ago

Great Overall Dining Experience. We recently had dinner at Sepia and cannot say enough good things about it. We dined at the communal table and seemed to have plenty of space. Our food was presented in a beautiful fashion, tasted great and was just the right portion size. The flatbreads sound funky but are wonderful and the baby octopus is great. The service is right on and the decor is very relaxing and chic. Only complaint for me would be the dessert we chose. It was a nectarine upside down cake, more muffin like and almost "too healthy" tasting. Give me a decendant dessert please!! SIDE NOTE TO FUTURE PATRONS (nothng to do with Sepia - when dining out please take notice of how much colonge/perfume you put on. This can be quite off putting to other diners especially if sharing a communal table. Thankfully we were about ready to leave when a group of 4 guys sat down next to us all reeking of nasty colonge. If I had not eaten already I wouldn't have been able to taste my food and probably would have needed to move to another seat. Back to Sepia - be sure to make reservations, go with a good appetite and enjoy a wonderful dinner.