Sepia

07/22/2008 Posted by nolachitown

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.

Pros: great value, great service, hip and modern decor

Cons: bit pricy if you're a student

04/21/2008 Posted by joemichaelsmith

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.

Pros: Great waitstaff

Cons: Food lacked consistency and flavor

02/08/2008 Posted by ericnewyork

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!

01/07/2008 Posted by samchmell

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 !!!

11/16/2007 Posted by xjeffx

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.

09/09/2007 Posted by jlh67

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.

Pros: Fantastic Food, Great Service, Good Design

Cons: getting seated next to heavy colonge wearers