L2O: User Reviews

Worthwhile for a special treat
By D. Cuomo from Bucktown, February 18, 2009

Overall rating:

Very good. Beautifully appointed. Food is delicious. Servers need some work. Good wine service. I would go back but for a special occasion.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Excellent
By adamk from evanston, January 8, 2009

Overall rating:

Surprised to see the negative reviews. I went in summer 2008. Was one of the best meals I've ever had. This place is the complete package. Go for the experience. They do have entrees but tasting menus are the only way to go here, and let the sommelier(s) do their thing - you won't be disappointed.

Don't waste your time
By speje89 from chicago, January 4, 2009

Overall rating:

Tried out this place after reading about it in Esquire. When you're in the same city as Alinea, why would you go here? The food is decent, but for the price and the portions, Alinea wins hands down. Its a beautiful restaurant, but the everyone walks around with these fake smiles on their faces, and you know they're only smiling because they were told to. Its creepy and insincere. Also, we noticed the managers walking around talking to tables, but they didn't stop at every table. I guess this is the type of place that you only get attention if they think you're worth sucking up to. With the amount of money we paid, we expected so much more.

Really quite well done
By Erica from Chicago, January 2, 2009

Overall rating:

So it was with great excitement that we went to L2O for my birthday last week. We had early reservations but the room quickly filled up, drowning out the somewhat incongruous chill/ambient music playing. It's a lovely room whose space is broken up by hanging, beaded dividers. All servers were very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the food. There are 2 main dining options--chef's tasting (12 bits) or 4 section (cold, warm, entree, dessert). You can sub or add courses from another section ('rare" as in expensive: eg, lobster royale, foie gras, kobe, etc). So we went with the 4, being careful not to overlap (!) and added the foie gras before the entree. Best idea we ever had! Beautiful, generous, delicious presentation not to be missed if you are a fan. The fish glossary is extremely helpful. The entrees (short ribs for me, pork belly for my husband) were generous in size and provided great breakfast leftovers. We mostly stuck with seafood for the 1st two courses (the ishidai really was fabulous and the lamb tartare (not seafood obviously and also not warm even though in the portion of the menu) was really good too). Husband got a wonderful souffle and I got the cheese plate for dessert (those were the 2 options; 3 flavors of souffle or cheese. Perfect for us though). We opted against the wine pairings and used the sommelier sparingly as per previous reviewers warnings. Smart. She is knowledgeable and enthusiastic but appears to suffer from the same problem that we've encountered with many young sommeliers and that, namely is, the idea that there is only one way to pair, personal preferences be damned. But an old reisling that was offered was spot on and took us through foie gras AND dessert and the other wines we settled on were also great. The pre-dinner cocktails were inventive and good too. But we can NOT stop talking about the bread service. 6 choices were proferred often throughout the meal and it was hard not to keep eating it (which makes it somewhat strange that there are diners who left feeling hungry!) The bacon mustard twists and anchovy brioche (more like croissant or pain anchovy!) were addictive! The milk bread and country bread were good as well. I did not eat the multi grain or basic baguette but I'm betting they were good. As was the fig/raisin bread that came with the cheese plate.

At the end of our dinner, we were presented with our birthday greeting embossed menus (most interesting texture is used) and we were fortunate to have Chef Gras sign them. Everyone made sure our evening passed to our satisfaction and we really enjoyed ourselves. I recommend taking home leftovers as they pretty much wrap them as extravagantly as Tiffany's, blue blox with ribbon included!

But will we come back? Tricky question. The cost approached Alinea and while the meal was well done, not as inventive. And the service was good but didn't reach the "occasion"-level that we experience with Tru. Chicago has a ton of fine dining options and it's becoming harder and harder to stand out. That being said, L2O is better than most and I would recommend it at least once to fine diners. And that bread...!

Best Dining experience this year
By Foodie60660 from Foodie60660, December 8, 2008

Overall rating:

We called for reservations saturday at noon and were lucky enough to get "squeezed in". The atmosphere of the restaurant was stunning and the service was truly exceptional, as is to expected from an establishment of this caliber. Each course was esquisitely prepared and left us completely sated and happy at the end of our meal. If you get a chance, please dine here, you will not be disappointed. Thank you to all the staff for making this last minute reservation one of the best dining experiences we've had. We'll definitely be back.

Great food - but I'm still hungry!!
By Carrie G from Chicago, October 17, 2008

Overall rating:

L20 did not disappoint my inner foodie. The food was exceptionally fresh, with creative and tasteful combinations of flavors. Everything I ate was memorable, especially the foie gras. My only, and rather large complaint about L20, however, is that for $200 per person, you should not leave hungry. I left hungry... and not just the kind of lingering hunger where I longed for more delicious food, but the kind of hunger where I wanted to go home and order a pizza. No restaurant should allow that to happen. L20 is a restaurant fit for foodies... just not hungry ones.

delicious!
By taliaann from south loop, September 14, 2008

Overall rating:

we went to l2o for our anniversary and it was fantastic! both my husband and i loved every dish! the hamachi with foie gras was hands down my favorite! the fish was so fresh. the bread is amazing as well as the many surprises after dessert great service! no complaints.

No bang for the buck...
By ChgoJeff from Lakeview, September 3, 2008

Overall rating:

4 of us dined last Friday evening and chose to do the 12 course tasting with the wine pairings. I always go with the theory "when in Rome"... The restaurant was very minimalist, quiet, low energy, but done well. In an effort to keep this short, our server lacked any personality and barely spoke to us throughout the meal. In fact, I had to ask 2 times what course had just been set in front of us. It seemed as though they were trying to keep the waitstaff "invisible", but with a 12 course tasting, it really should be more interactive. The somelier had a great personality and knowledge of her pairings, however the actual pairings were a bit off, especially the sake pairing. The food was completely unimpressive and boring. Other than the amuse bouche, nothing stood out from the menu. By the 6th course we just really wanted to end the experience and leave, but stayed. When the check came, at almost $1600 we were a bit surprised. We all were thinking the same thing, we could have gone to Alinea for that price, and will from now on.

Enjoy the amazing food - choose your own wine
By Melissa from Bucktown, August 22, 2008

Overall rating:

We went to L20 and tried the 12-course tasting menu with the wine paring. The food was fabulous. It was tasty, interesting, beautiful and served with care. Everything that came out of the kitchen was perfect. The wine pairings and service were quite the opposite. A couple of the wine choices were dead on, but the majority totally missed the mark and were poorly presented. At $95 per diner for the pairings, we were completely disappointed. Several times the wine came way after the food course was served. A vintage Rioja was served ice cold, straight out ot the fridge! A saki was served for two courses and we were instructed" "Don't have it in your mouth with the food, it is strongly flavored and will ruin the taste of the dish." L20 has some great wines on their list - select one yourself.

Disappointed
By 60611Diner from River North, August 12, 2008

Overall rating:

Admittedly, the hype had pushed expectations to a level that would have been tough to exceed. However, given the price point (all in, $400 per couple for a 4 course dinner with wine) our experience was disappointing. First the pluses: the bread and the pistachio macaroons were simple and outstanding. The disappointments were generally caused by trying to be too creative. The first course of peekytoe crab and sliced avocados would have been a great start to the meal, but for a smoky gelatin that added both an unwanted flavor and texture to the dish. Likewise in the finale, the deconstructed key lime pie. Flavors that blend so well together went flat when presented one by one. Presentations were all amazing, but if they can’t deliver both form and substance, I’d have preferred a little more effort on the substance. The design of the room is exciting and welcoming. The food, unfortunately, doesn’t merit a return trip.