Indienne
Fine dining restaurant · River North
217 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654
Highlights
Michelin-starred Indian cuisine blending French techniques with bold flavors.
Michelin-starred Indian cuisine blending French techniques with bold flavors.
"Indienne, an Indian restaurant in River North, definitely falls into the fine dining category. Its large dining room is full of white tablecloths and staff bustling around in crisp jackets, and the menu’s dishes are plated artistically. Right now, Indienne is offering a seven-course tasting menu for $135-$145, which feels affordable in a neighborhood overrun with valets parking rented Lambos. Most of the food has some kind of French twist, so you’ll find things like eclair canapes filled with goat cheese and chutney, malai tikka formed into a terrine and sauced tableside, and a cute little potato pave accompanying the perfectly medium rare lamb chop. Reservations are released 60 days in advance, but the bar area is reserved for walk-ins. There, you’ll most likely find an empty seat or two and can order food off an a la carte menu. Or, if you’re not a gambler and need a guaranteed reservation, be willing to eat before 6pm or after 8pm." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, john ringor, nick allen
"A restaurant represented at the party by sommelier Tia Polite, who doled out caviar 'bumps' complemented by giant blocks of Parmesan and bowls of chocolate as part of the tasting stations." - Sam Nelson
"A Chicago restaurant whose chef, Sujan Sarkar, nominated for Best Chef: Great Lakes, anchored his awards-night look with a long, form-fitting blue coat purchased in India as both a cultural nod to his birthplace and a practical, comfortable choice for a hot, humid event, accessorized with a patterned pocket square for a pop of color." - Lisa Shames
"While the city has scores of fine dining restaurants and Indian restaurants, Indienne bridges the gap with a progressive Indian tasting menu in a friendly, convivial atmosphere. Housed in a former 19th-century printing warehouse, the space is bright and open with pink banquettes and industrial lighting. And while the space is pretty, the food is beautiful. The attention to detail, color, shapes, and flavor (and how they all come together in each bite) is apparent in every dish, from the flower- and pea-specked avocado bhel to the sunny yellow carrot halwa with layers of pistachio semifreddo, coconut mousse, poached meringue, and edible gold." - Ariel Kanter
"Blending French and Indian food isn’t a new concept — it’s one championed by the late great Floyd Cardoz. Indienne takes some of those principles and modernizes it for the Chicago audience. Chef Sujan Sarkar — he started the Rooh chain for Indian restaurants — has created an affordable tasting menu where Indian food fans will recognize their favorites, which are presented in a more Westernized manner. It’s unique and will be oft-putting to those used to the AYCE buffets, but it’s great for an impromptu special night out. In 2024, Indienne became the only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in Chicago." - Ashok Selvam
