Maxwells Trading
Restaurant · West Town
1516 W Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL 60607
Highlights
Japanese sweet potato, clay pot rice, French onion dip & cocktails
Japanese sweet potato, clay pot rice, French onion dip & cocktails
"There’s not a boring seat at Maxwells Trading—a testament to the infectious energy and music that fill this West Loop spot nightly. But if you can’t score a primetime table for one, head to the first-come, first-serve bar. Besides having what might be the most comfortable bar seats in Chicago, you’ll also be at the center of the action. On one side, you’ll find friends taking down bowls of umami-packed clay pot rice. On the other, diners snack on thick scallion pancakes, while chatting with the bartender about the Sadé record currently playing. While reservations don’t immediately disappear when they're released a month out, it’s best to be watchful. Prime weekend time slots are pretty nonexistent, so plan to book about two or three weeks before your dinner unless you don’t mind eating at 5 or 9pm. It's always easier to get a table for a weekday. Or you can roll the dice and walk in day-of—the bar is first come, first served." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen
"Maxwells Trading sounds like Mad Libs: Chicago Restaurant Edition—you can eat clay pot rice alongside french onion dip and drink from a curated wine list while listening to "Smooth Operator" on vinyl in a chic warehouse space. Overambitious? Maybe at any other place. But this West Loop spot delivers on every fill-in-the-blank aspect of a great meal, especially the food. Much like Sade's catalog, each seemingly straightforward dish contains multitudes. And while plenty of Chicago spots serve fantastic food in brick buildings that look like failed startup headquarters, the best thing about Maxwells Trading is that it doesn’t really feel like anything else. While reservations don’t immediately disappear when they're released a month out, it’s best to be watchful. Prime weekend time slots are pretty nonexistent, so plan to book about two or three weeks before your dinner unless you don’t mind eating at 5 or 9pm. It's always easier to get a table for a weekday. Or you can roll the dice and walk in day-of—the bar is first come, first served." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru
"The operation is grappling with the emotional and mental demands of maintaining high intellectual and operational focus; keeping staff motivation and personal focus amid the restaurant's intense ups and downs feels like a challenging roller coaster." - Sam Nelson
"Retail and event space presenting a culinary bookstore pop-up featuring Prospect’s collectible, out-of-print, obscure, and imported food books alongside a curated selection of records, art books, and vintage movie posters assembled by the in-house team." - Lisa Shames
"Maxwells Trading is housed in a large space on the outskirts of West Loop with a rooftop garden and plenty of private dining rooms. The menu features a melange of Asian influences. You’ll taste Chinese, Thai, and Japanese flavors, but no one single country defines the restaurant, symbolic of the owners’ backgrounds as children of immigrants. It’s a playful restaurant where diners are invited to dunk flatbread in a variety of dips, with great cocktails and wine rounding out one of the best all-around restaurants in the city. Vibe check: Maxwells Trading is Chicago’s best restaurant where omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans can dine in harmony." - Ashok Selvam
