Obélix

"Run by Oliver Poilevey and his brother Nicolas, Obelix offers modern French cuisine with a creative twist, focusing on high-quality ingredients and innovative dishes." - Ashok Selvam

"If you press your face up against the window of Obelix, well, you’ll want to wash your face. You’ll also see what appears to be a typical, white-tablecloth French restaurant. It’s not. While this River North spot is a place where the waitstaff folds our napkin whenever we leave our seat, it’s also somewhere we can casually pop in for drinks with friends and split foie gras tacos at the bar. Obelix expertly walks the tightrope of feeling formal without being stuffy. And that same balance is present in its menu filled with a mixture of classics like escargot and playful, fusion-y ones like the foie-co. Somehow, Obelix has made eating 10-day dry-aged duck breast and French onion soup exactly what we want to be doing with our Saturday night. Reservations are released 30 days in advance. But while dinner seats can be hard to nab (unless you want to eat at 10pm on a Thursday), it's much easier to snag a spot for weekend brunch at 10:30am-2pm, or lunch at 11:30am-2:30pm on Thursday, Friday, and Monday." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru

"This River North restaurant is run by French American brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey, whose parents had some of the city’s most successful French restaurants in town (Le Bouchon, La Sardine). Obelix provides Chicago with a unique perspective on French cuisine, with specialties ranging from beef Wellington to tacos filled with foie gras. As for dessert, The pastry program here is headed by serious talent with executive pastry chef Courtney Kenyon — a vet of numerous Michelin-starred restaurants (Oriole, North Pond, Le Bouchon). Try a scoop from the rotating menu of handmade ice creams, which have been available in flavors like Sicilian pistachio, apricot, and basil. Indulge in bite-size mignardise like rice pudding macarons and pistachio cardamom madeleines, or go big with a chocolate chiffon opera cake. Kenyon, along with Obelix head baker Louise “Lou” Turner (who once owned a bakery in Cincinnati’s Findlay Market), and pastry sous chef Ashleigh Lyons have even developed a weekly to-go croissant program — featuring a rotating variety of sweet or savory laminated pastries." - Serena Maria Daniels

"Obelix tells one of the purest Chicago stories. The restaurant is run by a pair of brothers, French Americans who watched their parents run some of the city’s most successful French restaurants in town (Le Bouchon, La Sardine). With Obelix, Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey have taken the lessons their dear parents have bestowed and added their perspective as city dwellers: find massive seafood towers, a taco with foie gras, and a decadent beef Wellington. The traditional French staples (gooey French onion soup) remain. But this bistro has a comfortable and modern feel, blending several culinary traditions to create a true French Chicago restaurant, a unique experience for any Francophile." - Ashok Selvam

"At this white-tablecloth French spot, it’s common to see couples feed each other buttery escargot for their anniversary while servers expertly fold someone’s napkin shortly after they leave their seat. But you'll also see people popping in for after-work glasses of Beaujolais at the bar, and friends in matching jean jackets attempting to equally split the Korean-inspired tête de cochon. Obelix expertly walks the tightrope of feeling formal without being stuffy—a balance that extends to its menu of classics like French onion soup and playful, fusion-y dishes like foie gras tacos. " - sam faye, adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen