Perched on the 18th floor, this modern gem serves exceptional New American dishes, craft cocktails, and stunning city views that make every occasion special.
"WoodWind, chef Matt O’Neill’s high-rise restaurant on the window-wrapped 18th floor of the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Lavin Family Pavilion, permanently in mid-December after four years at 259 E. Erie Street, he announced on Facebook. A replacement for chef Danny Meyer’s Michelin-starred restaurant and cocktail bar GreenRiver, WoodWind debuted in October 2019, just months before pandemic-era lockdowns began. In the post, however, O’Neill teases the possibility of a return: “We look forward to finding a new home for WoodWind and to bringing you that signature experience down the road,” he writes." - Ashok Selvam
"Woodwind has an unappealing location, on the 18th floor of a building on the Northwestern Hospital campus. But this restaurant has great food that’s worth a kind-of-weird walk through a hospital lobby. The menu includes creative dishes that sound strange but are actually delicious—like corn gnocchi with poached lobster and pomegranate-roasted squash with chunky peanut butter. The space has a beautiful view of downtown too, which makes you forget about that gurney you saw on your way here." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, john ringor
"Set on the 18th floor of a medical center, guests are welcomed into this restaurant by warm leather banquettes and cool marble tables. If that doesn't scream conviviality, look out for the buzzing crowds and wall of suspended wine bottles. This is an elegant and panoramic dining room, surrounded by a host of high-rises. Settle in for a spread of family-style plates. There's the requisite burger, but dishes also flaunt a great deal of ingenuity. Sample contemporary twists on American classics, whereby buffalo wing flavors are re-imagined in the "chicken chicharrón" with bright orange powder-dusted rice crisps and blue cheese foam. Such showmanship reaches a peak over cocktails, lit on fire, and desserts like the chocolate pot de crème smoked at the table." - Michelin Inspector
"Woodwind has an unappealing-sounding location. This upscale spot is on the 18th floor of a building on the Northwestern Hospital campus, but this restaurant has great food that’s worth a kind-of-weird walk through a hospital lobby. The menu includes creative dishes that sound strange but are actually delicious—like a sweet and savory Big Mac-inspired foie gras bao and pomegranate-roasted squash with chunky peanut butter. The space has a beautiful view of downtown too, and it’s an overall fun option for dinner and drinks if you’re in the neighborhood." - sam faye, adrian kane
"Located 18 floors above ground, WoodWind is a contemporary American restaurant that celebrates the freshest local ingredients. Chef Matt O’Neill uses refined techniques to create elegant-yet-approachable dishes packed with bold flavors. Guests have intriguing choices like buffalo chicken “chicharrón,” tater tots and caviar, “elote” corn gazpacho, Nashville hot chicken and sourdough waffles, and al pastor-style pork belly tacos. The food is paired nicely with inventive seasonal cocktails and the outdoor patio provides sweeping views of downtown. Online orders can be placed here." - Jeffy Mai
