I had heard great things about this place and was eager to try. Came in without a reservation and sat at the bar. The ambiance is cool - kind of an underground cellar vibe. The drinks and apps we got were very good, albeit very expensive. I don't mind spending some $$ for food but my friend and I were still quite hungry after three apps, which is atypical. Luckily we got the whole fish of the day which was incredible! Highly recommend getting their special if it sounds good to you. read more

Mfk - Whole fish of the day - a highlight! - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The atmosphere was cozy and the service was excellent! We had the bread, mussels, prawn heads, tortilla espanola, and seafood fideos . Each plate was served at a good cadence - the seafood fideos was slightly salty but not too heavy handed. Would definitely recommend coming here for a date night! read more

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What isn't there to love about the little neon hatch? This place has given me so many memories (RIP to Covid days when I could get a half gallon of their amazing sangria to go). Food is always great (pulpoguesa sliders? Get them. Fideos? I dream of them in my sleep). Came here with a small group of friends after moving out of the neighborhood to catch up. We stayed past closing...oops. They never pushed us out and instead politely played closing music. If you know the vibe of this crew, it was fitting and made me smile. read more

We've been in Chicago now going on five months. We've have gone to forty different restaurants in that time frame. Most have been excellent. A few have been exceptional and less have been bad. I'd say this is a pretty good average! Tonight at Mfk, our dinner was stellar. That's an adjective I rarely use, but tonight's dinner definitely calls for that word. Everything we ordered was crazy good. I mean each dish caused a sonic boom at our table. The attention that went into what we ordered tonight goes beyond well thought out. It goes to another level. The food here is a cross between Spanish, Castilian and Basque. It represents this region of the world in the very best of ways! My wife and I ordered: *Boquerones - piperade, fennel, lemon oil, baguette / what went into this dish just worked. I would come back here just for this. Mfk did to these anchovies what no one I ever ran into could do! *Pulpoguesa Sliders - octopus + pork patty, mojo verde, pickled fennel, potato chips, sesame bun / no sandwich will ever be the same for me. *iberico pork belly - chimichurri mashed potatoes, charred leeks, sherry-espelette gastrique / this dish put me smack dab in the middle of Barcelona without having to fly there. *albondigas - pork + veal meatballs, salbitxada, roasted shishitos, crispy shallot / Italian meatball who? Who needs red sauce when you have these. *My hopewell "per diem"czech style pilsner - was yummy and paired up great with this meal *My wifes antxiola 2020 txakolina getariako - white wine had Basque grapes written all over it Not a hiccup. Not a dash to much of "this". Or something lacking a "that". Just sheer perfection on every level. The ambience is small bistro intimate. The noise level is not an issue. The service is fantastic. The bar holds up their part of bargain. I guess what I'm trying to say, is, your dining experience at Mfk. will be wonderful. read more

Far and away one of our fave go to restaurants in the city. Unique flavorful takes on seafood served in a setting so vibrant and intimate that you feel like you're in someone's personal kitchen but also get to enjoy the privacy of your table conversation. Personable knowledgeable service that gets the balance just right. And my gosh, the gnocchi last night - tiny little pillows. Never seen them so small and light. Delicious. Highly recommend. read more

Such a wonderful experience eating here! Favorites are pictured, the spanish tortilla with baked salt cod brandade, fennel, pickled shallot, lemon zest was so fluffy and delicate! Also the "fideos": shrimp, smoked pork, mussels, toasted capellini, saffron cream was sooo delicious. All our dishes were so good! And the perfect combination of professional and friendly service was so appreciated. Elevated food in a casual, fun atmosphere is my fave! read more

Mfk - "fideos": shrimp, smoked pork, mussels, toasted capellini, saffron cream was delicious! - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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"Cozy underground spot"? More like a potato cellar with old patio chairs and tables! The hype and photos don't align at all with the actual experience. While I enjoyed several of the dishes, the others underperformed. Chicago must have much better places to explore Catalan food. This one is a hard pass! read more

Really really enjoyed this place. I love when you enter a restaurant and you feel transported from you previous location. Mfk definitely achieved that for me. Service was great, the bartender/server knew and suggested things appropriately and left us to our conversation. Solid drinks, solid food. Would recommend to anyone! read more

Really innovative food, doesn't fit into any style profile. Fits them all. Many flavors on each plate. And portion sizes were very fair. We shared 4 small, 2 medium and 2 large plates almost 3 who walked about 5 miles that day. We all felt it was a bit too much food-yet so delicious we ate it all. BTW our visit was on 1/2 price wine night!!! Our friendly server gave good information about entrees and wine. Definitely return here!! read more

A true hidden gem! A very small space with roughly 6 tables and a roughly 8 person bar. The vibe was very intimate, which I loved. Service was great, and food was even better. I can't recommend the sliders and fideos enough. Can't wait to be back. read more

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One of the very (very, very) best restaurants in Chicago. Deserves six, seven, eight... ten stars. Atmosphere is chill (almost "super-cool-dorm"-like), bartenders know what they're doing wayyyyy off the menu, food is interesting and rotates often, friendly vibe. I can't recommend MFK enough. read more

The food here is both DIFFERENT and AMAZING. Here's what we ordered. My friend ordered octopus, I order a potato thing (papas bravas? don't quote me) and then we got prawn heads to share and the basque cake. Ok so our entrees came out first although we ordered prawn heads as an app. This was perfectly fine (and recommended). Our food came out FAST. They told us 20-40 minutes, legitimately took 5-10. My order at Jimmy Johns has taken longer. My food was quite good. You know something is good when there is an explosion of flavor in your mouth so complex that you're just like "WOW." That is exactly what happened. My friend loved his octopus too and it looks BEAUTIFUL. Next our prawn heads came out. These are bizarre I know. When I ordered them, I'm like, "Did I just order that?" They are exactly how they sound and they come deep fried. They are so tasty. They come in an amazing sauce with flavors, once again, too complex though it was quite tangy. Also, it comes with a lemon with paprika on it. What you wanna do is eat the whole prawn and dunk it in all the sauce and make sure enough lemon juice and paprika get on it. It is INCREDIBLE. We finally ordered the basque cake. The cake was good. Heavy almond flavor and a hint of rum. I was hoping for something more than an almond flavor and a more complex twist, but happily enjoyed it. To top it off our waitress was absolutely LOVELY. I cannot wait to come back here! read more

If you don't like little fishes such as sardines and anchovies you should stop reading now. Still with me? mfk is definitely all about the style of fish you would find in the Basque region. It's a lot like the pinchos we had in Bilbao. Nearly all of the plates are sized for sharing, so expect to order two or three per person, depending upon size and appetite. The best items we tried were the ceviche and the aguachile. Both incorporated really fresh raw fish. Croquettes were also good. The fideos was a good pasta dish, but it's hard not to end up with very soft pasta when it is this thin. The dish we liked the least was the tortilla espanola, which had nothing to do with tortillas. It was basically a very fishy salt cod omelet. The Basque cake was voted one of the best desserts in Chicago, but we didn't find it all that special. Actually it seemed kind of dried out, but maybe that was just our piece. Pricing is reasonable. There is a limited selection of wines, but they are perfect matches for this type of food. Service isn't at a fine dining level, with servers shuffling your used utensils from dirty plates to fresh ones, but it is adequate. As others have noted, it only takes one loud person to make this very small restaurant very noisy. read more

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mfk. Is located on the border of Lincoln Park and East Lakeview on Diversey Pkwy, a stretch with many small restaurants and bars that seem like the perfect spots for a cheeky meal or drink. The restaurant is discreetly located in the garden unit of a building, upon entering one descends a short staircase to the dining room. Contemplative simplicity best describes the ambience- the dining room consists of a handful of tables, a well-stocked and elegant bar with additional seating, a few paintings, and a chalkboard defining the night's menu (also available on paper menus and online). The tableware continues the theme of simplicity. Our waitress was friendly, polite, and casual- exuding the ethos of the greater dining experience. The food's presentation was simple, but the taste offered enough complexity as to where we began to analyze the flavors. The white sangria was neither bad nor good- a forgettable beverage. The castelvetrano olives + roasted almonds were provided gratis as we waited for our food, a tasty simple appetizer. Olives with pits left me wondering- what is the proper etiquette to consume? For me, the bread and pork belly were the stars of the table; the garlic oil was strong and butter perfectly salted and whipped. A fatty pork belly that is perfectly cooked is always a delight and the chimichurri mashed potatoes with leeks balanced the salty fattiness of the pork perfectly. I enjoyed the croquettes, the citrus created a perception of complexity. Similarly, the sliders were interesting with the combination of pork and octopus; the octopus was less noticeable in the dish than I hoped. Like the Sangria both were very good but forgettable. read more

I had carrots in harissa sauce with dates and it might be one of the best dishes I have ever had. Food, drinks and service were amazing !

A Little Bit of Barcelona in Chicago This place is sooo great! In this tiny underground spot on Diversey, is a little bit of Barcelona. There are six tables and several stools at the bar, and the room is yellow painted and tiled. Wonderful attentive service by knowledgeable waiters. The drinks menu is several pages of quite interesting cocktails, beers, wine, and spirits. The food menu is small but powerful. We enjoyed little bread bites of anchovies resting on a pool of soft butter and another of whole anchovies with pickled peppers and onion. Delicious! The salad consisted of incredibly fresh greens-including mint, radishes, and a grilled Halloumi, which my husband and I split, but which I could easily have had on my own. We also shared an incredibly crispy and cheesy Chile Relleno, again delicious, and finished with a casserole of Fideo and shell fish. It was a bit of a wait for this because it is roasted, but it is certainly well worth the wait. All of his wonderful food was washed down with an excellent white wine. We took home with us a slice of Basque cake, which is the only dessert offered, but it is the only one needed. I don't think that I need to reiterate, but I shall, This place is wonderful. I need to add that it was our anniversary, and we were gifted with complimentary champagne. read more

Creative, delicious menu. Seafood based but there are other options. We sat at the bar. Service was excellent. Very cozy, neighborhood spot. Highly recommend! Excellent wine options. The mixed drinks looked amazing. read more

Impressive. From start to finish MFK was exceptional. 5 star dinning experiences are hard to come by, even with the plethora of remarkable options in Chicago. I usually reserve 5 star rating for restaurants that I've checked out at least three times, but I'm confident MFK is worthy. There is a clear, apparent and healthy obsession with customer service, high quality ingredients and preparation. Each dish was perfectly seasoned balancing herbs, spice and salt. Oxtails can be tricky and elevating chicken is a tall order as well. ..both were among the best I've had. I appreciate the genuine care and interest the entire staff displayed in ensuring we enjoyed our meal. My review probably isn't giving them their just do, but trust this is one of the best restaurants you'll experience in the city despite the limited menu. read more

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For a birthday dinner for my restaurant advisor, who picks out some of the most fantastic restaurants for me blog, we went to mfk. Reservation complete, because you will need one for a dinner seating, we were completely wowed. I know I felt like I had gone back to coastal Spain. Courses: Ceviche; Crispy Prawn Heads; Anchovies on Toast; Mussels; Paella; Basque Cake Cocktails: Caipirinha; Hotel Nacional; Mezcal Negroni; Ranch Water; Brandy The seafood was fresh and popping with flavour. I like the tapas concept here. As to the service, I give very high marks. Because my restaurant advisor couldn't settle on anything, as everything looked appetizing, I simply told the server to pick three small plates and two large plates, of course requesting there be no pork in the dishes. Everything was a lip-smacking hit. Of all the Spanish tapas restaurants I've been to in Chicago, they're Spanish inspired, but mfk is some little coastal Spain boutique restaurant transported to Chicago's Lakeview neighbourhood. read more

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We were so happy with our experience at MFK. As everyone mentions, the ambiance is delightful and you feel like your transported to somewhere else. What was above and beyond was how well they addressed one of our dining mates (very unusual) dietary restrictions. They marked up a menu with what she could have and put items on the side so we could all share many of the dishes. Our waiter was so gracious about the whole thing and the modifications didn't interfere with the complexity of the dishes. The drinks were also excellent. So happy to find this gem in the neighborhood and very much looking forward to returning back soon for an all around amazing experience. read more

Best food in Chicago. Check out my pics. The steak, seafood, veggies and wine are all tasty and top notch. The place is small so make reservations a week in advance. Spanish seafood at its finest. Sums it up. read more

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I visited mfk around my birthday last year and it was my first time eating here. A reservation may not have been required since we went for weekday lunch, but we had one anyway. This spot is so small that I do recommend it! I'm not sure how many people can eat here, but not very many at one time. We split a few plates and now I can't remember exactly which ones, but everything I tried was really flavorful and fresh. You could definitely tell that care was put into each item. One thing that sort of turned me off was that we ordered a glass of wine, and they mentioned that they had a fancy sparkling that we could try...but the sparkling only was able to be purchased by the bottle. Since we had already said no to a bottle when we ordered the first glass, it was somewhat curious that this was offered again. Service was really friendly and helpful with the menu and I would say the prices were reasonable, but definitely have a reservation or go when they open or you may be waiting a while! read more

My friends and I tried this place last night and loved our time here. Drinks were delish and service was great. For the 4 of us, we ordered 3 small dishes, 2 medium size dishes, and 2 large. Perfect amount for us. We each ordered at least 2 cocktails. Decor was so unique and cute. read more

Wow I love this place. The cocktails are amazing, the staff is phenomenal, the flavors are superb. I have an excellent meal here all the time. Bravo! read more

My friend and I went here for the first time for dinner during restaurant week. We both drove separately and found parking pretty easily on Diversey (score!) When I walked in I was shocked at how small the place was. It reminded me of all of the small little restaurants in NYC. Super cozy, friendly vibe with couples, friend groups, families, a total mix of people. They also have a nice bar if you just want to grab a nice cocktail. We were so excited about the regular menu, that we didn't do the restaurant week fare (although it looked lovely). We both ordered red sangrias. And I'm all about a good sangria, but most of the ones that you have are either too boozy or not boozy enough. This one tasted absolutely elegant...so we each ordered two! The food was incredible. We ordered bar snacks (olives and poached shrimp) which were both addictive. We then ordered the smoked trout toast which was absolutely delicious. We had the anchovies which was the only miss of the night. They came on toast with a lot of butter and it was way too salty for our liking. But they made up for it with the main course which was the seafood fideos. Heaven! The portions were spot on. We left full. Dishes are served tapas style. This place is just different, in the best way possible. If you're looking to venture out of the norm, and you love seafood, you should give this place a try. The service was great and the playlist had my shoulders moving. I saw other reviews about the basque cake being dry, but we gobbled that thing up before we could even notice. It was excellent. Don't believe the hype. Coffee was excellent too. Get yourself over to mfk. It's a real treat. read more

Small but mighty! Mfk is tiny and underground and creates for a cozy and intimate setting. Unsure if they seat more than 4 to a table so I recommend this place for a date night or catching up with a friend or two. We started off with the cantabrian anchovies which very much needed more lemon - those anchovies were SO salty. I loved the potato croquettes and how well they paired with the sauce. However, the star of the night was definitely the gambas al ajillo. The garlic was buttery and paired perfectly with the prawns. My only complaint was that $18 for 3 pieces of shrimp is a bit steep and since there were two of us - one of us got one more shrimp than the other. We finished up our mains with the whole fish special which was a red snapper. It was perfectly salted and cooked well. We rounded off our dinner with the basque cake - a dessert I highly recommend although some might say is a little dry. We also had a lemonade and the staycation juice mocktail - both excellent. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the waiter and how attentive they were. Each course was brought out one by one instead of all at once which created for a nice experience. Our bill came out to about $150 plus tip. Overall recommend this place. read more

Food: 4 Service: 4 Cleanliness: 4 Came here for a birthday reservation. Sadly we didn't get anything offered for having a bday celebration here (They only offer one desert at the time, their Almond Cake which we didn't try). It's a super tiny basement with ~6 tables and bar seating. Beware: it gets super loud once seats start filling in. They recommend 6-8 plates for 3 people but we just ordered 4 plates since they vary in size. Seafood based restaurant. Croquette 6pc: What can go wrong with deep fried goodness? Nothing! We loved it. Perfect to share with 3 people. We really enjoyed that hint of lemon zest to counter off the heavy sauce. Trout Toast (2 pc sourdough): Ok! Felt super fresh and light with perfectly crisp bread. We definitely need the bread to pair along with frisée mix on top. Tortilla: Reminded us of a quiche. This was just ok for my taste. The flavors were super strong and as I kept eating it I felt it was too salty. Also topped with a what tasted picketed frisée. Scallops (2 pc): $28 I was expecting at least 3 pieces for this dish and not just 2 :/ - not worth $28... But we did enjoy the corned chowder below! Overall this place is perfect for date night. Save for a fancy celebration but not for Day to day dining. A bit on the pricey end for my wallet to handle. Would I come back? For a date. read more

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Still perfect after all this time. The food and wine are always great - whether and old staple or something new and seasonal. What really sets Mfk apart is the commitment to outstanding hospitality that creates a magical environment whether you're alone at the bar or snuggled into a banquet with a few friends. read more

We came to MFK very excited by the good reviews and the modern atmosphere. Unfortunately, the kitchen managed to overcook almost every single dish. Our party started out with the salt-cured anchovies which were excellent, but the salt cod brandade was tragically overcooked--dry, chalky, and unappetizing. The lamb special was similarly wrecked. I prefer lamb medium rare, but these particular chops came out after a 20 minute wait beyond well done; almost no moisture or flavor left. Ultimately we left and finished eating elsewhere. I liked what they were trying to do here with the dishes, but more care needs to be taken to cooking to the correct temperatures. read more

We ate here recently and it was terrible. I went because I seen it on Diners, Drive in's and Dives rerun but it's a dive. None of the same food and no real options. Would never go back. A couple friends told me not to go because of other reasons, kind of a running joke now. read more

I went into mfk specifically because of this dumbass one star review you'll note below (or perhaps above, I don't totally understand how that works). I had a wonderful experience. Dinner rush hadn't started yet and I got to sit at the bar and relax with a wonderful cocktail, thanks to a fantastic bartender. I ate a little japanese sea bass crudo, served on top of this crunchy squid ink tostada. What a perfect bite of food. Followed that up with some Jamon, topped with shredded manchango and some oil, perfectly salty with that iberico flavor I love so much. The bread was crusty, the space was cute, I loved everything about this experience, and you know what, I'm going back this evening after work for some more snacks. Thanks mfk, looking forward to making you a regular stop on my Chicago eating list. read more

An empty restaurant with very unpleasant food. Quite possibly the worst food I've had in Chicago altogether. Also, the portions are very small and priced high. All in all would never eat here again even if someone paid me. My guests barely even touched the food here. I ate every single bit of the food and my guests were amazed that I did this. I give each place I go to a 100% shot. I stand by my review that the food here was truly unpleasant. (sorry to the business that my reviews are actually honest I would never go out of my way to harm a small business. the businesses that I support I visit very frequently and refer them clients because I support businesses that are worth supporting) read more

The food was amazing but a little overpriced for the size of portions. The ambiance of the restaurant is so-so but the taste of the food really makes up for it. The Spanish omlette and the ceviche are a must but skip on the prawns. Service was also great and our server was very knowledgeable on the menu. read more

Start with the basics: sleek interior, exceptional service, and high quality, grade-A ingredients. You'll enter mfk. thinking it's a top notch brunch spot with bougie cocktails and lounge music but you'll be stunned to find a modest 30-seater, cafe-like hideout. Here's a place where you won't be waiting hours for a table, where you won't find bottomless mimosas, and where you won't be getting the standard patatas a la brava w/ wiz. Rather, find yourself lost in their adventurous dishes with simple, yet explosive ingredients. My favorite: the veal albondiga w/ a fantasmic celery purée (yes i just said fantasmic...hope that paints the picture for you). And service? Attentive yet relaxed. The staff keeps their cool in this laid back environment, and don't be alarmed if you find one server manning the bar & restaurant..that's just how they roll. read more

Mfk - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Went with friends for dinner. I lived in Spain for a while, and I was happy to try a new Spanish restaurant in a city that has a dearth of them. -most of the food was very good, with some unusual dishes (not just standard paella and sangria like many Spanish spots)--seafood focused with a lot of Basque influence -anchovies were delicious, crispy prawn heads deliciously crunchy and flavorful, fantastic mussels with excellent bread and broth -the tortilla española was okay, a little soggy and insipid (despite addition of brandade) -nice interesting cocktail and wine options including delicious effervescent txakolina -service was mixed--a little disjointed, including serving a fish special over an hour after we ordered it and not apologizing or asking if we still wanted (or discounting it)--half of us had forgotten we ordered it and were ready to order dessert -they did a decent job with a small basement space--but it still is a small basement space I'd give it another shot--think it was an off night. read more

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I adore this place. You can tell the whole team is passionate about the food and cocktails and that shines thru in the experience. Food is flavorful and drink are fun. Highly recommend read more

Went for my birthday in March and service/food was wonderful! It's an intimate setting, so I would not recommend for larger groups. Dishes are shareable and smaller portions - would be a great date spot. read more

Mfk - Never had anything like it - crunchy prawn heads! - Seafood Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was terrific, the vibe mature and the staff attentive without hanging on you. Only one small criticism the menu is a bit too pricey for the small plates one receives. A weeknight dinner for two with a glass of wine shouldn't be $100+ and do you really have to charge extra for some bread? read more

Recently came here for dinner and did a 5/6-course tasting menu. My mindset going into these is always that I likely won't be full, but the goal is to experience a show of food. And obviously love how it tastes. I'd say it hit the mark on most of it, but missed for me on a few areas. Rating here is relative to other restaurants like this. Or at least this caliber. Walking in we were seated right on time, everyone was super friendly, and they gave us a really awesome free mini-cocktail as we sat. So far so good! Its tiny in there and I was impressed by how controlled the noise level was. First downside was that it took some time to get an actual server. We waited close to 10 minutes before anyone came by. I got over it though. She was really great to us once the service began. When it came to why I gave a 4 star vs a 5.. What was wrong you ask? (1) they brought it all out too quickly. For 80/person I felt like I was being table-turned. (2) Presentation was meh (3) It was just plopped down in front of us - which is fine but I love how some of the top tier tastings give you more of a show or instruction. Its a high standard to meet but maybe MFK will read this and do more of it. For example give me a cool utensil, or tell me how to frame up each bite. Just brainstorming here.. The rest was great, had to get the off-marks out of the way. We loved the olive dish, and the Brussels sprouts were killer. Our mushroom risotto also was amazing. The Cod was well cooked, but it could have used some more flavor or sauce. It was just a standard piece of fish to me. And finally the dessert was light fruits and some sauces I can't recall exactly. It was somewhat forgettable. I'd for sure go back to order off the menu and not do a tasting, but so far that is my only experience. Overall great place and I love what they are doing there! read more

Made reservations for 2 at 830pm on Saturday February 9th and we arrive exactly at 830pm. The guy told us to wait. So while waiting for ten minutes after the set reservation time I noticed our reservation names and time slot on the iPad, plus the seating location. It turns out they gave our two spots at the bar b10 and b11 away to a couple that arrived before us! Talk about not being respectful to the reservation time and their own prospective customers! Not coming back here after that jerk move they did to us! read more