Call me a simple girl but after waiting 2 months to get into this place- I was eagerly awaiting an experience that has been described as one of the best food experiences in the city. Well, I say- save your money. Maybe it was an off night- the chefs did come to the table to tell us that they were having exhaust hood problems (in fact- they first told us that they were not going to be able to serve us) but they didn't tell anyone else that at the other tables- hmmm- maybe a hint of things to come? I like eclectic food, presented in an artsy way- this night it seemed like the art was taking precedence over the food as while everything looked great- 9 courses at $100 a person- we were all disappointed with the food. We knew it would be a little "out there" (how about beet juice in a shot glass served with a beet rolled in chocolate powder or ravioli with quails eggs, or caviar that had a caramelized topping to break through?) but usually it comes together better. My fav courses were the melon and prosciutto plate/soup, rabbit that came deboned and was delicious as well as a beef plate that had a small short rib on it (didn't care for the raw beef and quails egg and pickled beef that came on the same plate)and the spoonful of risotto. I kept hoping to get one of the selections that other people wrote about on here, but no luck. There are no waiters- the chefs do all the cooking and serving and explain each course and they put down the plate. Our chef seemed to be irritated with us that we chose to stay after he said they were having problems. I know he was stressed but it would have been better to hide that from us. We brought plenty of wines to serve with the courses and had some problems with the chef remembering to bring the right wine with the right course. Also- there are no wine glasses- you'll be drinking your fav wine in a water tumbler- somehow also didn't work for me. If you are going to go- keep a watch out- it's nondescript black awning doesn't make it pop on its block of Ashland- I actually drove by it twice and then thought maybe it had closed. I followed another couple into the door- only to find that they had not make reservations two months prior and they were sent away. We left disappointed as we had such high expectations. Again- call me a simple girl but a simple girl who won't be back! read more

The Good - Creative & funky food. The best experiments of the night were Waffles, Corn Agnolotti, Mackerel & Lamb The Not so Good - Oh my.......this is a slightly longer list as mentioned by some fellow reviewers 1. One of the lowest on the Michelin starred restaurants I've been too 2. Yeah, the music is so loud I could hardly hear anything when the server mentioned the ingredients used on the tiniest portion of food we ate 3. Throughout the experience, hubby and I hoped the next course would be decent sized, Nope. By the time, we were served the main course, we knew we had to stop by the nearest McDonald's as soon as we exited this place (We have dined at similar 'Pre-Fixe' style restaurants and the portion sizes were much better and left us full) 3. Failed Experiment - Banana and parmesan 4. Some courses were too salty 5. Better to spend your $$$ at Elizabeth, Acadia, Boka, Goosefoot, Alinea etc. read more

Now that I actually ate here I can give a proper review. This place is unique, a lot of molecular gastronomy or as I like to call it gastrophysics. Talented chefs, doing what they want to do. Ok, I get that. The food just didn't WOW me. Everything was like an amuse bouche. Cotton Candy that tasted like pizza, popcorn flavored soda - a little of that goes along way (for me). The egg ravioli with truffles was good (a tad too much salt) - everything is ONE bite. My favorite was the helicopter sniper shot elk (favorite for the description). The pork belly was soo small. This is the hardest reservation because they don't make it easy. They don't answer their phone. It's not like it's hard to get in, it's hard to get a hold of the restaurant in general. What I found amusing was that they asked for a CC to hold my reservation. HOW could I cancel if I had to if they don't answer their phone? Then they call to confirm and on their message they ask you to call them back. Even they have to see the humor in that. I was actually a bit happy that they cancelled on me a few years back for my husbands 50th - it would not have been his cup of tea..... read more

Oh Schwa... I really wanted to like you, especially when you teased me and called me to tell me there was an opening for the night I wanted. Then you nearly broke my heart by calling to tell me you had to cancel the reservation because the AC was broken. The least you could have done was ask if I was interested in the next day, which you failed to do. I only got in because I asked if there was an opening the next day. Long story short, finally got in. Now onto the real review: Service: - not really that attentive, sure they explained each course, but it was in such a rushed manner. probably b/c they each had to run back to their own stations to finish plating (there is no wait staff, the chef and the cooks personally come out to serve you) - on a good note, my beverage was constantly being refilled. - i felt very rushed; and i noticed the table next to us got an "extra" dessert that I did not get. why??? i wanted bacon ice cream too!! Food: - food was innovative for sure. coco nib consomme? interesting, but honestly, i didn't really care for it. it just tasted... weird. - i rate a restaurant based on how memorable the food is. to this day, hands down, manresa in los gatos still wins. michael mina was ok. gary danko i can't tell you what i ate there. coi, also cannot tell you what i ate there. - so what about schwa? i'd say it's somewhere in the middle. the cedro negro dish was by far my favorite and probably something i will remember for years to come. I also really enjoyed the toledo cheese dish, but I can see how someone who does not like strong cheese will not care for it. and as everyone and their mom mentioned, the quail egg ravioli was spectacular. my only complaint about that was they should have presented it on a spoon so you can pop it in your mouth, rather than trying to pick it up gingerly yourself and breaking it when they specifically say not to break it open. it's not my fault! you gave me a fork to eat it with! so overall: food - 4 stars service while there - 3.5 stars service overall (e.g. returning phone calls) - 1 star ambiance - 3.5 stars (i felt like i was in a poorly lit dorm room with a next door neighbor that plays obnoxious rap music loudly 24/7). would i come back? maybe if it was on someone else's tab. read more

Schwa - Cedro Negro with zucchini (sorry for the dim lighting, I didn't want to be the food snob and use flash with every dish) - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Forget the 70+ calls to get the reservation experience. You walk in, the chef and his crew will take care of you. Nicest, most unpretentious staff I've ever encountered. Food was beautifully presented and frankly, I felt like I took advantage of the restaurant when they serve us a gazillion courses of amazing food for $110pp. Most memorable dishes were the Thai curry soup pudding in a petri dish and the salmon and grapefruit strewn all over my plate with all the condiments. Would definitely go back anytime. Try to get some nice beers ahead of time for the staff as the only liquor store we found there was a Hispanic grocery store. Not good choices. read more

My boyfriend and I went here last Saturday night. Absolutely love it. Small but filling and (very flavorful) portions. Expect to be there around 3-4 hours because the entree's come out in great timing so you're not full until closer to the end. And who doesn't love byob? Which they take in the back and poor as needed. The atmosphere is laid back and relaxed. Very small space, very nice and intimate. Perfect date night atmosphere. Staff is amazing. Great team work and description of the food and very friendly. read more

Ok, there is no bones about it....this restaurant has officially made me reconsider Kate Moss's quote..."Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." I got lucky and was able to get through and make a reservation for a Tuesday night. We got there and its very similar set up to Bonsoiree....there is no where to go if the table is not ready. So we went to a bar down the street and they called us when they were ready. They were very apologetic about running late and totally made it up to us in food, etc. The pics that are posted on here capture every morsel of food. PHENOMENAL!!!! The thing is....if you are pretentious, this probably isnt the place for you. They are real guys that are phenomenal cooks and have their own style...PERIOD! LOVED IT!!!!! I cant wait to go back. Plus, the BYOB option makes it totally reasonable in price. read more

Schwa - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've been trying to make it to all of the Michelin star restaurants, and so far Schwa is at the top of the list. Through all 9 courses, every single thing was delicious. The raviolo, corn agnolotti, lamb, and mackerel especially stood out. Service also was spot on, there were no long gaps between courses which I appreciated as there are so many in total. read more

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We had a great dinner at Schwa. Each course was unique and delicious with our 3 favorites being the raviolo, squab and wagyu. The service was incredible and I loved that Chef Caleb came out to serve and explain some of the dishes. The ambiance is fun with hip hop music playing but you can still easily have a conversation at your table. We brought two bottles of wine and a bottle of whiskey for the kitchen that they were gracious for and we shared some shots together. We definitely recommend Schwa and we look forward to dining there again. read more

Schwa was the first stop in a our Chicago food tour. We were looking for the best and the brightest and i assure you that we were not disappointed. From the fabulous service by the Michael Carlson, the head chef, to dish after dish of beautiful plates, the entire experience was spot on. We opted for the 9 course tasting menu and were pleasantly surprised.. Each dish was perfectly presented and absolutely unique. My favorites were the duck three ways and the beet risotto served with snail eggs. Schwa is definitely not for everybody and they want to keep it that way. If you want to be challenged and amazed by cutting edge food, this is a great experience in modern gastronomy at a fraction of the price of Alinea or Charlie Trotters. Two additional notes. I went on a date and the experience was great, but I can see this as being a great place to go with a group of four or even six where each person agrees to bring a fabulous bottle of wine. Since two bottles of wine between two people was already bordering on the ridiculous. read more

Amazing everything! Creative and flavorful dishes, beautiful presentations, and impeccable service. I'll be dining here again soon.

This spot has been on my "to do" list for several years, and wow.....it did live up to the hype! Yes, it is dark inside. Yep, there is LOUD music (pretty cool stuff). Yeah....it is way cool that the chefs are the servers. They were friendly, attentive, and informative on our visit last night. Woohoo, the food is FANTASTIC, creative, fun, and delicious. I am not sure which course was my favorite, as they were all so unique and delightful. The ravioli was stunning. Pastrami and celery soda was mind blowing. Loved the fish fry. The cheesecake was devine. Plus, everything in-between was AMAZING. What an experience.... read more

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I had no expectations and had thankfully not read any reviews. I did brush up on the history of the chef and the place before going via their website. The menu wasn't even close to what they were actually serving so that's there only for as an example. The wife and I loved every minute of our experience in the place. From the nondescript look to the low level of lighting and the gangster rap playing as we were seated. The biker gang, I mean staff were super friendly and really excited to be serving us. Out of all 9 or 10 courses with a few bonus ones in there, we only didn't like one. But this didn't even matter or take away from the evening. But the entire experience was just fantastic. And while we were in the kitchen saying good-bye, we were handed shots of Jameson.... From what I remember these were the dishes we had that evening: Red Hook Cocktail (Their take on a Manhattan) cherry coated chocolate in whiskey (amuse) Orange blossom soda Pig face cassoulet with crunchy duck skin Wendy's Potato Bar course: Potato soup with bacon emulsion crispy potato skin and chive puree and sour cream Ravioli w brown butter sauce with quail egg. Tortellini with celery root puree and black truffle and apple and celery Salmon roe course: Key lime fritter. Candied papaya and something else with lavender foam Sous-vide Salmon with black truffle grapefruit gelée and brioche. Turmeric ice cream in a spoon with mustard caramel and date purée Foie Gras dusted in brioche and cocoa nibs on top of apricot purée with candied kumquats. Quail with bourbon. Popcorn bubbles. Corn rye wheat custard. Rice Krispie treat with a parsnip horchatta. Their take on Doctor Pepper puree with Jameson. And a final bite of onion soup lollipop in a brioche crouton This was the best dining experience to date! read more

Schwa - Careful around here - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I can only speak to my personal experience, but eating at Schwa was wonderful! Regardless of its online reputation, I definitely recommend giving this place a chance. It was well worth it! I called on Wednesday around 1 and had no issue getting through and scheduling a reservation for the following week. I had a funny feeling they'd cancel on me, and I was right. They called me to reschedule and were very nice and accommodating even though their reason for canceling definitely seemed like a lie. Oh well whatever, I rescheduled for the following night. I let them know upon making the reservation that I am a vegetarian. They were happy to accommodate and my food was delicious and just as beautiful as my meat eating boyfriends' meal. I will say the courses take some time to get going but by the end of the experience you will not leave disappointed! Some of the dishes probably won't blow your mind, but flavor-wise they will not disappoint. Most dishes were like nothing I had ever eaten before (my first molecular gastronomy dining experience). The chefs/servers were very nice. We did not bring them any booze as some people here have suggested. It did not seem to matter either way. The music was at an appropriate level and the atmosphere was chill. I actually appreciated the casual environment. It was a good way for a person like me (25 year old, casual foodie) to experience fine dining without feeling out of place. The bill for two with tax and tip was over $300, so just be aware of this before going in. read more

Schwa - Veg version of the scallop dish. Excellent! - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really fun place for a nice dinner out. Had a young, fun vibe. Only 5 tables in the whole place. Chefs were young and personable. BYOB was lovely, and they gave us free beers because it was our anniversary. Meal was incredible of course. Music was poppin. Will definitely be back and recommending to others. Thanks to Schwa for a really fun night. read more

Schwa Although, not every dish works, you are still glad they tried. This is the double diamond for a foodie night out. This place is the counter culture of "cuisine on the edge". This is not a place to take anyone who is afraid of food. It's not a place you want to take your mother to dinner. This is a place for foodies to enjoy someone who colors outside of the line. The ambience is little and so is the space. Rockin' music expletive ridden, only goes to highlight the cross directional attitude of the food. I went by myself because I knew if I took my partner, he would be in his own food hell here. I did the 9 course which became 11 with additions from the kitchen. What worked for me was the: The greeting, first names. I felt special before I sat down. Clarified Bloody - Amuse that was just that amusing and delicious. Octopus Poke - a real taste of Hawaii with taro and pineapple chips are more. It was as pretty as delicious. Elote - a take on local street food with popcorn. A total hit out of the park! And I am a corn snob, from Maryland land of silver queen. Halibut - amazing. Biscuits and Gravy - fantastic! Dessert. - incredible. Who would have thunk. Beyond description, lets just say never would have thought celery could work in dessert. Almost worked Taglaitelle - It was great but soo many ingredients, a few of them tripped over each other. Less would be more here. S'more - perhaps the most creative with "campfire" won't spoil the surprise, but it would have been better without the savory mole and just done as dessert Fell Short Cheese - great idea courgette, but over salted. Hendricks sorbet - great but rose flavor completely covered the juniper. Maybe that was the idea. free addition. Roe - This one totally missed me. The rapid-fire verbal description of each dish. With all that thought and preparation, seems a shame to run through what's on the plate in 10 seconds or less. read more

Want high-end dining with that's also BYOB? I've found it. It's called Schwa and I loved it. Really a great dining experience that everyone should experience at least once. Yes it's hard to get a res but well worth it - and lucky for us a friend did all the work to secure it. Pricy too at over $100 per person but the BYOB is a big savings overall. Have to say that i wasn't blown away with all courses but when you have 12 courses and most of them are amazing - that's 5 starts to me. (yes, we had 12 courses - had several that we just added as we went along). And I think that this idea that fine dinning is not a filling was debunked today by the way. Everyone in our group was satisfied and full! No cheeseburger on the way home for us. So I've broken down each course that we had but note that it was paired with some really fine white and red wines that our friend Sonya Park especially picked out for the menu (and brought for us...thanks Sonya). So the descriptions here don't exactly tell the full story - but take my word, it was incredible. And Michael (Chef/owner of the place) and team did a great job make sure that we enjoyed the food and that our glasses were full all night. Really can tell that we was influenced from his time at Trio with Grant Achatz (of Alinea fame). And if the descriptions start getting fuzzy towards the end - well let's just say that the great wine assortment might of had something to do with it. Amuse. Chocolate cherry in manhatton shot Second. Beautiful pineapple chip dish that i can't exactly tell what it is. But had chocolate so who cares. Third. Baked potato soup. Just an ok dish. Kind of a deconstructed baked potato. Although i appreciate the home made cheese. Perfect. Fourth course. Extra course. Pane-cotta soup in one bite with black truffle. A bit salty at the end and almost too much actually. However, best so far. Fifth course. Liver risotto with cheese and shaved truffles and jelle. Combo of Jelle, risotto, and cheese is best so far. Amazing! Six. Fruit loops? Salty and sweet dish with a deep fried nugget looking food that tasted like fruit loops cereal with roe. Flavor seems a little random. Least appealing course of the night. Roe was pretty good though. Seventh. Seared scallops and pumpernickel. Scallops cooked perfectly. Cones with a pumpernickel shot. Very good. Eight. Pork belly with ridicio. Wow. Best dish so far. Combo of BBQ pork with earthyness of greens and sweetness of fruit. Is there more food? Ninth. Extra course. A number of different dried veggies and meats. Pork ridnes. In two ways. Dry then wet. Sweet then savory. Came on top of another glass that was smoking. Damn good but the smoke was a bit much after a while. Tenth. Beef with mole sause. One of the best dishes. But have to say, not completely unexpected. Eleventh. Pastry with cheese. Salty balls?!?! Just an OK dish. Twelfth. White chocolate something. Can't really remember at this point other than thinking "best sweet dish of the night". End. Pass out. Enjoy. read more

Schwa - Pineapple dish. - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Woohoo!!!! These guys gave me another try and they were so extra sweet on the phone. I love this place and can't wait to be there on Thursday November 1 at 6:30. Thanks. read more

Schwa - Coming back for more good food on Thursday November 1. Woohoo. - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you're heading to Schwa by some odd chance you actually got a reservation, I would advise you to stop Yelping your little heart out as I did and go in with no expectations, although if you've gotten this far I'm sure you know plenty. I will tell you that you're going to have a really really cool experience at a fraction of the cost of other tasting menu restaurants in the city that you will tell your friends about for months and to bring the kitchen a 6 pack of beer in hopes of making your experience even better. And if you haven't gotten that reservation, I suggest you keep calling as this is one not to miss. read more

Schwa - Teeny tiny little schwa - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My wife and I have been to Schwa twice in the past year. The restaurant is a wonderful gem in Wicker Park and we are very grateful it is in our neighborhood. We loved both of our adventures to Schwa because we treated them like performance art. Both times we went, we brought one of our favorite couples, and spent 3 hours getting full and drunk. Such wonderful experiences. The waiters / chefs were amazing both times. Just great guys cooking great food. We had 10 or 11 courses each time. 3 courses were unbelievably delicious. 4 were very very very good. The rest were ok. This is a great spot to visit once per year. Cannot wait for the chance to go back. Thank you Schwa! read more

Where do I begin? We recently came in with a small group, and had been excited to try this place for some time. We traveled from a far western suburb, so we commuted over and hour 1/2 by train then an Uber only to experience one of the most disappointing meals we ever had. The positives: The presentation of the food was good; some very creative, beautiful and colorful. Two, maybe three of the nine dishes were good; two in particular were outstanding; the truffle egg and popcorn tasting item. BYOB- that's always nice and our wine was always poured in a timely manner. We never had empty glasses. Negatives: The wait staff- rude! The waiters take turns coming out to describe the dishes. A few times, they spoke very fast and/or the music was extremely loud and it was difficult to hear. We had asked a couple of times for them to repeat down at our end of the table, and were simply told "no" . Another time, we had a question and tried to flag one of them down. We were ignored when we knew they saw us trying to get their attention. The kitchen staff were smoking pot. Plain as day, you could smell the pot coming from the kitchen; even more so when standing in the kitchen to wait to use the bathroom. The food; literally a bite or two (portion size). We left the restaurant starving!! There is no way anyone could be full after the 9 courses. Again, maybe 2 or 3 items were good, the others not so much and tiny portions. We were enjoying the fish, but then when you eat the "puff" it was paired with, it was ruined. The "dessert" horrible! Bitter, sour, gross....everyone in our party is still talking about that one! How can you mess up dessert and chocolate? Thankfully we still enjoyed the night because of the friends we were with, but I'm still sick about what this "Michelin rated experience" cost us and for what?! Disappointed doesn't even cover it, and we've experienced other top rated places all over Chicago. Unless something changes, don't waste your time or money! read more

Schwa - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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most places they go up to 10, there's nowhere else to go, but here, here, they go up to 11. When we need that extra push over the cliff, we go one louder. While I kinda changed the legendary Nigel Tuffnel's words, oh do they ever apply here. While expectations were high, they were completely blown away and yes, the meal did go to 11. Now, to back things up a slight bit, I have been wanting to go here for well over two years. It almost seemed like this place was a myth, el dorado, shangri-la, but no, its quite real and its really awesome. A few friends and I had been talking about trying to get a reservation here and one of my friends manned up and got us a 5:30 reservation on a friday. Thus with that action, the anticipation grew and the days came closer. I'm gonna be honest, I didn't sleep well the night before, and was hungover going into this, but how quick one comes to their sense when utter genius is presented in front of them. We were greeted in there right away by Seth, who is Michael Carlson's brother. After conferring with us on the reservation, I made sure to hand him the growler of beer from Revolution so as we could set our night off well. To top things off, after our entire group arrived we were greeted with a shot of bloody mary. Now this is where the real fun began, ie the food came. I was absolutely dizzy from the amount of ingredients on the plates, so I can't go down the full 9 course menu. But, I will note the highlights. The first dish was an arctic char and octopus dish with some mousse and dark sauce that i wasn't able to remember. I normally don't like octopus or squid because of the chewiness of them, this was quite different and was much more savory. The arctic char was cooked perfectly and I was just having fun mixing the combinations on the plate. The apple pie dish still haunts me right now as I think of the great cheese crust that lie on top of the candied apples and the cinnamon-apple soup along with it that was a wonder unto itself. But, not to be outdone was the ravioli dish. It was a one bit dish which consisted of a cream with black truffles on the inside as well. It was a purely surreal experience. You could taste the truffle for a while and the ravioli just seemed to melt on your tongue. This was pretty much an indescribable experience. On top of the dishes being utterly amazing they were a sight to behold. This was honestly gastronomic alchemy and it was worth the wait and then some read more

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Great experience. Really enjoyable and refreshing to have incredible food void of any pretentious vibe. Everything was comfortable and relaxed except the food which was tight. Each course had a unique plating and presentation. The smooth clarified Bloody Mary was perfect, raviolo lived up to the hype, the foie gras was incredible and the ice cream at the end took it to another level when I didn't think that was possible, and the fragrance of the lamb presentation reminded me of how much that sense influences the taste. Be prepared to talk loudly to be heard over the music. While it was a treat for us it felt welcoming in every way including the price for what was delivered. read more

Schwa - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food here was fucking phenomenal. What stood out from Schwa's nine course tasting menu was their lamb belly and their single quail egg ravioli. I literally cried when I put the ravioli in my mouth and the juices exploded - it was that good and I was so touched by the combination of flavors. I was very impressed with Schwa's small but personable team. I believe there were only 4 team members working when we dined there and they managed to do the whole sha-bang (serve, pour drinks, clean) and cook up an unbelievable meal. We even got to go in the kitchen and meet the executive chef, Michael Carlson. The dinner was also very intimate as the restaurant only seats 26. A Michelin star well-deserved (and I wouldn't be surprised if they added another!). read more

Great experience! It was a bit pricey, but it was very unique and a fun experience. Not everything was delicious, but there were items that were amazing throughout. I liked that everything was paid ahead of time during my reservation and when our dinner was over, we could just leave at our own convenience. Also, BYOB (they take your bottles and pour for you). read more

First, thank the heavens I didn't have to make a reservation because I wouldn't have cared that much, especially when there's other restaurants out there that have better food and a better atmosphere. FOOD: 4 stars. I liked the food, just didn't think it stood out among other restaurants in its same caliber. There was the quail egg which everyone dished about, but for me, it was overly creamy and overly salty which made the flavor unoriginal. The venison we received was tough and my least favorite dish. And, the story that came with the venison dish was that the deer are not stressed when they're killed which means that it tastes better. How is there no stress involved in the killing? Oh yeah, there's a sniper in a helicopter that shoots it so that they aren't herded and terrified. I'm sure that the sound of the helicopter and the seeing of other deer being shot will terrify another deer. Anyway, had to share my thoughts on that story (you are reading my review)... SERVICE: 4 stars. Good. Sporadic, but still attentive. There's no buckets for your wine or beer so they'll take it back to the fridge for you. Someone does explain what each dish is, not that it matters because you can't hear (I'll get to that next)... ATMOSPHERE: 2 stars. I'm sure people love the hype (as some other reviewer put it) on it being cool and rockerish. And, sure that's fine when I'm somewhere I'm not spending $160 for a meal. In the beginning, the music was at a great level, and I loved it. I could still hold a conversation. I could still hear what dish I was eating. I could still enjoy the atmosphere. However, half way through our meal, the music got so loud that I refused to talk, because my throat was starting to hurt from screaming (and, that was just to the person across from me; forget trying to talk to person 2 away from me). I say, sure, try it once. See if you like it. I didn't feel I wasted my money. However, in relation to other restaurants I've been to like this, I didn't feel that it was the best by any means. read more

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Their to-go six-course menu turned out to amazing for every single one. Let's start with the bottarga. One scoop of it and the three layers of Baharat spiced yoghurt, rhubarb sumac gel and all those crumbles make a such rich texture to it. And then the fish dish Kampachi, the spinach nori powder on the fish together with the sweetness from the strawberry kimchi and oxalis salad is just a match in heaven. Wait, and there is the chicken leg dish. The chicken meat was so moist and tender and was a perfect complimentary to the crunchiness of the crispy yuba skin. And and the group. It was creamy with a touch of savory from the pho. Next was a sweet surprise: the cheddar cheese ball with mini popcorn. Save the best for the last. The desert pumpkin is a perfect ending but left us longing for more. The smooth silky pumpkin mousse with all the other pumpkin garnishes just immersed me in such a fall experience. And just what the instruction sheet said, eat and keep drinking... read more

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Holy cow! This place is so amazing! The rumors are true, it was hard to get a reservation. The first time I called and left a message and was just going to 'see what happens'. But then I called back two more times to finally get in. I mean the game was half the fun, I will catch them! We brought 3 bottles of wine and a 6 pack for the kitchen team. 3 bottles is too much... and I drink a lot of wine. 2 is perfect for 2 people. Since we didn't know the courses, we brought a bubbly, a white and a red. The kitchen staff took our bottles and then served our wine to us with the appropriate dish. Whew, cause I didn't know how I was going to choose. I can't even decide what my favorite dish is! Each one is so complex with flavors that you hit a sweet note then salty then a crunch. It's a 9 course meal that I didn't want to end. The playfulness of the food is so fun as a diner. We had a dish with banana purée and Parmesan cheese! Who knew these two things would be such a great pairing. It was $140/person for the 9 courses. I don't know where else you can go and have a meal like this for that price. We have been to El Ideas and this had a similar feel but seriously almost half the price. Run don't walk to Schwa! read more

Knowing the history of snagging a table, I thought I'd see what happened one evening and try my chances over the phone. After a couple rings, Norman answered the phone and booked me for a table last night, Wednesday after basically letting me know they had plenty of times available for Tuesdays and Wednesdays... so, maybe it's a tad easier to grab a table? You don't go to Schwa for beautiful decor, fancy chandeliers, muzak, etc. you go because the food is incredible and made with passion by some killer chefs. The food is THE star here... why they choose to keep your surroundings simple. Yes. There's moderate volume music (it's not overly loud where you can't hear each other, but more lively)... Punk, hip hop, whatever they're feeling at the time. Drinks: Bring a bottle of wine per person (we shared our second bottle), and something for the kitchen... we brought a 12 pack of Modelo, and it was a hit! Trust me, bring something for them... you won't regret it! Our first course started with a little cocktail as well, and a few other surprises along the way... Food: I'm mostly pescatarian, and they accommodated EASILY. The food was remarkable... simple but so complex, a range of dishes, flavors - I won't ruin it for you, but the quail/truffle ravioli was ridiculous, the Humboldt Fog cheesecake, the sweet potato or ham tortellini, the belgian asparagus/hollandaise/roe - sorry Schwa if I screwed that one up - all the way to the dessert. Exquisite. Go here. Have fun here, don't wear your LBD, support the kitchen, have an awesome time. Thank you Schwa!! read more

I picked this place because it got good reviews for the food and the bad reviews were about service, and those people are usually just being dramatic. I don't ever write yelp reviews but I felt the need to warn people: the food is NOT good and I felt I wasted my money. Every single course had the same flavor profile which was not good-it was a combination of sea world and flowers and sweetness. And the entire place smelled like it too. I was nauseous all night and ended up throwing up there from how sick the food made me feel, which has never happened to me at any restaurant. Good things: service, vibes, music was top notch Bad things: everything else read more

This is my most favorite gourmet place ever. My wife loves it for the delicious food and top notch presentation, I love it for the cool music and laid back feel. There are no waiters, the chefs serve the courses themselves. And oh the courses! The quail egg ravioli might be the single most amazing course I've ever had, better than any single item at the French Laundry, Alinea, Tru, etc. The best part is it's byob, so the tab is extremely modest considering the quality and talents of the chefs in the kitchen. Tip: bring a six pack or other offering for the fellas in the kitchen, it is well received and probably tastes damn good to them after the last guests leave. I've been to many Michelin restaurants and this is the only one I go back to whenever I can. If you have any doubt, google the story of Charlie Trotter bringing the greatest chefs in the world here a few years back! read more

4-5 stars for the food. 1-2 stars for the service and attitude. Here's the context: My wife and I were meeting another couple at Schwa. We were very late showing up. Not our fault. There was an epic traffic jam in Chicago due to a parade and protests (it took 1.5 hours to get from downtown to Schwa instead of the usual 20-25 minutes!). When we arrived, our friends were already on the 4th course of 12 courses. Schwa didn't do anything at all to mitigate this, like giving us a couple or three quick catch-up courses. Nope. We were merely included in the rest of the courses our friends were having. That means that we missed over 1/3 of a pre-paid meal. I understand that we were late and we shouldn't have expected the long-drawn-out Schwa experience. But couldn't Schwa do something to accommodate us? Even one quick catch-up course? Schwa, I understand that you see yourselves as artists with a punk edge. But you can be an artist and punk without the "screw you" attitude towards your guests. read more

Love, love, love! Not an easy res - but well worth it if you nab one on the few seats each night. If you love innovative, thoughtful, provocative food and ...If you can ignore the death metal and rap music coming from the kitchen (I don't judge your muse), and like minimalist decor, than you may have found one of your new favorites! Schwa is all about the food! I have been to Schwa 3 times and I continue to talk about an amazing, stand out disk from each experience. I doubt I will ever forget the white chocolate egg shell that was the vehicle for an amazing dish with tiny eatable flowers. (As an aside, I can't tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday!) Every course amazingly well though out with every detail perfected! read more

What a refreshing experience! The chef personally greeted us, served his art and had a moment for discussion at the end of our in-house meal. The food was drool-worthy and the decor rockin'. Leave the suits at 1723 N.Halsted St. if you like being a number. Whoever Schwa's masked chef is, he is a Picasso!! Kisses and hugs for this man. read more

What an experience. Were in Chicago for a friend's birthday and had reserved a table for 6 here. It's funny because hearing that it was a michelin-rated restaurant, I expected that we needed to dress up. But I was so wrong. This is the most unassuming restaurant with a fun and exciting menu. There are probably only like 5-6 people who work there. Total. There wasn't a host. There wasn't a designated server. They really seemed that they pitched in and did everything together. To descrive the inside, this place only sits like 20 people. The walls are dark for a calm ambiance and they had simple light bulbs hanging from the ceiling with the bottom of the bulbs painted black as to not be blinding and sent the brightness more up to the light-colored ceiling. One of the chef/server guys was wearing a NIN shirt and I think another was wearing a similar shirt of another band. The place is so small that there is only one bathroom...and it's in the kitchen. That made for an interesting experience to walk back there and see what plates they're prepping. As for the food, it was truly like a story of different, unique dishes coming out. Some bizarre. Some cool. Some even beautiful. The most memorable was definitely their signature truffle quail egg ravioli that seriously BLEW. MY. MIND. Loved everything about this place. How down to earth they were. Took advantage of the BYOB. And to make it even more unforgettable for my friend's birthday, her and I took shots with the chefs in the back to celebrate. Good times! read more

What a fun dinner! The ambiance (or lack thereof) puts a unique focus on the food, it's preparation and it's presentation. The chefs (who also serve the food) are edgy and fun. The blaring rap music made us feel relaxed, like no one was taking themselves or the meal too seriously. It made for a really fun night. The food itself was interesting and creative. Five star presentation. There were a couple of dishes (their take on truffle ravioli was quite possibly the best thing I have ever tasted) that were great. But, overall, a lot of the food was a little too much for me. Maybe my palette isn't refined enough, but I found a lot of the flavors to be too rich, bold and salty. So, although I loved my Schwa experience, I don't think I'd go back for the food itself. But the menu is always changing so if you haven't been, definitely give it a try. read more

Back in November, I told my boyfriend that I was going to take him out to dinner for his birthday and told him to think of an amazing place to go. He told me he wanted to go to Schwa. So I looked into it, and called for a reservation. In late November. In very early December they got back to me. And I missed the call. So I swore repeatedly, then called them back and left a message. They got back to me later that week saying they had an opening for two that very night. So I accepted and had a mini-stroke and then called my boyfriend to tell him to get hyped for some AMAZING food. So we got all giddy and starting thinking about the wines we were going to bring and what to wear and so on... And then Schwa called back, saying that the City of Chicago was going to be doing some work on or near the building and that their water was going to be shut off. Which, for those of you doing the math at home, meant that the whole restaurant had to be closed for the night. So the reservation we JUST MADE was null and void. The guys at Schwa were all kinds of apologetic about it and offered me the pick of the reservation litter: any day and time I wanted. So I went for a spot a week later, and broke the news to the boyfriend. A week later, I lost my job. The day after I lost my job, we were due to go to Schwa. Boyfriend told me to cancel the reservation and save my money and that we'll go when our finances are less tight. So I make the call and tell the boys at Schwa that they can give our spot away because I can no longer afford to eat there. They're sympathetic - and maybe a little moreso than the average schmuck on the street, because we've been playing phone tag for something like a month - and express their condolences. Five minutes later my phone rings. It's Schwa. They want us to come for dinner ANYWAY. And dinner is on them. We will be dining at the cost of FREE FIFTY-FREE. And then I cried. Because this kind of nonsense doesn't HAPPEN - not in real life, and certainly not to me. So we got ourselves prettied up and buy some wine, and headed on out to Wicker Park. And the gentlemen at Schwa were wonderful - personable, comfortable with the food (and they should be - the cooks are serving you and running the show there), and smartassed in a way you LIKE because it reminds you of your best friends who happen to be amazing chefs. (What? You don't have best friends like that? More's the pity, but you will FEEL like you have best friends like that while you're here.) And the food at Schwa was nothing short of AMAZING - the quail egg ravioli in brown butter with shaved white truffle, the veal heart with huckleberries, the apple pie soup, and the deconstructed PB&J dessert with black pepper ice cream were absolute standouts. I can't say enough good things about the food and it'll be a long damn time before I stop singing the praises of the chefs. We had an amazing night thanks entirely to the kindness and generosity of the gentlemen who run Schwa. Thank you, Schwa. Thank you so much. I want to send you cupcakes and hug all of you and you're all amazing, generous, wonderful people. Thank you. read more

I once heard a phrase that fits Schwa perfectly: "the only way you can act the way you do and still be employed is if you are brilliant". Don't think of Schwa as a restaurant. Think of it as part restaurant, part underground dining, part being invited to a friends house for dinner. Pretty much any "norm" you are familiar with in traditional dining is thrown out the window here. There are no waiters, there is no softly tinkling classical music being played in the background for "ambiance", there is no lets-go-on-OpenTable-and-get-a-table-for-2-tonight option. Think about it. The reservation system ALONE is absolutely, 100% fucking insane. You spend a week calling only to get a message that the mailbox is full. Then you finally get to voicemail where you leave a message, trying to sound cool and casual and not like you want to run out into the street screaming for joy like that time you were 14 and won INXS's "Kick" on cassette tape from a radio contest. But then you wait. And pace. And every time the phone rings you dive for it like some kind of madman hoping it's them. And they will ALWAYS call at that one time when you are on the El underground or when your boss wants to have a quick 5 minute meeting with you or you inadvertently set the ringer to silent. You curse violently and call back with shaking hands, hoping to get through this time. And you think dear god, is this worth it? Its a RESTAURANT for frigs sake. Ahh, but see, its NOT JUST a restaurant. You know this because you would never put up with this kind of BS from any other restaurant. Somehow here it makes sense. And the day finally comes. The boys greet you. They are very, very nice. There is a window to the kitchen. They are very busy and run quickly around the tiny space the whole night. Then these plates appear. Each one is tiny, but the most beautifully delicious thing you could ever hope to place on your tongue. And suddenly it is over. You are a little surprised because you feel like you could sit there and joke with the staff and listen to their great taste in music all night. And yes, it is brilliant and unconventional and other worldly. But it is also Schwa, and Schwa is an experience, not just dinner. This is love of the purest form, presented to you as food. Start dialing for that reservation now. read more

I can't say this is the worst dining experience of my life because once a friend made me clam linguini, and I got violently ill from the canned clams she used. However, we have a contender for second or third place. After trying for about 10 months to get through by phone and leaving messages when I was able, I got a call back for a reservation, although they later cancelled due to maintenance problems at the restaurant. Months later, I got another reservation. I heard great things about the place, and I was exceedingly patient. Schwa reminded me of the restaurant in the Steve Martin movie, "L.A. Story" called L'Idiot (a reference to an earlier film of his). He tried to get a reservation and the staff gave him a time and date that was inconvenient, and then asked what he and his date might want to eat. The maitre D' at L'Idiot told him, "You think with a financial statement like this you can have the duck? You can have the chicken." Once we FINALLY got there, I had high hopes for tastes that were promised to amaze me and evoke emotion. The only thing I could taste was my own bile from constantly being annoyed by the dining experience. We weren't sure if our waiter was stoned, hated his job, or was rehearsing for a live theatre role. Dismissing the condescending and surly attitude of staff, we attempted to enjoy a meal, although the music was noisy and distracting. We brought a few bottles of wine to try to pair with menu choices, which only seemed to enrage the waiter even more. After nearly finishing the first bottle, and wondering if the wait staff took the evening off, we promptly left and found a much more accommodating restaurant. If you crave an atmosphere pretentious and churlish, this is the place for you. read more

Schwa is unlike any other concept I've encountered... It's brilliant business. You don't get a reservation here by accident; you're guaranteed to play phone tag for a few weeks, at which point you'll maybeee get a call back with their "other" phone number to call for your actual reservation. And no, once you get the new phone number you can't just keep it and call back. As disorganized as the reservations process may seem on the outside, on the inside I have a suspicion that they're onto everything. I even imagine that at the end of the night they sit around and have a few beers while replaying the greatest hits of whiny people begging and pleading for a reservation. Of course that's my imagination, but I hope it's like that. This process keeps the riff raff out--you don't go on OpenTable and click a button and hope for the best, if you want to eat here, you really have to want it. And so my first experience began on my most recent birthday, after Brian patiently played phone tag for a reservation. I've done the "chef's tour" thing a dozen times but this was probably my favorite execution of it. As expected, the place is small and intimate. The decorations aren't overly lavish--you're more likely to see Ikea decor on the walls than a Warhol. The food--and the guys that run it really--are what it's all about. I say this is a brilliant business because really, it is. It's a group of guys who don't answer to anyone but themselves. There's no waiter to fuck up the service. There's no maitre d' to pay. They are the front, they are the back, they are the business. This place operates more like dining at a dinner party than at a fancy restaurant; there's really nothing to hide here. The guy cooking your food is the guy who brings it to your table to explain it. If you have a question or comment, you're already at the source. It's as casual as you want it to be, or as grand, all at once. To me this characteristic is the pinnacle of fine dining, something very few places achieve. Course by course we were wowed with one surprise after another. And it's not gimmicky. It's not the "wow there's smoke flying out of my custom-designed bowl" wow, but a real wow in flavors and ingredients. My favorite course was probably the cauliflower tortellini, which was served with cacao nibs and a curry sauce. Yes cacao nibs. An unlikely combination that months later I still can taste how good it was. The sweet breads were candied and you may have thought you were eating popcorn (which made them 'user friendly' compared to other possible preparations), probably the best tasting sweetbreads I've ever had. Every course we had was well thought out and tasted great, but I won't bore you with the details. We arrived with 3 bottles of too cool for school wine (Pas De Nom, two bottles of Turley), one was intended for the kitchen but somehow we didn't convey that message well and I think we drank most of it. In the future, less wine is more. Not only did we drink too much, but after the first bottle of really good wine it's hard to really appreciate. And because you don't know the menu ahead of time, it's even harder to pair well, so the $100 bottle is probably better left for home enjoyment. In this case our choices were good, but one bottle less next time for us. The real issue came when I got home and expunged my entire meal, after having drank too much. I can't decide if this is embarrassing or brilliant, some might say this is the best of both worlds: I ate my heart out, enjoyed amazing food, and lost calories in doing so. read more

Schwa - menu - 10/23/09 - mmmmmm! we were very "interactive" with our menu ehh. - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois