This is my Ode to Oriole in Chicago. My amazing husband brought me here for my birthday this year. Oriole is a two-star Michelin restaurant on the near north side of Chicago, and for me, it probably deserves a third star. I didn’t really want to do a full review of the place, it was my birthday after all, but I did take a ton of photos of my experience here, and I wanted to document it on my blog as one of the best meals of 2022. So rather than write a review, because how do you review perfection?, this is my mainly pictorial Ode to Oriole, and I hope you enjoy it.

The experience at Oriole is unique in that you actually eat your courses in three different rooms. The first room was the bar area, where we were served a delicious, Japanese inspired cocktail to pair with our Japanese inspired food, which was “Tartare” and “Konjak”. Both exquisitely plated and delicious.

Next, we moved into the open kitchen area concept, where we stood at a table and were served Champagne and this incredible melt in your mouth foie gras sandwich dusted with gold. My literal only note from this whole evening is that they probably should’ve served this course with a fork, rather than your hands as it was very unwieldy and fell apart easily. Don’t worry, though, we managed to lap up every last morsel!

We were then seated at our table for the duration of the remaining 12 courses. Some of the highlights are below including “Nori Pearls” and “Crab”. Check out the extraordinary detail in the plating in these two courses!

My favorite two courses had to be the “Capellini” with black truffle and the “Miyazaki Beef” which you barely even needed to chew. Fresh wasabi was ground onto our beef for a little extra kick. Yum!

Following the savory courses came four desserts. My favorite ones were “Rock” and “Rhubarb” which were extraordinary to just look at, let alone, eat. I can’t get enough of all these tiny flowers!

We also had absolutely delicious wine pairings to go along with the meal. From Champagne (Moncuit) to Brachetto and everything in between, everything was delicious and paired well. I loved the Sake pairing (Tokubetsu Junmai) with the crab course, and the Barbaresco that was paired with the Capellini were my favorites.

A top recommendation for Oriole goes without saying. The service here is total perfection, and the servers are fun and interesting to talk to. The atmosphere is super cool and chill with greys, browns, and soft pink tones in the dining room, though the open kitchen and bar are black and imposing. The food and wine are beyond. Don’t overlook Oriole for some of the more flashy, celeb-chef offerings in Chicago. This is probably the best restaurant in Chicago right now, and hopefully will get its props (third star!) soon.