Chez Joël

Chez Joel is a wonderful French restaurant in one of Chicago's iconic neighborhoods. The food is well prepared and beautifully presented. On a recent visit we had coq au vin and seabass. Each was delicious, fragrant, and abundant. The coq au vin made for excellent leftovers the next day. Wines by the glass offer a nice variety to go with the entres. It was full and buzzing when we arrived for our 6:30 reservation. One of our favs.

Went as a group of 3 on a Friday evening for a girlfriend's birthday and this restaurant far exceeded our expectations. Each dish was better than the one before. We had the baked brie, the poulet farci ( stuffed chicken), the bouillabaisse Marseillaise (assorted seafood), Filet Mignon de Bœuf Grillé au Jus de Cuisson, the apple tart, the almond cake, and the profiterole. I would highly recommend this bistro for a date night, birthday, or a 'just because' dinner. The staff was also very friendly and helpful with making selections. Thanks for a wonderful experience.

We had a great first experience here but last weekend, the food was horrible. Overcooked meat and rubbery duck. Staples of French food that should be perfect in this restaurant. Service was mediocre and a waiter kept hitting the back of my head when he walked by. Terrible experience. I do not recommend.

IMO, the best Ratatouille in the area! As good as simple and exquisite. Typically, I don't eat the whole pasta, but the Shrimp Linguine was amazing, and I did not get the food coma! Besides the small-enough portions, the ingredients were high quality. Bouillabaisse Marseillaise was outstanding, I liked the taste and glad it wasn't too salty as other places! Escargots A La Bourguignon were ok, compared to other places, (still the old La Sardine were the best IMO, or currently Bandol Mediterranean Brasserie Raw Bar IMO), the flavor was not strong, but the escargots were unnoticed. Bread was good, cappuccino was nothing from the other world, Crème brûlée wasn't outstanding, Arnold Palmer was ok. Place is super small, also the staff gets frustrated by this when tables blocked the way the service is moving (probably that's why they were forgetting stuff ordered/asked). Loved they had french musique, reservations a must. Odd they did not have high chair, but they had coloring book. Prices are reasonable considering the portions and how fancy is projected. Dietary restrictions: Limited options Parking: Not a lot of spots since area is busy

Very good Thanks again

Cute little spot. Wife and I ordered duck & scallops as entrees and both got the French onion soup and Escargos. All delicious. Recommend doing another appetizer in addition to Escargos since that one choice is a bit light. Food was delicious. They sat us immediately when we came for our reservation on Open Table. Very nice people

My husband and daughter joined me for an early dinner at Chez Joël for my daughter’s birthday. The food was delicious. I had the soupe à l’oignon and the coq au vin. My daughter had the filet mignon and a blueberry tart. My husband had duck breast and confit. It was so very good! The service was superb and they had great choices for wines by the glass. I’ll definitely return.

Dined here 2 weeks ago. Service wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad either. Food was reasonably priced and presented well and also tasted as expected. Wine prices were reasonable and the list was ok. Will likely return but hope I have a different server who is more professional and has better attention to detail and thorough knowledge about the food and wine.

Amber is the queen of the espresso martini. She is so wonderful and kind. We had the best time sitting at the bar chatting with her. She recommended great menu items but the star of the night was the espresso martinis.

If you’re looking for a classic French meal like KiKi’s Bistro—do not go here. Escargots was too acidic, the chicken was so dry, and the scallops were OK because they had a nice sear—but over seasoned and greasy broken sauce. No love in the food. Service was great and atmosphere is deserving of a higher quality food program.