Elske

What a great meal! We did the tasting menu with wine pairing and I highly recommend it. The food was absolutely delicious. The fish was all cooked to perfection and beyond fresh. The lamb was probably the most tender lamb I've ever eaten. all the flavors worked beautifully and I wish I had the recipe for the carrot mole because I want to put it on everything. The tea of smoked fruit and vegetables was also a highlight and I may try and reverse engineer it because it was like nothing else I've ever tasted and I want more. I love it when a tasting menu leaves me full enough to be more than satisfied by the end but not overstuffed and falling into a food coma. Very glad I decided to come here for my birthday dinner and I hope to be able to dine here again sooner rather than later!

Unique & Delicious! Everything about Elske was impressive. I walked in having pregnancy dietary restrictions, and figured I wouldn’t be able to do the tasting menu (and would opt for a la carte) as many items had raw, partially cooked or organ meat. I was pleasantly surprised when they were able to offer substitutions that fit my needs! Everything was superb, the dessert was stand out to me. And the NA cocktails were some of the best I have ever had. I hope to go back and dine by their outdoor fireplace when the weather is nicer!

Home away from home. Elske is the most comforting experience and reminds me of my years living in Denmark. Elske is in my book the #1 restaurant in Chicago. The food quality, environment, and staff just are the absolute best. I felt taken care of and comforted by our waitress without her presence being too on top of the table. The food and wine explanations were fantastic. The meat options at elske are always immaculate. However this round the beets won the award for Best plate. There is nothing more Scandinavian then great root veg and Elske out performs even some of those restaurants I went to in Copenhagen. Gosh darn I love Elske.

Elske is a contemporary and cozy dining experience perfect for a date night or a casual dinner experience. For anyone doing to the tasting menu, the juice pairing is a treat. Each juice is as curated and thoughtful as the dish itself. Our party loved the flow of dishes and were pleasantly full by the end of the meal.

Love Elske so happy take part in their re-opening menu. Definitely worth their michelin star, from the fennel accents to the impeccable service. It was lovely being back and being able to try new innovative food. The leeks and the risotto were probably my favorites but everything had a purpose and the taste was phenomenal. Thanks Laura our lovely server, love you lots for making our night special. The team did a lovely job, A+ for service.

This is difficult for me to describe-the flavor profiles were amazingly overwhelming (in a perfect way) with sensations I had never experienced. Every flavor was beautifully balanced and in sync. The wine pairing was a great addition. We had the tasting menu of course.

Elske had remarkable service, and the ambiance is casual (certainly not stuffy or overly formal). We were celebrating a birthday, and received a nice complimentary cake, which was a sweet touch. Tl;dr: The 3 stars are for the vegetarian substitutions for the set menu. Mushrooms were exclusively used as a substitute, and there were no proteins, leaving me very hungry and not satisfied after spending so much for a nice meal. As a table of three, I was the only vegetarian/ person with a dietary restriction, and our waitress assured us that the set menu for a vegetarian would be almost exactly the same, with protein substitutions. So we opted to do the set menu (as the whole table must do the set menu). My photos include both the vegetarian and regular set menu items. The vegetarian options were identical to the normal set menu as promised, however the substitutions were exclusively mushrooms. This meant that there were no real protein substitutions (and I do recognize that Danish cuisine is tough for a vegetarian anyways). While my dinner companions received many great fish and duck liver options and did enjoy their meal, I got measly helpings of mushrooms that were not particularly tasty nor filling. For one course, my friends received a nice piece of halibut, and I received two pieces of boiled potato- by no means comparable in cost or heartiness. When I came, there were some vegetarian a la carte options (like Fermented black bean agnolotti with spring peas, braised shiitakes, and sherry) that may have been more filling, and perhaps been a better fit for a vegetarian. I left dinner still hungry. In sum, I would recommend this restaurant if you are not a vegetarian and want a light, pescatarian friendly meal. I certainly would NOT recommend the set menu as a vegetarian. You can find tastier, more robust meals elsewhere for a lot less money. My friend also wanted me to note that the soap dispenser in the bathroom is tricky to use and not at all COVID/sanitation friendly (it is a squat jar that you have to manually flip over to get soap).

The best meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant. We got the 10 course tasting menu, and one of which we had vegetarian. All the dishes and cocktails were delicious, and I’d highly recommend this restaurant. Pictured is the Celeriac risotto with apple, hazelnuts, and black truffle, and the Charred leeks vinaigrette with clothbound cheddar, toasted oats, and black olive.