Henri

I came here for restaurant week lunch. I have to agree with some of the reviewers, that while the place is gorgeous and the service is impeccable, i didnt think the food was up to par for the price. We tried the potage du jour, the salad, the duck terrine, gnocchi, and chocolate mousse for dessert. I liked the dessert the best, it had a mousse, chocolate gel and bits of ganache in it. Come here for a drink and admire the place

I am surprised to hear that Henri is now closed. I guess I am glad that I had an opportunity to dine in this establishment. I had a wonderful dinner with my husband and our business partner here one night. I really liked everything about this restaurants: atmosphere, drinks and of course food. Their bartender was very friendly and knowledgeable and the drinks were superb. I had Albacore crudo, Roasted Foie Gras and Duck Cassoulet. The food was exceptional, the atmosphere sophisticated and service top-​notch. Too bad that I wont be able to relive my dining experience.

Loved the food. Totally nonplussed that it’s closing to give way to a middle tier Italian restaurant. I got the explanation and I understand it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
But on to the review. A great friend and I had our own mini degustation with wine pairings that was simply outstanding. As my friend and I have discovered, trusting the server to come up with the menu and the wine pairing creates a winning meal every time.
Homemade bread. Diver scallops. Escargot bourgogne. Split pea soup. Duck cassoulet. Nettle Ravioli. Café au lait. Banana soufflé. Three tier chocolate mousse.
One of my greatest French dining experiences in Chicago was at a certain French restaurant in Evanston. After going ot Henri, that Evanston restaurant had competition. It’s too bad that Henri will be closing its doors.

Henri superseded my expectations! They were the only restaurant willing and able to accomodate me and my 18 other guests on a Friday evening for my fiancé’s surprise birthday dinner. The ambiance and décor was elegant yet modern. We sat at a table overlooking Michigan avenue in very comfortable velvet chairs. It was very quaint and classy. The staff was very attentive and helpful. A few guests had questions regarding the menu and our waiter explained the entire menu to them. They were also very patient as several of my guests were late.
Now to the food. This was our first time having French inspired cuisine. My fiancé and I thoroughly enjoyed the appetizers. We ordered the roasted foie gras (duck liver) and the albacore crudo. Not only were they succulent but the presentation was mesmerizing. They were very whimsical looking. For our entrees we ordered the rack of lamb and the monkfish bouillabaisse. The lamb was very tender and juicy and accompanied by sweet potato. The monkfish reminded me of a soup or gumbo because it contained lots of seafood such as huge prawns and mussels in a broth-​like sauce. Delish! For dessert they provided my fiancé with crème brûlée and it was also decadent! Crispy on top and light and creamy underneath.
The night couldn’t have been any more perfect! I felt the pricing was reasonable considering it was an upscale restaurant and the portions were fair. The only downside was that they did not have valet parking! :(.By it being located on Michigan Ave one would expect valet. Fortunately we were able to find parking on state street and walk over after sometime of searching.
One will not be disappointed dining at this lovely one of a kind restaurant! Thank you Henri for an incredible evening and for being the highlight of my fiancé’s birthday!

The next time I come here, I might opt to just sit at the bar and down appetizers and cocktails because those were the best parts of my meal at Henri. The foie gras and pork belly were both absolutely delicious. I wish I could remember the name of the drink I tried (I think it was a winter season drink and may no longer be on their menu), it was served over a bed of warm smoky cedar chips, which sounds like it could be one of the most pretentious drink presentations ever but the taste was absolutely wonderful. The French 75 was not bad either.
As for the entrees — the lamb was not bad but the goose cassoulet was all wrong — most of the goose was chewy and the beans seemed undercooked. Looks like they have changed to rabbit cassoulet for their spring menu, maybe bunny meat will improve their cassoulet situation. But other than that, my Henri experience was pretty darn nice.

We came to Henri w few weeks ago to check it out during Chicago restaurant week, and it was a great decision. The restaurant is conveniently located on Michigan Avenue, right by Millennium Park, and if you get a window seat, it’s a great place for people watching.
We were greeted promptly when we came in, and they offered to take our coats right away. I should have written my review right after, because now I can’t remember exactly what we ate, but I feel compelled to write a review because of the great service. Our waiter was excellent. He was professional, friendly, and attentive. The food, of course, was delicious, but he made it so much better. The owner even stopped by the say hello. What stood out to me most was I mentioned to the waiter that I really enjoyed my drink– a tea based alcohol drink. When we got our check, he cut out the blurb about the drink from the menu and included it for me to take home! It included the history of the drink and all the ingredients. That was truly going the extra mile. This showed me that this is a restaurant that cares about its patrons.
If you’re downtown and looking for a classy place to eat delicious food, this is the place for you!

I had an excellent lunch at Henri, and I really want to come back for dinner next time I’m in Chicago. I started with escargot and a French 75 to drink; both were great! Then I had the pear and foie gras pissaladiere with the Cinq a Sept cocktail; delicious! For dessert, I had the st. honore dessert which was lovely as well. The restaurant is beautiful and has the best location, right across the street from millennium park. I think the best part of my lunch was listening to the mix of French music and Sinatra. Loved it!

Restaurant week lunch. A tale of mixed reviews.
Starters of blood orange and salad, very good. The showstopper was the extremely delicious soup, rivalling that I’ve had in Manhattan.
4.5
Mains were a different story. We got both the duck terrine and gnocchi. Gnocchi was well executed but somehow lacked substance. The apples were overwhelmingly tart, so much so the gnocchi was overpowered.
The duck, while decent, had absolutely measly portions.
3
Dessert was 4.5, caramel chocolate mousse with sea salt: again very worthy. Tres bien!
Will return again, and choose the mains more carefully.

Restaurant week menu:
Blood Orange Salad: Delicious — light; very few blood oranges though. Salad made up for it by being fresh.
Soup of the Day: Potato cream based soup – really, really good and creamy. Thick and full of flavor.
Duck Country Terrine: Duck meat loaf spread with bread. Not incredibly delicious but could appreciate the soft texture of the terrine with the spreads and the bread
Chocolate Mousse Verrine: Tremendous and delicious

On the night I dined at Henri, the sky was a perfect dark blue and giant snowflakes were drifting to the ground, seemingly in slow motion. It was the most romantic setting you could imagine, except I was with a couple of loser lady friends. Just kidding. I love them. But alas, we were surround by couples enjoying the beautiful Michigan Ave view #thesinglelife
Fantastic ambiance and delicious (strong) cocktails aside, I really cannot sing praises of the food. The presentation was fantastic, but the hot foods were served lukewarm and the flavors were not dancing on my tongue in any way. The service, however, was impeccable. Though the server used «funky» to describe a wine and turned me off to the idea of imbibing that evening, he was attentive to our needs and was good about checking in on us during the lulls of our conversation.
I will say that the soufflé was fantastic. I usually don’t order two rounds of dessert, but this was definitely worth it.

Ok, so I only tasted their cocktails. It was the in between time. After Art Institute closed and before dinner reservations elsewhere. Terzo Piano closed at 3, of course I would have known if I consulted Unilocal app, but alas, when told that museum and Terzo was closed, we decided to go to Gage to get drinks. But then the thought of Henri came to my mind and since neither of us ever went there, we decided on the spot to sit at the bar and order a few cocktails.
We were early enough that the bar area was empty, so we asked to be seated there. Opened the lush menu, loved they gave paragraph intro to each cocktail, and then in bold writing, write exactly what was in the drink. I ordered their version of Hot Toddy. Easily the best tasting Hot Toddy I’ve ever had. It was complex, it was restrained, it was delicious. On the side, before you drink it, they give you a teaspoon of butter. Yes, butter, with spices such as anise. You mix it in and then enjoy the buttery drink. I easily recommend it during the winter season. The other drink I got was Spanish Eyes, a riff of Old Fashioned. Again, refined and complex. Well crafted and enjoyable.
I would come here again just for the cocktails. Probably never for the food only because I’m not sure about vegetarian options. Oh and the décor here is lovely, refined, old world French. This place is nice, place is one where manners would never be out of place. You’ll do well to dress appropriately.

This was pretty mediocre for the price. The interior was nice, but a bit stuffy. In the right setting, stuffy can be fun and a nice night out. But, if you are going to go for this expensive vibe, then the food and service should match. Our server was a bit rough around the edges and really didn’t describe things that well. Also, aside from a kale soup that was out of this world, the rest of the food was just OK. I had a very expensive seafood soup of some sort that was bland and served room temp. This places tries to be a blow you away with awesomeness kind of place, and its never good when you leave feeling like you spent way too much for way too little in terms of food quality and service. I have been hoping to go to Henri for a while and adore The Gage next door, so this was a big let down for me.

I have dined at Henri several times before writing this review. The food, service, and ambiance are always wonderful. This restaurant is definitely a gem in Chicago if you are looking for traditional French cuisine.
Onto the food… I have tried most things on the menu, but this particular time, we had the following. (I was dining with two others)
The diver scallops with pimente d’espelette, beurre Blanc, artichoke, and fennel… the scallops were fresh, nicely prepared and melted in your mouth.
The peekytoe crab with a potato custard, apple shiso purée, bacon, apple sorbet, and greens… very light and refreshing. Great acid and wonderful flavors.
I ordered the sturgeon. The sturgeon was prepared with knob onions and a burgundy truffle sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked and I’m still thinking about the sauce! Highly recommend this dish!!!
My husband ordered the rabbit cassoulet and our friend enjoyed the Ttoro. Both enjoyed their dishes as well.
For dessert, we had a Crème brûlée and the dark chocolate ganache. both divine.
Henri remains on the top of my list of go to restaurants in this beautiful city full of great places to dine.

I dined at Henri alone, hoping to self-​congratulate on a work-​related triumph. Expecting to spend major $$$ and also enjoy a great meal, I found myself rather disappointed.
— Ambiance (⁴⁄₅)
Classy and romantic, this is a perfect place to take a date or a cozy intimate setting for some close friends. However, I personally found the place a little dark– reading the menu became difficult, and it was very hard to see the food. Everything on the plate just looked yellowish.
— Service (²⁄₅)
While the service is professional, I wonder if I did something wrong. Did I commit a cardinal sin and dine alone, thus robbing the waitstaff of an additional person’s revenue at a 2-​person table? The tables around me all got detailed descriptions of their food when served, which would have been tremendously helpful given the poor lighting. I was also never asked about my food, which would have been rather important, given my comments below. Did I eat too fast?
— Bread (⁵⁄₅)
Piping hot and with great butter, this was a delight. In the future, however, I recommend that the staff wait a minute before bringing it to the plate, because it was bordering too hot.
— Soft Poached Egg, $ 14 (³⁄₅)
The egg was poached beautifully, and the presentation gorgeous (as far as I could tell). After taking a photo, I confirmed that the plate did indeed look colorful. However, one might complain that the dish as a whole was under-​seasoned, with hardly any flavor development. I could say it had clean flavors, or I could say it was bordering bland. What saves the dish is the various inventive components. The summer squash wrapped around the ricotta mousse might have been the best component on the plate. The mini croutons also added a nice texture among a lot of soft textures.
— Sturgeon, $ 39 (⁴⁄₅)
The sturgeon was cooked beautifully and seasoned just enough so that there was good flavor, and yet the fish could speak for itself. The other components on the dish were pretty… but not very distinct, nor memorable. I’m sitting here right now not really remembering what it is exactly I ate.
— Woodland Mushrooms and Knob Onion, $ 8 (¹⁄₅)
Easily the worst item I ordered. How do you mess up mushrooms and onions? The mushrooms were so heavily salted that I, a self-​professed mushroom lover, could not finish all the mushrooms. I’m still downing water right now. And the onions? I expected soft knob onions, not crunchy, bordering raw onions, that packed that familiar onion flavor… the chef who cooked this ought to be fired.
— Mini Lime & Coconut Profiterole, Free, (⁵⁄₅)
Easily the best item I didn’t order. I suspect it finishes all meals, but it was a welcome surprise. The gooey lime center and the coconut top all packed a great flavor punch that I found missing throughout the meal. A great finish, but perhaps too little, too late.
— Value (²⁄₅)
Given the significant food errors and the somewhat less exemplary service than what other tables were getting, I find the price tag to be much too high. High prices demand high quality. This didn’t cut it.
If you look at the totality of the meal and the potential Henri exhibits, you might find a 2 star rating to be extremely harsh. However, the comparative service and the mushrooms really just did Henri in. Had the sturgeon or poached egg been WOW dishes, we could have saved this rating, but as it stands, I can’t give it more than 2.

I was really excited to try this place, as the sister and more casual Gage is one of my fav go-​to places, and the décor just sings to my heart. The place is gorgeously decked out in faux-​vintage European salon, elegance and opulence personified. Simply beautiful. Love, love, love. Subdued, sophisticated ambiance and clientele. Service on point and of a five-​star caliber. My kind of place.
The food disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it was all ok, but nothing was particularly memorable. Given all the great reviews, I’m even more disappointed by what I seem to have missed? Maybe an off night? Maybe I should have gone with the chef’s menu? I love everything about this space, I’m determined to try again to get a better food experience. Yes, that’s how much I’m in love with the surroundings.

We went here for a special occasion and were pleasantly satisfied. I chose this based on other user reviews and the menu. Service was top notch and what you would expect.
From the beginning to departure, we were greeted and thanked for our patronage. The wait time for service was quicker than we expected and water was always refilled timely.
After eating, we were able to enjoy the remainder of our cocktails (Burnham Manhattan + Henri Presse) without feeling rushed out of our seats. He had the Rabbit Cassoulet which is a delightful mixture of sausage, confit, loin, bacon, fava and heirloom beans and I had the New York au Poivre which included sweetbreads, fiddlehead, artichoke, celery root. We didn’t leave a single bite but also didn’t have room for their dessert.
The outside patio is nicely sectioned off from the sidewalk by a wall with foliage at the top. It creates a more intimate dining experience, lessens the sidewalk chatter (even at the busiest time like when the Taste of Chicago was letting out) and deters passer-​bys from being a third viewing party at your table.

This is not the place to go if you are a frugal individual. However, while this is extremely expensive and very high end, it is wonderful.
Service is absolutely top notch. What you would expect from a high end restaurant in terms of knowledge, service, and personality is exactly what you get.
The food is also fantastic. Really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. I had the rabbit cassoulet which is a delightful mixture of sausage, confit, loin, bacon, fava and heirloom beans. Truly amazing.

Wow. It’s hard for me to be impressed these days but Henri truly stood out.
My coworker and I decided to check out Henri for lunch during Chicago Chef Week. Here’s the thing. I have noticed some restaurants do not have the same standard of excellence in food and service during promotional times like Chef Week or Restaurant Week. Although this is my first time having gone to Henri so I didn’t have any baseline to compare the food or service, I can’t imagine the service being any better than the way I experienced it during my visit. The staff really made it known several times throughout the meal that they appreciated us being there with such a gracious and welcoming manner. They are the epitome of extraordinary service.
On to the food and décor. This place is super gorgeous without being too over the top — simple, elegant and pretty. Out of the items we tried, we really enjoyed the chicken liver mousse and the chicken ballontine on baguette. The paris brest for dessert with the hazelnut filling was so so good and to end the meal, they gave us some brownies dipped in chocolate that were just made which were deliciously sinful.
I really can’t wait to go back!

Very cozy restaurant. Excellent service!!! The Cinq a Sept cocktail was amazing!
Moon Mountain vodka, Clarified McIntosh Apple, St. Germain, cinnamon syrup was the perfect cocktail!!! I usually stay away from cocktails because they are quite sweet but this was extremely well balanced! For my main entrée I ordered the Saturday Special — Roasted Pork Loin. It was slightly dry but had good flavoring. The Pomme Aligot was so delicious! We were in Paris for our honeymoon a year go and we fell in love with it so we have been searching for the best Aligot in USA, this was the closest we’ve found so far! The Crème Brulée was good but nothing special. The Manjari Ganache was very good, not too sweet and very light. The entire staff was very pleasant and very friendly! Loved the dinning experience! Will definitely go back!

So glad my sister wants to try every sandwich on the Trib’s 30 best sandwich list. The Croque Monsieur got us here but the service and menu will get us back!
How many times have I been to the Art Institute and not know this great oasis of calm was just up the street? The décor is soothing and luxurious, the service is beyond impeccable and the food just plain great.
I started out with the Fresh Pea soup which was better than the best peas you have ever eaten but as a soup! Then we had Croque Monsieurs or Madames, depending for a preference for an egg on a sandwich. We probably should have split them as it is a huge, rich and decadent sandwich with the best fries in the world. Seriously, IN THE WORLD.
For dessert we split the Paris Brest which was a bit bland and the Dark Chocolate Tarte which is worth defriending like 20 people on Facebook for, make that 30. The Latte was dark and super rich. Great end to a great meal.
We went fancy for the Grand Finale to our Adventure Fridays, part one. So glad we saved the best for last!