Paris Club Bistro & Bar

Came here for French Restaurant Week and really enjoyed the dining experience here. This is cozy, intimate French bistro and I really liked the ambiance. Food and wine were really good. The onion soup and escargot were really flavorful, and the duck and sauce were very delicious as well.

I do not know if it’s true that this place is already closed. But I choose to write still late review for them and live some small opinions. We visited this place with my friend because in uper floor was Deep House Party. So before the burning of calories in dance is good to eat something. The price and quality you get what you’re driving on the plate speaks for itself, it is not Chinese buffet, not that I have anything against Chinese buffet, but here you get small portions but the taste … oh my God I have not eaten such tasty food for long time. It was fish, french fries, garlic sauce, pork chops, mushroom sauce, and it all tasted like never before. service was helpful so we was not lost in menu big thank you for that, atmosphere is specific little bit of dark but this give nice warm and excited feeling to be hear ! And that huge Bar Nice :) I hope see you next time

Enjoyed our dining experience at PCB&B. We opted to go for Christmas Eve dinner. The Prix Fixe was a good value for Christmas Eve and offered a lot of variety. As an added bonus, you could still order al a carte if that’s your thing. My wife and I opted for the escargot and tartare for our starters. She had the dover sole and I had the duck. We ended with the cheese plate and the buche de noel (chocolate cake).
The starters were great, although I personally like my escargot in the shells still. That way, you have a better sense that they are fresh (yes, I know they remove them from the shells and then put the shells back in with the meat), and there is usually less butter/​garlic mixture. The result of no shells made it much to «oily» for my taste. The tartare was excellent. Her fish was lovely, but my duck lacked a bit. It was a bit to «ducky» (I know, best word I could come up with). We were given a side of Brussel sprouts as well. We were split (1 yay, and 1 nay) on these. Deserts were great.
The table service was great.

On one hand, I’m a fan of Lettuce Entertain You restaurants; on the other hand, I think they’ve expanded way too much and their talent is blurred across the lines of their sister restaurants. Other than the air of snobbishness at Paris Club, many of their dishes are so similar to that of Mon Ami Gabi (LEY) and Reel Club (LEY), I can easily forget where I’m dining if it weren’t for a different location and a higher price. Having last been to Paris Club about 4 years ago, I was shocked by the changes. While it’s rumored that Blackhawks players party at Sub 51 and date the bottle girls, that’s certainly not a valid reason to snub diners, which is precisely what they do. The snob quotient is sky high here. If they think Chicago people enjoy obnoxious servers and waitstaff, they’re wrong. If Paris Club assumes Parisian bistros are pretentious and cold, they’ve obviously never traveled beyond the States.
We went with another couple to celebrate the girlfriend’s birthday. I was the only one who had been to Paris Club previously, albeit, 4 years ago, so we were all somewhat new to the bistro. Servers was generally friendly until we didn’t order alcohol. The couple we were with doesn’t drink, thus, we didn’t on this occasion, either. We must have been asked 6 times if we were going to order a cocktail, and each time we said NO. Annoying is an understatement. It’s not like we stopped in for dinner and shared the burger amongst the 4 of us. The bad attitude and overall negativity is what brings down the stars at Paris Club. We weren’t the only table visibly being annoyed by a waitperson thinking they were above the patrons on the food chain. What someone in LEY management should do is remind the waitstaff that they won’t have their jobs if people don’t dine at the restaurant.
The food part of Paris Club is very good. Except for the Onion Soup, which we each had, we shared everything. We also ordered grilled oysters, Burgundy Escargots, butter lettuce salad with Roquefort and herbs, Brussels sprouts, trout amandine, 2 orders of steak frites, pumpkin risotto. dark chocolate mousse and apple tarte tatin for dessert. Flavors are distinct, entrees are well plated, everything is pretty and just as tasty. For the price, it should be, but it’s not the high prices that will keep us from coming back, it’s the super bad attitude of the staff, which is a shame in the restaurant industry.

Authentic French food and wine!, this place has the perfect combination of ambience; French music, deemed lights, great deco. If you want to spend quality time with a special someone, or simply have a nice conversation while enjoying the exquisite food, this is the place!
I will be back next year!

I went for dinner with a friend recently and really liked this place! There service was excellent and the food was good… though perhaps a little too good. I don’t eat right food very often and didn’t feel so well after, though only because I was so stuffed. Definitely ask the server if certain items are shareable. We got a pumpkin risotto which was phenomenal, but even between the two of us was a lot. The escargot were delicious, and the ONION SOUP… you have to get it! In all, I’d go back, but I might eat a bit lighter next time.

We so wanted to like this place when our local friends asked us to meet us there. They remembered it from way-​back-​when and clearly it’s changed a lot and not for the better.
The hostess at the door greeted us with less than a smile when we said we had reservations. Bear in mind, it wasn’t busy at all.
Once seated, the service was curt at best. They may have been understaffed but if I am spending several hundred dollars on a meal and drinks with friends I’d like a little service. Courses were slow to come out and overall the service quality was very poor.
The food was pretty good though. The steak frites was solid. As was the duck. The fried oysters were ok. However, as sometimes is the case, this restaurant has fallen into the «truffle trap». They have it on everything and it’s so over done. Pro-​tip: if you are going to do truffle on a dish, pick just ONE and do it really well. This place did not.

I actually made my new Unilocal account which took me several minutes to do in order to tell the public about my experience here.
So I’m a teacher, I bought an rv to travel across America with. In Chicago I heard excellent reviews about Paris Club. I then met a promoter during my diner at 51 pub and he had told me I would get free admission if I mentioned his name.
I then went to Paris shortly thereafter. The bouncer/​check in person was white and in his mid 20’s of decent build. He then preceded to tell me «if you get a girl I can get you in for free» «we are not trying to have any guys in here». «It’s 20.00 cover»
So I just traveled 800 miles to experience this…
You can make your own decision based on my real life experience.

I have eaten here twice. In both instances, it’s been very good.
The atmosphere and ambience are terrific. It’s as if you were in France.
The cocktails and bar menu are very good. So few restaurants do this well. This place knows what it’s talking about.
Food is lovely. My compatriots and I ordered salads (really good) and main courses. I had Salmon (outstandingly tender and flavorful), two friends had gnocci and said it was light and airy. The other friend had steak frite. Outstanding.
The wine recommendation was very good and spot on.
Service was the tempered, French style. You either like that or you do not. I love the pacing myself.
This place is great. You should go.

Excellent classic /​comfort French dishes with a slight spin on them.
I recommend:
— Steak Frites: as classic as it gets! Thin yet moist with thin crispy fries
— Crispy Duckling: though I wish they had it «a la orange» style, this is tasty and a bit healthier.
— Burger: I preferred with when they served it plain with their strong dijon on the side, the Saint Germain sauce is tasty but a bit rich. The meat is lightly seasoned, juicy, and delicious.
Service ranges from friendly to socially awkward.

Brought me back to my time in France.
Say hi to Zane for me. He surprised and delighted us with awesome hospitality.

This place was really fun when it first opened… and before they renovated and revamped the menu… We had a fat gift certificate. So it was fine.

This is a review for my overall experience: Service and Food
Food alone was 4 stars.
My boyfriend and I came here for chef’s week. We ordered: Escargot, French Onion Soup, Skate Wing, Kir Royale, another strong drink with campari (cannot remember the name, but it was delicious), Steak Frites, chocolate mousse, and profiteroles.
The Steak Frites were DELICIOUS. The steak was seasoned perfectly and the bearnaise sauce was also really good and the fries were warm and crispy. The skate wing was also very delicious but the portion was smaller that we expected and I preferred the flavor of the steak and fries (if I come again and want a light dinner, I’ll definitely order skate wing). I’ve never had escargot before, but it seemed to be cooked appropriately; I really liked the sauce. The french onion soup was a bit cheesy for me, but it’s the perfect thing if you like cheese. The mousse really was not good at all (very dense and boring) but the chocolate sauce on the profiterole was AMAZING and went well with the caramel (I was scraping the plate when we finished).
The service left much to be desired. We dined on a Friday night and there were probably 3 servers in the entire restaurant. After the host seated us, we waited for about 20 minutes and no one came over. Another couple was seated next to us and were served automatically, when I objected the the server apologized and said «Oh have you been helped?» We explained the situation and she apologized and filled in, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Also, because she had so many tables she was not very attentive… it just wasn’t good service.

We came here one New Year’s, and it was absolutely unreal. They have a dish that includes scrambled eggs and lobster, and it may have been the best entrée I’ve ever had in a restaurant.
They were incredibly accommodating to our party of six, the wait staff was friendly and excellent at coping with a very full restaurant. Plus they’re Lettuce Entertain You, with all the perks that come with that!
Unforgettable dining experience, even months and months later. This is a fabulous destination for special occasion dining. I know I’d appreciate a birthday dinner… and an anniversary dinner… and a date night dinner… and a «just because» dinner here!!!

I have long been a fan of Chef Jean Joho and have long equated him with such luminaries as Charlie Trotter and Guy Savoy. Bold flavors, avant-​garde presentation, fabulous wine list all with impeccable service and wonderful ambiance. Joho’s cuisine was a regular staple in my life, so much so my first date with my now wife was at Brasserie Jo in Boston because I knew the food would be spectacular (it was). I am a true fan of this man’s work, which is why it physically pains me to say this: Paris Club is terrible.
Since the last time I was in here, it had been remodeled — I believe for the 3^rd time. They used to have a dining area with glazed, white brick walls — which was very classic Parisian. Now it’s all dark wood paneling with clichéd, French advertising scattered about, red leatherette seating, rounded booths, enormous, brass chandeliers with Edison lights and tiny spotlights shining down on your table. It didn’t feel inviting, it felt stuffy and tried to be «hipster ironic» with blaring french hip-​hop music for seemingly no other reason than «that’s what the kids are listening to in France.» I know they are trying for a younger demographic, but this was almost schizophrenic in ambiance choices. Also the name: It’s attached to a nightclub called «Studio Paris» (that also has a Ramen shop in it — Clang!), but the restaurant has the «Club» name?
Then we get to the menu, which quite possibly could have been run on a Xerox from the 1970s, and is incredibly limited. I felt like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, but with former Joho dishes: «No duck confit! No bag of shrimp with lobster sauce! No Coq Au Vin! Gone. All gone!»
We end up ordering off the «Chef Week» menu and get French standards: Onion Soup Gratinée, Steak Frîtes and choice of two desserts. I will say the soup was probably the best thing I ate that night, but it was just OK. No where near as good as it was when Brasserie Jo stood here. Something in it did not agree with my wife, so she couldn’t eat it. Then we got the Steak Frîtes and they were given an au poivre treatment, which was not noted on the menu at all. I love pepper, but my wife has a bit of an aversion to it, so she couldn’t eat it at all. Mine was rather cool when it came out, so I couldn’t eat all of it. I understand you need to rest a steak after you cook it, but they gave it a true nap before serving. The frîtes were served in a paper-​lined metal cup (which was fun) and were seasoned. I enjoyed them, for about a third of the way through, as the lower ones turned to greasy mush rather quickly. The dish came with a gravy boat of béarnaise that had a thicker skin on it than the Black Rhino at the Lincoln Park Zoo. I tried to pour it, but no luck — it had become partially dried glue before it got to me. Then dessert. I ordered the salted caramel profiterole and my wife got the chocolate mousse. First, why do we have ice cream in profiteroles in America?!? It is so cold it turns the pastry into cement. But that was secondary, since the plate had what I assumed was salted caramel drizzled on it, then they proceed to pour what I hoped was more caramel (as per the name), but NO! It was chocolate sauce, which seriously clashed with the salted caramel. The mousse was probably the worst I’ve had and came with toppings to sprinkle on it — like rice krispies… seriously? Understood, younger demographic, but are we talking 12 year olds? It was also either very old, or from a mix. I hope it was just old. However, my Kir Royale that night was enjoyable (No martini for me — I’ve had them here before, and they serve them in a champagne glass, which is an insult to a martini).
So, we had 1 soup mostly eaten, 1 barely touched, barely touched frîtes, one uneaten steak and 2 barely touched desserts. Our server (who was outstanding, otherwise) said nothing about it and didn’t ask any questions (other than «do you want a box») when there was clearly a problem as virtually full plates were taken away. I’ve worked in the restaurant business and it seemed she was trained to not say anything unless pressed on an issue. So we ended up paying for two full meals and only able to eat half. We did bring this up to our server after we got the check, and she did offer to get something else, but it was already too late for us. We just wanted to leave.
To sum up, if you’re a millennial with more trust fund than taste, this is your place. If you’ve been to France, or any of Joho’s other restaurants, avoid Paris Club like the plague.
Chef Joho: Take your restaurant back, or cut it loose.

This was my first time at Paris Club. Please take in consideration that I am NOT a party girl, so it is very complicated for me to compare clubs. But I know this: wherever the music makes me feel good and people are nice, that’s the place I want to be!
First of all, I didn’t even wait in line. I know it sucks when you are standing in line or pay to be at a place and someone gets there and just completely jump in front of the queue. That was me last Friday night. The girl in a sweater and flat boots jumping in front of you who spent «45 minutes to get all dressed up» (yes, quoting Partition from Queen Bey here)
I was twice as awesome people were so nice. Sipping champagne and dancing like there was no tomorrow. I can’t believe I stayed there passed 2am.
I really enjoyed this place, but yeah, some variables contributed to my experience. I know that this place is rated as one of the hottest spots in Chi so if you are a out of towner you should most definitely check it out!

You will not have a bad meal at a LEYE restaurant. The food was fine. Place is very expensive for what it is. Portions are small. Had to beg for some bread when everyone had ordered a salad starter. Many better choices (including other LEYE spots) within inches of the PC. By the way, I have been to a number of work related events here, and it was very good. PASS on this one.
Nice job on the re-​model – much more attractive

Would have given it 5 stars but the hostess was a bit rude and unwelcoming.
As for my dinner experience that was fantastic. This was my 1^st time back since the remodel and it definitely feels more like a cozy spot in Paris than it did before.
It tried the mushroom risotto which was creamy and delicious. The shaved cheese on top game those bites just the right amount of sharpness that I like with the creamy mushroom flavor.

My group found ourselves at Paris Club late on a Sunday night, for drinks and desert only. This review cannot speak for any main course or appetizer.
Lets start with the atmosphere, it is just beautiful! Dark, romantic, luxurious feel the second you step inside. The restrooms are just single stalls, so be prepared to wait a bit. Ladies, no need to use the restroom in groups.
Our server was lovely, giving us suggestions as necessary and making sure we had everything we needed during our late night visit.
Two of my counterparts tried champagne drinks, I cannot recall which ones, but they noted they were just OK and nothing spectacular.
Unfortunately they had run out of my desert of choice, the salted caramel profiteroles, but they graciously offered a substitute desert at no charge. I chose the tart, and it was quite tasty, not too tart, not too sweet.
Thank you Paris for being a gracious host, as a last minute substitute for our cancelled reservation elsewhere. The next time I am in Chicago I will be stopping by to try your food.

Paris Club has the warm feel of a classic French bistro with dark wood, red leather booths, and piped in jazz. The atmosphere is intimate and relatively quiet allowing for easy conversation.
We were delivered spinach and gruyère profiteroles, compliments of the kitchen, soon after we were seated. For our main courses we both elected to get the national dish of France: steak frites. She picked the béarnaise sauce and I went with the bone marrow bordelaise. The skirt steaks and French fries arrived at the table piping hot. Both sauces were good but I preferred the béarnaise to the bordelaise. The fries had a meltingly soft interior and with a crisp crust. They were well seasoned with parsley and a good salt.
The dessert of salted caramel profiteroles was served in a warm dark chocolate sauce. One portion was more than enough for two people though I could have easily consumed it by myself. I tend to be extra greedy when it comes to desserts.
The service was attentive. Our waiter was very knowledgeable on items offered by the bistro from the special wines to the La Colombe coffee.
We had a very enjoyable experience at Paris Club Bistro. Two return visits have already been planned.

This is a classic French Bistro with a beautiful interior and a traditional menu. The highlight of their food offerings is the Spiced Duck for two. It’s beautifully browned and coated five spice, which fills the table with the most amazing aroma. Served with crepes, julienne vegetables, and a delicate (not overly sweet) orange sauce, it was some of the best duck I’ve had.
The wine list is mostly French, and there are a few nice offerings from good vintages, although you get what you pay for (and vice versa).
The next time I want duck, this is definitely where I’ll be.

If I were to sum up this experience in 1 sentence, it’d be: better than any meal I had in the actual Paris! (Ok, that was actually a fragment, you grammar nazis out there.)
With the exception of this bizarre incident (story coming), everything was fantastic! I was waiting for my friend at the bar, and since all the seats were occupied, I was standing on the far side by the dining areas with my drink on the bar top. Somehow, this oblivious blond waitress moseyed in between me and my drink, completely blocking me off! Wth? There wasn’t even that much room in between my body and the bar, and she wasn’t even doing anything of value for the time she stood there, just gabbing away with another staffer.
Anyway, after my small, but mighty punch cocktail, I was feeling pretty good. My friend and I shared the mussels and frites with the 10oz burger. Delicious! I believe the waiter said the broth was a white wine base with some sweet vermouth in it. You know I slopped up that juice with the baguette! Burger was juicy, flavorful, and hit the spot. P. S. I give the waiter props bc he was friendly, informative, energetic, yet not overbearing!
Even though our pants were starting to feel tight, we opted to share the salted caramel profiteroles for dessert. I must say that was a superb choice on our part. Hands down, best profiteroles and salted caramel sauce (served piping hot tableside by a manager) I’ve ever had!

I came in to the newly renovated and very elegant Paris with my husband for dinner tonight. I was surprised– the small intimate structure is classy with a quiet-​chatter environment. Relaxing– compared to many loud-​chatter restaurants in River North. The dining room was more than halfway filled by 7:00. Mostly large groups gathering for some drinks and good meals after work.
My husband and I had a great time from start to finish. The service was impeccable. From being greeted by the host, being seated in a comfortable booth, to the professionalism of our waitress, to getting new plates, waters right away, and a complimentary appetizer, and more! It’s a graet place to bring someone.
I ordered the classic steak frites, medium, best ever. They are my favorite steak frites in town. The crispiness on the outside, and perfectly tender in the inside, I always wish I could eat it more slowly and savor it but it’s too good. You can also choose what sauce you would like with it. They come with a side of fries for 25.95. Worth every penny.
My husband and I passed on the drinks tonight, but they seem to have a great cocktail and wine list that I may peak at next time. The manager also came over to greet himself and gave his contact information which is always appreciated. I would also come back for a drink at the bar.