Sable

Tonight was a good reminder of why we keep going back to Sable.
We had the cheese board– always excellent and the different accompaniments make it fun. The dates were delicious– perfect combo of sweet/​spicy/​rich flavors.
Wagyu sliders with quail eggs– epic little burgers.
Cappicola flatbread– super thin crispy crust with fresh mozzarella and cured pork: yum.
Service was outstanding and prompt– ask to sit in Marty’s section. Clear sign of good management. Watching the kitchen is a blast!

After viewing all of he pictures and reviews on this place I was so excited to come here for dinner. Once we came in and saw the dinner menu we were not very appealed. Everything had quail egg and duck and odd foods and the dinner menu is very limited. All of their dinner plates are small as well. And all of the pictures you see on here that are burgers and fries and what not are all on their lunch menu. So be aware! I posted a pic of the dinner menu for those who would like to see it.

Sable is your typical trendy bar — pretty generic. There is nothing too memorable except for the inattentive service. The bartenders were painfully slow and had zero interest in the customers. For a bar in downtown Chicago on a Saturday night, this place should know better.

Stopby on our last night of vacation in this bar. My partner and I love this!!! :) Can’t express how I love this place. Modern meets chill vibe. Love the Edison, lofty and vintage style of this place. The drinks has great selection and our bartender Jess has a vast knowledge of drinks and make sure you get the type of drink you’re looking for. Great bartender + good customer service = return customer. Thank you sable. You ended our vacation with great memories.

I cannot express enough how much we loved the cocktails and the EXCELLENT SERVICE at Sable. It had been on our list of bars to check out for a long time and so sad we didn’t go earlier! Although we didn’t have dinner here, we did order the brussel sprouts which were delicious. And the cocktails… OMG the cocktails! Every single cocktail we had was incredible (and we had several since we were so blown away by each one we kept wanting to try more! Thank goodness for the CTA!).
And because we had never been there before, we kept bugging the bartenders to suggest another cocktail for us… I like vodka drinks, he likes whisky drinks. They suggested different cocktails according to our personal preference and I can say as a whisky hater that I LOVED my fiancé’s cocktails just as much as I loved mine, and I swore off brown liquor years ago! We cannot wait to go back here for dinner. I even wanna stay in the hotel so we can just float upstairs after four cocktails each :-)

No trip to Chicago is complete without at least one visit to Sable Kitchen and Bar. It hit the map for me due to a Top Chef contestant being the former head chef here. And then I found all the prestigious awards that the bar has won. In the new era of old cocktails, this is a cocktail drinker’s paradise.
In my four visits to Sable, I’ve shared many small plates with friends. The seafood plates are always fantastic. So fresh and flavorful. Other highlights include the root beer short rib sliders, the deviled eggs, and the brussel sprouts.
I look forward to my next bourbon cocktail and array of small plates at Sable!

Came here on a Friday night at the beginning of Chicago’s Restaurant Week. I have been wanting to check out this restaurant for quite some time. I have to start out by giving a huge kudos to our waiter, Christian, he was wonderful. Great attitude, awesome recommendations, and cool glasses.
Important tip: Do yourself a favor and make a reservation and if driving give yourself ample amount of time to park.
Once we made it into the city we planned on using valet, however, the turn about at the hotel’s entrance is very small and cramped. We were unable to get through without holding up a shit ton of traffic. We ended up driving around the block to a parking garage. Check out Spot Hero or Park Whiz before hand, they’re lifesavers when parking in Chicago.
If coming in off the street near the hotel entrance round about you will enter through the bar. You need to walk past the bar in order to get to the host stand. We were seated promptly at our reservation time.
We each started with a drink and half dozen order of oysters. Oysters were fresh. I was a huge fan of the west coast selection (very smooth, little to no brine). They make a solid Old Fashion, but if you get the chance try the Kentucky Grazer. Delicious!
We stuck with the Restaurant Week prix fix menu. The selections were fantastic.
First course: we ordered the white bean spread (loved the pickled veg on top) and the steak tartar (not my cup of tea because I am not a red meat eater but he loved it).
Second course: Warm beet and burrata salad and roasted bone marrow. The roasted bone marrow freaked me out a little (literally served in the bone) however the quick bite I took was quite yummy, my husband was in heaven. The beet and burrata salad was something new for me, but it was light with a good flavor.
Third course: Seared scallops and grilled hangar steak sans bacon (recommended med rare, however, my husband prefers on rare side). Scallops were cooked perfectly, however, I was on the fence about the rum raisin sauce. Husband absolutely loved the grilled hangar steak and said it was cooked perfect to his liking.
Fourth course: only two options, so we got both. Churro ice cream sandwich and chocolate mole pot de crème. Loved the churro sandwich. The best thing about these desserts would be the level of sweetness. They had the right amount of sweet for us. Not overwhelming and perfect with bourbon.
The only two minor cons of our experience was the timing between courses. Either very long or back to back. Again very minor concern. The scallops and hangar steak seemed to have a salt sprinkling after being cooked. We’re not salt people, just a minor disappointment.
Finally, the décor is trendy and fun. I enjoy the concept of the «open kitchen/​prep area».
Final thoughts: Great experience overall. Loved the staff and the food, however, no salt please. Cocktail and wine selection was well enjoyed.

The drinks and service were excellent, the food — not so much. My risotto was bland, the lobster rangoon was woefully lacking in lobster, the bone marrow was disappointing, and dessert tasted like Red Hots, but not in a good way.
I do enjoy coming here for drinks, so I would give Sable a solid 3.5. But having to choose between 3 and 4 stars on Unilocal,I ultimately went with 3 stars because at the end of the day it’s a restaurant — food matters.

The best restaurant that we dined at on our trip to Chicago! After eating pizzas and hot dogs that Chicago is known for we really wanted something that would hit the spot. I can’t seem to express enough that Sable was the best decision we made. Everything we ordered was delicious. The cocktails were tasty and full of all the right aroma. I highly recommend the bone marrow and pork belly… you can’t go wrong and perfectly sautéed rice over a fried egg and melt in your mouth pork belly. The steak tartar was really good as well (a little spicy so I don’t recommend it for people who can’t handle spicy). This place was so good we even came back for their brunch!

My only experience at Sable was this morning (Sunday) for breakfast, and it was $ 50 wasted. We literally left half of both of our dishes uneaten.
From the start I thought it odd we were the first and only diners at 9:30am… We got seated and the server failed to say what they «were out of» until those items were chosen to order… very irritating. They also seen to spill water every single time they pour it so with the pitchers or glassware needs a change.
I went with a chorizo skillet — u seasoned ground beef with some kind of thick slice of cheese that was so stringy it was impossible to eat without making a mess. I know chorizo, and this wasn’t anything close to chorizo it was so bland.
My wife did the eggs Benedict, and again cold and flavorless with u toasted English muffins.
We also ordered bacon glazed donuts, and these too tasted no-​joke day old and microwaved.
We left without finishing anything but the cup of coffee. Save $ 30 and go to any diner for better food.

So disappointing, I don’t understand the good reviews here. I went here for dinner based on the strong Unilocal reviews but ended up leaving halfway through and finishing dinner at a different restaurant down the street.
We started with the bacon wrapped dates and fried chicken sliders for $ 8 and $ 12 each. We received three of the smallest dates and two TINY sliders. When they brought out the food we had to stop from laughing at the waiter — we thought it was a joke. The dates were ok but the ones at the Violet Hour are way better and you get eight instead of three for the same price. The fried chicken sliders were so boring and tasted no better if not worse than Chik fil A.
We also got a cocktail and a glass of wine. Supposedly Sable is known for their cocktails and mine was good, although a small pour for a $ 13 drink. Our $ 16 glass of red wine was way too small — it barely reached the midpoint of the glass.
At this point we were so shocked by the rip-​off we had just experienced that we paid the bill and left. We went to Henry’s right down the street and got three more sliders that were 10x better, 2x larger, and only $ 3 each.
I just don’t get it. I guess they do have an impressive cocktail menu, but certainly skip the food. Even if you are rich and use money as toilet paper, I would still recommend you go elsewhere for good food.

I’ve been to Sable before for dinner and cocktails and had an excellent experience. Prior visits are why I gave it three stars, instead of two. My parents were staying at a hotel nearby and I thought why not come here for brunch. I now wish we had gone somewhere else. Nothing in this visit reminded me of the old Sable I once enjoyed. The food was decent, but that’s about it. I had the eggs benedict florentine. The truffle hollandaise was the highlight of the dish. Service was inattentive and slow. We had to try multiple times to get a drink refill because no one even bothered to check how we were doing until our plates were almost empty. Our waitress walked by our table several times, but refused to stop. She was actually very rude when she finally did come back and made a snarky comment at us. The drink did end up being comped, which was probably the only redeeming factor of this visit. When I got to a place like Sable I expect top notch service and food. It was definitely lacking this time.

Although Sable is a bit on the pricey side, it doesn’t stop the hordes of people looking for tasty bites and great drinks.
The plates are a bit small so order a few of them per person and share. The food comes out quickly. Hang onto the menu, because I’m sure you’ll want to order more since you’ll still be hungry after the first few plates come out.
The cocktail menu is excellent.
Plan on spending at least $ 50 per person to leave satisfied.

Looks like chef heather has left the building… Came in for brunch after having talked up the truffled deviled eggs to an out of town visitor to find they are no longer on the menu because the new chef wanted to change it up… much sadness ensued.
Started with the cheddar pop overs that lacked much pop, they were fine but not very light/​airy and the sauce it came with was just ok. Ordered the truffled florentine benedict for the main which was pretty good– truffled hollandaise was smooth and well seasoned, eggs properly poached with a nicely runny yolk.
Would be willing to come back and try the new dinner menu, let’s see how the new guy pans out.

Came to Sable with a friend for a few drinks on a Saturday night. We got there around 9 – 9:30 and snagged the last available table in the sit-​yourself, open bar area. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere in this part of the restaurant with mostly 2 person tables lining the far wall across from the bar. Two TVs up on the wall had the big college football game on but they were playing their own tracks.
Beyond me blabbing about the atmosphere, what you really want to know is that the drinks were phenomenal! We started with the Fig or Fiction and the Apple Bottom Bates. I enjoyed the egg white in the Fig or Fiction, it adds a fun texture more than anything else. Next we went with the Faulkner’s Table and the Bull Named Blue Man Chu. The FT was really savory, you could really taste the sweet potato. The Blue Man Chu was delicious, lots of flavor. I also had another drink that was an old fashioned with a Manhattan twist.
Overall, the drinks were outstanding. They have a great variety on the menu and everything is expertly crafted. Shout out to our server Carmen who was awesome! She was super friendly, spent some time chatting with us throughout the evening and gave great suggestions about what we should order.
Great experience! I can’t wait to come back to Sable!

LOVED this place! The hostess said it’d be about 30 minutes, so took down my number. We then proceeded to the bar and got the sunsets and dooryards, as well as the war of the roses. Both were absolutely delicious. Btw, we were with our baby and this nice guy was chatting about his kids-​and treated us to our drinks. Gotta love it when kind strangers pop up! :D
Soon after, we got called for a table. We got some more drinks that were also good, including the crosswinds and living the dream (love that name!). Just try a bunch of their drinks, it’s all good. Their beer + shot is a great deal as well.
As for food, we had the wagyu beef sliders (loved how there was a fried egg in it!), the adobo pork belly (yum) and fried chicken sliders (with a baby tabasco sauce, hehe). As for dessert, we had the lemon polenta cake. I loved how unique the dishes were, with some creative flair to ‘em! Same for their drinks. Come check this place out already!

I was deeply impressed by my first time visit to Sable for my birthday dinner. I had made a reservation, and we were seated immediately at a table in the room behind the host counter (the front part when you walk in appeared to be more of a cocktail bar/​lounge). When the host checked in with the reservation, he immediately wished me a happy birthday, which was very sweet. Before our waitress stopped by, our water glasses were immediately filled, and the host brought us over complimentary champagne to help us celebrate my birthday. It was such a sweet touch!
The service was impeccable throughout the meal. Our waitress explained to us that the menu was small plates/​meant to be shared. We opted for four dishes to share, which were then coursed out for us. Our waitress checked in on us several times while we were waiting between courses, and she asked a few different times if we wanted to order anything from the drink menu or order additional food. The only slight hiccup had more to do with the kitchen than our waitress. Some of the pacing was a little off; we waited way too long between some of our courses.
The food. Oh, the food. It was truly exquisite, and I thought priced very appropriately. We started with the pretzel bites with beer cheese; they were everything we wanted them to be and more. Not too salty, perfectly crispy, fluffy inside. My boyfriend then thoroughly enjoyed the waygu beef sliders with quail eggs. Next, we shared the Brussels sprouts, which were perhaps slightly too salty for my tastes (but my boyfriend absolutely loved them), but still were cooked to perfection. Our last dish was the squash risotto, which was DIVINE. This is definitely my favorite squash risotto I’ve had in the city yet. It was so creamy, flavorful, and bountiful in portions.
Even though the Brussels sprouts were good, if I could go back, I would probably skip that course so we could have room to order dessert. Since we were celebrating my birthday, it would have been nice to have something sweet to enjoy (and maybe a birthday candle to blow out!). However, since the plates weren’t as small as expected, we had to pass on dessert this time. Next time I dine here, I will definitely be trying one of the cocktails; the menu looked excellent. I highly recommend Sable for a perfect environment, great food, and stellar service.

I used to love this place, but the shift from Chef Heather to Chef Laurence has been disastrous. The truffle duck fat fries from the days of the former chef were heavenly. Now, they’re effectively unsalted potato wedges with no flavor or real ability to soak flavor up (from the mussels they came with). How does a restaurant get worse at making fries over time?
Anyway, this review is not about fries, it’s about how this restaurant’s management is run thin: Chef Heather now does menus for several Kimpton Hotels, Chef Laurence is not delivering to the former standards you could expect from this place. As a customer, the change in the kitchen is noticeable, and very disappointing. Chef Laurence, according to our waitress, was supposed to keep the integrity and creativity of Sable in tact. But over-​fried lobster Rangoon is hardly creative or holding up the former integrity of Sable. The new menus do not carry the luster they did in their old format (the ones with half v full potions). The host staff didn’t seem to take their jobs seriously as well (effectively kids who were chasing each other on a slow night out of boredom).
The experience I had last night after spending weeks talking up Sable to my guest, was downright embarrassing. I will be not returning, and will be urging my out of town friends to also abstain to keep their fond memories in tact.
Sorry Sable, you didn’t used to suck but now you do.

I wanted to like Sable a bit more than I did. The ambiance is nice, and the service is very friendly. There is an interesting menu of eclectic cocktails, and a limited selection of small plates and entrées.
But not too much of the food stood out. My favorite was the grilled peach salad, which was more about beets than peach. The pretzels were also good, but only after we asked for some spicy mustard to doctor the cheese sauce that accompanied them.
Falafel sliders would have been better with a crustier patty, and the tempura needed more variety of vegetables. The worst item was the fried chicken, which was positively dripping with grease. Yuck.
The chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream was a nice way to finish, and I was impressed that they had a 1968 Madeira by the glass.
In short, I might go back, but it would probably be for a snack.

I was into it. This was my second visit, and it was a little less blurry than the first. Sometimes your first time isn’t memorable anyway, right? Needless to say, cocktails were great. I lean towards drinks that give my liver a workout because as of late it’s about the only work out I am doing. Dirty vodka martini= excellent. Sometimes I have to order a few to get the proportion of olive brine (the struggle) perfected, but the bartenders knew what they were doing. My peer ordered a gin and tonic drink and it was very refreshing.
Food: Lobster Rangoons, Sliders, Risotto…
Appetizer: Super cute presentation. Enough to hold you over for your meal in case you’re running on no sleep, a morning of skydiving, blackjack, and whiskey drinking all day… or something like that. Anyway, good, but lobstahhhs and girls are best from Maine.
Sliders: I don’t know if my taste buds had orgasms or if it was the runny egg yolk goodness on this delicious little piece of meat.
Risotto: Rich, corny, and good in tiny portions. Too much and you’ll hate yourself. This dish is probably like an ex boyfriend.
Oh, and I eye balled the cheese plate that I saw others order. Wasn’t craving any of it, but I must say it was visually appealing.
Service a little slow, but it was a Friday night after all.
I can deal.

Looking for a dinner spot for one, Sable came up on Unilocal as very highly rated so off I go looking for food and drink. The restaurant is about half a mile from my hotel, nice evening so I take the stroll over building up both my thirst and appetite. Being by myself, I decide to head over to the bar area versus the restaurant. The bar was pretty full but lucky me one high top opened up and I was able to grab a seat with no wait.
Food: Lots of interesting cocktails on the menu, tons of spirits on the wall. hard to decide. I was my server what she would recommend or what is popular. There were a couple that sounded tempting but she sold me on the Kentucky Grazer. Bourbon, lemon, mint, Pimm’s, celery bitters. quite refreshing and a little on the tart side. There were also several tempting food items to choose from but again with the advice of my trusty server, I went with the Wagyu Beef sliders. The sliders may not be for everyone as the burger was cooked to a perfectly juicy, bloody, rare interior. Sliders being on the small side are usually overcooked in my opinion. there were prepared wonderfully. The the first bite is a burst of beefy flavor mixed in aioli, jam, and yolky fried quail egg. Quite possibly the best slider I have ever eaten.
Service: Great service, my waitress checked on me often, offered great suggestions for both drink and food. The servers are a definite plus at Sable.
Atmosphere: I did not get a chance to check on the restaurant side but the bar area was great. The wall of spirits is quite impressive and next time I’ll try to get a seat at the bar to see if I can try a scotch that I’ve never had before. Great spot for kicking back and enjoying a nice cocktail.
Value: On the pricier side ($ 15 for two bite sized sliders) but the quality of ingredients provide the value. The slider made of wagyu was tender and tasty plus the fried quail egg took it beyond your everyday bar variety. Definitely quality over quantity but that’s what is important to me.
Overall: Great place, I’d like to return again to sit at bar and try some of their whiskeys and scotchs. in fact I think I may just do that!

Done and done. Sable is downright my favorite place in Chicago.
From the trendy atmosphere (loved everything about it!) to their amazing staff (can’t remember her name but she was awesome!) to their very unique and extensive list of drinks, I spent many hours at Sable.
Let’s not forget their oysters! Got the variety and was not disappointed one bit!
Adobo pork belly on soft rice cakes? Yes, please! Just the right amount of sweet glaze made these so great to taste. And the French fries that weren’t on the menu? Passed my French fry test with flying colors. They were perfectly crispy and did I mention, not on the menu? Extra points for catering to your customer’s hungry tummy.
The wine selection was great, the waitress was very knowledgable and was able to provide some perfect suggestions. Plus there was an outlet right next to my seat for charging my phone.
Could my experience have been any better?! I don’t think so! I will definitely be pushing to return to Chicago just so I can visit my new favorite spot!

Sable was an awesome find on Unilocal!My wife and I were on a layover in Chicago and we made our way around downtown and knew we had time for one more drink before we had to get back to O’Hare. We saw that Sable had great ratings so we stopped by.
When you walk in you can tell that this is a throwback to the way bars used to be and what they SHOULD be. The bartenders are very knowledgeable and dressed like bartenders should be. Their menu is extensive, and the prices are quite high (the only reason they didn’t a 5 from me) but the drinks are made to perfection. If you have the money or if business is paying for it, come here very often!
Sable seemed very Chicago to me. It seemed like what I imagine Chicago used to be in the turn of the century. It just has that really cool sophisticated atmosphere and feel. Thumbs up, Sable!

During my vacation in Chicago, this was my favorite spot we ate at for dinner. The most outstanding part of our dining experience was the service. Christian was our server and he was absolutely wonderful. So helpful in every way — from helping us choose craft drinks to explaining the dishes on the menu. I can’t say enough on how nice this was.
Food:
Scottish Egg — small but mighty! Cooked very well.
Risotto — so yummy! I’m not usually a risotto fan, but this may have changed my mind. Crab + truffle = heaven.
Peach Salad — largest portion of everything we had. Ripe peaches with food texture.
Bone Marrow — this was my first time having this so I can’t compare it to another time. However, I enjoyed it and I would order it again. The rib jam that accompanied it was hearty.
Drinks: Interesting selection!

We have been here multiple times, mostly for drinks and once for date night. As you enter, the bar/​lounge area comes first followed by the restaurant tucked in back. It’s one of the best places for drinks in Chicago. The war of the roses is my favorite. My husband loves their old fashioned. As you will read on, you will realize the 4 star rating is strictly based on their drink and cheese menu.
As per food, for our date night we ordered deviled eggs with a cheese plate and wine. The deviled eggs were meh but the cheese plate was good. As for the entrée, we ordered a chicken dish and decided to share it. It was pretty bad! I decided to stuff myself on wine and cheese while my husband tried to finish the chicken. Plus points for celiac/​gluten free ppl they serve toasted gluten free bread. Although they don’t have lot of gluten free options for entrees.
I would definitely recommend Sable for drinks but not for their food. This is a perfect place to hang out with friends for post dinner/​late night drinks.

Downtown establishments are not places I frequent very often, typically I like to patron the neighborhood joints, Sable has and will continue to be my foremost oasis in the craziness that is River North (which I often refer to as downtown). Everything here from their food, to the drinks, and customer service is well crafted and perfected.
Their food is outstanding. Have you see their Cheese Board? 3 cheeses, grapes, honey, nuts, crackers, fresh fruit. Very impressive lineup on that board. Fried Chicken and Waffles. Fuhgeddabouditt! Two pieces of boneless juicy chicken on maple syruped waffles was darn good stuff. Slagle Farms Brick Chicken was incredible. Even at $ 24 I would probably get it again. The meat was tender and juicy and perfectly seasoned. The farm-​to-​table quality was really noticeable as opposed to other chicken you may get. Forgot Chicken Fil-​A, Boston Market, and Leg horn. Go get yourself a Slagle Farms Brick Chicken paired with an awesome cocktail and you are set forever. Fuhgeddabouditt! It’s too expensive you say? Fuhgeddabouditt stop being cheap. Live a little! Now those cocktails.
I’ve had a few but one stands out. Dragon’s of the West — Ruby Port, Laphroaig 10, Lemon, Lingonberry, and Hellshrug. I am not supposed to like this drink. Not a fan of real sweet or spicy cocktails. This had both! And yet I can proudly claim THE BEST COCKTAIL I HAVE EVER HAD! The sweetness was offset by the spicyness and vica versa. It had a smokiness that was downright amazing. A balanced cocktail at its best. Sweet, spicey, smokey all balanced to perfection. Unreal!
A beautiful, sleek, and swanky joint that provides a wonderful escape from the crazy streets outdoors that can be seen from the floor to ceiling windows. Incredible food, amazing drinks, along with knowledgeable and talented mixologists earns Sable 5 stars.