Bistro Monet

Been here twice!
Once as a middle schooler for french class eating a prix fixe menu (I still remembered that ²⁄₄ kids at my table were «allergic» to escargots hehe) when it was called something else. That memory was a very special dining experience for me as a kid.
WOW, I must say. The food is still as phenomenal as I remembered it. Definitely ordered way too many dishes, thoroughly enjoying them all. Even our to-​go still tasted amaZing the next day.
A lot of places ef up cooking escargot (ughhh, nothing like crappy overcooked snails), but Bistro Monet was ON POINT.
What really stands out to me is the small-​scale of the place. The place gives off a very personal (it’s a good thing) feeling/​mood and sets up perfectly for a romantic date.
J’adore Bistro Monet, Bön Appetit!

Hands down the single best meal I have ever had at a restaurant. The short rib ravioli is amazing. The staff was knowledgable and courteous. I really cannot say enough great things about this restaurant.

We went to Bistro Monet for a birthday dinner on 11÷15÷15 and we had a fantastic experience! Everything met or exceeded my expectations, which were already pretty high due to recommendations and reading good online reviews. It is important to note that the restaurant is located in a pretty weird location, which is a strip mall next to the train tracks, but you certainly can’t knock them for that.
We began our evening with soups/​salads, I got the duo onion soup which was very delicious. Others at our table got salads which all looked very fresh and appealing. The brie and asparagus salad looked amazing, and I was told that it also tasted amazing. During that first course our waitress brought us each a fresh, crusty roll that was piping hot from the oven, which felt fancy. The roll was fantastic, I was almost sad that I didn’t have an entire basket of them to tuck into.
Our table selected a bottle of the Ancient Oaks Pinot Noir to drink with the sommelier’s reccomendation. It was very good, and there was a large selection of other wines to choose from both by the bottle and by the glass.
For my entrée, I got the coq au vin, which was incredibly tender and herb-​y. The chicken was just pulling right apart, almost like the texture of slow-​cooked pulled pork. It was GREAT.
I must say my favorite part of the evening was dessert time. The astute waitor brought out the birthday boy’s dessert with a lit candle on it (despite no one telling him about the birthday) because he said he «heard gifts being opened». It was a nice touch. Also, the chef (Chef Michel) came out at this time to greet us and asked us how our food was, which was very neat considering his past history as a celebrity chef.
As far as my dessert, it was the best chocolate mousse I have ever eaten. It was creamy yet decadently dark chocolate-​y, which was perfectly balanced by a generous amount of homemade whipped cream.
Overall, everything about our experience at Bistro Monet was amazing and I will DEFINITELY be returning! I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys French cuisine.

The service is excellent and the food is heavenly. I believe this to be the best French restaurant in the Chicagoland area. The wine selection is superb and the bartender was great. We had the cassoulet and the farm raised rabbit, both were to die for and the duck confit was the best I have ever had.

The food here was excellent. The foie gras was better than I have had in France! Also try the chicken liver pâté. Dinners were excellent as well, and portions were not typical French size. Coffee was delicious, everything we had was just fantastic with the exception of the risotto side which was slightly overcooked and over salted (hey it’s not me, my dish didn’t have it; it was the risotto expert at my table)
Ambience is so/​so
Drinks were good
Wine list prices were VERY reasonable
Service was slow. Our waiter (I think there was one for the entire restaurant) was good, knowledgeable, friendly, but apparently very busy. I like a dinner that is leisurely paced, but I don’t want to have to be searching around to flag down the waiter when someone needs something. That is the only reason I did not give 5 stars.
We all said we would return.

Stopped by to celebrate 43^rd anniversary. Food, wine and service superb, in a western
suburb hidden dining gem.

5 star dinner service, 5 star food. Attentive dining staff, delicious food, very leisurely dining; lengthy yet without the feeling that you’re sitting around waiting too long for the next course. Make sure you don’t have somewhere you need to be… our dinner took over 2 ½ hours from start to finish (and does each time we’re there.) It’s lovely!
The missing star is only due to the fact that my husband had prearranged a couple of special requests (flowers, dessert) when he made the reservation (for his parents’ 50^th anniversary) and these special requests didn’t happen. Had we mentioned what was missing earlier then we did, I bet Bistro Monet would’ve tried to rectify the oversights.
We’ll return (this wasn’t our first visit), and definitely recommend! Just make sure you double-​check on any special requests upon arrival vs. waiting for them to happen, otherwise you’ll be buried in good food and goodwill and won’t remember until it’s too late. ;)

This was our first time here and we are fairly new to French cuisine. Service was great and the food was even better. We’ll certainly be back. I’ll add the time to get food was a tad slow so if you’re rushing dinner, or looking for it quick that might be a problem, but the quality and friendly staff more than make up for it.

BIG THUMBS UP for the food and service. Pleasant and attentive servers. The food was DIVINE! My husband brought me today for a Mother’s Day lunch and the experience was like never before.
Compliments to the chef!
I highly recommend this restaurant.

First time here. I made the reso, and you can only call it in. wish you can do that all on line, it took forever because i always forgot to call during hours they were open. we are a party of six, everything we ordered was serious good stuff. starting with the short rib ravioli with mushrooms. I think everyone needs to try this. its a MUST. so good. then all of our entrees were stunning. from lamb chops, steaks, frites, cassoulet, we were all trying each others entrees! Brian, our server had to have professional training, he was so good. when he described the dishes, and specials, we wanted them all. Now we cant wait to go back to try some of the other items on the menu. Chef came by too, to say hello. its a cute little place, I had no idea was there. OH, hubby says he wanted some icecream with his frites… Brian drops a bowl of vanilla icecream off before we get the dessert menu! thats amazing. Corkage was $ 20, wine service was good.

We only stopped in at the bar and had drinks and appetizers. BUT I will tell you that the ambiance, food and drinks were amazingly good. Short rib ravioli and craw fish crepes were out of this world.

Overpriced. Poor presentation. Of all the items that my wife & I ordered, about the only things that tasted mediocrely o.k. were their french onion soup & their apple tart + ice cream dessert. Those items were still overpriced, though. We would’ve gotten significantly better tasting food at a place like, say, Olive Garden for a third of the money we spent. That’s pretty sad.
Service was good, though.

I finally got a chance to try this place. Went there on a Thursday evening. The décor isn’t anything special, but the waiter was super nice and attentive. Had to wait a while for our food, but once it arrived it was worth every minute. Mussels for appetizer were great. For main course I had the roasted rack of lamb, and my partner had the coq au vin. Both dishes were rich and exquisite in taste. Lamb was perfect at medium done, and the chicken was moist and delicious. For the dessert, crème brûlée that was just a perfect balance of sweetness. At one point, Chef Michel came out and greeted every single table laughing and asking how everyone enjoyed their meals. Seemed like a very warm and gracious guy. I give this place an A+

WOW!!! I don’t think I have ever dined at a restaurant before where I just said, «yum» and «OMG» after every bite. This place is it. My husband has not stopped raving about it since we pulled out of the parking lot.
The service is slow, but so worth the wait. The chef is supposedly a top rated celebrity chef that comes from Beverly Hills. This place is fine dining without the stuffy atmosphere. Our liver pâté appetizer was heaven on a plate and our lobster soup was heaven in a bowl. Start to finish everything was top notch and delicious.
The décor is a little tacky and the restaurant is literally ten feet from the railroad tracks, but after you taste the food it won’t matter. The restaurant could have been on fire and I still would have stayed to finsh my meal.
Great experience that I will tell everyone about.

Stopped in for appetizers and drinks and was treated to great food and very poor service. The night started with a member of our party having to flag down a bus girl to get a waiter to stop and service our table. Once he was there, the waiter made a point to clarify that this was a «fine dining» experience and that they don’t serve «burger and fries». The waiter clearly did not feel that we were old /​sophisticated enough to eat at the restaurant. We ordered the mussles, escargot, and a variety of drinks and desserts. Before the visit was over, we had a few more negative interactions with the waiter, who continually acted like we were unworthy of his presence or his food. All the food was delicious but it’s impossible to have an enjoyable experience when you feel unwanted.
After living in France, I have looked for an authentic French dining experience nearby. It seems that I have found it, but I can’t say that the delectable food is worth the ridicule.

Another wonderful experience dining at Bistro Monet. My husband and me brought my parents there for their first time for their 62^nd wedding anniversary. They enjoyed it as much as we did. The to-​die-​for short rib ravioli was the big winner for our table. Even though I had to leave the table to remind the staff to bring a dessert in honor of the anniversary that I asked for at the time of the reservation and confirmed via telephone an hour before arriving, I gave them 5 stars because the dessert was yummy and they gave it to us for free. Very nice gesture. I did miss seeing Chef Michel as I was looking forward to my parents meeting him as I brag about the man. Wouldn’t you know it was the very first time he never greeted our table in the many times we’ve dined there! Disappointed about that!

Been my family’s favorite for a couple of years now and there are COUNTLESS reasons why.
First off, the atmosphere is nice and quiet. Not some loud place where you need to practically yell and compete with tables to conversate. It feels like you are eating at home in your own dining room.
Secondly, service is top-​notch and extremely warm. The waiters are practically family friends at this point. The chef comes out at the end of every meal and asks how it was. Very personable people.
Now we come to the food which is absolutely to die for. As a recommendation, I highly highly highly suggest getting the short rib ravioli to start. The ravioli swims in this decadent mushroom cream sauce which I could honestly drink by the gallon on it’s own. It’s that good. Chicken pâté and the foie gras are delicious as well. So is the lobster bisque. All are rich and expertly done (the chef is from France I believe. It’s no cheap imitation). Don’t go to Bistro and just get an entrée. Make this a full experience. Your taste buds will thank you.
In terms of entrees, you can’t choose wrong. I could go on for days about each of them but, in my opinion, the specials should be closely paid attention to. Yesterday, I had the Duck L’orange special with au gratin potatoes and I thought I was dead and in heaven. Never had duck so moist and flavorful, yet not greasy. Just the right amount of orange flavor. Perfect. Other nights, I have had the mahi mahi special or the veal and same thing. Everything was perfect. The chef is an all-​star who just flat out knows how to cook. Go to bistro monet I can’t stress it enough. Don’t skimp on how much you want to spend bc it’s all worth it

I finally went into this restaurant with a friend last night after seeing a play downtown. We didn’t feel like dealing with the city crowds and overpriced hype. So happy we chose Bistrot Monet instead.
First, it is valentines weekend and we had no reservations but they gladly sat us at the bar. The service was outstanding throughout the visit!
Second, the meal was prix fixe special vday but I think many items are on the regular menu. The food was amazing-​I had a beef ravioli in a mushroom sauce followed by duck confit in pastry with green beans and au gratin potatoes. The assorted pastries were all fabulous.
Third. Outstanding wine for very reasonable prices!
The overall cost is higher than a chain restaurant but comparing it to downtown restaurants of like caliber, bistro Monet is a value. I would say this was the best dinner and wine I have had in years.
I live nearby so I will definitely return but I will tell anyone that, if you like French food and want a truly great dining experience, this place is worth the drive, even from Chicago.

I thought the atmosphere was cozy, the staff was attentive and friendly, and the authentic French food was delicious. I had the French onion soup which was wonderful followed by the salmon. It was rich with flavor and all the cuisine exceeded my expectations. Thank you to Michel for being such a great server and thank you chef for coming out and speaking with us. I would recommend this place to anyone. I can’t wait to return!
I thought the atmosphere was cozy, the staff was attentive and friendly, and the authentic French food was delicious. I had the French onion soup which was wonderful followed by the salmon. It was rich with flavor and all the cuisine exceeded my expectations. Thank you to Michel for being such a great server and thank you chef for coming out and speaking with us. I would recommend this place to anyone. I can’t wait to return!

I first spotted this place downtown near the tracks years ago and have been wanting to visit ever since. I finally had the opportunity at the perfect time. Holiday season… snow…charming lights decorating the exterior… perfect. Inside was understated holiday and very pretty.
Service was exceptional with a perfect wine suggestion based on my hint about what I like. Complementary bread and a chicken liver yummy thing quickly arrived. We had the foie gras and it was good but memories of better… or at least different… in Paris caused it to be not «all that» for me. …not for the price. I had a lamb special, which was fantastic. My children had steaks, which were perfect. Those came with French Fries that my son declared the BEST. FRIES. EVER!!! Best fries ever? Well, if that’s what you’re looking for then this is the place! Mousse for dessert was yummy. The chef visited our table!
This is a special place. Seemed to be a favorite for birthdays and other occasions. It’s expensive but the portions are larger. I can see coming here more regularly and splitting with my husband. I would love, next time, to do just that with a nice bottle of wine and watch the snow fall, the lights twinkle and he trains go by.