Neighborhood: Gold Coast

Vegetarian Options Rating: ★★

Pescatarian Options Rating: ★★★

Affordability: ★★

Ambience: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★★

 Food Quality: ★★★★★

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Located within the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Margeaux Brasserie takes you back to classic Parisian cuisine with a 1920’s style decor.  I have had the pleasure of dining here for dinner and brunch.  When I first came here, I was here for my dear friend’s birthday celebration. It was the perfect place for two Francophiles.

I absolutely adore French restaurants and Brasseries.  I really liked that this was a traditional Parisian Brasserie and it was sooo charming!  The service was excellent both times.  The hosts were nice and gave my friend a cute birthday card.  The server was great as well and helpful with everything.  They weren’t snobby and completely down to earth, which is refreshing for a fancy place like this.

Their wine list is expansive and their cocktails are amazing.  They were uniquely crafted and flavorful.  We had a sweeter, fruity cocktail that wasn’t overly sugary but had nice Tiki vibes.  We had a more traditional old fashioned whiskey based cocktail that was intense but not too intense for someone who doesn’t drink hard liquor by itself.

Everything I ate here was absolutely delicious.  They could have had more vegetarian options, they didn’t have any vegetarian entrees but for what they did have, it was absolutely delicious and there were enough pescatarian options at least.

They serve you a nice warm baguette with a scrumptious sea salt butter.  It was so nice and crusty.  We started out with the sweet leek and corn veloute.  It was like a lighter, delicious version of a corn chowder but it was some soup served over crab and truffle.  The truffle wasn’t very strong but the crab tasted very fresh.

For my dinner I ordered the French Onion soup with the mushroom and fennel fricassee.  Wow!  These dishes in themselves are five stars.  It was one of the best French Onion soups I have ever had in my life!  The cheese was crusted and baked nicely.  It was also a fine mixture of cheese such as an aged Gruyere.  And the chives were freshly drizzled on top.

The broth had a wine flavor to it as well that was impeccable.  The mushroom fennel fricassee was out of this world.  I can’t remember the last time I had mushrooms that were this phenomenal.  The sauce was a mixture of wine, broth, and cream and every bite was heavenly.  The mushrooms were fresh and had a perfect texture.

They also gave us a complimentary piece of Opera cake (I believe) for my friend’s birthday and that was decadent but not overly decadent.  I couldn’t eat enough of it even though I knew I had to stop and did eventually stop.

I returned here for brunch a couple of months later and it was another exquisite dining experience.  It has a classic, elegant feel with the option of sitting in the more private dining area or in the bistro style brasserie.  They didn’t have too many savory vegetarian options on the menu but decent pescatarian options.  Being the Nutella lovers that we are, we started with the Nutella Sticky Bun, which had some Tahitian vanilla brioche and toasted hazelnut drizzled on top.  It was absolutely decadent and amazing.

When I go out for brunch, Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict is my go to entrée and I’ve been disappointed many times at other restaurants.  The Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict at Margeaux was the best I have had in Chicago!  The eggs were poached perfectly with a scrumptious, creamy Bearnaise sauce served over a bed of fresh spinach.  Instead of the traditional English Muffin, it was served on a flaky, fresh croissant.

The salmon was smoked perfectly and very delightful.  We also ordered some breakfast potatoes on the side and they were seasoned exquisitely with herbs, sautéed onions, and a bit of a gravy.  I don’t think I’ve had better made breakfast potatoes at a restaurant before.

We left our brunch feeling satisfied and in love with the flavors and ambience of Margeaux Brasserie.  I love this place and can’t wait to come back here for another special occasion.  Yes, it’s pricey unfortunately, but everything is high quality here ranging from the drinks to the food to the service.  Brunch is a more affordable way to dine here though.