Schwa Restaurant
Company Details
Tuesday: 5:30-9PM
Wednesday: 5:30-9PM
Thursday: 5:30-9PM
Friday: 5:30-9PM
Saturday: 5:30-9PM
Sunday: Closed
Contact Information
Chicago, Illinois, 60622
United States
Schwa Restaurant Reviews
Submitted by Adam Steenwyk on 08/18/2022
Adam Steenwyk 5 stars rating.
Amazing music, ambiance, and food. Chefs did shots with us at the end!
Submitted by Emily Dreibelbis on 03/31/2022
Emily Dreibelbis 1 stars rating.
Chef was very rude about me having to cancel same-day because of an emergency. Took me having to physically show up at the restaurant (they don't answer the phone) and "convincing" him throughout a terse conversation. Not the kind of treatment you'd expect after booking a $500 dinner and being pretty upset you had to cancel it in the first place. He eventually agreed to cancel it instead of making me pay but it was not pleasant and I won't re-book here like I would have liked to because of the treatment. Wonder if he would have talked to someone else differently or if that's just how he is. Recommend he hires a more pleasant host to handle customers.
Submitted by Kat A on 02/04/2022
Kat A 1 stars rating.
The presentation is great and that’s about it. The food looked far better than it tasted, not a single course was memorable. The ambiance is non existent and the music is so loud I couldn’t hear the waiter or the person across the table from me.
Submitted by Leah K on 02/01/2022
Leah K 5 stars rating.
My roommates and I had the pleasure of treating ourselves to Schwa and it blew our minds! I had read a lot of things about Schwa beforehand about how the restaurant had a very untraditional vibe and id seen complaints that the music was too loud, the chefs were drinking and/or smoking, etc… Makes me feel bad for those people for not appreciating how unique Schwa really is. That being said, when I walked in, I almost thought I’d been punk’d. The restaurant is one of the smallest I’ve ever seen filled with 4 spray-painted graffiti art walls and oddly nostalgic informal black dining chairs and tables. The whole restaurant can seat probably 20 in max capacity. The chefs also dress relatively informally and handle most of the serving themselves, which is unique and cool to see! I loved that the chefs came out each time and described the dishes. It definitely added to the experience.
An important thing to note is that the restaurant is BYOB style. We brought 3 reds and 1 white which paired well with the experience, however hard liquor is definitely acceptable too. Also, you pay for the entire meal when you book the reservation, which is great, since you don’t have to deal with the bill after you’re 4 bottles in.
The restaurant’s decor, the BYOB aspect, and the informality of the environment made it clear to me right away that the focus here is on the food. As it should be.
The food itself absolutely blew my mind. I found myself licking many of the dishes clean. Each of the 11 dishes is about the size of a big bite: I recommend breaking them down into tiny pieces to fully enjoy them. There was not one dish that I didn’t utterly savor, but I thought the squab was the weakest of the bunch. Nothing against the preparation, just that the animal tastes rather dirty which is hard to overcome. My favorite dish of the whole night was the truffle raviolo… I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. We asked to have a repeat of that course but they said we’d have to make another reservation. At the end of the night, we took a shot of Jameson with the chefs!
All in all, Schwa was everything I was hoping for and more. The vibe was awesome, the staff was friendly, and most importantly: the food was incredible. Highly recommend!
Submitted by Scott Johnson on 10/03/2021
Scott Johnson 5 stars rating.
By far the finest meal I have ever had period. I have eaten in several Michelin star restaurants and nothing compares to my dinner last evening. The courses were amazing from start to finish. Stunning presentation, complex flavors with a whimsical flair. Never have I considered licking my plate at a fine dining establishment. While I am a little embarrassed that I literally did this at Schwa, I am amazed that I did this for every dish. Thank you Chefs for an amazing evening
!! We cannot wait to come back.
Scott and Heather
Submitted by Talia R-K on 07/15/2021
Talia R-K 5 stars rating.
Our evening at Schwa was the most exciting food experience I’ve had in a long time. The chef du cuisine, sous chef, and line cook were all extremely kind and knowledgeable. Each course was remarkable and delicious, each leading gracefully into the next. Our party had some dietary restrictions which were all accommodated beautifully. My favourite bites were the gravy biscuit in the first course and the pretzel ice cream in the penultimate course. I loved my dining experience at Schwa and I hope to be back one day soon!
Submitted by Shaan Somani on 03/22/2021
Shaan Somani 5 stars rating.
Really creative menu in an even more creative space. Love the classic hip hop vibe. My favorite dishes were the quail, wagyu, and chowder - all were rich in flavor and texture. The waffle was probably the only dish that didn't really impress. Wait staff was fun and gave us a shot of mezcal to finish off the night. Overall a great tasting menu, definitely one that I would recommend.
Submitted by ルイ on 08/25/2020
ルイ 5 stars rating.
Love the innovative dish that mix Asian element together with western elements. Surprising taste and dish display. Overall definitely worth trying, although some courses are a little salty for me. The only complain(not true complain) is the music is a little too loud that sometimes the waiter need to yell hahaha.
Submitted by Chris Lietz on 02/24/2018
chris lietz 3 stars rating.
Finally got to experience Schwa after talking about it for years. The decor and ambiance is pretty cool, one of the most interesting and minimal layouts you will ever see. Servers were attentive and friendly. They tended to rattle off the dish ingredients very quickly and without a menu it wasn't easy to pick up on each dish's composition. The music was fine, especially if you like hip hop from the 90s. Some of the dishes were quite good - the mackerel stood out and crispy mustard greens with ham broth as well - but many courses had flavors that clashed seemingly just to clash. The bigger issue was the level of salt in at least half of the dishes. I get that higher end places don't skimp on the extra salt, but this was overdone and really distracted from some of the flavors. At that price level it's pretty disappointing.
