It’s been awhile since I’ve done a restaurant only post, but boy does Chez Joel Bistro deserve it. Chez Joel is a French restaurant in the Little Italy neighborhood of Chicago. Honestly, I have been trying to go for a few years now and every time it fell through. It came highly recommended from multiple people in my life. So in December, when I was able to finally visit, I jumped at the chance. Spoiler alert, it lived up to the hype.
Some first impressions off the bat were how close it actually was to me. I feel like the West Loop gets all the hype (and deservedly so), but this was a 5 minute drive from my apartment. On top of that, valet was only $10. There was also plenty of street parking around, but since I brought my grandma, we chose valet. Then, I was surprised at how small the inside was. It was so cute and cozy.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff, the food! I went with my grandma and uncle so we got a good variety of dishes. All agreed that this was one of the best meals they ever had. I personally started with the French Onion soup. It’s a classic for a reason!
Then, for our entrees, I got the Filet Mignon, my grandma got the Poulet Aux Romarin, and my uncle got the Bouillabaisse Marseillaise. We all agreed that this may have been our favorite meal of the entire year. The filet was so tender and the au jus was so flavorful.
Then, we ended with the Crème Brûlée. This was the best version I’ve had. So flavorful and smooth. Even though we were all full, this was so worth it.
I was compelled to write a restaurant post because this truly was one of the best meals. It was so affordable and honestly I don’t think this restaurant gets enough of the hype it deserves!
I cannot wait to go back again! If you are looking for more Chicago recommendations, you can check out more of my Chicago posts here.
Xoxo
Janelle
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