i love the space and it was the perfect place to go for a romantic dinner. I had the Ahi Tuna with white tuffile oil since I thought it was a interesting combination. It was light and the chef really thought about texture. I like the sear of the tuna, the crispy eggroll like mushroom, and the fresh watercrest salad on top. Just perfect. Foie Gras nothing so unique but still good. My bf had the lamb and I like it too but I think he like my dish more. They also gave us a little take home box with chocolates & cookies. It was perfect because after dinner went to a show and had after. read more

I went here for restaurant week because I was drawn by the restaurant week menu, proximity to my apartment (it's cold out!!!), and positive reviews of the atmosphere. The hotel is gorgeous and the restaurant has a nice ambiance as well, although the tables were a bit squeezed together. The food was great, but not the best I've ever had. The service was slow but attentive, which was good for a nice romantic dinner out but once we decided we wanted the check it took forever! Overall, I liked this place and might come back but it didn't blow me away. read more

It was so beautiful. Decor, I mean. Gosh, I love love the hotel, the restaurant should reflect that, no? Our waiter was awesome, he seemed genuinely French but friendly. The food? I don't know. We've been to enough French restaurants to know there are traditional French cooking restaurants and very creative French restaurants. Cafe Des Architectes were neither. I did like the presentation and I loved their appetizer but the main entree and dessert? I ate half the entree and a bite of dessert. The waiter did mention the menu and the chef will change so maybe another try? We'll see. read more

I love their croissants served during brunch! it's the best in chicago! this is huge since i don't usually like croissants coz it's hard to find one that has the right balance of the flakiness and "breadiness"! Their dinner was well executed as well! The food was really tasty. Service is always great and pleasant... So then why 3 stars? Well, the new high-tea they just started having. The tea selection was good. but... They executed the high tea slightly different from the tradition. Instead serving scones/sandwiches/etc on a tower rack, they served savory and sweet pastries on a flat tray. The sweet items were good...but I am a bit disappointed on their savory items. These were prosciuttos on a toast, some kinda creamy cheese on a toast and a smoked salmon puff. Since you need to make reservation for the tea, so I guess they prepared all the food and placed them on the tray they were gonna bring to your table ahead of time. So the bread of the savory items were a bit stale since they have been sitting out. And i was expected to having the tea at their regular restaurant space, but it was actually at their private dining event area, so I felt like I was having a business meals with the white wall and white light. Not too sure if it worths the $30...though the sweet items def. tasted better than those at the Drake or Pennisula...the savory items were as disappointing as those at the Drakes and Pennisula.....hmmm.... read more

Food was excellent but the service really almost killed the review for this place. I am a huge Sofitel fan - am even having my nuptials here next May - but the kitchen timing and service in the restaurant really has me concerned. The courses themselves were superb - the chestnut veloute and perfectly seared scallops were divine, as was the sumptuous short rib but entrees next to us were not fired appropriately - one diner finished his short rib before his friend's had even come out. Our first course had the same issue, I wouldn't touch my veloute until my friend was served her salad. A server even asked me if everything was ok because I wasn't eating and only after I told him that I was waiting for her salad did it finally appear, thus my course was cold .... Regardless, presentation is flawless, flavors are layered and delightful - just hope this was a fluke during Restaurant Week since I know it can get kind of crazy busy. Desserts were absolutely beautiful! read more

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My boyfriend's mom was staying at the Sofitel hotel this weekend for Easter and we decided to go here for an early Easter dinner tonight. Oh my god - everything was incredible! It was a set menu, so you pick a starter, main course and dessert individually. Everything is three picked were outstanding. We got two bottles of wine for the table too. Our waiter was from France and was excellent with recommendations during the entire meal. We all left so full! Such an amazing meal and beautiful decor. We even got to sit outside because the weather was so nice. read more

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Located in the magnificent marvel of the Sofitel, Cafe des Architectes was equally as beautiful, warm and super romantique. We were promptly greeted with a "bonsoir" by all the staff in passing. In fashion of all things french, we should've went the bottled approach as our tap H2O harbored some dubious cardboard-esque floaters. Once that was brought to their attention, our server quickly remedied the situation by offering us a sample of varying bottled water throughout the night. With our respective wines, I decided on a prosecco for the evening and perused the Restaurant Week menu SEARED LAMB RILLETTE Wonderfully seasoned and melt-in-your-mouth with a delightful quail egg on top. Contrasted nicely with a small side of greens and cuts of what I could best describe as tiny gherkins. Crisp tiny brioche toasts. PORK BELLY AND SCALLOP The pork belly was rich and luscious. Beautifully accented with a base of polenta. I only wished it was a little crispier. The scallop was well seared with flavorful braised greens. HAZELNUT DACQUOISE I regret not ordering the Vanilla Honey Parfait, as this was a little more muted than I anticipated. I did enjoy the tiny pops of sweet apricot and scoop of refreshingly creamy (perhaps parsnip) ice cream. Cleansing for the palate. The main course was the definite highlight of the meal-- who wouldn't enjoy a delicious meat cake with luxurious layers of adipose and lean carcass? Overall, a successful restaurant week dinner. read more

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I visited Cafe Des Architectes on the last day of restaurant week, here in Chicago. They provided 2 menu options ($33 and $44) and we each chose from one menu. I would say that the items with the $44 option are definitely worth it! $44 menu, we ordered: braised beef appetizer, grouper entree, and chocolate/passion fruit cake for dessert. The dessert was INCREDIBLE! perfect balance of sweet and sour! the braised beef was soft and full of flavor, and the grouper was fried just perfectly crispy on the outside, but fresh and flavorful on the inside. Overall, loved the place, the service, and the food. I would consider returning, especially for the dessert options! The Sofitel Hotel itself is also an interesting place to visit! read more

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Beautiful presentation! Order: Executive Lunch - mixed greens, heirloom tomato gazpacho, roasted Atlantic salmon & mini Parisian patisseries The food was delicious. The salad was well balanced with sweet and tangy flavors. The salmon was tender and perfectly cooked with creamy vegetables. The dessert was delicately French, a highlight of the meal. However the gazpacho was a little too smoky and peppery for my taste. Other than that, the service was superb! read more

CDA - Executive lunch - French Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Standard hotel lobby restaurant. I came here for breakfast with my dad because we were both nearby for work and wasn't totally impressed, even though I've been to Le Bar in the same hotel many times and loved it. The coffee and croissants were to-die-for to be totally honest. Now, I'm being picky, but the butter could've been a little softer I guess because I nearly ripped my pastry to shreds trying to spread it. I can't believe I just wrote that with a straight face. Breakfast selection here isn't very large. We both ordered the three-egg omelette and it was just okay - underseasoned and the ingredients were uninspiring. I've had much better elsewhere. By the looks of the dinner menu, however, I'd probably come back to give that a go. A decent option if you need a quick bite and you're staying at the hotel, but I wouldn't go out of my way for the breakfast. read more

I really want to give this place 5 stars because our waiter was fantastic, however, the food was not good and for that reason, I feel that 2 stars is adequate. I found a great deal on Gilt City and was stoked to have paid $30 for $60 worth of food! Just because Gilt features particular businesses, does not necessarily mean that they are having issues, but sadly CDA is having some serious issues. First off, as we were led to the patio, we smelled a very pungent fishy odor and when my gf inquired as to what it was, the host told us that it was probably the crab cakes! What, what?! For obvious reasons, we stayed away from the crab cakes. For an appetizer, we went with the chestnut provisions charcuterie plate and it was good. We ordered the maple duck and halibut and my duck was cooked to the point that it was tough and chewy and my gf's halibut was...you guessed it....FISHY and overcooked! We should have known better. I sent my duck back and asked that it be cooked rare and even after that, it was still too chewy. Like, I was still chewing after 5 minutes which prompted me to spit it out. Needless to say, I was done and our waiter graciously took the meal back and off our final bill. As we were sitting there, we noticed that the restaurant was quite empty. There are so many amazing places to eat in Chicago, that I think this beautiful hotel really needs to do an overhaul on their menu or hire a new chef. Stat! read more

I had a wonderful late breakfast here with my parents this morning. The smoked salmon plate with a side of eggs was excellent. In addition to the salmon, the fresh pastries that they bring around as smoothly as the coffee and water are refilled were outstanding. This is a great place to have breakfast without hoping on a plane to France. ~Jonathan read more

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Yum, yum, yum! I have been a very lucky foodie as of late. Last night I had to attend an event in the Sofitel bar. Appetizers were served & after getting little bites of appetizers prepared by Marcel of Cafe Des Architectes I knew I needed more. My boss & I stepped out early only to walk 20 feet away to grab some dinner. We were greeted promptly & happily & seated by the wall of windows. I was a bit nervous because of how expensive it is, but lucky us - 3 for under $30 was going on. 3 dishes for $29.00, um yes please! Our lovely French waiter could not have been kinder & I followed his directions to the T. Belgium Endive Salad? Sure! Flat Iron steak? Um, yes please! Praline crunch? Oh...I suppose I will. The salad came out in an edible bowl. Love it. The variety of greens was fabulous & the light dressing only made it more delicious. The blue cheese was very delicious & I don't even like blue cheese! It was quite a decent portion for a salad & I made sure to enjoy each & every bite. The steak came out after & was delicious. It was a bit rarer than I like, but I ate it all up. I didn't even care. The mushrooms & potatoes that the strips of steak were so beautifully arranged on were 100% complimentary. Nothing stole the show, it was a collaborative effort. Finally, the dessert. Oh my Lord. It was sort of a mousse, but was was in perfect rectangles. They sat on a bed of crunchy delicious & had crunch teeny flakes of pralines inside of the mousse. A delicious, crunchy, carmel-y rice krispie sat on top. Um, this was heaven in a dessert. I want to bring everyone & anyone back for this deal. However, if no one's up for joining me I will have no problem pretending I'm in Europe dressed to the nines, reading a book, and dining on some delicious food all on my own. read more

So - after talking with Pascale (owner of the famous Bonjour Cafe in Hyde Park, possible future employer of your servitor and in the know of all the French places in the city) I learned that even though their croissants are wonderful (and they are - believe me) they are not made there but imported from France frozen and baked on the spot.......... Not quite as impressive then but still pretty damn good! read more

I came here during restaurant week because lets face it, in this economy.... But I digress, Our waiter was great! He was albanian and had little side stories to tell us that were funny. He also recommended a few of the best things off the menu. My appetizer was the duck confit... it was delicious and pretty big for an appetizer at a swanky downtown restaurant. This is also coming from a person who doesn't like duck. I kind of want some now. Entree: I ordered the steak medium. and i will order steak medium for the rest of my life because it was darn good. Dessert: Now this is where it gets really good. The pistachio dome... it sounds weird but this dessert will get me to commit murder. I would kill for another slice. so so good! Also, the waiter stated that the chef enjoyed doing the menu so much that they have EXTENDED restaurant week for another week! Until March 7th! If you go, invite me! read more

Cafe Des Architectes offers an afternoon tea (which appears to be relatively new, as there was nothing written about it before the Living Social deal was offered in November '11 and only the most vague info on their website now). Anyway, a $15 tea was too good of a deal to pass up, so a bunch of us grabbed the deal and went yesterday to check it out. First up, the tea service is not held in the main dining room. Which made me a little sad at first, because the restaurant looked just lovely. We were shown instead to what seems to be a private dining room just off the lounge area. While not as nice, it is a comfortable, modern room with a wall of windows that look onto the street. Interesting details about this tea that I have not seen at other places: -there is a long glass tube with indents along one side, and it holds about 6 different sugars. You have to ask which is which, since it is not marked, but it is a conversation starter for sure and fun to experiment with each type. -there is an hourglass with 3 settings on the table that will time your brewing of the tea for you. The green one is for weak tea, the white is the recommended time, and the red is for strong tea. Very helpful since once I get talking I tend to lose track of time. -they bring out a wooden box with all the teas inside so you can see and smell each one, which does make for an easier time selecting (rather than blindly choosing based on the name). I went for the Sencha Scent of the Mountain, which was a lovely, mild green tea. -the treats come out arranged on a bamboo tray rather than the traditional stacked plate holder. I wish there had been a menu given to us, or it listed on the website, because I would have liked to remember what each of the items we had were. I know for the sweets there was a tiny creme puff, one was a purple macaron, one was a lemon/chocolate petit four and something that tasted like a firm whipped creme within a pastry shell. The savory items were a prosciutto on toast, a salmon puff and a cucumber something on bread. Service was attentive, but not overbearing. When asked for certain things (like milk or more hot water), it was brought promptly. I love afternoon tea and am glad I had a chance to experience a slightly different take on it. read more

Listen. This is the only time a food-a-holic like me will say it: the food is just decent, but this place is still worth it. I love the decor - the steel and glass and oversized mod chandeliers. We sat in a table with the huge windows overlooking the hotel entrance and kicked back with the people watching. There was a gaggle of 15 girls strutting like frozen peacocks in their weather-inappropriate sundresses. A friend and I split the three course brunch special. 1. Trio of Fruit Kebabs - Not sure why they would call these Kebabs. They are JUICE. Albeit served with fruit on a skewer. Luckily they were yum enough that we didn't care. 2. Four overly pretentious small plates - I believe they were something with smoked salmon, brioche french toast, avocado w/ some caviar shizz, and scrambled eggs with chorizo. The best one was actually the down-homey scrambled eggs. 3. Mini desserts It was definitely worth the price ($25) if you were splitting, and we more than ate our fill given the endless bakery baskets. Hey, a girl's gotta be fab on a budget. read more

This is the magical story of four ladies who treated M for a birthday dinner. We were truly pampered by the phenomenal service offered by Cafe Des Architectes. The food was inventive and burst with complex flavors. With that introduction, let me tell you my tale. I waited in the bar area and mused over the drink menu. Two cocktails caught my eye: the Bee's Knees and the Old Fashioned. I asked the server if they were martinis. No, they're not, but they'd be happy to make them into martinis just for me. In fact, he offered to bring me mini versions of each! I was afraid that double fisting would give off a lush impression so I said that I would start with the Bee's Knees and get the Old Fashioned later. I was still sipping the Bee's Knees as all of us assembled in the bar. Another server gathered our glasses on a tray and carried them for us to the table. It was so nice to seamlessly transition from bar to table. We did not have to worry about paying for our drinks there or anything. What a treat. One of my friends noticed the five-course tasting menu for $75. We were interested, but a little nervous since one friend is vegetarian. The server didn't know if that was okay and said that he'd ask the chef for us. Despite having a large wedding in the banquet hall upstairs, the chef came out and discussed the five-course tasting menu with us! I was absolutely delighted. Four of us agreed to the five-course menu and my vegetarian friend chose a single appetizer and entree. While seated, I finished my Bee's Knees. A server silently removed it from the table (and without a word) replaced it with the Old Fashioned martini! I didn't even have to ask for it! One of my friends realized that her iPhone no longer had a charge. She asked a server if they happened to have a charger and they brought one to her! Between the chef, my martinis, and now this charger, this place earned it's 5-star rating even before we ate any of the food. Seriously. We each took turns going to the bathroom. The bathroom is on the second floor and has about six alcoves within it with lots of mirrors. It felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland for me, but in a very positive, surreal way. It was constantly clean (a cleaning person was nearby at all times) and the flowers near the basin were fresh, beautiful, and fragrant. Finally, our food was delicious. I loved trying different foods, but that's really not for everybody. M conceded that she would rather simply have an appetizer and entree, but was also pleased with the food in general. What was most impressive about the food is that the chef sent out extra little plates for our vegetarian friend to give her nibbles while everyone else was working on other plates. At the end of our meal I was satisfied, but M was still hungry. She thought that having an entree would have been more filling than lots of small plates. M was so pleased with her experience at Cafe Des Architectes for her birthday dinner that she vowed to return the very next day for the New York Strip Steak dinner! No lie - we're going back again tonight. The end. read more

This review of is for the afternoon tea service since The Living Social deal 1st let me know they even offer afternoon tea. Here are a few things to know about me before getting too far along in this review: I HATE tea, do not like it at all (I go to afternoon teas mainly for the company & the lovely little finger sandwiches) I am a bit of kleptomaniac (not proud of it, but there you have it. Mainly I steal pens, but I like trinkets too ;-) I am a chocoholic...truly, I have a problem I love me some deals (cheap is good, FREE is better! It's my mantra for life). Ok, now that you have been prepped...let's get to the review. Afternoon tea service seems to be a newish thing for Cafe Des Architectes, but you would not really know it from the service & all the lovely touches throughout. The tea is served in smaller room that the restaurant that is off on the other side of the Soifitel Hotel. I was a bit sad not to be in the main dining area, but I got over that pretty quickly when I saw the room. It had an intimate feel that seemed pretty proper for an afternoon of catching up with the tea ladies while sipping our cares away. One downside is that there was nothing to really absorb sound, so there was a constant buzzing in the air with all the folks enjoying an afternoon of tea sandwiches, desserts, and hot beverages. I always have coffee at these monthly afternoon teas & the tea ladies do not hold it against me (PHEW!). As I mentioned above, I sometimes take things that are not mine & man was I sorely tempted here. There were so many nice touches at the tea that I had not encountered at other teas. Here is a list of things I wanted: *glass long tube with 6 divots for sugar...there was 6 different types of sugar (it was great). *an hour glass item with 3 different settings so you can have tea the way you like it. Oh man, I so wanted to through that thing in my purse. *wooden boxes that contained jars of teas something like 8 different kinds. The jars were open so you could smell the different types. *the bamboo tray that the treats & sandwiches out on. *the spoon holder. *the honey jar...if you saw it, you would understand. Alright before you start thinking me an awful person, I did not steal anything but as you can see, they really went to town on the atmosphere & table service. Speaking of service, the staff was attentive without being overbearing. They were available for questions & any items that were needed, but they did not rush us or make us feel unwanted. Now the food was alright (so-so if you will) and it pains me to say it since I really wanted to love it. The pastries while nice, where not fabulous and the tea sandwiches were decent (there are better to be had at other places). My hope is that Café Des Architectes will work out what type of sandwiches & pastries. While I loved my time here, I think you should know that this service does not come cheap. It is $30 per person...that is rather a steep price for what is offered. There are many other places that offer stellar afternoon teas for that price (or a little less). Not sure if I would come back for tea at that price, but if a deal is offered, then for sure. One last nice touch is that each of us received a cardboard box containing a cherry & goat cheese tart as a parting treat...so that pushed this 3 star experience to a 4 star one. It is the little things people. read more

It took restaurant week and good company to finally get me to Cafe Des Architectes and I'm glad for it. I liked what I saw on the prix fixe menu and gave it a go. The service was excellent as the waiter was very friendly and outgoing. He also filled in the blanks when we needed some sound advice which worked out well. It's amazing how sometimes you don't get good service at the more pricier places but not so this night. This guy was in top form! My choices for the evening were: The Swan Creek Farm Pork Belly, Gnocchi and the Floating Island. The pork belly was very nice and a good start. The Gnocchi was excellent and I loved how flavors from the dish combined real well. The dessert was my least favorite as I decided I like dense desserts compared to this very light dish. I did also love the layout of the restaurant after I got over how small the place was. It was decorated with a very nice, modern and clean look. Coat check and free valet parking was a nice bonus. If I had a knock, I'd say that the portion size is a little underwhelming considering the prices they charge. For the time being, I'm just going to assume that they may have skimped a little because of the special menu that week. Either way, the food tasted great and the service was top notch. read more

Two words for you: Pork belly. Like Pork Belly? Keep reading. Like many recent reviewers I was here for restaurant week. Vanessa was kind enough to plan a Monday night dinner for us. I had been here once for an employee holiday party and of course, for drinkies in the bar. While I realize this is not a review of the hotel lobby it is super sexy and sleek. Restaurant itself: we were greeted warmly & seated once our entire party arrived. Took our coats and seated us. Service itself was impeccable. Warm rolls brought to the table. Our server? Lovely, just lovely. Attentive and informative without being obtrusive. I ordered the following: *Swan Creek Farm Pork Belly- Nichol's Jerusalem artichokes / hedgehog mushrooms / white truffle oil Now I am well aware people are CONSTANTLY describing things as "melting in my mouth" I am, right here, right now calling BULLSHIT on every one of those persons. Unless of course they are describing the Swan Creek Farm Pork Belly at Cafe Des Architectes. Otherwise, they are bald - faced liars. And you should also let them know they are fibbers. This dish was perfect in every aspect. The flavors melted together perfectly. I was mildly embarrassed that I wanted to lick the plate clean. Just mildly. *Duo of Beef- Hanger steak and braised short ribs / shallot purée / watercress salad Here is where things somehow managed to get even better. The steak & short ribs were perfect complements to each other. Shallots and watercress an lovely contrast to the duo. See above "melt in your mouth" comment. *Floating Island- Steamed meringue / crème anglaise / caramelized almonds As I have often said in the past I am hardly a dessert enthusiast. I'm typically over the moon when there is a non-chocolate dessert available. This dessert was the best combo of my favorite dessert: non-chocolate and sweet. Add in the almonds and it was ideal. The entire meal was ideal. read more

I was at tea with Carolynne and Unity, but while they both gave this tea 4 stars, I have to say it was definitely only a 3 star experience for me (I've always suspected Carolynne and Unity were nicer people than I am...) I was excited when we entered the Sofitel's lobby. It is lovely and plush and filled with fresh flowers. I gazed eagerly towards the dining room...only to realize tea was held in a different room. It was also lovely, but definitely less plush and was pretty loud (a wall of glass windows + bare walls = noise bouncing all over the place). Cafe Des Architectes has a nice selection of teas available (8 to be exact) and offers red, white, green and traditional black teas. A nice touch is that a sample of the teas are brought to you so you can sniff them before making a selection (except they all smelled very similar to my nose...possibly from having been stored in together?) Your tea is brought loose leaf in an individual pot and timers are placed on the table so you know for how long to allow the tea to steep. Others have mentioned only getting one pot of tea, but the waiters repeatedly offered to refill our pots with water - I'm not sure if this is a new practice. Tea snacks are brought out with your tea. For us, there were 3 savory and 4 sweet pieces each. And pieces they were - as others have mentioned, everything was bite sized. Tea offerings are typically less than a full meal, but I think this was the smallest volume of food I've ever seen offered at a tea. The sweet selections were better than the savory but neither was mind-blowing. Overall my biggest problem with Cafe Des Architectes tea is the price point. We had the $15 Living Social vouchers and if this tea were always $15, it would be an amazing deal. Even $20 would be totally reasonable. At the normal $30 price, it isn't worth it - that's on par with some of the more expensive teas in town and those offer posher settings and more/better food. But tea service here IS new - I'll be keeping my eyes on subsequent reviews to see if Cafe Des Architectes either steps up its game or lowers prices to match their offerings. read more

This is a great restaurant with amazing food and great service. It has a very chique atmosphere and its location is perfect. So these are all the attributes that you need on a good restaurant, right? You really get them all here. I had the prix fixe menu and started with a Cauliflower cream (to die for, super delicate and tasty) and then a Filet Mignon. The best part though was the cheese selection that my husband ordered (enough to share for sure). And to crown the night we had a chocolate soufflé. This is a must go place for special occasions. And for all you get, it's a good value. read more

Have a sweet tooth? Well, not just any sweet tooth, but a gold, diamond bedazzled, hoity-toity crystal sugar tooth? Cafe des Architectes will keep your dentist in business for the rest of your life! I don't have such a tooth, or even an inclination towards sugary things for that matter, but the Dessert Degustation at CDA opened my eyes to a whole new world of sweet, candy land goodnesss that I didn't know existed. The bf and I have gone multiple times now just for the dessert tasting - which for 4 courses, dessert wine or cognac pairing included, is pricey, but is also the best $60/person we've ever spent on dessert in our lives. The first time, we looked at each other after trying each dish and its respective pairing with wonderment, "how is such delicious sugary amazingness possible??" and have not been let down by pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky's creations since. We've actually never had anything off of the regular menu at Cafe des Architectes......but who needs dinner when you can have dessert? read more

Sleek, pricey, elegant but relaxed, excellent gracious service and very good food. Brunch was delightful with a giant basket of croissants, brioche, and other delectables to compliment the wonderful gruyere and spinach omelette I struggled to select from the appealing choices on the menu. My dining companion had the eggs benedict, served with fingerling potatoes and a grilled tomato. My coffee came in a giant press and was excellent as well. This is a classy and mellow place to have a $$ romantic brunch. read more

I have never done an afternoon tea time before. I sip tea in the comfort of my own home or order a pot at Russian, Chinese and Japanese restaurants. The steaming cups are usually accompanied by huge and heavy meals. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I've always longed to feel prim and proper, to see how the other 1% lives. Enter Café Des Architectes and LivingSocial. Lori L, Josh V and I purchased a deal on LivingSocial. It was $15 for the $30 Afternoon Tea on Saturday. I was super excited and took the opportunity to wear a dress with sweater and flats. It wasn't exactly formal, but I didn't feel too out of place. The café is located inside the Sofitel hotel and business casual fit right in. The afternoon tea service included two cups worth of your pick of tea. I went with the Pomegranate Oolong and tried Lori's Paris black tea. Both were superb and went well with the 7 light bites and shortbread starters. The shortbread came in two varieties, Lemon and Sage. The mini sandwiches and pastries were perfect. I'm probably going to butcher what they were, but here goes my best shot: 1) Buttered toast with cream cheese, cucumber and olives. 2) Puff pastry topped with a smoked salmon-crème fraiche mix and caviar. 3) Toast with prosciutto. 4) Chocolate covered éclair with passion fruit cream filling. 5) Macaroon. 6) Puff pastry topped with pistachio cream, mini macaroons and an alcohol-infused cranberry. 7) Egg yolk-filled cookie cup with vanilla bean cream topping. I loved everything. I think for $30 it is affordable as an occasional treat and it was definitely worth every penny of the $15 we paid for the deal. When the bill came it was all taken care of except for the tax, which was about $5 for the 3 of us. And coming at 2pm was the perfect late lunch to keep me satisfied until dinnertime. read more

I had a very pleasant time here. I brought my top heaux who was very impressed. The servers were all like "Bonne soirée monsieur" so I was all like "Guten tag mein Franzose", which of course made for an awkward introduction. Pork rillette, whitefish and some nice Chardonnay. Once our server realized I did not subscribe to the views of das fuehrer he was very accommodating with a nice recommendation of cheeses. Food, presentation and service were all executed with the tact and care one would expect from a culture that gave the world Gerard Depardieu's Speedo. I left Frenchy a nice tip (in Freedom Dollars of course) and complimented him on the fine decor. We hugged it out. I'll be back for bottomless mimosas on game day. read more

I took the opportunity to try the special four-course lunch tasting menu here, which goes for $20.98. I had been to the bar before for after work drinks and hors d'oeuvres, and the place is on my list for that particular activity. Great spot to take clients. If I had any... I chose to dine inside. Even though the weather was perfect for dining al fresco, I am not fond of their outdoor tables. Without any sort of greenery, it feels like sitting in a parking lot. Besides, the dining room, with its high ceilings and dramatic hanging lamps makes for a much better ambiance. And there was more of a crowd inside. I found the service overall to be gracious and friendly. Not too much swelling of the attitudinal glands. I was seated promptly, handed a beautiful and tasty bread basket with a variety of bread worthy of the French. From then on, there was a nice "team" approach to service, as one of four or five might bring you a drink, your meal, more water, etc. The servers all seemed very European. One of them when I asked about what appeared to be olive tapenade with the bread basket assured me that yes it was green olives and "leetle feeshes" (or anchovies.) In fact, all the servers lent a particular feel to the place. They all seemed like extras from "Young Frankenstein" or that "Rocky Horror" movie. And I mean that in most loving and supportive way :-). Great casting of dining room staff! En plus, there was a large group of French business people having lunch near me, and one guy in particular with slicked back hair, a too-small silver PeeWee Herman suit and dress shoes with no socks, who although he was talking business, was really trying to seduce every woman at his table. It seemed so "Paree." I found the food to be French-worthy, too. For the tasting, you choose one item from each of three categories of appetizer, salad, main course, and the dessert is pre-chosen for you. The choices are excellent. They could just try to pawn off cheap stuff like sausages, charcuteries, plain greens, but they don't. I had a cold carrot soup, which was a bright yellow, but didn't taste too much like carrots- more like squash, but it was a nice starter. Then I had a salad of sliced fresh cooked shrimp with cabbage and fennel. Absolutely delicious in flavor and pleasing in texture. The main event was grilled Mahi-Mahi on a bed of sweetly-cooked and seasoned red cabbage, topped with a tasty and eye-pleasing garnish. The fish was cooked to perfection. Dessert consisted of a tablespoon-size glob of chocolate mousse and a small tart with chocolate filling and berries. The entire tasting is brought to you at once on a large square plate with four smaller 4" x 4" plates, so you could start with dessert if you wanted too. I thought the portions were very adequate, and again French-worthy. I walked away sated but not too full (I kept myself from eating the entire bread basket, which was difficult, as I have never met a carb I didn't like.) I would definitely recommend this tasting menu. It's a great value. And eating at Les Architectes is fun and elegant. read more

I so-o-o wanted to have a good experience at Café des Architectes. But instead it was a complete crash and burn. The host started us out wrong, with an "Aren't you lucky to be here trying to talk to someone as important as me" attitude. Only when I asked if they could take our coats, as we got to the table, did he say "Of course." How about offering before we got to the table and asked? The table - it was filthy. Crumbs everywhere. I looked at the table next to us - same story. The holder for the salt and pepper shaker had layers of filth under the shakers. I lifted the pepper shaker and ran my finger around the holder - it was like a Chicago windowsill which hadn't been cleaned in several months. Stemware - water spots on every single piece. Food - disappointing. French fries with truffle oil? Only the first fry had any truffle taste. The rest had none. The pasta dish came in a bowl hotter than the pasta. It was clearly made up and put under the heat lamp while my wife's steak sandwich was prepared. (The fries were hers, the truffle comments hers also.) $15 each for glasses of white wine - a nice Sancerre, but not that nice. Excellent bread, to go with the frozen butter. Service was again excellent. My comments on the odd décor stand. This is not a good French restaurant. It's a hotel dining room separated from the lobby by a partition, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with little to offer other than a famous chef who should move on to a real restaurant. read more

Our experience started out odd. Let me explain: We (6 of us) walked in and there was no host stand of any sort. A waitress happened to be looming in the area so I spoke to her. Our table was set and she brought us there. I liked that the ladies were given the menus first. Our waiter asked us if we wanted wine but we first wanted to see the cocktail menu and requested one. He didn't come back until about 10 minutes later without it and asked about an appetizer order - some us knew what we wanted some didn't since we were expecting the drink menu first. So those who knew ordered an app. Then I reminded him about the drink menu. He came back with it and asked what we wanted - he only brought one and none of us even had a chance to read it so he took the rest of the app orders and then by the time that was over, half of us knew what drinks we wanted so those who knew ordered. He then walked away while the rest of us knew what we wanted. Awkward. So we had to call him back. The busser and food runners were well trained and the food was delicious. I recommend the brussel sprout w/ lamb bacon to start and the duck for dinner - I cleaned up both plates. I also tried my friend's chicken and it was perfectly cooked but very mild. Decor/atmosphere is modern and sleek but it was SO QUIET. I think it wiuld be more crowded if the place had more energy. read more

They took a reservation for 2:45 pm, we arrived 5 min early and they said the restaurant is "closed" and refused to seat us despite the reservation. Other patrons were being served. Ridiculous! read more

Food is amazing. Perfectly executed and always seasonal. This restaurant is located in the Hotel Sofitel, which is a French luxury hotel chain, so you come in with somewhat high expecations for French cuisine. They do not disappoint. If you get their Filet Mignon, they will even do it "bleu" which is the way the French order their steak. Their cheese plate comes with mini-Madaleines, and at the end of the meal each table will get their mignardise (tower of mini bite-sized desserts that include macarons). You can also order a Cafe Noisette and they'll make it for you. We had a magnificent bottle of French Pinot Noir that was beautiful on the palate. We shall return for sure (actually this is our 5th or 6th time here). read more

I came to Cafe Des Architectes for their new Afternoon Tea offering, having learned about it through the Living Social deal. I had just been in London a few months ago and had afternoon tea at Harrod's...now they do it up right. Unlimited tea, with unlimited delicious tea sandwiches, scones w/clotted creme, macaroons, the works! Here in America, apparently we do it a little differently...Normally this tea service is $30.00, but with the living social deal it was $15. It includes one pot of tea per person and a tray of savory and sweet items, each person gets one piece of each item. The ambiance in the restaurant is great, but unfortunately, this tea service needs to iron out some of the kinks. For the living social price, it's a good deal in theory. For the full price, no way. First of all, only one pot of tea per person? Wait, where am I? What is this? ...cause I thought it was Afternoon TEA! How about hooking me up with as much tea as I want, it's TEA, not gold! Secondly, there were way too many sweet options and very teenie tiny savory options. 4 out of the 6 items were sweet. Not to mention, the savory options were miniscule....the smoked salmon puff pastry was DELICIOUS, but it was the size of a nickle and the smoked salmon was the size of a dime...come on people?! Stop nickle and diming me! I know tea time shouldn't qualify as a meal, but one cannot survive on sugar alone! The sweet options were on the whole well-made, but I felt completely sick after eating hardly any savory options and all that sugar. I wish I had some more tea to wash all this sugar and creme down...but sorry, no cigar. I will say the variety of different sugars (raw, rock, cane, etc.) on the table to accompany the tea was a nice touch, and the teas they carried were interesting and of good quality. The shortbread cookies, Sage and Lemon, were also amazingly buttery and delicious. Unfortunately I just will not be re-visiting Cafe Des Architectes for tea again until they: 1. Offer more tea for afternoon tea... 2. Offer a more reasonable proportion of savory items 3. The sweet items should have more variety, consider more substantial items like scones as opposed to the same creme/fillings/goo just in different forms and colors. read more

Was a little worried about this place waking in... Didn't know anything about it and we were bringing clients to meet with one of our Vendors. The restaurant is beautiful inside & the women's bathrooms are really beautifully designed. We weren't sure about the food. I had the Urban salad & the Iowa tenderloin & both were amazing! Everyone at our table absolutely loved their food. It was a hit! read more

Let me start by saying we are 'locals' & not too impressed with Cafe des Architectes. We have dined here several times & just don't find the restaurant meets our expectations. In saying that, the food has been consistent each time, service ok & of course the Sofitel hotel very nice. I just don't feel its worth the money. Portions are very very small [french style] to be expected I suppose. We would definitely not recommend it, too many restaurants in downtown Chicago with way more to offer. To sum it up, way overpriced & not worth the money. read more

I came to Cafe des Architectes for a NYE dinner with family and friends. I have only eaten a French meal one other time, so I wanted to visit more restaurants.I went to grad school at Loyola down the street, so I would pass this place all the time. It always looked modern and swanky, so I was excited to see what it had to offer. The hotel is beautiful and the restaurant was impeccably presented with great lighting, a beautiful tablescape and great overall ambiance. Food: There was a prix-fix e menu with 5 courses and an a la carte option. The prix-fixe was $85, but my sample wine-flight (5 options of 3 reds, whites, or champagne) with appetizer, entree and dessert off the a la carte menu, were cumulatively cheapter than that . The food however was pretty succulent, no complaints here ;-) I had the Mushroom veloute soup which was divine! The rack of lamp was delicious, but this chef interpreted medium well more pink than I'm used to. I finished with the Chocolate Pistachio Dome. The meal was very very rich but I love savory food so no disappointments. I sampled food off the prix-fixe menu my sis ate, there were items on that menu that weren't available a la carte, the short ribs with foie gras was exquisite! Service: The service is what downgrades my 5 star review to 4 stars because it was problematic. We spent over 3 hours here, with a 2:1 ratio of waiting for our food vs. eating. We ran through two bread baskets (had to refuse the 3rd, we wanted our food!) and the chef sent out a beet salad with goat cheese to apologize for the wait. For spending this kind of money, I expect the service to be on par with the food, which it was not here. Overall: Definitely great food, ambiance and location. The hotel service is top notch, you can valet your car for free if you're eating dinner (unheard of downtown) and the bathrooms are very cute. Definitely worth a trip if you can devote time to savoring your company and meal. read more

House created cheeses and Churcutari. Breakfast is amazing. Incredible, contemporary space. read more

CDA - French Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I feel this place deserves to be recognized by Michelin, the execution was flawless, the taste of each dish was a delightful surprise! We tried: - Diver Scallop - with duck confit, curry cauliflower and golden raisins - wow, amazing combination of ingredients. Cooked to perfection - Oysters with pomegranate horseradish - what an invention - Foie Gras - super fresh, perfectly cooked, served with blackberry jam and braised pear - mmmm - Alaskan Halibut - served on baby spinach, with fingerling potatoes and lobster veloute - I was in heaven! For dessert we tried Chocolate Box, served with chestnut mousse, toasted brioche ice cream and fig... yamie :) Pricey, yes but well worth it. Now that sitting outside was available, it was such a pleasure to dine under the Chicago sky at this fantastic restaurant! I want to go back! read more

Oy. What a comedy. Went for thanksgiving dinner. I think that the regular staff was off for the holiday.....I hope. Literally, every dish that came out was served to the wrong person at our table. This lead to a lot of redirecting and shifting. Starter, main, dessert. I decided to look around the room. Same with every table. I was told by our waiter that the lobster bisque was now a squash soup. It was lobster bisque. Now I felt like I was in some alternate universe. It was also luke warm. The food was okay. Nothing great. Meh. At $65/person, the damages weren't severe. At least we all had a good laugh. read more

On a Hot July Saturday night, in the heart of Chicago's Gold Coast, you would expect this place to have exceptional service. Not at all. At 9:30pm there was a single person working the entire restaurant, including the bar. Why would hotel Sofitel staff their one and only restaurant so poorly defined logic. Ordered drinks which we ended up declining, chased the server down to pay and left. read more