Since this is a brand new restaurant it's very hard to catch a reservation here. We had an event earlier in the area so I requested to be notified by OpenTable if anything opened up. It took 3 tries but we were able to nab a reservation after the event so we were able to catch a quick dinner date here. Great location, very spacious and if you don't get lucky with being seated outside it's still beautiful on the inside. Scoped the bar too, since that's first come first serve, just to see how busy or hard it would be to wait for bar seating and it was still pretty busy, no bar chairs available at 9:45pm. The food was delicious. You combine a favorite food of mine, Pasta, and a favorite flavor, lemon, and I got a really nice plate of food. Loved it. My husband got the Lamb skewers and added the rice and he was not disappointed. He loves Mediterranean and he put that in his top 5. We definitely will be coming back to try the hummus table service! read more

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Everything was amazing. The food, views, drinks, staff. Can't wait to go back. Went for a friends birthday and we were all treated like VIP. Relatively new restaurant, so we managed to even get a tour of the space from the manager. read more

NAIA - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place is impossible to find especially after dark. This restaurant can only be seen from a boat or from across the bridge if you look down. In order to to get here you need to take the elusive stairs or an elevator to the basement. Furthermore, the person giving directions on the phone wasn't helpful at all. It's all summer hype; this restaurant won't survive the winter. Food was overpriced and overrated. They do have valet parking. read more

NAIA - Their 'main entrance' is not easy to spot - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very disappointing experience. The restaurant was almost completely empty, yet the host was rude and refused to let us sit down, even just for 30 minutes to have a drink, simply because we didn't have a reservation. We completely understand having a reservation policy, but the way we were treated was unnecessary and unwelcoming. A new restaurant should be focused on making guests feel welcome, especially when there are plenty of empty tables. Unfortunately, the rude attitude from the host left a very bad first impression. We won't be coming back. read more

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Food was amazing, request for a booth for special occasion was not met, even though 6 booth were available and this particular night was not busy. Very disappointed read more

This is one of the BEST meals I have had in a long time! The lamb chops and steak were cooked to perfection. Try the skewers... any of them... you won't be disappointed! Our group loved the pita bread and variety of hummus as an appetizer. Did I mention the oysters?! BECAUSE YUM! Outside of the food, the ambiance is upscale and elegant. You feel like you are in a different country until you look up and see the beautiful Chicago skyline and hustle and bustle of the city. Come dressed to impress and enjoy an A-list experience. We will be back! And shout out to Chef Joseph for his amazing hospitality, suggestions, and intentional interactions that made our dinner so, so special! read more

Loved it! The dips and pita were delicious. Make sure to ask for another pita or 2 on the side (they do charge). The real star was the yellowtail and toro sashimi... my oh my, the flavors were unreal! Definitely recommend for a perfect summer day meal. read more

NAIA - Dips dips dips! Loved them all. - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came on opening night! It was beautifully decorated. Front desk service was lovely. My server Chloe C (there are two) was also lovely! Ordered the fritters with caviar and I wish there was more fritters because so much leftover caviar but it's ok! We did caviar bumps to go with my NAIA martini. Which by the way was to die for . those feta filled olives I am still dreaming about. Also ordered the spicy feta dip which unfortunately only came with one piece of pita. Asked for more bread because there was two of us and one piece didn't make sense. Gave us two but charged for a piece of bread . Ehhh. It's ok I'll overlook that. Ordered the wagyu skewer with the Levantine sauce. Yummmy. Also the fish two ways. The red sauce was meh until I poured the lemon sauce on it but the pesto -ish side was delicious without the lemon sauce. Didn't order dessert because I was too full. Shouldn't have had too many martinis but next time I'll order more items and dessert. read more

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Luis was so excellent and so sweet! Vibes were awesome. We came when it was very hot and everyone was so accommodating. Would come again. But lowkey I wouldn't recommend the saganaki because it wasn't melty. read more

While the outdoor seating is prime, the over-priced and very average food and questionable service leave something to be desired. First, when we arrived promptly for our reservation, we were told there was no outdoor seating but that we could have an indoor table with an hour time limit. While I understand restaurants impose time limits, 1 hour for dinner is unacceptable. After I communicated this to the hostess, who was borderline rude and seemed overwhelmed, an outdoor table magically became available shortly thereafter. In the interim, i opened a bar tab and bought a glass of sparkling wine for me and my friend. When our table opened up sooner rather than later, I was told by both the hostess and someone appearing to be a manager that our bar tab would be transferred to our table bill, which it was. The issue is that I discovered my card was also charged at the bar. Despite calling the restaurant and messaging them multiple times, I have still not heard from them. It has been over a month. Additionally, while our server was nice, we were rushed. I would describe the service as akin to bottle service in a club and far beneath the level of service on receives at a Lettuce Entertain You, Hogsalt, or Gibson's restaurant. Sadly, NAIA is simply not at the level. read more

Amazing view of the river but I wish the food was just as amazing as the view! The service was great. The NAIA special martini (recommended) was okay. The Crab Yiouvetsi pasta and the bluefin tuna carpaccio is a must try!! The Lamb Kefta was also good. Unfortunately, the charred octopus was recommended but it was too salty. Also, the truffle honey labneh was not quite up-to the mark. Overall a good enough experience by the river but would not be recommending. read more

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2nd visit but this time for lunch. Spreads are great as well as NA drinks. Our chicken sandwiches just ok. Come for the views read more

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Food was tasty and very good but more what impressed us is the front deck person his name is Ray, he went out of his service to reserve for us from his phone a Lyft car and went with us to the street in a very rainy day to help us find the car and open the door for us. What a gentle man he was plus he didn't want to take the money for the Lyft car service. The service was amazing & the view was so beautiful read more

This new spot in Chicago is beautiful and delicious! Friendly service at the bar. Great views of the riverwalk! read more

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Very great food! The views were pretty by the lakefront and our server was super sweet! read more

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Great food, elaborate Mediterranean menu and beautiful ambience. Server was Juan and he was so friendly. read more

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Service wasn't great. Menu was ok. Ambiance is great Def needs some work! Seems like they can't handle the client load

Went for lunch and it was very busy. We waited for our drinks for almost an hour and finished eating our food when the drinks arrived at our table. Staff were nice but a bit unorganized. Bread and mezze sampler was good. Ordered a Cesar salad with salmon which was ok. The falafel wrap was better and their hot chicken sandwich was HUGE. Ambiance was beautiful. read more

First time I went, was told over the phone that they had 0 reservations for the night. walked there, and in fact 80% of the tables were open. food was average at best. tried it a second time a few months later and it was awful. we will never be back. views are nice. food is not good. service is similar to a chain restaurant. disappointing. So many better places in the city. Don't fall for the views. Not worth the price. read more

Outstanding service, from the great to the seat, to the tab. Thank you for having us.

Had dinner there after all the hype. Sat outside and it was sweltering hot. My wife and I ordered several dishes to share - ALL of them were mediocre, at best. The kefta - rubbery. The tahini Caesar - drenched in dressing that did not taste anything like tahini. The Turkish dumplings - meh. The wagyu crispy rice - zero flavor. The crispy potatoes were decent (it's hard to mess up fried potatoes) . The service was also lacking - we were well into our dinner when the sommelier finally showed up with our wine. Honest review is that it's a nice looking place with average food, charging exorbitant prices. It's filled with tacky influencers etc. read more

I know this place just opened and reservations are incredibly hard to get, so I was excited to finally try it. After all the hype, though, I left feeling like it was... good, but not something I'd stress over getting into. The Riverwalk location is beautiful, and the atmosphere is definitely the biggest selling point. We ordered the Santorini Limon pasta, crispy potato fritters with caviar, and the roasted chicken. Everything was well prepared, but nothing really stood out or felt especially memorable. Maybe they'll continue to fine tune things since they're brand new, but based on my first visit, I don't think it's worth fighting for a reservation. If you're already in, you'll have a nice meal and great views. If you can't get a table, I honestly don't think you're missing out. read more

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Worst service and food I've had along the river yet. We were so excited to try NAIA for my boyfriend's birthday last night and so disappointed in what we got. For starters, our reservation was a 9:45, they accommodated us at 9:20pm which was nice. However, we sat at our table until 10pm with no service. The hamachi crudo was smothered in an orange sauce and zest and you could not taste or even see the fish at all, think of biting into an orange. We were so excited to split the ribeye for a birthday splurge... of course.. they were out of ribeye. How do you run out of steak and you opened a few weeks ago? We almost gave up and left and this point. We decided to stay and try the lamb and waygu skewer. Again, just ok if you like eating straight salt. The tuna crispy rice? Nothing special, regular tuna on top of regular crispy rice. The service was so poor I had to ask twice to have them clean old empty plates away before setting the next clean dish down. The tableside hummus and ambiance is worth noting, but honestly that's all. We won't be back unless for a quick drink at the bar. Very disappointing. read more

This location is a great cutesy spot with a luxury feeling. The staff is great! Always advocate what you want as far as seating goes at check in. The space is low lit and gives a cave/Tulum vibe. The drinks are phenomenal, alcoholic and non alcoholic. The server, Mary I believe , had great recommendations and walked us through the menu as it was our first time experiencing this restaurant. The menu options are great, the portions for some are shareable and very much so. The oysters are very small but great. We ordered the skewers which were very flavorful. I really enjoyed this experience. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a light lunch , a good drink and a good experience. read more

Snagging a resy early on a Monday let us have a super nice riverside table which was the best part of this whole experience. Their apricot limoncello spritz looked to be one of their most popular drinks but was super mid to me. While their table side hummus was tasty, i felt the proportion between the amount of hummus and veggies were off. The entire reason for "table side" is so you can watch the restaurant prepare it in front of you, but the the cart was too high and the prep was hidden by the cart they were preparing it on so.... What's the point??? I'm unimpressed. Let me say the spicy tuna crispy rice was this restaurant's saving grace - yummy af. At the end of the I'm trying to understand what this restaurant offers asides from a riverside view and overpriced food. read more

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I visited Naia on August 16th because I had heard a great deal about the restaurant and wanted to see what the hype was about. I was visiting from out of state and did not have a reservation, but my friend and I simply wanted to stop in for a quick cocktail at the bar. Unfortunately, the experience began with an interaction that I found unnecessarily dismissive and uncomfortable. When we arrived, my friend checked in with the host while I briefly asked where the restroom was. The male host immediately responded, "No, no, no," while waving his hand at me and directing me away from the entrance. He then pointed toward an area on the side and told me to wait there with my friend. The interaction was abrupt enough that both of us were visibly taken aback. We followed his direction and waited. During that time, several other people approached the entrance. The host greeted them, asked whether they had reservations, and then turned them away as well. While we were waiting, I noticed the host repeatedly examining my outfit from head to toe, as well as looking my friend up and down. It was noticeable enough that we both became uncomfortable and felt as though our appearance was being evaluated rather than simply being treated as guests. After making us wait, he eventually told us that he could not seat us and that if we wanted to go to the bar, we would need to wait behind a line that he established. What made the situation particularly frustrating was that there was visibly available space inside the restaurant. Additionally, a couple who arrived after us was allowed to wait ahead of us, despite the fact that we had already been there and had followed the host's instructions. I completely understand that restaurants have policies regarding reservations, capacity, and bar seating. I also understand that a restaurant can choose who it is able to accommodate. What I found difficult to understand was the manner in which we were treated. From the initial "no, no, no" and hand gesture directing me away from the entrance, to the repeated examination of our outfits and appearance, to being instructed to wait in a designated area and then being placed behind guests who arrived after us, the entire interaction felt unnecessarily dismissive and uncomfortable. There is also an important piece of context: I was actually scouting venues in the area for a potential brand event. I was considering Naia as a possible location and wanted to experience the space firsthand. After this interaction, however, I would 100% not move forward with Naia for an event. If this is how a potential guest is treated upon simply walking through the door, I would have serious concerns about entrusting the venue with a brand event and the experience of our invited guests. I cannot speak to the host's intentions or why he was looking us over so closely, but as a guest, that was the impression his behavior created. We were visiting from out of state specifically to experience a restaurant we had heard so much about, and unfortunately, the first impression was that we were being judged before we were even given the opportunity to have a drink. Ultimately, I left disappointed--not because we couldn't get a cocktail, but because of how the interaction made us feel as guests. For a restaurant with the reputation and hype surrounding Naia, I expected a much more welcoming and professional first impression. read more

incredible experience here from the service to the views and of course the food. the standout items for me were the branzino, dip trio, and steak. if you can't get a reservation definitely recommend trying for a walk in at the bar! only thing that didn't stand out to me was my drink, nothing special read more

NAIA - dip trio - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I visited Naia just by chance but I was pleasantly surprised at how lovely the restaurant is. The waitstaff is kind, the atmosphere is chic, and the food was great! I had the lamb kefta with greek rice and crispy tuna. read more

Amazing experience. Great location and view. Excellent food. But most important, exceptional staff. Ray (guest reception) and Brittany (server) made the difference. I tried to reserve for a long time, but due to irregular professional committment i cannot book 2+ weeks in advance. So this weekend we decided to go hoping for a cancellation and a table to open. Ray reception was warm, helpful. He had us wait on the side and promsied to come with a solution. He worked hard and gained a new customer that will come back, promised. And he did, we had great time sitting outside between the main restaurant and the terrace. Brittany and the other staff, despite the restaurant being packed explained us the menue, and the food and drinks and desert (strawberry millefeuille) were excellent, and efficiently served while we watched the Yachts and boats docking at the pier, and being served on their boats. A free additional spectacle. Thank you Ray, thank you all for hosting us. read more

By far the worst place to Work in management is so inexperienced arrogant and incompetent. They wonder why staff doesn't last and their turnaround is HIGH too worried about minimal mistakes with the staff that actually stays they should be more focused on how to mantain staff rather than put them down every other shift !!!! There is no Such thing as a bad team ONLY BAD LEADERS!!!!all management needs to get fired in this place and Bring people that have some Common sense and actual management skills rather than people that play favoritism with staff!!! read more

our server was amazing!! food was so good. strawberry spritz drink was wonderful. well worth the money read more

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We were excited to try Naia after hearing so much about this new restaurant on the Riverwalk. Unfortunately, what should have been a special birthday dinner for a close friend turned into one of the most disappointing dining experiences we've had in Chicago. We arrived at 9:00 PM for our 9:15 reservation and still waited about 25-30 minutes to be seated. After finally sitting down, we waited another 30 minutes before having to flag down a random server to ask if anyone would be taking our order. Only then did our server, Richie, appear. From that point on, we were essentially ignored. Drinks and appetizers were delivered by other staff members, but Richie never once checked on our table. We had to repeatedly stop other servers for simple requests. It became obvious his attention was focused almost exclusively on a large party nearby while our table was forgotten. When my husband explained our concerns, Richie's response was, "You should have never been seated here." That was shocking. Guests don't choose their own tables. If a server can't adequately manage multiple tables, that's an internal staffing issue--not something to blame on customers. We asked to speak with the manager, Cory. He listened, smiled, nodded, and never once apologized. Neither did Richie. To make matters worse, this was a birthday dinner, which the restaurant knew before we were seated. We were never offered dessert, never told the kitchen was about to close, and never given a last opportunity to order. When I asked for a dessert menu, Richie simply replied, "The kitchen is closed." That's not hospitality. We dine in Chicago often for celebrations, business dinners, and nights out with friends. Naia has tremendous potential, but restaurants are remembered for the entire experience, not just the food. The food itself was very good, which makes this even more disappointing. The kitchen deserves credit. But great food cannot make up for poor service. read more

The food was good, but this restaurant is not even close to ready to being open. First, when we walked up for our reservation, the male host in the front made us feel very unwelcome and did not believe us that we had a reservation (we were dressed nicely and I was with my adult family), making the energy immediately hostile and setting a poor tone. Then, we did not get water or service for 20 minutes, and as soon as we did, everything came out way too fast and we felt very rushed. The service was absolutely terrible, waters were barely refilled and there was really no one to come check on us. The food is good, but the experience, for all the beauty of the place, needs A LOT of work. Very disappointed in the way we were treated there. There are so many restaurants in Chicago with equal or better food where they don't make you feel terrible or give shitty service. Go to one of those! read more

Devante!! He js everything! The service is amazing! Please ask for him! The drinks were perfect! Great food!! Great atmosphere! Accommodating hostess! I can't wait to come back! read more

NAIA - Strawberries spritz and Hugo Spritz - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Difficult to get reservation, but sooo worth it once you're here! Everything we ordered at NAIA was delicious, especially the Wagyu Lettuce wraps that had a nice peppered crust. You can't beat the views along the river, and the softly lit interior at night. We can't wait to come back! read more

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Absolutely love it! Food, service and atmosphere are all amazing! The dip board is so yummy. Best pita I've had! The octopus and calamari are delicious! Highly recommend both as well as the skewers! The apricot and strawberry spritzes were perfection! Going back tonight! read more

I would not recommend this place based on the poor service and attitude we received. We asked for a "nice" table and we were asked...if we knew it was someone's birthday, why didn't we make reservations. Who talks to their customers like this?! read more

Erica at the host stand was SO nice and accommodating! Staff is attentive and food is fresh and delicious. Can't beat the views! Get the broccoli as a side at lunch, Caesar wrap was delicious. read more

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We had dinner last night with friends at NAIA. Our table was riverfront in a beautiful night. The server, Yasna, was exceptional- friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Our water glasses were constantly refilled and the table refreshed when needed. The food was delicious...from the variety dip platter, to the shishkabobs, potato dumplings to the saganacki. The only challenge was the constant clatter of the el which was a stones throw away. I'd live to come back... if I could get another reservation. read more

We went to Naia last night with an 11:00 PM reservation, and the experience was disappointing from the start. The hostess wasn't particularly welcoming, and as soon as we sat down, our server informed us that the kitchen would be closing in 20 minutes. If the kitchen is essentially shutting down, why offer reservations at 11:00 PM? It immediately made us feel rushed instead of welcomed. As for the food: Spicy Feta: 5/5 - Easily the highlight of the meal. Delicious. Crispy Potato Fritters: 1/5 - Burnt, dry, and tasted like nothing but overcooked potatoes. Falafel: 3/5 - The falafel itself was dry. The crab topping was the only thing that made the dish interesting. Turkish Dumplings: 3/5 - Very generic. They tasted like ordinary pasta and weren't memorable. Swordfish Skewer: 2/5 - Dry, over-seasoned fish. Thankfully it came with a sauce because otherwise it would have been very bland. The service was a 2/5. Our server wasn't attentive or particularly pleasant. It may have been the end of the night, but that shouldn't affect the guest experience. We expected at least a few menu highlights or drink recommendations, especially from a restaurant positioning itself as an upscale dining destination. Overall, I'd rate the food 3/5 and the service 2/5. Naia has potential, but if it wants to live up to the reputation it promotes, it has a long way to go when it comes to hospitality and execution. Compared to Aba, it's not even close. read more