It was so bad! I would be surprised by it but we saw some of the reviews and when we walked in at peak dining time on a Saturday night to a mostly empty restaurant we should have been tipped off. Honestly Olive Garden is gross but I think it would have been better than this. The prices are insane, why would I not go downtown to Michelin start restaurant for the $200 a head price tag? Almost all of my food arrived cold the salmon was so underdone I just ate around the edges. The women at the table next to us were complaining about this too and let them know. Yet 25 minutes later mine came out even worse. We had a good chuckle with them. They need some sort of advisor to come in and help them set prices in a way to be profitable without an empty dining room. They don't have any decent wine in the menu that is less than $80 unless you want a half bottle, which is made even more amusing that they carry $4 cans of hamm's as in a beer equivalent to natty light that I used to buy in college (10ish years ago) for $11 for a case of 30 read more

We haven't dined at Oceanique for a few years so we decided to make a reservation for a Saturday night. We had such a delightful evening. The service was attentive but not pretentious, everyone seemed to be happy to serve you. We brought our own bottle of wine. The sommelier paid particular attention to the cork and opened our special wine with care. We each had the chef's tasting menu. It was excellent, each course was a good size, beautifully presented and delicious. I loved the sorbet between main courses - not very common these days! Overall Oceanique was a welcomed breath of fresh air. The restaurant is a sweet combination of attentive service, warmth, and great French food. We will return! read more

Have wanted to try this place for a while so we finally made it, and we won't be going back. Here's why.... The chef keeps the tips and gives the wait staff a meager portion of the money they've earned....I've confrimed this with 2 waiters who used to work there, which is why the staff never stays for long. The food is good and the service was good, but a 20% tip on a $300 check for 2 people shouldn't be lining the Chef's pockets....maybe he should use the money to update the hideous 80's decor... Spend your money at another restaurant who doesn't steal from the staff. I'm in the biz....word get's around..... read more

Very good service and excellent food. Seafood was fresh and delicious. Every dish came out prompt. Price of drinks relative to food were quite exorbitant though. Added up to quite a large bill amount including a couple of drinks even with a groupon. read more

My fiance and I had the 7-course tasting menu with wine pairing and it was good, but the problem with Oceanique is that it's just good. Great would be better though. Of all the good things we ate that night, the one thing that stands out is the scallops with kimchi and lobster broth. Who would have thought that kimchi would pair so well with seafood? If only unexpected things like that had continued over the whole meal. Doh. The wine selection is quite excellent, but the pour is just enough to get a taste and that's it. I mean, if you're going to boast about how spectacular your wine list is, the least you could do is share, the bottle is already open for crying out loud. I had a good meal here, you probably will too, but don't expect great. read more

Can you guess from the name what the specialty might be here? Yep, it's seafood, fresh, beautifully presented, and delicious. Wine recommendations are top-notch and not always as pricey as you might think in such a high-end restaurant. This is a lovely place for a special occasion meal. read more

I took my friend here for her birthday early last year so I can't quite remember what we ate-- but what I do remember is that we loved every single thing about this place. Yes, it's on the pricey side, but I think it's completely worth it for a special occasion. It's such a cozy, intimate place and you're kind of in your own world when you're there. Both our waiter and the sommelier were so helpful and down-to-earth, and they gave excellent recommendations. The food and wine were outstanding, and I actually wanted to sit there all night and eat as leisurely as possible. I don't give out 5 stars easily because I feel like there's always room for improvement-- but this place deserves the 5 stars. It was a wonderful dining experience, and I hope to go back for another special day. read more

Cozy, pricey, but there is no wasted space in any dish. Perfect for a celebration for 2. Every flavor complimented the others. There was true poetry in this food. For dessert try the chamomile creme brulee. Also I agree with the comment on the sommelier, brains and beauty there. And manners- he helped me into my coat while my then-clueless boyfriend was already heading out the door. read more

First off, I am definitely not a seafood person, or at least I wasn't until I came here. What a delight! My boyfriend and I like to treat ourselves to some fancy dining every once in a while for special occasions. We used the Groupon for the five course tasting menu. It was absolutely delicious, every bite! Great service! Even the bread was amazing. Had to travel a bit from the city, but totally worth it. We still can't stop raving about it. You can tell the chef puts so much creativity into every one of the dishes. Love love love! read more

Honestly - overrated. If I want to spend this kind of money on a meal it'd better be perfect. The food is great - don't get me wrong - but the decor is dated and frayed and the attempts to upsell a little off-putting. There are lots of fine dining options in and around Evanston. Tis wouldn't be my first choice. read more

I dined there on Dec 4, 2015. The prices are that of a fine dining establishment. Therefore, the prices are in line with the quality of everything I ate. I absolutely loved everything I ate and drank. I had the corn and lobster bisque, beat salad, sturgeon, and a creme brulé that I adored. The staff was kind, not snobbish. I felt welcomed and appreciated. It is a place for a wonderful meal where you feel pampered. I would definitely recommend Oceanique. read more

I went to Oceanique with a friend. Like so many other reviewers, we had a groupon that and got the 5 course meal. This was an interesting meal... more up and down than almost anywhere else I've ever eaten. Getting there was easy. It's right on Main Street in Evanston, and there's plenty of parking. I sprung for valet (more on this later). We were quickly seated, mostly because there was only one other table in the restaurant. We ordered drinks- dirty Martini for me, glass of chardonnay for the friend. The Martini was well-made. The wine... meh. For a place that boasts such an impressive wine list, you'd think they'd pull out some decent selections to offer by the glass. We sampled two of their other whites before deciding the original chardonnay was the best (read:only) way to go. For $15 a glass, I expected a lot more quality, although the pour size was generous. Now on to the food... I guess I'm not so picky as some to complain about portion size or that the sorbet counts as a course. I was full when I left. We started with the seviche. It was actually pretty tasty. For the starter, we got scallops and venison. The scallops were fantastic- perfectly cooked, melted like butter in your mouth. The venison... tasted and looked like spam. At least there was a decent stone-ground mustard to hide the flavor and consistency. Then there was the infamous sorbet. Following that, our main courses were the sea bass and the salmon. The sea bass was fantastic. The salmon... so so. They didn't do much with the salmon and it needed help. The sea bass was of good quality, so the fact there was not much to it mattered little. Finally, there was desert. An apple crisp and some sort of cake/mousse hybrid. Again, one good, one so-so. The crisp was ok, while the other was delectable chocolaty goodness. Now for the big surprise... the bill. $140. That's minus the $130 voucher we had. Total would have been $270. Worth it? Absolutely not. The food was either good or ok in turns. I understand paying for the experience and the ambiance... but there wasn't much of either in this place. The wait staff was friendly and attentive, but you could tell that corners were cut in the decor, as well as in some of the food quality. The kicker for me... when we went to leave, apparently the valet had left for the evening... yet they still wanted the $8, even though they just handed me the keys and pointed us to where the car was pointed on the street. If I hadn't had 2 glasses of wine and a martini, as well as a fantastic dining companion, I would have been upset at having to pay 8 bucks to walk to the car in the rain. Bottom line... if you're going to spend a couple hundred dollars on a meal, go elsewhere. I think you'd be better off coming here just for wine- "extensive" does not do justice to the size of their wine list. It was a tome. read more

The food and service were good, but they added on a required 18% gratuity on a party of two. We would've left it anyway, but requiring it is just rude and not a way to treat customers. This happened on our third visit and will be our last. read more

Mediocre food. Exorbitant prices. Pandering service. They are pretending to be something they aren't: a high dining experience. I felt like I wasted my money. read more

I generally don't take the time to write negative restaurant reviews online unless I've really had a horrible experience with a restaurant. My experience with Oceanique wasn't the worst I've ever had but it still merits a negative review for Worst Customer Service. I bought a Groupon for a Five-course tasting for two people back in 2013. When I tried to use the Groupon to celebrate my wedding anniversary, I was told that the entire restaurant was closed that week for vacation. I was disappointed, but had no choice but to make alternate plans that year. When I tried calling again in 2014 and was told the same thing, I realized that the restaurant must close down that week year after year so I made it a point to try and use the Groupon for another special event. Fast forward to 2016 and at least TWO more attempts at a reservation. Each time, I was told my Groupon wouldn't be honored because of another promotion taking place on the weekend I wished to use the Groupon. During my most recent conversation with someone at the restaurant, I calmly expressed my exasperation to the woman I was talking to on the other line and rather than offer some sort of resolution or compromise, she basically snickered at me and said something along the lines of: "The restaurant has been open for 27 years and that's the way things are done around here." Basically, I took her response to my concern as: "I don't care how long you've been trying to come eat here. I really can care less about your business." So, needless to say, I'm asking for a refund of what I paid for the Groupon and I think I'll save myself the 45 minute drive and the gasoline I would waste driving to Oceanique for a meal. read more

3.5 stars...It was OK-to-pretty good. The waitstaff seemed a little stiff, but professional. It seems like their room could use some updating to go along with the professionalism of the staff. Food was pricey but nice. Scallop appie was good, arctic char was fine, nothing special. The foie was good (if you like goose internals) and the cod entree was delicious. Desserts were good too - all chocolate is a winner. read more

Solid food and service throughout the years. I usually go for some of the more mainstream entrees and have never been disappointed.

Dined there second time in 5 years, thus time on Groupon tasting menu. Don't think we will be back. Seating is bad, tables are too close to each other. Decor is tired, the whole place looks old, not in a good sense of it. Our waiter was willing, but not able. Service was plain bad. The wine list is extensive, but on very expensive side, few selections in $50-60 range. Ordered Burgundy, they brought the wrong one, not good. Then they brought first course before the wine. That is just telling that they are clueless. The couple next to us started little scandal about their first course being brought before drinks. The food itself was not bad, but far from remarkable. The couple from other side sent halibut back, it was totally undercooked. My venison pate was pretty good, and so was trout. Didn't like halibut that my wife ordered. At the end my wife ordered Irish coffee, and our waiter had no idea what it was, and brought something entirely different. What made it worse was the bill. The way they included very large tips, pissed me off, as I was planning to leave much smaller tip based on service. Plus the way they calculated taxes after gratuity is not fair. Nope, thank you, plenty of better places to eat in Evanston, and much better seafood dining options in Chicago read more

I had to get over my skepticism of this place...I really wanted to write a scathing review on it and move on. But, I can't. We made reservations this past spring...on the same night of a minor blizzard. (yes, remember how this spring really didn't spring?) By the time we got there, the one party that was there was starting to leave. Nonetheless, the wait staff waited on us and the kitchen stayed. The service was very friendly, even though we knew they could have been on their way home. We ordered the lobster appetizer, the scallop main dish and the halibut. Absolutely fresh seafood, perfectly cooked with accompaniments adding just enough salt but not too heavy. We wanna go back on one of our date nights and try the prix fixe or the lobster night. read more

Another great meal at Oceanique. The main room has been spruced up since we were last there. Very nice tones. Lighting still a bit harsh, but the excellent service and beautiful/delicious food more than distracts the eye from a slight glare. Oysters, halibut, multiple amuses bouche and outstanding dessert. Wine was also fantastic and actually very reasonable. read more

The food is outstanding. The flavors are good, cooked to perfection, and the plates are well presented. Service is attentive without hovering. If you are staying downtown, it is worth the trip! read more

This was our first day of a 2 day French food craze. I must say that they have by far the best French food in or around Chicago. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. For an appetizer, I ordered the butternut squash soup and have never had better. It was so rich, creamy and flavorful. For the entree, I had the ahi tuna that was served with brussel sprouts (my fav), bacon and morels... All in this concoction. It was insanely good. So fresh. The service was great and they even gave us 2 complimentary desserts. Not that we needed more food. The creme brûlée was out of this world as was the chocolate cake. The reason I don't give it 5 stars is that the vibe and atmosphere is very stuffy and outdated. It's a good place to come with older people. read more

First let me say that all the people that complained about Oceanique got a groupon or so it seems. If you're looking for a deal than try the salmon at Applebees and leave the fine dining to the experienced. Chef Mark served us one of the most elegantly delicious meals of my life! My better half is Gluten Free and had a plethora of options including a cracker like flatbread she enjoyed while I ate the fresh bread. We enjoyed lobster, escargot, lamb, salmon, oysters, ceviche, filet, and on and on! Our anniversary was capped off with 2 amazing desserts, crème brulee with lemon grass and the napoleon (amazing). This restaurant is not cheap but you're going to get the best of the best when it comes to ingredients and that's important to me. If you're looking for a top notch dining experience than I would recommend Oceanique all day long. read more

Out-of-this-world food (with similarly astronomical prices for a college student like me). The food here is stunningly fresh. Everything comes off the plate with that delightful crispness that can only be found in truly fresh food - and not just the fish, the vegetables are similarly superb. The preparation is outstanding, and the presentation is often quite a treat as well. As far as less important things go, the service is fantastic, and the decor is pretty good. It's classy, but not so classy to feel stuffy, and - most importantly - it's generally pretty quiet. read more

We tried Oceanique for our anniversary dinner this week (sept 2018). I was blown away by the quality of the food and the strong, elegant service. Sure the place isn't fancy and trendy these days - but we eat in restaurants like that all over the world (have been to at least 5 3-Star Michelin spots in France/Spain alone). But the actual food quality and creativity is the best of any single place we have tried since moving to the north shore from Chicago. We had the lobster, the scallops (to die for with Kim Chee) a shrimp and calamari salad, and bouillabaisse. All were superb. I did not expect it to be spectacular. Food is on par with 2-star Michelin type spots. And prices are high but totally reasonable. read more

Not impressed. The food was just ok. Nothing was really great or memorable. We had oysters, scallops and soft shell crab to start. These were the best past of the meal. I had the lobster for my main course and it was nothing special and had a very fishy taste for lobster. The desserts were ok but they looked better than they tasted. read more

Underwhelming at best. The food was fine, the service OK, but the decor was, well outdated and poorly done. I'm not sure why everyone raves about the seafood, it wasn't anything memorable. I have no desire to go back, but maybe one day I will just to see if my first time was just a one off.... read more

Another very good restaurant which unjustly falls into the dreaded 3-4 category. We dined here with another couple on Monday night. Unlike just about every other upscale restaurant they allowed one of us (my wife) to order the degustation menu; the rest of us ordered ala carte; I ordered several apps and an entree but no dessert; the other couple ordered a more standard three course. You might think our various orders would provide some pretty discordant dining but No. Oceanique solved this by giving us all (gratis) the degustation sorbet course, and when my wife and I were enjoying our courses the other couple received compimentary tastings. I received a full sized free dessert, a remarkably good flaky pastry. The chef is a serious professor of cuisine; scallops with a mild kimchee/lobster broth was great; foie gras served both as a separate course and as part of a quail dish was lucious; my rare tuna entree and my wife's Turbot with Chanterelles and Lemon Grass were near perfect. Service was excellent in all respects and I can't find any fault with any course, ecept one: the ravioli on the degustation (1 ravioli vs. 4 if ordered ala carte); was paltry; if it is still on the degustation and you order it, ask them to "supersize" it! All this comes at a price, and wines by the glass were a little pricey, but all in all from Fish to Fowl this is a very memorable experience. read more

Impressive wine list and excellent service, but the food wasn't impressive or tasty enough to go back. Unfortunately this place is one of those "been there, done that"...and nothing more read more

Very expensive, and food really is not what it should be for the price. I have eaten here three times, twice for work-related dinners. Each time it has been disappointing. The fish I've had here is only average and portions are very small. For a nice upscale meal in Evanston, instead consider Stained Glass, Jilly's Cafe, or Quince. read more

Meal started out fine but ended with me up all night in the bathroom with dry heaves. Really disappointing. My wife and I went here on a groupon deal for half off the tasting menu. Even then I checked the menu online and this was going to be a major $$ investment. The restaurant itself has a very nice setting, dim lights, quiet, attentive staff. The food was also plated very nicely. But the dishes were consistently very bland. Of course I have very high expectations at those prices, even if this was a groupon deal. I didn't taste any one dish that was particularly rancid or anything that would lead me to believe it made me sick. The food overall had a heavy feeling too it, like it was prepared with a lot of oil and butter. We finished the meal and paid up. As we went home we tried to talk ourselves into the price. Went to bed. Woke up several times feeling very sick and had dry heaves. Fortunately I didn't throw up. Word to the wise, this restaurant is way too expensive. read more

Everything was fine. The service was fine, the food was fine, the ambiance was fine, but for Oceanique's prices, fine doesn't nearly cut it. I won't be returning. read more

Like many below me I had a gift certificate to use that was ready to expire we so headed here for dinner on a Friday night. The gift certificates preclude any multi course dinner or specials so we ordered ala carte. Way overpriced, drinks, dessert and food and for me the food was too busy. They bring out an amuse bouche, it's the size of a penny and there are 15 ingredients in it. Sorry but no one's palate is that sophisticated! I ordered the lobster which they said was 1 - 1 1/4 lbs. Maybe they gave part of my lobster to someone else appetizer but not much in the way of lobster and once again too busy, the potatoes weren't good, I'm still not sure what the green pureed stuff was. And why exactly did they think I needed to see the head and a couple of side claws? Cocktails were $16 each, yes they were good, but $16 for a cocktail in Evanston? Dessert was $11, $11 in Evanston? Even if the prices were more in line with what I expect to pay for this kind of food I still wouldn't recommend it. read more

This has always been our go-to spot for a celebratory meal. The food is fantastic, no doubt about it! It is fresh and tasty, unusual and beautifully displayed. We went for a belated Valentine's dinner last night and the service was AWFUL! What a disappointment especially when you know that the bill will be hefty. Our server was inept. She did not seem to care about pleasing us and confused us with a groupon customer who was there for the 5 course tasting. She was slow and even forgot to give my husband a soup spoon for his entree and so we had to flag her down as the bouillabaisse got cold. He also had to wait an inordinately long time to have his drink refreshed. She brought me tea service with a loose lid and so the lid fell off when I was trying to pour it, splashing into my cup and making a terrible mess. Because she thought we were a different table, she served us desserts that they should have had and when I sent them back as they were not what we wanted, they were brought back to us and we were told that those were no charge, but we would still have to pay for what we really wanted! Like I say. I don't mind paying high prices for really good food and service, but I require both read more

The location is good but lacks atmosphere. Interior is sparse, no ambient music. The menu is old school traditional French. Service was below average. Servers are not familiar with menu or food items. Overall, lackluster overpriced food and wine with matching service and atmosphere. read more

First off.. please disregard those who complain about being charged too much for their food. Groupon is a promotion, therefore taxes must be charged on the original cost of the good. It struck me as odd at first and does not make sense IMO, but that's the law. Reviewers that claim they were cheated need to check their facts. My experience this evening was wonderful. All dishes were well balanced and thought out. Service was impeccable. Wine list is extensive as well. Decor is understated and classic. We opted for the Groupon deal to get a larger sense of the offerings. Although Oceanique must not make that much money off of Groupon deal (which was a total steal), they have certainly earned another loyal customer! We will be returning. Great value for great quality. read more

A disappointing visit. We've had some FANTASTIC meals at Oceanique. This meal was, at best, just ok. The most disappointing part were the scallops. They tasted gritty.... when we told the staff, they told us it was the sea salt they were using. We know the difference between salt and sand. Probably would not have gotten on yelp to write this review had the staff not given the same excuse to the table next to us (who also said that they know the difference between sand and salt). It's okay to be off your game one night, just admit it. The scallops weren't fully rinsed. Other parts of the meal were ok. Nothing was up to their typical standard (best parts was probably the chef surprise at course 1 and the filet mignon). Nothing else was as disappointing as the scallops - but nothing was memorable. Wine as usual very good. Service as usual was very good (but for the salt versus sandy story). For the price we paid this evening for the 5 course tasting menu (the only options this evening were either the 5 course or the 8 course tasting menu), we were expecting better. read more

Having eaten in many restaurants worldwide, including some of the best, we were really disappointed. While the food was decent and the service was more-or-less fine, the quality was far from justifying the very large price. It was way too expensive for such an experience. Neither the quality of the food nor the service or the ambiance matched the cost of this dinner. Here are a few additional "surprises": 1. We were served on a table without a tablecloth. Not even with placemats. The dinner plates and the wine glasses were placed on a raw table. Really. In an expensive restaurant?! 2. After the 18% tip was added automatically to the bill, they added state tax and city tax. We have never seen this done anywhere else in Chicago or its suburbs. 3. When we asked to talk to the owner or the manager, we were told that the owner (the chef) was too busy and the manager was not at the restaurant. read more

Oceanique has been our go-to place for many wonderful celebrations. Our wedding anniversary had always coincided with their annual vacation. This year our luck changed, and I can say it was a perfectly delicious evening. I always like to have one of the scallop dishes on the menu. This night I had the scallops with cilantro and kimchi lobster-soy broth. My wife had the butternut squash ravioli with fennel, prosciutto, crispy sage, and walnuts. Both dishes were very tasty in their own way. The chef brings out flavors that are so fun and interesting. We both had the Lobster (my wife copied me...) Art on a plate you can eat. Perfect amount of mashed potato, spinach, tender lobster and other delicious tidbits. We both cleaned our plates. Dessert is a must. I'm a sucker for their day and night cake (We call it goodnight cake). Sorbets are refreshing. When I say delicious tidbits, I'm referring to the spectrum of world wide flavors the chef brings to the table. I have eaten items at Oceanique, I would have probably not or rarely eaten otherwise. As an example: raw scallops. An item I would have never ordered elsewhere. After trying them here I can say now I have craved them. I never order oysters. Tried a few at Oceanique and found myself ordering them on our next visit. I am also so rare on cocktails, I always seem to find one on the menu here. Service is always friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. This may be because we have been here a few times, but there are few restaurants where I feel so much at home. The food, the staff, the atmosphere for us have helped shape many wonderful memories. read more

This place is a classic upscale, white table cloth kind of French inspired seafood restaurant on Main Street in Evanston. 4 of us came with a groupon deal for the 5 course meal. The seafood, seafood soup and the salad were all of high quality. The flavors had a fair amount of herbs in them which we enjoyed. Certainly ask the waiter questions. Ours was knowledgeable and provided some very helpful insight. The way items are described on the menu doesn't necessarily convey what they actually look like. For example we had a Michigan corn soup, with lobster, but it was actually more of a pepper soup with lobster and a garnish of corn. We had a knowledgeable and helpful waiter. The service was quite good, but not excellent. When my father accidentally knocked his forks off the table, he picked them up and handed them to one of the waiters, but it took a long time...over a course to have a fork replaced. We enjoyed the palate cleansing fresh strawberry sorbet. It is a nice atmosphere for a more formal dinner. The tables are a bit close together, but I appreciate that it is less loud than some other bigger restaurants. Please note, the wine list is extensive, but on the very expensive side. To give you an idea, the wine by the glaas probably ranges from about $14-20 or more a glass. Also, another factor to consider is certainly that the steep gratuity is added, even if your party is under 5 and then tax is charged on top of all of than and then the coupon deduction was taken. As a result, the groupon certainly helped, but it still ends up being quite a pricey meal. read more