6 of us went to Oceanique Friday evening to celebrate 3 birthdays. We had a wonderful round table near a big window, which was perfect. The dinner and the service were phenomenal. I had the bouillabaisse and the beet and goat cheese salad before and I don't think I've ever had bouillabaisse as good as this. They served both an amuse bouche and an intermezzo (sorbet). Because of the birthday celebration, the restaurant brought out a small dessert for each of us. This is a very pricey restaurant, but at Oceanique, we got full value for the cost of the evening. My only complaint is that the restaurant was noisy. I suspect that after their recent renovation the soundproofing was changed. Even at the round table we had to strain to hear each other. read more

I had been here before, thought it was OK, but overpriced and wanted to give it one more try. So this trip confirmed it is way overpriced for the quality and quantity. I really wanted to like it. The lobster salad had 3 tiny and I mean tiny, had to search for to find, pieces of lobster. How can they even call it a lobster salad? The salad itself was not even special. The scallop appetizer was a little better but nothing I would order again. The halibut entree was good but again, just OK. The salmon entree was mushy. The waiter asked how everything was and my husband said the lobster salad was disappointing especially because of lack of lobster. The waiter chuckled, and he had recommended it! So, no I would never go back. Maybe why the place only had 4 tables of customers the 2 hours we were there. Save your considerable amount of money and go elsewhere. read more

We went here with the five course group on. The food and service was great. Definitely overpriced though.. I would not go here without a Groupon. Also, be careful of the chairs... Someone's leg broke while we were there and the poor guy fell. Otherwise, decent experience. read more

My boyfriend (a big seafood fan) and I went here to celebrate his birthday last night. We wouldn't normally go someplace in this price range, even for a special occasion, but I had a Groupon so I thought I'd take the opportunity to splurge. For an experience in this price range, we were both pretty underwhelmed. The ambiance was a little gramma's house... framed mass-market posters on the walls, busy, frilly, unmatched china, bright lighting. Yes, the seafood was very fresh, and the service was friendly and attentive, but the presentation and preparation were uninspired and at times pretty odd. The dishes all lacked richness, and had very similar flavors. (I love radishes and guacamole, but not with 3 of my 5 courses please.) For $150 I want to leave on a food high, and be remembering that meal longingly for some time to come... instead, by the time we left we were both wishing we had gone to The Publican, Lula, Honey One, or pretty much anywhere else and been much happier for much, much less. The in-house wine guy did do us a favor and only charged us the $30 corkage on one of our 2 bottles, so at least we could laugh on the way home. read more

However, the food was the highly of the night. We went straight for entrees, but by surprise, we were brought some finger foods while waiting including halibut and chicken liver. I had the privilege of trying both the Alaskan Halibut and the Bouillabaisse Oceanique. The brother of the Bouillabaisse was extraordinary. It was such a subtle, delicate flavor. The Halibut was perfectly cooked, with some great greens and mushrooms with it. Finally for dessert, I had my first creme brule, and I absolutely loved it. This particular one was chamomile infused and was absolutely delicious read more

8/23/2011 I bought the groupon coupon for 5 course meal and went with three others for a celebration. I could have the gone to many other good restaurants and received similar quality food, better time at a much better price. The quality of the food was good, though I was still hungry after the meal (petite portions) and don't even remember a small sample that was considered a course. Then Oceanique gave me the bill with an $88 gratuity added on based on the full price of a $520 meal. Ridiculously priced, not worth it, and very tricky billing. the waitress suggested a french wine that was mediocre at best and we would have been better off having a simple californian vintage. read more

What a JOKE!!!! Don't eat here. I have never written a review but my experience was so bad I have no choice but to write about it. In short. . . I have eaten all over the world Dubai, Rome, Paris etc. I don't have a issue with spending in money. In fact I prefer fine dining and don't mind paying for exceptional food and service. But Oceanique really needs a reality check. The food and service were ok and by no means exceptional. They are delusional because the prices would lead you to believe you are at some sort of 5 star restaurant. I hate to say it but I have had better meals at Bonefish grill. Which is absurd considering what they charge. Don't go its a waste of time. read more

I've been here several times and always have a great experience. The food is exceptional and the service is great. The wine list is impressive as well. You will not be dissappointed. read more

We have been to Oceanique on a number of occasions and have always enjoyed it. Our most recent visit may have been the best. In addition to our main courses and a split salad, we were given gratis not one but to amuse bouche (bite size appetizers) and a pre-main course sorbet. The food was terrific and beautifully plated and the service was the attentive but not intrusive . The remodeled decor is a visually a significant improvement though, unfortunately, the main dining room proved to be noisy - If you want to converse, try the smaller room. It is less elegant and near the kitchen but should be quieter. The wine list is very broad but expensive - we paid $16 each for a glass of wine. Our meal with a glass of wine and no dessert cost us $65/ per person (including tip). We left the restaurant feeling that we had received b full value and more. We shall return. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants. Seasonings are perfectly balanced, the food wonderful. It has never failed to satisfy. The setting is very nice the wait staff always helpful. While it is expensive it is well worth it. read more

We ate the five course tasting menu and found some selections to be quite good, others were pretentious. Of the five courses, one was an appetizer, one was an entree and the rest were amuses (one sorbet + 2 salmon bites) and a desert. We are glad that we didn't order salmon as an entree as we would have been "over salmoned". We allowed the wine steward to make our selection which was excellent but pricey at $18 a half glass. The pate plate was phenomenal and really made the evening! read more

Just ate there tonight. What a superb place. The timing, presentation and tastes were outstanding. So glad I didn't heed any of the negative reviews. Those that downgraded Oceanique must be owners at a nearby eatery that lost business. This is a gem on the NorthShore. The five course tasting was absolutely delightful. I'm a good eater and this filled me. I've never had a watermelon radish before, but I'll be looking for them. Great match with the shrimp. I love the yellowfin and my wife thought the scallops and bass were scrumptious. Cappucino was great. Loved the deserts. Nicole was delightful, and the sommelier knew his stuff. Thanks for a delightful evening. read more

Great restaurant and I highly recommend it, if you want to try a french style dining. Thank you chef Mark!

My husband and I are new to Evanston and were VERY much looking forward to our dinner. Many had recommended Oceanique. Everything started out great. Service was attentive, appetizers delicious. We had asked for the waiter to select a glass of wine that went with our entrees --- he could surprise us. We were surprised --- rather than take advantage of the opportunity to introduce us to new wines, the sommelier quickly left two glasses of wine at our table without a word. We stopped him the next time he went past to ask for info on the wines and learned that they were identical wines ... no explanation, no insights on why he had pared them as he did. How disappointing. THEN the wrong entree was brought to my husband. They took the entree back and said they would rush the right one, but i already had my entree. I ate slowly and they did a good job of rushing his entree, but for the price of the evening, it was a very disappointing mistake. The glasses of wine were $18 each, I believe. And there was no hint of a complimentary dessert or appetizer or any acknowledgement from anyone other than our waiter that there had been a mistake. We won't go back. read more

The last time my husband and I went to Oceanique was 3 years ago and thought it was okay (we used a groupon). Thought we would give it another chance using a $79 groupon (5 course meal for two). The 1st course was a Chef's surprise which was about a 3" round diameter of cerviche. My husband ordered butternut squash ravioli and I ordered corn soup (that was the 2nd course). I thought the squash ravioli had too much going on and was over seasoned. Having had such an awesome corn soup at Alma in Minneapolis, I was disappointed with my corn soup. It was green (can't remember what they used) and had some niblets with small little chunks of lobster. Didn't taste at all like corn soup. 3rd course was pineapple something sorbet (which strangely enough reminded me of a perfume) that was in a very small espresso cup. My husband ordered halibut and I ordered skate with spinach (4th course). Both were not bad (maybe a tad salty) and was a decent portion.Husband ordered a small pecan tart and I ordered a small apple crostada. Both came with a very small scoop of ice cream. The desserts (5th course) were okay but nothing to write home about. An 18% tip is automatically added. We used our $79 groupon 5 course meal for two, ordered tea ($8) and coffee $4.50), and with the 18% tip, we still had to pay $60 (and that using our $79 groupon)!!! I would not recommend paying full price to go here (our meal would have been $280 without the $79 groupon). I do not plan to come back. read more

We went to Oceanique for a 45th anniversary. Strangely, even though we've lived in Evanston for 35 years, we've never been there. I found it underwhelming. Yes, the food was good and the portions for appetizer, main course and dessert were fine. But I thought the pricing for what you got was ridiculous. Wines by the glass start at $12 and for that you actually get about 1/2 a glass, I agree with others that to consider an "amuse-bouche" and two tablespoons of sorbet two separate courses is odd. In most upscale restaurants those are little "extras" and certainly not considered a "course." We had a Groupon for this $80 "five" course meal for $40 each, but with one glass of wine each, plus paying tax and tip on the original amount (another $80), that brought our actual payment to $160, still high by most standards. I thought the atmosphere was dull; it looks like it probably looked 25 years ago. And, finally, even with a few tables filled, we sat there for a while before our wine order was taken and then sat there for another longish time waiting for 2 glasses of wine (finally had to request that they please bring them.) Well, our water glasses were filled every few minutes, so somebody was doing their job. They knew it was our anniversary, so they put a candle on the desserts (surprised they didn't charge for it)--a glass of bubbly on the house might have been a nice gesture for a restaurant like this. All in all a disappointment. I'd choose Campagnola or Stained Glass Wine Cafe in Evanston any day. read more

We tried the 5-course tasting menu that was quite satisfying and full of wonderful flavors! The chef chose the first course which was a lovely slice of salmon with dill and green onions and a simple sauce. My second course was the grilled calamari and shrimp that was so tender and flavorful. My husband chose the scallops that were on a bed of kimchee with a spicy sauce. Raspberry-blood orange sorbet was the third course. For the entree, I chose the lamb chops that were served with turnip, eggplant, and brussels sprouts. The meat was a perfect med. rare as asked. My husband had the Spanish turbot which came with black trumpets and peas. Our desserts were creme brulee with lemongrass that was fabulous and a very creamy rich chocolate mousse. We had some lovely half and full glass wines with our courses. The service was excellent and the timing of courses superb! Ambiance could use some work but the quiet dining room was great for conversations. read more

There is no denying that the food here is terrific. We had the $44 three-course Restaurant Week menu, which was a great deal because this place is very expensive, especially for the suburbs. I just wish the service lived up to the quality of the food and the prices. For one, the Restaurant Week menu was not offered to us; we had to ask for it. It seemed that once we were down as RW people, the wait staff lost interest in us (except the busser, who was Johnny-on-the-spot with water refills and plate removals). Oceanique insists on the unsettling (and I'd say pretentious) practice of taking your wine bottle away and sticking it in the next room until it's time for a refill. And we waited quite a while with empty glasses until we finally asked if we could please have some more of our wine. (They were more attentive after that.) At the end of the meal, we were not offered the chance to order coffee or tea. Even lowly Restaurant Week diners are paying for better service than this. read more

We went on a Friday night and used a groupon for the 4 course menu. Upon asking about it they said "we have another menu for that" meaning they had a special menu for those with groupons which seemed odd. The food was decent but when we got the bill they said it would come to $246 for a four course meal and 3 glasses of wine total. Mind you we got the $10/glass wine and that was the cheapest - most being in the $15-20/glass range. The price was EXTREMELY high for what you got. To think that the meal was worth $246 is unbelievable...I put it at $120 max for the meal and wine we got. So I would not recommend anyone go there without planning to spend an obscene amount of money on an average meal. Go downtown to someplace fancy and don't buy a groupon bc they take advantage of groupon purchasers by giving them a special menu which is about worth what you actually pay for the groupon so no deal there! read more