Beverly E.

This establishment is amazing. The husbae and I decided on Penumbra for our Sunday date night, and let me tell you, we were not disappointed. From, the service, to the food, to the ambiance, everything was near perfect. Our reservation was at 6pm but we arrived about 10 minutes early. We were greeted and seated immediately. We were seated in one of their semi-private tables surrounded by sheer curtains. Alex was our server, he greeted us right away, and started us with waters. Alex gave us time to look over the menu before taking our drink orders. We did let him know it was our first time dining at Penumbra and would like anything recommendations he had to offer. He provided his recommendations, which were the jalapeño shrimp, the ribeye, and the salmon. My husband went with the surf and turf (ribeye and lobster), and I went with the salmon. Before our meal they serve you a complimentary sipping soup (potato rosemary bisque). We also ordered drinks. He had a mojito and I had a caipirinha. It took a little time for our meal but not more than 10-15 minutes. Everything was prepared as we ordered it, hot, and delicious. If you're in Chicago and looking for a good meal, nice romantic ambiance, and good food, you will not be disappointed with Penumbra.

Holly W.

First off, it was a pleasant surprise to see they had a bar/lounge room in the front and the dining area is in the back room which is very intimate and romantic. The waiter was very attentive and we were served quickly. They serve you a complimentary cream of potato and poblano soup, yum! We had the half order of charcuterie and it was quite a bit for just the two of us and it was very tasty! I ordered the chicken which came with potatoes and a house salad and it was outstanding! I decided to save half of my dinner so I could have room for dessert and I had their creamy dreamy flan! We will definitely be back!!

Gabriel W.

I had the pleasure to dine at Penumbra on a Thursday evening. We were celebrating a graduation and the staff were very welcoming when we arrived. I was visiting from out of town and was not familiar with the parking around the area. I asked one of the staff members and immediately they reassured me that the side street would raking was totally fine to park just so long as it wasn't the front of the building where you have to pay. The food started with a complementary potato soup which was flavorful and lovely. We got a round of drinks and one of our party didn't care for her drink and it was replaced no question. We had the flat iron steak, the chicken, and the salmon and each entree was wonderful. The proteins were all very tender and juicy. I was also very pleased with the salad that came first which was lightly dressed and very seasonal. We finished our dining experience with a slice of cheesecake. It was a nice cap to the end of a wonderful meal. I would recommend this restaurant for any occasion - I would love to come back and try some of the other items on their menu.

Reonna T.

Small intimate restaurant perfect for date night they bring out a cilantro jalapeño based soup that is extremely fresh. I truly have no complaints about the food or the service and highly Recommend visiting.

Taylor K.

I booked a reservation at Penumbra for a Thursday dinner for my partner and I as a special date night. I made a reservation online and we were sat immediately when we arrived on time. Based on other reviews I had read, I expected the restaurant to be busy, but we were the only customers in the entire restaurant for the whole time we were there. We were sat in one of the "private" tables that are very cozy and romantic. We were offered a complementary appetizer soup that was delicious. We started with the bocaditos to share. This was such a vibrant bite and we thoroughly enjoyed. It was a big portion size and we didn't feel "stuffed" for dinner. I ordered the hanger steak and my partner ordered the surf and turf with the ribeye and the Creole jalapeño shrimp. After placing our order, at some point the server came back, they let me know they were out of hanger steak so I ordered the New York strip. Service was friendly but slow. The food was absolutely worth the price and well cooked, with good flavors. The steaks came with a side of potatoes and a salad, and the portions were adequate to the price. Both of our steaks were cooked perfect. I imagine Penumbra is a very busy special night spot like anniversaries, valentines, etc. and the cozy tables with the flowy curtains are such a fun date night vibe. Great steakhouse option for sure.

Darlene N.

Came here on May 12, 2024 for date night. This place has been voted the "Most Romantic restaurant in the country" so we wanted to see what this place is all about. We made reservations a month in advance and requested a cabana. We got there and the host takes us to their private dining area and sat us in the first cabana. Many reviewers have stated this as a private cabana but I would say this is definitely semi-private. The curtains have to stay partially open as we were told was a rule of the restaurant after asking if they could be completely closed. We had a family of four sitting at a table directly across from us - we could see them and they could see us. But at least, for privacy you have the space curtained off for yourself. We had a friendly waitress and were pleasantly surprised by being served a potato poblano soup on the house. It had a great flavor and we enjoyed it. Next we ordered the Scallops D and the Creole Jalapeno Shrimp for appetizers. Both were good and we enjoyed them. Next came our meals which was the lobster and steak entree along with the Pork tenderloin entree. The portions are huge and the food had a good flavor. There is ambiance here as the dining room is dimly lit and there are strings of lights decorated throughout also. No outside views from the dining area. They prefer cash and let that be known. For a fine dining establishment, I feel there is a way you can relay that discreetly without taking anything away from the experience as it can turn patrons off. Okay, you can throw tomatoes at me for this next comment. Although we enjoyed ourselves and the food, hubby and I agreed that we don't feel this is the most romantic restaurant in the city, much less the country. We have been to many a fancy and upscale restaurant in and out of town. For us, the most romantic restaurant we have been to is right here in the heart of Chicago and that is Gibsons Italia - they have the gorgeous skyline views, romantic seating, waitstaff in classy suit jackets and food that's to die for. We wouldn't steer you wrong. Thank you Penumbra for the experience.

Otto C.

I came here to celebrate my anniversary. We were greeted with a rich potato soup complimentary from the staff. The whole place felt very intimate for a date and was actually ranked the "most romantic restaurant" for some time. The curtains were a nice touch but it was pretty loud and you can overhear other nearby table conversations. Now to the actual dishes, the appetizers were a bit small in portion size Crab cakes: crispy and fragrant Scallops: perfectly cooked and seasoned Ribeye: for the price 42$ pretty worth it and cooked medium rare exact Shadow shrimp: a tad bit salty but still a great option, and very fresh Salmon was a bit disappointing due to my partner finding a couple bones still in it. Though our waiter quickly replaced it and did not charge us for that. To finish it off, we received a hearty message written with our flan.

Vanity H.

Came here for dinner with a group of friends. Very pricey menu and at the time was budgeting so I didn't want to splurge so I got some of their apps. They filled me up and were pretty tasty! The restaurant is dark and nicely decorated and would recommend for a date night out.

Aja A.

I went here for my Anniversary and the food was fantastic. The decor was very romantic and the service was also great. I loved that they had hooks nearby for your things.

Kris N.

Sorry in advanced for the VERY long review. For me this is an example of a solid steak house choice that teeters between ratings. Our entrees were cooked near perfect. Flavors were on point and the wine paired well. Dinner started with what I believe the server called a potato soup. They were served in small bowls/cups and we really weren't sure if we were supposed to drink from it or if they just forgot to bring spoons. In any case we drank straight from the container. As for entrees, my friend and I both ordered NY strips medium rare while her cousin ordered the chicken. For the steaks, the menu online says it comes with a chimichurri but I could have sworn the in person menu when we visited said garlic herb sauce, or something along the lines of that (but is that technically what a chimichurri is anyways? I'm not 100 sure). Anyways, the sauce was very good and if they called it a chimichurri or garlic herb sauce, it wouldn't have mattered because it was good either way. Back to the steaks, they were cooked perfectly to order (medium rare), were flavorful with a nice char and were perfectly tender, so you know they are using high quality ingredients. Here's both a positive and a negative on that. They forgot to bring us our steak knives initially so we were stuck using our regular like butter knives, but to my surprise, they still cut fairly well. This is a testament to how tender those steaks were. When our server came to check on us and realized he forgot the steak knives he apologized and came over with some immediately. This is something I'd normally ding a place for, especially because this was the 2nd thing we weren't brought, but they were very busy that night and I believe he was the only server that I saw during our time there. As for ambiance, this place just oozes romantic date night spot, borderline too much actually. It is very dimly lit and if you want an intimate spot then this would be perfect for you and your date/significant other. They have numerous small tables for 2 that are semi separated by transparent curtains. Aside from that they still have bigger tables good for 4 people, not sure if they had even larger tables it was pretty dark and I wasn't trying to stare. At the end of the meal when they brought out the check, they had also surprised us with a small dessert to share. We hadn't stated that we were there for a special occasion and to my knowledge they didn't have a promo, nor was it a holiday or anything like that to the best of my knowledge. This was a very pleasant surprise and a very nice gesture. My reasoning for the rating. When I first began writing the review I was planning on a 4/5. As I said for me, this place teeters between ratings. On principle, things like forgetting steak knives, not being checked on frequently enough, etc would constitute basically an automatic -1, but for a busy night with just 1 server who in fact checked up on us still fairly frequently, I gave them a pass. The food, while not absolutely phenomenal, was still very VERY good. This was the best NY strip that I've had at least in recent memory. So credit where credit is due. After writing this review I have basically convinced myself to give them a 5/5. It teeters, like it's so borderline for me that a place like this is subject to change were I to ponder it some more. I'm fairly reasonable so nothing which may have been a negative for me was enough to sway me from giving anything lower than a 4/5.

Jose H.

We came gere for our anniversary and let me say .....the staff was amazing! Jose our server made sure we had the best experience ever, definitely going to be in our book as a night to remember! The food was amazing and perfect! And the vibe was just romantic, definitely what we were looking for!

Kyle W.

First impressions gave a strange vibe to this place. The front half of the restaurant was completely empty and then the hostess came to seat us at the back half of the restaurant where it is all bustling. We got a slightly light dinner, sharing some crab cakes, surf and turf with NY strip steak and shadow shrimp, creole jalapeño shrimp, and bocaditos. The food here is fairly solid for the price. We were started with potato soup that's really creamy and a bit on the heavier side for the amuse bouche. Crab cakes were satisfying, though I wished there were more crab meat and less filling. But that is not to say it is not delicious. I guess you get what you paid for. The NY strip steak is fairly flavorful and tender. The shadow shrimp has a good seasoning and I'd recommend it over the creole jalapeño shrimp since the creole jalapeño shrimp just has the flavor but not the spiciness associated to jalapeños. I love the house salad that came with this dish. Bocaditos is something you should not sleep on. It is one of the better quesadilla type of dish I have tried, though just a bit on the heavier side. Service is good as water refills were consistent and the server checks up on us and clears plates accordingly. Even though kitchen was closed for 15 minutes, the server apologized for not letting us know and reopened the kitchen to cook some more food when we got a last call extra few dishes for some of us that were not full. Overall, this is a solid seafood/steak restaurant with fair prices, though it can be quite a journey by transit since it is a bit further out of the city.

Reyna V.

Food is AMAZING!! Ambience is on point with the mood for any occasion. Service is great! Waitress is always very professional. Coming back 100 times more definitely!