Allwell — Review by Eater
Chicago, United States — Contemporary Fine Dining
Allwell is an exciting new Chicago restaurant offering a five-course tasting menu that brings back the approachable fine dining concept. Led by chefs transitioning from the acclaimed restaurant Oriole, the restaurant successfully balances refinement with casualness, featuring technique-driven dishes like foie gras mousse, smoked trout tart, sun choke beignets, and a memorable stuffed quail course. The restaurant caters to both fine diners and casual guests via its bar menu, making elevated cuisine accessible without pretension.
What was great: Refined five-course tasting menu with refined technique, creative dishes like stuffed quail with sausage and mezoluna pasta, casual yet sophisticated atmosphere, approachable pricing for fine dining, bar menu with short rib sandwich alternative to burgers
What could improve: Nothing mentioned
The Dishes
Allwell's five-course menu showcases refined techniques with familiar flavors. The opening amuse features three bites served on a lazy susan: foie gras mousse on crispy waffles with rhubarb jam and fresh strawberries, smoked trout tart with sauce bearnaise, and a delicate sun choke beignet filled with truffle custard. The second course includes six pastas per person of mezoluna filled with roasted Yukon potatoes, cream cheese, and French Dilustone cheese, served family-style with smoked chicken broth and buckwheat honey butter sourdough. The standout fourth course features a choice between stuffed quail with house-made sausage or a layered vegetable terrine with endive and beurre blanc, showcasing the kitchen's commitment to technique-driven preparations even for vegetarian options. A short rib sandwich is also available on the bar menu, brined for 12 hours and roasted with steak sauce glaze, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and porridge on a sesame bun.
The Experience
The restaurant successfully balances fine dining refinement with casual, approachable energy. The dining room features both a bar side and a tasting menu side, creating flexibility for different occasions. Service is organized and polished, with dishes arriving promptly as guests are seated. The opening team was deliberately built to avoid simply replicating the experience from chef's previous restaurant, instead creating something fresh with handpicked staff members. The atmosphere reflects Chicago's casual dining culture while maintaining sophistication.
Value and Pricing
While specific pricing isn't detailed in the transcript, the philosophy behind Allwell emphasizes accessibility. The restaurant was designed so that people could come in after work at 11 or 12 at night for a bar sandwich, not requiring a special occasion to enjoy elevated cuisine. The commitment to being approachable fine dining rather than exclusive or award-focused makes it reasonable value for a five-course tasting menu.
Notable Moments
There used to be so many of these restaurants 10, 20 years ago that you can come in and get a five course prefix and I feel like that's just kind of lost. We wanted to build a place where you can just come in, it's loud.
Oriel turned 10 and I think 10 years is a good time to kind of recalibrate. I felt like it's only the right thing for him to get a shot at having his name out there.
The chef also shared his creative problem-solving when needing to produce 75-80 sun choke beignets nightly, inventing a device by tying three ladles together to increase efficiency by 300 percent.
The Verdict
Allwell successfully revives the approachable fine dining concept, proving that elevated cuisine doesn't require pretension or special occasions. Chef Noah Sandival and his carefully assembled team have created a restaurant that honors technique-driven cooking while maintaining genuine warmth and accessibility. This restaurant is ideal for diners seeking refined food in a casual setting, whether they're planning a full five-course experience or grabbing a sophisticated sandwich at the bar after work.