Indienne is Among Chicago’s Best Michelin Meals
A strong menu boasting beautifully complex flavors at an approachable price makes this spot a must-visit.
Indienne resides in heavily-trafficked River North, just a short walk from the Chicago Brown line station. Some fine dining spots can be a little shy with their facades – Indienne is not one of these, with a big green sign on display out front to let you know that you’re in the right place.
The restaurant sits in a converted warehouse space, with the high ceilings, exposed beams, and brick walls emblematic of the neighborhood. Its design leans minimal, but not overly so – it’s clean and open, laden with backdrops of green verdure and blush-colored booths. Tables draped in white linen dot the room like lilypads. There’s no chef’s counter here, because the bar is reserved for their a la carte menu. I got a table to myself right by a window. The restaurant sits on the first floor and only overlooks Huron street, so don’t stress if you aren’t seated with a view – there isn’t much to see.
Overall, the atmosphere and interior lie on the weaker end of the Chicago fine dining spots I’ve visited. If you’re looking for peak ambiance, I’d point you to Ever or Oriole.
Where Indienne punches above its weight class is the food itself. This spot has cemented itself as one of my favorites in Chicago, and I would gladly return to try another one of their tasting menus in a heartbeat.
Service
A chair pulled out, a colorful scarf offered for my bare shoulders after my coat was whisked away, and a complimentary chai between dinner and dessert (after I waffled on ordering it for ten minutes) – everyone at Indienne was warm and personable, in typical Michelin service fashion. The general atmosphere was very relaxed – like most Chicago fine dining, you can get away with wearing jeans here. If I had to nitpick anything, the wait time between courses seemed a bit long – but I was dining solo, and this restaurant balances four different dietary tasting menus. It wasn’t long to the point of being obtrusive, and probably would have been perfectly paced for a couple or group.
Food
What I loved most about Indienne was that it knew when to reinvent a familiar dish and when to simply perfect it. Some courses were so eccentric, they barely resembled their original form at all – the pani puri needed to be explained to me before I understood what the piece of abstract art in front of me was referencing. Meanwhile, the dal makhani is just that, and it tasted absolutely beautiful.
The opening courses were the most eclectic of the evening. The aforementioned pani puri is made with a passionfruit purée nestled in a buckwheat shell, and is almost too beautiful to put in your mouth. The dhokla is a savory white chocolate that through some type of sorcery has been transformed into a uniquely dry and spongey texture that just crumbles apart in your mouth. The yogurt chaat takes the abstract art concept and sprints off with it. You’re presented with a pyramid of frozen yogurt shards dotted with playful splashes of color that you have to break open to access the spicy chaat underneath. It’s crispy, hot from the spice and cold from the frozen yogurt, with flavors that continue to evolve as you eat.
The meat courses are less eccentric, but are just as, if not more delicious. Every fine dining restaurant does a scallop dish, but Indienne does it best. They did it so well that it stands as my favorite bite I’ve had at a Michelin restaurant, ever. It’s buttery and warm, and the caviar garnish actually serves as a beautiful complement to the main protein without being thrown on as a bougie accent. I’m in the minority of thinking the supplemental lobster ghee course that follows after can be skipped. It is good, but the scallop outshined it, making the two courses back-to-back feel repetitive.
The lamb kebab was simple, spicy, and just disintegrated in my mouth. It’s paired with two straightforward chutneys – tamarind and avocado. The chicken is done three ways (pureed, pâtéed, and ground) and pressed into a silicone mold, but it’s served alongside a bowl of warm dal.
Everything, from the eclectic to the straightforward, tasted phenomenal. The flavors evolved throughout the individual dishes and the meal itself, with each dish carrying a distinct identity. I think that was central to what made this spot so memorable to me – you couldn’t pin down a specific flavor at any one point. Every bite was complex, robust, and beautifully harmonious. It truly felt like a love letter to South Asian cuisine and what makes it beautiful.
Often in fine dining there are great courses, and ones that miss the mark. Indienne was consistently strong throughout. The food was exceptional for a 1-star meal, especially considering they balance four separate dietary menus and offer substitutions across meals. I actually want to go back and try the vegetarian and vegan menus…if I can’t resist just grabbing the omnivore menu again.
Final Thoughts
I’d strongly recommend Indienne to just about anyone, but especially those who have never experienced fine dining before and aren’t spoiled by the bells and whistles that 2- and 3- star spots provide. Another pull is its value – at $139, it’s simply one of the most affordable Michelin-rated tasting menus in the city. The final and most important reason is quality – this is simply an incredible meal. The food is exceptional, a beautiful portrait of the breadth and complexity behind Indian cuisine. Go try any of their menus, and I promise you won’t leave disappointed.
Rating: 9.6
You can also find me @ayahokay on Instagram, Tiktok, and Beli.
Visited on October 15th, 2025.
Full Meal
Dhokla
I did a double-take when the waiter told me this was made of white chocolate. I’ve never had a dry sponge texture like this before. It’s perfectly spiced and beautiful to look at. A wonderful bite with heat that lingers in the back of your mouth.
Pani Puri
I loved how the flavor evolved as I chewed from sweet and tart to spicy and warm.
Avocado Bhel
The only disappointing dish of the night. The texture wasn’t pleasant, and all it tasted of was avocado and tamarind.
Yogurt Chaat
Crispy and creamy. Cold that blooms into warmth. Absolutely beautiful to look at and even more delicious. A texture dream.
Scallop Cafreal
The scallop was buttery, warm, and perfectly cooked. Caviar often just feels like it’s thrown on to elevate a dish — this was not the case here. It was a beautiful complement, and probably the most harmoniously I’ve seen it incorporated into a seafood dish. The squid “noodles” underneath the scallop are clean, bouncy, and citrusy. It bears repeating that this is one of the best bites I’ve ever had in fine dining.
Lobster Ghee Roast
Buttery, robust, spicy, and warm — the lobster is very well done. But for the extra $30 and immediately following the scallop and squid, it underwhelmed me slightly. But the mango and yogurt garnishes really add a lot. I’m in the minority opinion surrounding this dish, so if it’s calling to you, by all means — give it a shot.
Lamb Kebab
The kebab just disintegrates in your mouth. The tamarind and avocado chutneys are both delicious. Once again, the flavors continuously evolve as you eat. The fatty lamb rib makes this the richest dish of the night. In my opinion, the kebab was more impressive than the rib. I liked the jicama with the rib and the chutneys with the kebab. This is a very dry dish, but not necessarily in a bad way. It’s just different.
Chicken Makhni
So creative and inventive, with a gorgeous presentation. It’s so much food. They do free refills on the naan, but I’m getting too full to take advantage of that, though part of me wants to mop up every bit of that sauce. The chicken is simply phenomenal, made three different ways, layered into a silicone mold and pressed together. I can’t really taste the garlic on the naan.
Bal Mithai
This is the best dessert I’ve had at a Michelin meal, full stop. I might dream about this forever. If you haven’t had bal mithai before, it’s like condensed milk on steroids, and this dish dials it up to 11. The ice cream is delicate and fluffy. The orange crisp adds such a beautiful contrast. The dish is decadent without feeling heavy. I wish I could order this a la carte.
Masala Chai
For posterity. Look at the beautiful china :)
Treats
The bonbon was a fun final bite with actual liquid coffee inside (so be sure to eat it in one). The other two were tasty, but standard. If there’s any place to put gold leaf without risking it looking kitschy, it’s on a little bite like this.
The photography on this is outstanding!