Scylla

I really wanted to like the meal more. The staff were nice, the wine was good, the ingredients were fresh and high quality, but everything was SOOOOOO salty.

So sad, if the rumor is true… Scylla is closing in mid-​August according to Metromix. This is/​was in my top three all-​time favorite dining destinations in all of Chicago. Never had a whole barramundi before… but everything, EVERYTHING was always great. Particularly the service upstairs in the little area near the kitchen (with only one table for two). Sweet, loved this place.

Good service, nice atmosphere. Small portions beautifully prepared. Since it is a «Mediterranean» restaurant the menu is heavy on seafood. I had the pork tenderloin for an entrée and the couscous as a side. We were a group of 4 and we ordered 3 appetizers, all of which were excellent.

Came here on a Friday night, table of 2. Service was pretty slow, and food was just okay. Almost all of the dishes we ordered were just way too rich and thick for this warmer weather so be careful what you get! I had the goat cheese app, it was just okay, I barely ate any of it. My roomie had some sort of crème brûlée type thingy as an appetizer, and she said she was not expecting it to be actual crème brûlée, but it was. For my main course, and now see it was so unspectacular I can’t even remember… but I got the fish special they were offering that evening and again this thick creamy sauce just overpowered everything else on my plate. It was simply too much. I like my fish a little lighter. If I wanted a heavy meal, I’d go to Morton’s a grab a steak and potatoes. I don’t think I’ll be back.

This was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had in Chicago. I couldn’t wait to try Scylla after reading so many great things about it, and it did not disappoint at all.
We managed to secure an early Friday night reservation even though we called the same day. When we arrived, we waited briefly at the bar and each of us – my mom, sister and I – enjoyed a different specialty cocktail from their list (all were great but I liked my sparkling one the best). Before we finished these we were ushered to our table upstairs.
Service was excellent. Our actual server was very friendly and helpful, and the rest of the service staff was very efficient without being obtrusive. Also loved the ambiance, décor, etc. Cute serving pieces (my mom loved the asymmetrical coffee mug) and nice big wine glasses.
The food was definitely the best part of the night. We had a couple of appetizers – the lump crab salad and something else that I can’t remember as it was a special. Both were very good though. Our entrees – the scallops/​ham, the trout and the lamb sirloin were all outstanding. We barely got to taste each other’s because we were so preoccupied with our own selections. I also have to praise the portion sizes. Everything was just enough to satisfy but not overwhelm. For dessert, we tried some kind of torte and a special that night, the ice cream tasting. The latter was very interesting – the flavors included things like goat cheese, olive oil, and I think whiskey (I guess I waited a little too long to write this review as I have forgotten some of the details).
Overall this was just a wonderful meal and very reasonably priced (2 apps, 3 entrees, bottle of wine, 2 desserts and a coffee and I think the tab was about $ 130) given the quality of the experience. I cannot WAIT to go back.

In a word: Amazing. Scylla was a great find, and I will most definitely be going back.
We shared an appetizer of the diver scallops which was just perfect. It was a small portion of perfectly prepared food. For a main course I had a small order of the gnocchi with clams and a tomato-​poblano wine sauce. It was wonderful experience to go to a restaurant that wasn’t just concerned with stuffing you full of food, but was interested in preparing just enough to make a wonderful experience.

Wow, this is a restaurant find in Chicago. The little, charming place on Damen near Armitage, was comfortable but had pizazz. The service was about the best ever – attentive, polite, timely, intelligent. The menu set the stage with inventive selections and combinations. They have full/​half plates of several pastas that each looked marvelous. We chose two entrees – one ws the lamb over a marvelous combination of potatoes, cauliflower and brussel sprouts with a curry sauce. While that was terrific – beautifully presented and delicious – the trout with almond streusel, asparagus and lucious bits (big ones) of crab and blueberries was an enchanting concoction that was beautiful to look at a a delight to eat. We loved the cheese at the end. The wine selections were terrific and the prices were fabulously reasonable.
We really feel awful sharing our experience because we want to go back and get a table!
And the special drinks – a ‘blueberry’ and a ‘peach – whatever’ were great ways to start the evening. Go for it.

This was one of the best meals I have had in Chicago, ever thing was incredibly well done and delicious. We started off with the octopus, and scallops both of which were excellent. The entrees were equally as fantastic and desert which my fiancé said she would have a bite of ended up with her eating almost half of it. The best part of the evening was the bill, we got a lot of excellent food, dessert, plus a bottle of wine for under $ 100. I will definitely being going to this place again!

I was a bit uncertain when we walked in b/​c there was no one on the first floor (all I kept thinking was please seat us upstairs!) which they did. and it was great — the tables are definitely close to each other but it kinda creates the intimate cozy atmosphere.
Loved it. Everything we ate was delicious. The Goat cheese app was whipped (never had it that way before) and served with beets. yum.
I had the Atlantic char– and it was so flavorful with grapefruit and pears and almost an oatmeal crunch on top– It tasted like toppings for a waffle. Very unique and not boring. sometimes when you order fish at restaurants, you already know what it is going to taste like before it comes to the table-​Not here.
One thing that surprised me was that they only had two entrees of seafood on the menu (thought it was primarily a seafood rest.) but they have added more meat dishes as of Jan 2007… It looks like it is somewhat vegetarian friendly too (pasta options and apps).
The service was great, no complaints there. I felt is was also very reasonably priced (our entrees were under $ 20) …
One thing to be aware of however is it is VERY loud in the room. SO if you are the type of person that does not like to shout or strain to hear, this place may not be for you.
So enjoy! And if you are too full for dessert as we were, they still give you chocolate biscotti on the house — which tasted like oatmeal choc. cookies. a perfect ending ;)

My most favorite restaurant in Chicago!
My boyfriend and I make this a staple… it is a great romantic dinner spot and a good place to bring guests.
If you want fresh fish done right, Scylla is THE place. I am from the East Coast and a true seafood lover. It is a struggle to find good, fresh seafood in Chicago and even more difficult to find a chef that «gets» fish… you won’t find overpowering sauces here, just innovative cuisine that brings out the true flavors of the food.
LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

Go to Scylla if you love fish and you want to feel as if a you’re trying dishes an extremely talented chef threw together on a whim. Don’t go if you want a quiet, polished meal with impeccable service.
Scylla doesn’t have the polish of Spring, the closest comparable I can think of – but with entrees I’d estimate an average of $ 5 less a plate, it’s not priced like Spring, either. The flavor profiles are also completely different: while Spring goes for Asian subtlety, Scylla attempts bigger Mediterranean punches of flavor. When it works, and it almost always does, it’s fun and pretty exciting. Service is a bit absent-​minded and sometimes seems to believe a teensy bit that it’s your honor to be there. The atmosphere is dressy-​casual, like a nice bistro rather than fine dining. That means tables are close together and you won’t be able to have I’ll-stop-the-world-and-melt-with-you moment with your honey.
That said, I genuinely enjoy Scylla and go out of my way to go back every once in a while. I love that feeling of participating in a culinary adventure led by a very young and very talented chef who’s still learning. I really enjoy the slightly rustic, off-​the-​cuff feel of the place.
I think, all in all, that it’s the feeling of spontenaeity and curiosity that I enjoy so much about Scylla. Sure, you can get more polished, more sophisticated food at many places in Chicago, but if that’s what you want, why would you be looking for it at Scylla?

This place is great for seafood lovers (and I don’t mean like red lobster)…overall, the food is creative and the waiters highly knowledgeable about wines, preparation and taste of the food. However, I thought the food replaced flavor with a bit too much salt (thankfully the wine kept my thirst factor down).
For starters, I shared soft shell crab and octopus. Creative, but I generally don’t like fried seafood… My main was the skatewing with lump crab — it was soft the way I expected, but flavor was a bit blah and would definitely recommend you order something else. The best and most creative part of the meal was their sampler of 4 homemade ice creams, which included real mint (not the fake green stuff), banana blue cheese, oatmeal raisin cookie and something I can’t remember (obviously not that memorable). The oatmeal raisin cookie tasted like Ben and Jerry’s, so, in my opinion, not worth the calories. However, the banana blue cheese was amazing — a strange combination, which amazingly goes well together. Perfect for those who don’t like ice cream excessively sweet and enjoy the rich and multiple layers of tastes and flavors.
The décor is warm and cozy — feels a bit like someone’s loft with its slanted roof on the 2^nd floor, but its décor is tasteful, clean and simple.
I would definitely consider going back, although with its prices, its up against some tough competitive in Chicago.

I went to Scylla for my birthday and can say I liked it, but wasn’t completely wowed. I liked it enough to try again, probably this summer when the front patio opens. We sat on the first floor by the bar, but the seat we had was right by the window facing Damen, so lights from the parking lot across the street would shine in (on my date — like a spotlight!). Aside from that being annoying (and even kind of funny), I liked what we had to eat: the starters included a crab ‘cheesecake’ on a sweet cracker and escargots in a puff pastry. For entrees, my salmon had carmelized apples on it which was interesting, but a little too sweet and overwhelming in my opinion. They had some interesting champagne varietals though — try the pink one!

Wednesday — prix fixe $ 34 for 3 courses. It’s still worth a visit even if you go on a non-​prix fixe day. The food was really refreshing. Lots of flavors dancing in your mouth. My favorite part of the meal was dessert. I ordered a pistachio cake in white chocolate ganache served with poached pears and black truffle ice cream. Yup, black truffle ice cream. I’ve had savory ice creams a few times and this one really made it to the head of the pack. The prices are reasonable for the portion size/​ambience/​presentation. The cons: cramped quarters.