Looks like Troquet is closed forever. R.I.P Are you ever coming back? Was sad to see the restaurant close out of nowhere without any notice that I was aware of. Came here several times for either a quick drink or some delicious dinner! Food has always been great. I have had several items on the menu and have always been satisfied. I also enjoy the rotating specials and the newer items that were recently added to the menu before they closed were really tasty. I most recently had the chicken, which is served with broccoli rabe a caramelized onion and sherry purée. The chicken was nice and tender the broccoli was cooked well and the purée was wonderful! I have always found the servers to be friendly and prompt. It does get a bit slow when the place is slammed, but my wait has never been unreasonable, as other reviewers had mentioned. Prices are very reasonable and the portions are a good size. I really open they re-open. I live close and this was a favorite neighborhood spot!
Kevin C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Chicago, IL
A Plan B for the first stop of the evening. I walked past earlier and saw that they had a few bar seats open so there we went. Looking for a few beers and maybe an app to wet the pallet. The beer menu had a few choice items. The Half Ace I was looking to enjoy was tapped out. Other selections weren’t very appealing and prices seemed to be upped by a dollar in comparison many other establishments. C’est la vie. I decided to switch to a cocktail for a couple bucks more for the Sazerac which went down smoothly. That’s when I noticed the lack of service. The sweaty bar tender had a difficult time engaging us, keeping drinks in front of us, and just seemed to lack personality or wasn’t thrilled to be there. Threw me off a little bit. The charcuterie plate was a good pairing with drinks. Ran out of bread which was an extra dollar… why not bring enough out to finish the food on the plate? I wasn’t exactly impressed with the experience based on the limited exposure. I am sure it’s a great neighborhood bar if you come frequently and the side patio is probably awesome. Just not a place for me when visiting my old neighborhood.
Heather D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Culver City, CA
I’ve been pleased with my experience every time I’ve visited here. I’ve only ever been here for lunch and most recently my bf and I ordered their pork belly,(which is good, a little too salty/rich, but the parmesan polenta is AMAZING) never ending mussels special(YUM), a bottle of their pinot noir, and their chocolate nutella mousse for dessert.(Must try! It tastes like a hazelnut frosty!) Final Verdict All and all good service, casual atmosphere, decent food, a little pricey — especially for lunch, but worth a stop!
Jenny S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Chicago, IL
Yep, the reviews on Unilocal were pretty spot on. Came across this restaurant because our first choice was closed. I ordered the mushroom soup and quite frankly wasn’t fond of my soup. I’ve had better tasting soups. It was a bit sour, probably over powered from the wine they used. My boyfriend ordered the charcuterie plate, upon receiving the pâté’s; they were almost identical tasting. We brought it up to our waitress whom had zero knowledge of the food, asked her to ask the chef if the two different items were supposed to taste exactly the same. They looked and tasted identical. She simply walked back to the kitchen and from our table I could see her walk in and not ask the chef, Overall, an OK experience. Will not be back.
Carolyn L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Los Angeles, CA
Stepping into Troquet in January on one of the coldest days of the year was such a great way to warm up and pretend I was back in Paris. My 2 friends and I needed some sustenance after helping our friend move into her new place. So we first went for the Poutine with the shredded duck confit. French fries, gravy, duck, sold! It was delicious. We also ordered a plate of charcuterie to split between the 3 of us. I love me some rillettes, some smoothable meat, so that was excellent. And finally we had the arugula salad: Arugula, shaved roast beef, green beans, bleu cheese, pickled shallots, sherry vinaigrette. Everything was delectable and the place was so unpretentious and inviting. I’d definitely love to go back and check out more of the food, including the flourless chocolate cake which I saw being made. I wanted to just drink the batter. So good!
Red B.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Chicago, IL
Used to be a favorite spot… not so much anymore. I keep giving it another try, three times over the last year to be exact. Each time I leave more disappointed than the last. I used to love the Croque and fries with the horseradish aoli… the other night it was as if the one I got had been re-heated and sent out again. Not acceptable. I wish I could say that the new staff over the last year has been able to maintain the quality I came to expect with Troquet. Now, when I go in, the staff barely make eye contact and cannot make conversation ATALL. It should be noted that Stephanie, the manager is the exception to the previous statement-she’s wonderful. I like to sit a the bar for many reasons, one of which is quick and timely service. Here, it appears the barman is blind to what is going on in front of him. With a bar that seats about ten people, a bartender should be able to clear dirty plates, attend to empty water glasses, offer another round while also pulling server tickets. Not sure what the issue is here, as I am a bartender in a restaurant with double the number of bar stools and tables. I see that many other reviewers have posted similar comments about the staff, there doesn’t seem to be any change. Sad to see what was such a great spot become just another place on the block.
Tricia D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
Each time I think about this restaurant, I debate myself over whether to call it tro-kay or tro-quette. Regardless, oh my, was I content and full after this Restaurant Week meal! While our table was sad that they ran out of one of the appetizers offered on the RW meal, we quickly got over it after a few sips of our(strong) cocktails. Yum. The seafood chowder was comforting and a great start to the meal(after the cocktails: o]). I wholeheartedly hope that that amazing beef bourguignon is regularly on the menu because it was off the hook! Tender, flavorful, and filling, it was everything Julia Child would want it to be and more. My third course was a chocolate cake. ‘Nuff said. I will be back!
Steve s.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Chicago, IL
Beautiful restaurant, but horrible experience. Went during restaurant week for lunch. We were one of only two tables in the whole place. Our apps and main course were great — but deserts took over 40 minutes. After asking the manager about it, he(along with the other staff) disappeared to the back. After putting our coats on and standing by the door, a busboy finally came out with our deserts in a torn Jewel Ossco bag. Wont go back.
Heather P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
Service, ambiance, sophisticated yet simple fare! Love the cute, quaint, neighborhood feel. Love even more that this isn’t typical bar food. The menu and environment doesn’t seem at all pretentious. Staff was very knowledgeable and eager to share information related to the menu and daily specials. The menu isn’t large and seems to be ever changing. I had a few tasty drinks and the charchuterie plate. I was obsessed with every single delicious morsel on the plate. I couldn’t tell you what it was I ate, but I can tell you I wanted more of it. I’m so looking forward to checking out the Tuesday poutine special!
Rachel H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
Affordable French food is enough to get my motor running. An affordable French place that has something my veg. companion can order is even better. The space is small and unpretentious. We went at a strange(read, grannyish) hour because we’d been out and about all day and were just ravenous, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and eat dinner at 5:45 because whatever. This is relevant because when we showed up it was pretty empty, but I could see how a smaller space like this would fill up at a time when normal humans might want to eat dinner. Monday has a burger and beer special as well as coq au vin which was my choice for the evening. I thought it was great and ate every bit of it. The chicken was very moist. My companion went for the veggie croque madame and was impressed as well. The service was friendly, though a little pokey which seems to be a common observation and while it wasn’t an issue for us because of the early hour, I could see how it might be annoying when they are busier. Cocktails were interesting but I thought they were a little heavy on the ice. I think I’d go with wine on my next visit. I’m sure I’ll stop in again for another of their specials.
Lovesmyanimals l.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Saint Louis, MO
One star is being nice… I just ate here moments ago and writing this review while all fresh in my mind… 1) Freezing cold restaurant. All the diners were wearing their coats 2) wait staff lounging on the kitchen counter 3) walk by the kitchen you can smell the rancid poo coming from the bathrooms next door. 4) sitting at our table you can start to smell the rancid smells coming from the bathroom 5) mold on the walls between the men’s and women’s bathroom. You can see the water damage. 6) when I ask for a mint tea don’t bring me green 7) when I ask for my meat well done don’t bring me medium then take it back to the chef to cook more, and to overhear the chef saying she did not know that the steak was to be cooked fully 8) I ordered steak frites. Both the steak and frites cold 9) when ordering a steak a steak knife would help not a butter knife. The fact I had to ask my lovely waitress who was hanging over the counter not paying attention then the service, fail. This is a I’ll never be back and a warning to you to not stop and keep going.
Tim S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
This little bistro has made it into the regular rotation. Good food, fair prices, hit them up for one of their specials during the week.
Sarah S.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Glendale Heights, IL
You could probably go to France and get better service. I’d like to note this review is based solely on the service we received from the staff. We decided not to stay for dinner because of the experience we had. We decided to try Troquet for a friend’s birthday and tried to call the day before for a reservation for a max of 10 people. Unfortunately they do not take reservations but the waiter told us that in his 10 years of working there he’s never seen a large party wait more than 15 – 20 minutes. Saturday night we arrived with a group of seven around 8:00. Two of our party went inside to get our name on the list for a table. Their bartender/hostess told them the wait was no more than 10 minutes and offered us a drink at the bar. At this point some of us decided to join our group inside for a drink while two others waited outside. The next half hour was spent waiting at the bar sipping a drink. Some friends ordered the Pumpkin Martini which was very good, I opted for the French 75 which was bubbly and refreshing. And though the drinks were great, we were hungry and curious as to what was taking so long. We noticed a large group, about our size, starting to get their coats on and head out. Meanwhile, another group our size walked in and was seated five minutes later at the large table. We asked a server why we still hadn’t been seated and were abruptly told they were there before us. When two members of the group said they watched the entire group walk in, he had nothing to say. The hostess came by and apologized, saying she forgot to put our name on the seating list. She offered no solution to the problem and went about her business. We flagged down the waiter once again and explained that the wait staff forgot to put us on the list and that he needed to seat us before the other group. He was very rude, almost pompous, and made us feel like we weren’t wanted there. He said something about the manager having already talked to us as if we shouldn’t have been complaining. When we explained we were never approached by the manager, he asked if we wanted to speak to her. It was at this point the birthday girl said no, that we were leaving, and the waiter was more than okay with that it seemed. So beware, the service here is terrible and the wait staff are unorganized! We won’t be coming back to this French disaster.
Mary M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
Poutine and rose wine on a rainy afternoon! The boyfriend and I both really liked this place — it reminds us of something we’d seek out while on vacation. It was comfortable, airy, and had a great menu that was mostly French stuff, but also had a burger up in there for picky eaters. Salads, charcuterie plates, cheese pairings, interesting beers as well as wines — Troquet is a nice treat for your day off!
Cass Q.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Albany Park, Chicago, IL
So far I have been to this place twice and I really love it. And I’m very surprised to find its below 4 rating on Unilocal. The servers are very nice and I like the atmosphere they create in the restaurant. For the food, i love the fries and horseradish dipping that comes with it. Sandwiches are good too. I also had the traditional mussels. All you can eat mussels on Wednesday is a very good deal. And their teas are from Julius Melnl, another place of my fav.
Chris M.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Northbrook, IL
Oui Oui I gained 5 lbs last night!!! Hoooray!!! A couple of my friends and I were headed to Glen’s Diner when all of the sudden…“Croque Sandwich & beer” special caught our eyes and we had to do it. I’m not very familiar with French food or any of these Croques or Frites… SO why not!!! I am, however, familiar with muscles, and we got the muscles w/cream and bacon(Lardon) AND Frites. The muscles were… eh, just ok. Not a lot of meat or texture to most of the ones I attempted to eat. They were fairly stringy, not very memorable even with the cream and bacon. But the Frites w/the cream sauce on the side were MONEY, CASH $$$. I like the fries here, they are fresh cut and they definitely leave them in the fryer long enough to become perfectly crispy! I had a Croque Madame with Bacon that was heavenly!!! But, how much of that was attributed to the fact that this bad momma packs some serious calories!!! Indubitably!!! Ham, bacon, an egg with bread and melted cheese all over it!!! How can you not like this? I also like to factor in the question.“Could I make this at home?” I don’t have a salamander or a broiler to be able to melt the top of the Croque, but if I did, I feel this sammie would be fairly easy to make myself if I bought the ingredients myself. However, I will say that Troquet’s ingredients tasted very fresh, minus the muscles which I felt could have been better. Overall, a good experience here. I love the location, we sat outside which was nice. Service was great but it wasn’t all that busy until we were leaving. The beer selection is short but pretty sweet. I had a Begyle Saison to wash my sandwich down and it was a winning combo. I would come back again, especially when they are offering the $ 12 sandwich and beer special!!!
Katie O.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Chicago, IL
I want to love Troquet. It’s a stone’s throw away(location, location, location!) and has the most adorable patio. However, the food has always been meh at best. I have always had an overly greasy croquet and well done omelets. I actually like that they offer a smaller menu, but that raises the bar to get those few items done right. Which Troquet does not. The drinks have always been stellar. I personally love the local brews– especially Begyle! My biggest irk with Troquet is the inconsistency with the overall restaurant. Some nights it acts like a sports bar with a game on, other days huge black squares hang from the wall. This prompted me to ask on a recent visit, «hey how about those sox on tv?» to get a response«we don’t turn on the televisions» Um, not true but chalk that up in the inconsistent column. Also, I have noticed some days in the week Troquet is locked down at 10pm. Again, I’m probably the closest neighbor so you notice these things. Go for a drink on the patio. It is the best part of Troquet!
Matt G.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Chicago, IL
Ahhhh, LM… you left my neighborhood and left me with Troquet. It still doesn’t measure up. I was walking by on Wednesday to see the«All you can eat mussels» for lunch for $ 12. How can you pass that up? So I was really hoping for a great bowl of mussels and fries to begin the dining experience, but candidly, they were just somewhat bland and the wine/shallot broth was uninspiring. No tangy shalloty wine bite, just nothing. I soldiered on… by the third bowl(it was pure torture), the mussels had a little more taste to them, which leads me to believe the chef might have spooned my first batch off the top. I really hoped to dip some toast points in the broth, but was not offered. Seems like a simple miss there. I’d just rate this lunch«OK» as I have come to expect a little more from the LM family of restaurants. Would I do it again… have to ponder that one for a bit.
Mer P.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Chicago, IL
I’m only reviewing the service, as I didn’t have a chance to experience any of the cuisine. Being on a largely paleo diet, I was pretty excited to go to this neighborhood spot and make it my summer hangout(duck confit, fries and salad!!! yes!!). So, last night on the first balmy evening my husband and I did just that around 8pm. We were pleasantly seated outside and had waters poured by a super polite guy, each handed a food menu and two drink menus… then we were never served again. It was a nice night, so we were content to wait a bit while the earlier dinner crowd was starting to close out their checks(only one table was sat inside). After about 20 minutes of sitting with only water we waived to a server who nodded from inside… but then never came over. Finally after over half an hour of basically just using their chairs we just got up and went home to have our own drinks on our porch. We got up slowly thinking that maybe someone would rush over; nope. I find that unacceptable service. I also find myself totally confused as to why they didn’t want my money. hmmmm.
Melanie S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Chicago, IL
Above-average food, almost non-existent service. My best mommy and I came here Monday evening to sit outside, enjoy a cocktail, and nibble on some French fare. We scored a table outside and each started with glasses of kir royale. So far so good. Our server came back and took our orders, never mentioning any of the specials. Mom ordered the croque vegetarien and I settled on the croque monsieur. After we ordered our food we literally never saw our original waitress again(although we could see her taking care of other tables inside). Our food was brought out by a food runner/busboy. The sandwiches were quite good and served with crispy, salty frites. Mom’s sandwich was carmelized onions, spinach, and brie, and it was all melty and gooey. I enjoyed my croque monsieur but I have definitely had better. The frites were the real star of the show. The busboy came back and wrapped up our food as we were finishing our cocktails. A different waitress came by and asked if we were ready for our check. No offer of dessert, another cocktail, or anything else was made. I guess the servers switched sections but it just felt like we were passed off and hurried along. I’ll likely come back because I did like the food and it certainly was reasonably priced, but how ’bout a little more finesse in the service, huh, Troquet?