Schwa

The presentation is great and that’s about it. The food looked far better than it tasted, not a single course was memorable. The ambiance is non existent and the music is so loud I couldn’t hear the waiter or the person across the table from me.

Schwa had been on my to go list for a while and it did not disappoint. Each course was well presented and tasted fantastic. The interior is small but has a nice intimate feeling, dimly lit and with art that makes you feel underwater. Highly recommend a trip, make sure to check regularly for openings as reservations fill up quickly!

Enlightening dinning experience! The Staff is dope and being served by the chefs was cathartic. BYOB will forever be my favorite way to do a tasting menu. It was such a great break from the norm. Food was unique and felt like art on a plate. More like street wear got turned into a Michelin dish. Fan-freakin-tastic As a customer I always want to feel as apart of the place I'm eating at as possible. I want to feel served, I want to feel the passion, and when I go to a place like Schwa I never want to question whether or not I enjoyed my time. I want to be on the car ride after eating picking apart each dish, each flavor, the presentation, the atmosphere, just because of how fantastic the experience was. Schwa was this but also left me inspired to create and be my best self. Which was a unique feeling I have never gotten from a dinner.

All food snobs should dine once at Schwa, because notions of fine dining get turned upside down the moment you approach this highly acclaimed, Michelin-starred restaurant. It is a spectacular experience—jarring at times—from beginning to end. Indeed, Chef Michael Carlson is the Jean-Michel Basquiat of haute cuisine. When you drive up to this restaurant, it looks like it is closed. No lights at all. You pull open the blackened door and walk into a tiny, dark space. Just seven tables of lucky diners in a tiny room with blacked walls. You are assaulted with overly-loud rap music. There are no waiters, just the heavily-tattooed chefs who cook your food and bring it to you in person. They serve you with wild, creative combinations of unusual foods, intense flavors, artful presentations. This restaurant offers no wine list at all. It is BYOB because at Schwa 100 percent of the emphasis is on food prepared at its highest level. The young chefs that deliver sensational course after course represent the impressive future talent pool of Chicago cuisine. Indeed, many talented chefs’ careers are launched from this creative space. You shake your head and smile. Who knew eating could be so much fun?! Lots of raw energy paired with the finest culinary ingredients. Totally irreverent and completely sublime.

My roommates and I had the pleasure of treating ourselves to Schwa and it blew our minds! I had read a lot of things about Schwa beforehand about how the restaurant had a very untraditional vibe and id seen complaints that the music was too loud, the chefs were drinking and/or smoking, etc… Makes me feel bad for those people for not appreciating how unique Schwa really is. That being said, when I walked in, I almost thought I’d been punk’d. The restaurant is one of the smallest I’ve ever seen filled with 4 spray-painted graffiti art walls and oddly nostalgic informal black dining chairs and tables. The whole restaurant can seat probably 20 in max capacity. The chefs also dress relatively informally and handle most of the serving themselves, which is unique and cool to see! I loved that the chefs came out each time and described the dishes. It definitely added to the experience. An important thing to note is that the restaurant is BYOB style. We brought 3 reds and 1 white which paired well with the experience, however hard liquor is definitely acceptable too. Also, you pay for the entire meal when you book the reservation, which is great, since you don’t have to deal with the bill after you’re 4 bottles in. The restaurant’s decor, the BYOB aspect, and the informality of the environment made it clear to me right away that the focus here is on the food. As it should be. The food itself absolutely blew my mind. I found myself licking many of the dishes clean. Each of the 11 dishes is about the size of a big bite: I recommend breaking them down into tiny pieces to fully enjoy them. There was not one dish that I didn’t utterly savor, but I thought the squab was the weakest of the bunch. Nothing against the preparation, just that the animal tastes rather dirty which is hard to overcome. My favorite dish of the whole night was the truffle raviolo… I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. We asked to have a repeat of that course but they said we’d have to make another reservation. At the end of the night, we took a shot of Jameson with the chefs! All in all, Schwa was everything I was hoping for and more. The vibe was awesome, the staff was friendly, and most importantly: the food was incredible. Highly recommend!

Our evening at Schwa was the most exciting food experience I’ve had in a long time. The chef du cuisine, sous chef, and line cook were all extremely kind and knowledgeable. Each course was remarkable and delicious, each leading gracefully into the next. Our party had some dietary restrictions which were all accommodated beautifully. My favourite bites were the gravy biscuit in the first course and the pretzel ice cream in the penultimate course. I loved my dining experience at Schwa and I hope to be back one day soon!

By far the finest meal I have ever had period. I have eaten in several Michelin star restaurants and nothing compares to my dinner last evening. The courses were amazing from start to finish. Stunning presentation, complex flavors with a whimsical flair. Never have I considered licking my plate at a fine dining establishment. While I am a little embarrassed that I literally did this at Schwa, I am amazed that I did this for every dish. Thank you Chefs for an amazing evening !! We cannot wait to come back. Scott and Heather

This was an amazing meal by a a few very talented and creative chefs. The concepts and the flavors they put together are mind blowing. And while you look at such small plates you can see their passion and enthusiasm in every dish. There is a reason they are a Michigan star restaurant and while reservations were a challenge the experience is worth every penny. You do not leave hungry

Would dine again. Best to attend in a group of 4 to 6. That way u can sample different byob. Group of 2, half bottles might work best. Challenge is beverage pairing. Brought sake, a French red, and whiskey. I would probably try different beer or wine pairings. It would probably be daring to bring your own coffee in a thermos. I don't know if the establishment provides coffee cups. Parking: Street parking

Really creative menu in an even more creative space. Love the classic hip hop vibe. My favorite dishes were the quail, wagyu, and chowder - all were rich in flavor and texture. The waffle was probably the only dish that didn't really impress. Wait staff was fun and gave us a shot of mezcal to finish off the night. Overall a great tasting menu, definitely one that I would recommend.