Roister

Great spot for Sunday brunch.
Highly recommend the mushroom toast and chicken and waffles.

Service was very good. Open kitchen layout so I’ll likely book seats at the chef’s counter next time to watch the preparation.

The food speaks for itself. Truly wonderful meal prepared by real professionals. The flavors in each dish were unique and exciting. Atmosphere at the hearth is warm and fun. Wait staff were kind and comforting. I’d definitely go back

I was highly recommended Roister. With my tight travel schedule I came here for Sunday Brunch before going to the airport. It was better than expected. This sealed my trip.

If you know and understand culinary culture and want a kitchen that has a high standard for each item on the menu, this is the place where quality and flavor come first.

I will return for dinner on my next visit to Chicago.

My pictures attached to this post is what we ordered.

We had an awesome time here! We came to celebrate a birthday for a party of 4. We each ordered a Roister chicken (there were 4 of us) and we got a roasted duck for 4 to share between the 4 of us. Lastly, we got the Basque cheesecake and chocolate cookie dough ice cream as desserts to split.

The roasted duck came first (almost like an appetizer for us) and it was presented beautifully. The duck breast was presented like a carpaccio, the meat was very thinly sliced. It came with their version of sides you would normally get with a Peking duck: the pickled cucumbers, scallion pancakes, and the two sauces. The scallion pancakes were thin and not oily (which is hard to do right, so kudos); I thought it was a very unique way of replacing the classic “Bao” that would be served with peking duck.

If it was just this that was presented with the peking duck, I’d have been completely satisfied. What really took this further was the duck thigh and peanut fried rice side dish. As soon as I took a bite, my mouth felt like it was dancing from all the msg in the fried rice. It was really good, really savory; but it was almost too much flavor. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but this was one of the very rare occasions where this was too much msg.

Now, the main star of the show for me was the fried chicken. It came as two heavily fried thigh pieces and a chicken breast, pre-sliced with skin. It was served with gravy and a hot sauce.

The fried chicken was decadent - the thighs had an extremely thick and well seasoned fried batter around it. It was very flakey, but hard to decipher what was chicken within the thigh pieces. The first few bites were, again, so flavorful, but as the meal went on, you realized how heavy the meal sits with you. I couldn’t justify eating all of the breading, and by the end of it, I was looking for more of the chicken pieces and removing some of the breading. Despite that, this was probably some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had.

Also, I need to shoutout the gravy that came with the fried chicken - it was perfectly balanced, tangy, addicting, and so smooth. It was so easy and tasty to douse the chicken in the gravy.

Last but not least, the desserts were fresh, unique, and tasty. The Basque cheesecake was my favorite among the two, but I liked the chip cookie that came with the second dessert. I didn’t care too much for the ice cream it came with, as it was too plain.

Overall this entire meal is a flavor-bomb. I would come back just for the fried chicken.

Took my wife here for an anniversary. The staff was over the top accommodating and the food, without saying some of the top notch I have ever had. The atmosphere and setting were amazing. 10/10 recommend. I will be going back!

The Bunuelo appetizer might be my all time favourite app. They did a special thing with their chicken - never would I thought to prefer the fried chicken over the grilled chicken. Their sauces were also great. Finally, the cheesecake was interesting. it didn't have a hard crust on the bottom. Normally, I like my desserts to have three textures. But this one seemed to work. The thickness was worthy of Chicago.

Where to even start. I went there for brunch one day and ended up going for dinner the following day. I loved the food. Very well put together dishes and lots of flavor. Their fried bread with aged cheddar rillettes are a must, as well as their truffle cinnamon bun (mind-blowing flavors). The mussels were amazing, you should definitely get them (realistically just get everything on the menu, the food really is that good). The service was amazing 10/10. I can’t wait to be back in Chicago

We ended up at Roister last weekend completely by chance, and I'm so glad we did! My parents were in town visiting and we had been to several great restaurants, but this was the highlight for me! The atmosphere is great. It's a smaller space, but it feels cozy and not overcrowded, the music is energetic but not too loud, and I loved seeing the open kitchen. The food ... I can't even choose a favorite item. The duck wings, pork skewer, fried chicken, and the roast duck were so good! We also had a pasta that was very good but I can't recall which one. The service was wonderful as well! I will definitely be back soon!

Although they have a limited menu, this place is AMAZING. From the Mediterranean Sea bass that was perfect cooked & amazing flavor to then huge asparagus as an appetizer. It was perfect. The Roister chicken was so filling fantastic with the homemade sauces on the side. The flavors of all the dishes were so perfect as well as the on point staff that accommodated us. You can’t knock it till you try it. I will definitely be back again.

Absolutely delicious and unique food, I brought my boyfriend and girlfriend here and they both loved the food and atmosphere. Service was professional yet still fun and you could tell the kitchen was enjoying themselves.

We started with the Aged Cheddar Rillettes which were to die for, the sauce was well made without the truffle being overpowering. We also shared a Pear salad which had the thinnest yet juiciest slices of pear I have ever seen.

For Entrees, I got a Blue Crab Cavatelli dish which looked great and didn't skimp on any ingredients, it was perfectly balanced and I definitely got what I paid for. My girlfriend got the fried chicken which looked like it had come out of the museum of modern art. Last my boyfriend got the Pappardelle which was cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of spice.

I would also heavily suggest trying one of Roister's unique cocktails as opposed to a glass of wine as they bring together interesting flavors and are absolutely worth their price.

I will be coming back in the future and can't wait to try more unique future menus.

Very very good restaurant (obvious statement, I know).

The duck and crispy chicken were outstanding. The oysters were PHENOMENAL; a perfect shooter, with great flavors. The burrata with tomatoes was fresh and delicious, and lastly, the cauliflower was so interesting and cheesy and fun. All in all, I’d recommend it!!

From the very first moment, you know you’re in for a special dining experience. The setting is lovely, the staff, attentive and the food, phenomenal. You would expect nothing less from the Chef of the award winning Alinea. I began with the refreshing Roister and Tonic and moved to the the Bunuelo, a doughy bite of heaven. I enjoyed their rich, creamy Caesar salad, oysters and the spicy pork belly skewers. For the large plate, you must try the Roister chicken served two ways, crispy fried, and succulently roasted and the grilled sea bass with puréed eggplant and cauliflower topped with edible marigolds. Wow! There was a little room left, so the creamy homemade coconut sorbet with smoked pineapple, tamarind and molasses was the perfect finish. I can’t wait to return to try more dishes or perhaps their amazing tasting menu. It was a truly satisfying meal!

Truly had a wonderful dining experience. Started off with the Aged Cheddar Rillettes and it was delicious - the fry bread was very soft and flavourful and the truffled cauliflower cheddar dip complimented it nicely.

Ordered the Roasted Duck, Salmon and Roister Chicken as the mains. The duck was well seasoned and came with scallion pancakes to rap the meat. It was also accompanied with fried rice which was wonderful. The Salmon was extremely juicy and tender - probably the best cooked salmon I’ve had in a restaurant. The Roister Chicken is famous at this restaurant and it lived up to the hype - fried to perfection and flavoured very well. I did, however, enjoy the other dishes more.

For desserts, we ordered the Cookies and Milk and it was good, but the milk ice cream was too sweat and sticky for my liking.

What an amazing gem located in the fulton market neighborhood! We chose to go with the tasting menu, which was fantastic!

Some of the dishes were just alright (tomatoes, lions mane mole, pork belly, apricot), but the fried chicken with caviar was amazing, crisp yet tender and juicy paired with salty pearls of caviar. The duck was solid and very filling. The scallop however was pretty mindblowing - just on scallop but it paired so well with the melon and cauliflower puree.

The desserts were also exceptional, the coconut sorbet was so smooth and the tamarind provided a nice balance to the sweetness. The roasted banana and pecan was also amazing, the banana has a sugar crust like crème brûlée and the pecan ice cream is perfection.

Lovely! The tomato salad with mint and dried time was perfect l, the rillettes were like a creamy soft butter on fry bread. Fried chicken came with house made hot sauce and gravy. Our favorite was the mashed potatoes-soft, buttery and packed w flavor. Service and drinks were top!

This has been one of my favorite meals I’ve had in Chicago! Great for a nice dinner for someone who likes their food to still look like food rather than art, nice and not too trendy atmosphere, and very attentive staff. Our server, Sydney, had the best recommendations! El valiente cocktail, cheddar rillettes, hamachi collar, the duck, and the banana dessert

I was pretty blown away by my meal at Roister. Just fantastic from start to finish.

Seated a bit late, a shame since we showed up a bit early for our reservation, but that's on us. Staff were super friendly while we waited and we reserved seats at the counter which were well worth it. The view of the cooking is so much fun.

The potato skins were good. Not mind blowing, but good. The chicken though was out of this world. Use the gravy on the crispy and the hot sauce on both fried and grilled. Some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. You won't regret it.

We also ordered the root beer spiced short rib and that was heaven. So interesting and different. The vanilla potato puree was fascinating and I would eat a bowl of the stuff.

I did the basque cheesecake. Wife went with cookies and milk. Both delicious. The Guns and Roses themed drink was really good too. It's been over a week and I'm still dreaming about this meal.

we had a phenomenal Chef's Counter experience! The casual environment & upscale tasting menu is the perfect combination. Every course was unique and incredibly well thought out. I loved seeing the kitchen put out plate after excellent plate. You can tell they care about the quality of food both in presentation and taste. Can't wait to come back for brunch!!

Heavenly food, executed and plated to perfection. The Hamachi Collar is insanely good, as is the fried chicken and pork ragu. Vibe is dapper and hip. Bet the other dishes were masterfully executed as well.

These are few pics from 3 visits I’ve made for dinner at Roister. Legit love this place and the staff!! Hospitality is outstanding and if you ever get the chance to meet Thomas, manager, you’ll love him as much as I do! You can never go wrong with anything you order at Roister. The wine selection is outstanding and I always recommend the chef’s counter top. Love viewing how they execute service. If you’ve never been I highly recommend Roister to be your next restaurant visit in the west loop.