Yesenia Carranco
The best restaurant in Chicago!! Everything taste amazing!! Had the creole jalapeño shrimp beyond flavorful!! The steak and lobster are amazing! The lobster is the best I've ever had! Must try it's a hidden gem & the service is phenomenal! Very romantic vibes! Will be returning again next time we are in chicago!
Lauren Barone
I saw this place on a random article, saying that it was a really good and romantic steakhouse. The article was correct. The ambience was dark and romantic, the service was impeccable, and the food was wonderful. Crab cake was amazing!!! The ribeye was better than the NY strip (strip was good though!). Delicious steaks. I ordered the creole shrimp too and it was perfect.
Bill Wang
Penumbra offers a cozy and romantic atmosphere that's great for special occasions or date nights. The curtained booths lend an added touch of privacy, allowing guests to focus on their company and the wonderful food. The friendly, attentive service further elevated our experience.
We were pleased with our selections, especially the Scallops, NY Strip, and Ribeye. The complimentary potato poblano soup was also a pleasant surprise with an enjoyable peppery kick. We also loved the decadent Molten Brandy Truffle (lava cake), and the gesture for our anniversary was much appreciated. We look forward to our next visit to Penumbra!
Fiona Cheuk
It was our first visit to Chicago and we'd been disappointed with every other highly recommended restaurant that we'd visited, and a few of us had digestive issues following those adventures. At that point, we didn't have high expectations for the city's food scene.
But Penumbra wowed us at every turn and we wished we could have gone every night. When we came in, the servers were attentive and welcoming. We were wowed by the cozy atmosphere and colourful decor that added a liveliness to the atmosphere. The tables were comfortably spaced apart, unlike many restaurants that focus on cramming more customers like sardines.
The food was so delicious that conversation just stopped because we were all enraptured by the taste. The complimentary potato poblano soup was flavourful and left us feeling warm and cozy with it's hint of spiciness. Both the shadow shrimp and Creole shrimp were plump and bursting with flavour. The scallops were were the perfect appetizer for our table of 5. And the ribeye steaks were cooked to perfection and not overly salted. The mashed potato sides came in a charming little heart shape and offered a nice little restart between the flavourful steak and shrimp. The vinaigrette dressing on the very fresh green salad cut through the heaviness of the meat and shrimp sauce. All of us were a bit sad when we finished our last bite of food. Penumbra is a hidden gem that everyone visiting Chicago should go to if they're in the mood for steak and seafood.
Drew Bryant
I was the best man in a wedding hosting people in Chicago for the bachelor party. I called a day before to reserve and the staff was willing to fit my party of 8 in at a table. This was fantastic because this place does get booked in advanced. The service was excellent and our waiter gave great descriptions and recommendations for food and drink. The steak was fantastic and was paired with a red wine to match. We also received a complementary potato poblano soup which I highly recommend.
Jonathan Michael
Loved everything. Everything! Not specific enough? Ok...
The scallops were buttery, with a great pineapple ceviche that broke the experience between every bite.
The ribeye and strip steak were incredible with a great churri. Also, the Poblano soup before everything was stellar!
Then the chocolate truffle... I'm done, no more spoilers. Come see it. Photo is after i couldn't contain myself
Jonathan Be
Great date spot, the front is more of a bar area, the ambiance starts when you get to the back. The dim light was a nice romantic touch. The food was fantastic. We had the seared scallops which were soft and buttery and the shrimp. It came with a nice grille char best choices for the aps, and it was cooked perfectly. The server was very attentive, and they started us with a complimentary poblano soup that was drank like an expresso our server informed us. Not to hot or spicy very nice starter. The cabrenet sauvigon was delicious 😋. My dage got a flavored mojito, which was sweet and fruity just to her liking. I ordered the flat iron steak med rare and was chareed just right and cooked perfectly topped with the all necessary chimi churry sauce. Spent $220 but we both had two drinks, 2 appetizers, wntrees and deserts. most the stuff was about $16-$18 a dish menu online.
SPICY
I almost cancel the reservation because some reviews said this place is too dark which is not true. You can adjust the table lamp brightness. $25 charge if no show on the reservation.
Overall it was great experience. Atmosphere was intimate, friendly service and excellent food and wine knowledge, food was mild flavor for us but came out perfect temperature. Perfect pan seared steak with seasoning crushed tender and juicy. Very good seafood and pasta here as well. Really good list of wine by glass and bottles. Excellent price by bottles as well.
Real bargain for us.
D MUR
This is my first visit to this elevated Latin Seafood restaurant. We started with the a complimentary potato poblano soup which was delicious. I am a seafood lover so I tried the Shadow Shrimp on garlic butter sauce, Creole Jalapeño shrimp, Scallops seared in butter and topped with a house remoulade sauce and crab cakes. The scallops were bland. The shrimp dishes were served with a delicious relish and had a savory, sweet taste profile and not drowned in sauce- definitely try them!
The house salad was fresh and filled with slices of avocado, apple and cucumber. Two people can share the house salad.
I was disappointed with the crab cake. It was greasy, mostly filler with a faint taste of crab. I strongly recommend that the chef revisit this recipe to improve the taste profile.
The ambiance is lovely and it is a great date night spot with a sexy, Latin music vibe going on in the background. One of the things I really appreciated about this restaurant is that while it was full, it wasn't noisy. You can enjoy a sexy vibe and still have an intimate conversation with that special someone.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience a d will be coming back. Another quick thing tho note, while the restaurant does accept credit cards, they have cards on the table requesting cash payment. I understand this and would love to support. I strongly recommend that they note thus on their website so that people are aware before they arrive.
Priscillia Ihionkhan
Penumbra was an absolute delight. My friend and I loved it. The complimentary soup tasted delicious, the scallops and shrimp appetizers were amazing and our entrees (pork tenderloin and salmon) were good as well. Food came out on time and our hostess, Kelly was so kind. The ambience was wonderful and very intimate. 10/10 experience.
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