★ Michelin · Progressive Indian Fine Dining · River North
By Monty Khas, Anonymous Critic. Pays every bill.
Some restaurants feel like dinner. Indienne feels like a performance. In a former loft space on West Huron Street in River North, chef Sujan Sarkar has built the most ambitious Indian dining room in Chicago, and the Michelin Guide agrees: Indienne earned a star in 2023, barely a year after opening, and still holds it.
The chef
Sarkar trained in London's fine-dining kitchens and has opened Indian restaurants across the United States and India, including Baar Baar in New York. Indienne, which opened in September 2022, is his most personal project, and it earned him a James Beard nomination for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2024. His sister restaurant, Nadu in Lincoln Park, takes a more casual, regional approach.
The room
The space keeps its warehouse bones: wide floorboards, an exposed ceiling crossed by heavy timber beams. Against that backdrop come white tablecloths, rose-pink booths and servers in crisp jackets pouring sauces at the table. It's formal without being stiff, and the South Asian electronic playlist keeps things from getting too serious.
What to eat
The tasting menu is the way to go, and it comes in vegetarian, non-vegetarian and vegan versions, so nobody at the table gets shortchanged. The menu changes regularly, but the approach stays the same: familiar Indian dishes, taken apart and rebuilt with French precision.
Past highlights have included passion fruit pani puri, crisp shells filled with a bright, tangy burst, and mushroom galouti, the melt-in-the-mouth Lucknowi kebab reimagined without meat. An egg curry arrives under a buckwheat pastry lid, chicken malai tikka is creamy and gently spiced, and lamb burrah, the rich, charred Mughlai chop, is a showstopper. Don't skip the pao with cultured butter; it might be the best bread course in the city.
The bar
Cocktails and wine pairings are available with every menu. If you can't get a reservation, the bar is held for walk-ins, with an à la carte menu that offers a taste of the kitchen without the full commitment.
Before you go
Reservations open 60 days ahead and go fast, especially on weekends. Indienne serves dinner Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays. Give yourself a full evening; this is not a quick meal.
Why it matters
Indienne proved that Indian cooking belongs alongside Chicago's best tasting menus. It's the restaurant that put the city's desi dining scene on the national fine-dining map, and it still sets the bar for everyone else.
The Quick Fix
What to order: The tasting menu (vegetarian, non-vegetarian or vegan); passion fruit pani puri; mushroom galouti; lamb burrah; pao with cultured butter; a cocktail or wine pairing
Pricing: Splurge. Tasting menus with optional pairings; the bar is the cheaper way in.
Best for: Anniversaries, milestone birthdays, serious food lovers and anyone who wants to see Indian cooking at its most refined
How it compares: Chicago's only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant; more formal than sister restaurant Nadu; more polished than Mirra, less of a party
See where Indienne ranks: The Best Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Restaurants in Chicago: Our Top 10 for 2026
The food was always this good. We're just paying attention.