OON

Serendipity. It means both luck and a desirable discovery by accident. Yes, it is also a movie, but with OON, for me, it was the full translation.
My friends and I happened here by happenstance. We originally were at Maude’s, but found out that they had changed their corkage policy to 1 bottle per 2 people. See, that just doesn’t work with us as we like to open a lot of bottles and enjoy said bottles. So, we did have 2 bottles at Maude’s, but we still had to find a place for more eating as we did have a specific dinner planned. And, out of that, we came upon OON.
While our group of 4 had devoured a seafood tower at Maude’s, we were still in need of food. So, we started off with the spring rolls, potstickers, and octopus. I really really liked the spring rolls. The spice was perfect and the spring rolls were pretty damn big too. The potstickers were also very good. They had a good amount of meat in them and the dumpling itself was excellent. The octopus was a bit chewier than I’d like it, but I will also say that I’m not normally a fan of octopus.
The two main meat dishes our group munched on were excellent. The Kalbi short rib was a personal favorite for me. I absolutely loved the sauce with this and the ribs were really tender. My excitement for the short ribs shouldn’t downplay how damn good the lamb loin was. The lamb was done perfectly and I loved the complexity of the flavors.
The service here was fantastic as well. Sure, it was a tuesday night, but our waitress rocked it. She was always there when we needed something and was great to deal with on the whole.
OON was a great find for us. We didn’t expect to come here, and that’s usually when the best things happen. On top of it, they were only $ 10 per bottle and that is a fantastic corkage price on the whole, much less on Randolph. I can’t for my next return visit.

I swear I thought I already posted this review but I guess not. WHOOPS.
I dined at OON on opening night. I had been stalking the space for long enough that it felt only right to get in as soon as possible. Overall, I enjoyed my meal as a whole and my server made the experience that much better.
I sipped on a Porcupine. I don’t remember exactly what was in it but it was a potent little cocktail and quite tasty.
I started with the Chilled Udon served with a yuzu soy dashi crab shiitake mushroom and chili lime vinaigrette. The dashi was delicious. the crab kinda disappeared for me. the dish as a whole lacks a little salt but was a good size for a starter.
As an entrée i had the scallop with white polenta, bok choy, blueberry, cocoa nib and almond. The flavors all worked. The scallops had a nice sear on the outside and weren’t over cooked. The blueberry and cocoa nib added a nice compliment to the sweetness in the scallop without overpowering its subtly. The polenta was absolutely divine. Plating was a little sloppy but flavor was on point.
Went all the way and got the yuzu panna cotta for dessert. This was the highlight for me. There was such a nice citrusy tang to the panna cotta and the sesame brittle added just the right crunch and savory aspect to pull the whole thing together. I’m generally not a huge dessert person but I would go back JUST for this dish again.

Oon snuck up on me. My fiancé and I were just looking for a fun new restaurant to go on a long awaited date night and that week I received an email from Oon informing me that they were running a 50% off bottles of wine special in October. I vaguely remembered signing up for their email list back before they had opened because it sounded like a nice addition to the Chicago playing field. So we made a reservation for last Friday night and went in for dinner with no expectations.
The atmosphere is nothing spectacular — fairly typical for any nicer modern restaurant in the downtown. It fits right in on Randolph’s Restaurant Row. The service was fine — very friendly, very attentive. I know there have been some complaints in previous reviews, but we didn’t experience any of those. The restaurant was full, but not overly packed, so I liked that no one was trying to rush us out the door to make way for the next party.
Ironically, we went to Oon because of the wine special, but we ended up ordering cocktails based on our mood. The cocktail list is ok — we are bourbon people, and there were limited whiskey based options. The cocktail menu is very gin heavy, so if you’re a fan of gin, you’ll love the booze.
The food. The food was delicious. Our server recommended 2 small plates and 2 large plates for 2 of us, but we were pretty much full after the amuse bouche and the 2 small plates. We only finished half of the one large plate (thankfully we didn’t order a 2^nd large plate). So be aware that the portions are quite generous, especially for the small plates.
The amuse bouche was delicious — some sort of fried bao type of bread with an excellent accompanying dipping sauce. We started with the short rib and grilled octopus small plates. My fiancé knows meat more than I do, and he said it’s quite possibly the best short rib he’s ever had in his life. I certainly couldn’t argue because it was full of flavor, not too dry and perfectly grilled. The grilled octopus was also excellent. Though I prefer my octopus with just a little more of a charred flavor, the bed of wheatberries that it came on was the right complement.
For our entrée we went with the roasted pork belly fried rice. Kind of a bibimbop type of dish with an egg over easy on top and brussel sprouts coated in a sweet charred heaven. The pork belly was phenomenal — roasted through on the outside, but melts in your mouth on the inside.
We were not expecting cuisine this enjoyable. If anything, I figured we’d enjoy the meal and forget about it. The atmosphere and the service were fine, but not necessarily memorable. But the food. The food is memorable.

Thought it was great. The server was great the food was outstanding. If you go here you have to get the asparagus. I don’t veggies but oh my god they are great… well the sauce is re-​dickulous. The udone… yep. Also loved the simolia whatever cant spell the wine guy. It was 50% off the $ 100+ wine. Get the Flanagan it is good. Skip the short rib. It is very good but not great. The scallops are to die for and i am not a desert person but the doughnut thing is really good. Go here

Took me a few days to write this one because I wasn’t sure 4 or 5 stars — I have been telling all my friends to go try it so it really is that good, well the food. As a vegetarian, I loved my BBQ tofu but they also made the cold noodles in their appetizer vegetarian. This had some amazing kind of sauce! Tried the tempura asparagus and next time may skip, but dipping sauce was good.
So why not 5 stars? Service. Initially, we were talking and catching up so took a while to order. After that, our server was simply MIA the rest of the night.
They did have a half-​off on red wine bottles so we certainly drank more than we had planned to.

overpriced uninspiring food with yet to be desired service…
It’s a contemporary fusion asian food but the food isn’t really all that impressive and inspiring, let’s just set the expectation at that.
The server’s unenthusiastic, almost seems to be rude, attitude (is it because it’s monday? or because we didn’t order any alcohol?) was already a put-​off.
Merely taking the order and answering some of our questions on the dish preparation, and not even bothering to describe the «highlight» of the menu (well, i guess there was none).

The beef short rib tasted like… just like any black pepper beef short rib, sans the grease. Hence, at a higher end asian restaurant, vs. a kalbi dish from a mom-​and-​pop place.
Octopus…it’s good, but i like the grains that it comes with more than the actual octopus. It’s nothing unusual, the grains, however, soaked up some of the flavour, so it’s tastier.
Chilled udon… it’s probably the best dishes of the night. The udon was bouncy and the whole dish just really well put together
Pork loin… Nice presentation, and it didn’t taste that heavy even though it’s all meat. But i don’t taste any betel leaf which i would expect when the meat is wrapped in the leaf and grilled.
Scallop…another ordinary dish that you could get at any higher end asian place.
I guess the décor sets the tone/​price point of the place, thus, given the quality of the food and service, I felt like it’s a bit overpriced.

Down the block from the previous night we spotted this modern Asian fusion eatery on our way back and decided to try for it the next night. The modern décor gave a ambiance of more upscale but the service was as come to be expected in Chicago so far, friendly, hospitable and tentative.
I’m usually a purist when it comes to ethnic cuisine. Maybe because I’ve had so many bad ‘Asian fusion.’ Oon I think did it right. What I liked was the dishes still had flavors which was familiar for both Asians and non-​Asians. The prawns still had the heads and tails. We actually eat the head which is crunchy and slightly charred. The short ribs used Maggi soy sauce which was a delight. I wanted to try the Foie Phở. Interestingly, they used the same method by which the hot broth poured on top to cook the meat. Here it was duck where the original would have been thinly sliced beef. The dish was light, flavorful and decadent with the Fois Gras. My company ordered the quail. The house made Sriracha was a nice touch and added the heat to the dish. The quail was tender and seasoned well and complimented the coconut-​ginger rice.
We left Oon satisfied but not overly filled. The dishes were modern, well presented and seasoned. The service was on point the night we were there. Don’t let the cover intimidate you because the book is good and worth trying.

OON is, in my opinion, one of the top new restaurants in Chicago, and Eater thinks it too with their Heatmap! With some of the best Southeast Asian fusion cuisines in the city, OON really gets their flavors to burst in every single dish.
Service: You get seated quickly, and the waiters all have some awesome suggestions (and even if you get items not in their suggestion list, it’s yummy!!!).
Ambience: It’s classy and casual — great for a group of people!
Food: Love and care is put into every dish! And everything is great for sharing!

For the fifth anniversary of our engagement, he almost flew me to the (m)Oon…
While the name of the place apparently conjured in him thoughts of hypnotic house music, to me it evokes more placid images of silver light and meditation, on the ooommmm side of the spectrum.
I won.
Well, in part. The noisy chatter of businessmen free to mingle for the night replaced the loud thumps of music, and I was left to enjoy the very unsavory spectacle of networking at its worst for the first 30 minutes of our meal. Think suits, forced smiles, awkward attempts at seduction and the like.
Fortunately enough, it didn’t cut my appetite short. I even allowed myself a drink, a rare treat of late thoroughly enjoyed by my whiskey-​loving taste buds.
And I dug in.
The tempura asparagus were exceptional, lightly coated in a corn meal batter that paired perfectly with the tangy black pepper and butter dip sauce on the side. A true highlight. The prawns glimmered under a luscious togarashi glaze; the scallion purée was a welcome light counterpoint, and the slightly candied slices of kumquat, a great surprise for the tongue. I longed for just one more. Or two.
The chilled udon, while rightly served by a rich umami broth enhanced by earthy mushrooms and delicate crab meat, was too thick and chewy to be totally enjoyable. The octopus was on the «over» side of the charred, and the smoked strawberry brought a surprising note to a dish whose best element was the bed of wheatberry. Same observation for the barbecue tofu: the corn bao totally stole the show. Complex flavors and great texture — it could almost stand alone.
Desserts were forgettable. But I am picky with my sweets.
Overall, a good date night with the man who proposed to me in a secluded garden of Grant Park on August 15, 2008 and who makes me happy every day of the year.
To many more.

For the location I would expect a better décor. While I understand a modern look and feel, it came off as cold and noisy.
The food was above par but nothing I would return for. A few starters were ordered (spring rolls, tempura asparagus, and grilled asparagus), and those were by far the highlight. For large plates we ordered the Phở, which I admit was a nice take on it — though I missed a more traditional take, and the flank steak (meh) and the halibut (boring).
I would have given the place a solid 4 stars but the service made sure that didn’t happen. A table of 6 with a gratuity of 20% added I can understand, but the least you could do was let us know when you dropped the check that it was added (the right, and honest thing to do). The kicker was the server carefully folded that part of the check away from view. Very dishonest.

I came here expecting deafening, pulsating house music — all because it was a little celebration for my wife and I and she ADORES loud house music — but was instead treated to a really nice meal.
The name OON gives me the impression of «oontz» as in «oontz! oontz! oontz!» as in loud, pulsating house music. Don’t come here to dance or exclusively for the music like we did.
Definitely do come for some good Asian «fusion» food and drinks. Some stars of this show for us were the prawns, the cold udon and the BBQ tofu. However, the headliner of the night was the tempura fried asparagus. I don’t know what it is about the 800 block of Randolph and creating kick ass green veggie dishes, but between the Green Beans at The Girl and the Goat as well as these crispy, succulent spears of ever-​so-​lightly battered tempura fried asparagus, I would never feel bad about going into either place just to order those two dishes with some drinks.
My wife had a drink (apologies for not remembering the name) that was delicious. Whiskey with a Thai chili syrup, and lemon juice. Fragrant, and satisfying.
For dessert, I enjoyed the panna cotta the most. It was with purple shiso and yuzu, so it was definitely citrusy and light, but being the drunkard that I am, I couldn’t help but notice it tasted to me like a dessert made of gin. While that might sound gross, I can assure you it was delicious, and refreshing — a great end to a very nice meal.

So delish! OON is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to since I moved to Chicago! Last night the weather was just about perfect so we sat outside. We started out with the short ribs and pork belly spring rolls. Both were great, but the spring rolls really stood out because they were fresh and crispy with just the right amount of mint. We also had the mussels and they were absolutely divine! They were cooked in coconut broth with shitake mushrooms. The broth melted in your mouth, but the best part of the dish as definitely the fried bao. Dipping the fried perfection into the broth really made the dish spectacular. We ended the night with the scallops which were perfectly cooked and buttery. I highly recommend this place.

Very nice eclectic yet minimalist atmosphere, tasty and inventive food.
The spicy chili-​based drink with whiskey really needed some sweetness to balance out the flavor.
The grilled octopus with wheatberries was light and flavorful with a smoked strawberry purée that could have overpowered the dish if served in any larger quantity.
The pork belly summer roll was light but could have used a significantly larger amount of pork to make it stand out.
A green papaya salad was fresh and flavorful but nothing out of the ordinary.
Barbecue tofu with a kimchi coleslaw was not bland and had a moderate amount of spice.
The grilled sea scallops had a light buttery texture, cooked perfectly. The polenta was a nice creamy contrast. Cocoa was nit noticeable.
The pork roulade with purple Okinawa potato purée was average.
All in all the place has a very good feel and the food was good however with the amount of competition in the area not am not sure it will survive very long.

On the Saturday night we came, the crowd was dressed to impress. Then we waltzed in, very casually dressed. I may have been wearing a t-​shirt and my thanksgiving pants, but I was still treated with respectable service, thanks OON for not judging.
We ordered:
— Mussels
— Prawns
— Grilled Short Rib
— Foraged
— Yuzu Panna Cotta
— Chocolate Banana Cake
And we would have ordered the octopus too, except they ran out :(
The presentation of food is beautiful here. Flavors are well-​balanced in the savory dishes (the chocolate banana cake dessert — i liked all the components separately, but not together). I wasn’t sure what to expect of the food here so I was overall pleasantly surprised. My only complaint is that in the Foraged dish, although good flavors, all the vegetables (except the daikon) were undercooked. Like, «this must be what it’s like wearing dentures when you eat» undercooked.
Portions are small.
Thanksgiving pants were not needed after all.
(I should be a poet.)

I heard of OON through a friend who went to college with chef/​owner Matt Eversman. After urging me to like OON on Facebook, I followed the progress for the last year. I was delighted when they announced they were taking reservations for opening night! Youbettabahlieve I got my res in super fast.
My +1 is a super foodie who spends every other day in and around restaurant row, so she had high expectations. Were they met? Her words summed it up perfectly, «In a month, this place will be amazing.»
It was obvious when we stepped in the door that the kitchen was in the weeds — I saw almost no plates on any tables. Just drinks. Our food did take longer than it should to arrive. People were unsure of where to sit, stand, walk and there was some chaos and confusion between servers and diners. However, it was nothing epic or too distracting. It was all due to the fact that this was OPENING NIGHT. Keeping that in mind, it was a better experience than expected.
The two of us ordered enough food for three. To start, the small plates of octopus, tempura asparagus, and spring rolls. I didn’t try the spring rolls as they contained an item I’m allergic to, but I did try the octopus (my very first one!) and was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t taste like a tub mat, suckers and all. So I’m not a good judge of the octopus, but I thought it was good. But the asparagus tempura was AMAZING. A star earned just for that dish alone.
The two main dishes we ordered were the pork remoulade and foie phở. Pork was amazing, and I would go back to OON just for that. But I’d also have to order the foie phở again. The broth was spicy, refreshing, delicious, and the noodles, meat, and foie gras absolutely melt-​in-​your-​mouth perfect.
For dessert, I got the chocolate banana cake. It was probably large enough to share, but I didn’t. Mine ALL mine! It was delicious and lighter than chocolate cakes usually are.
In short: I say YES you should go here. Be on time for your reservation, but be prepared to wait a sec. Be patient. The food is delicious, the drinks are amazing, and the experience is fun, laid-​back, and totally worth it.

Argh, I feel terrible to be the first person to give a less-​than-​4-​stars review for OON. But I just want to give an honest review. I have been following them on FB for months and my husband and I have been pretty pumped about our dinner there.
Service:
The hostess was very friendly and our server was great. Though in the beginning, when our server came over to give us a little spiel on the menu, it sounded very rehearsed. I understand they just opened less than a week, but it felt a little strange listening to someone talk like they had the whole intro memorized. Other than that, we’ve had very attentive service and she would come over to check on us periodically. The manager also came over once while we were looking at the drinks menu and he asked if we had any questions. Our server told us that their menu is contemporary American + Southeast Asian though after looking at the menu, we didn’t see much Southeast Asian influences there.
And now on to the food…
Grilled octopus:
Good but not excellent. It was tender but wasn’t moist, so it was almost bordering on a little dry. We thought the dish was supposed to have Chinese sausage in there (at least according to the menu), but only after we came home did we realize that we didn’t see any Chinese sausage on there. The octopus was grilled with unagi glaze, so I’m not sure how is that Southeast Asian-​inspired since that is more Japanese-​inspired.
Foie phở:
This is a pretty neat idea and we liked the piece of thinly sliced foie gras that was in the bowl of phở. The broth was well spiced and it was pleasant to drink. It was a lot of broth and I’d say that the bowl was probably one-​third noodle+ingredients and two-​thirds broth.
And then we waited 25 – 30 minutes for the rest of the courses below…
Lamb:
We really liked that the lamb was prepared medium rare. The cut of lamb chops were great and we could see the layers of some fat surrounding the meat that helped to make the meat tender and soft. However, the tender texture of the medium rare lamb is the best part of the dish. Flavor wise, we couldn’t taste anything on the meat itself. Back to the Southeast Asian inspiration that the restaurant is trying to achieve, we didn’t really see how the lamb reflected that… unless the amount of almost half a teaspoon of sambal that was drizzled on the side over the few pieces of vegetable leaves accompaniment was supposed to reflect that. And even so, the sambal tasted exactly like those from the Red Rooster jar.
Quail:
The quail was probably my favorite dish. I really enjoyed the flavor and texture of the qual and it was very well prepared. The deboned quail was served on a bed of coconut rice. The rice was very fragrant but I didn’t really «get» the texture that they were trying to achieve. The rice was hard and gritty.
We also had the doughnuts for dessert and they were enjoyable. We asked if they had sherry and our server said yes though she couldn’t find it on the dessert menu. It’s not on the drinks menu either so she went to the bar and then came back later with names of some of the sherry they carry.
The décor here is minimalist and modern, nothing over the top. OON is supposed to be Southeast Asian inspired but in fact, some of their dishes (e.g. tempura asparagus, chilled udon) draw influences from Japanese cuisine and Japan is not Southeast Asia. We had a pleasant enough time but it wasn’t an unforgettable meal as we didn’t experience any «wow» to it.

The only visible Chef on the Randolph strip! By socializing with diners, Chef Matt brings back the neighborhood feel into fine dining. It’s a pleasure to see you Matt.
Fine ingredients executed with precision in harmony of taste and combination.
PORK BELLY SPRING ROLL — 2 slices of 2 – 4 bites each with perfectly laid out and wrapped ingredients.
FOIE PHO — fragrant broth with a perfectly one-​sided sear of good portion foie gras. Another portion of the perfect noodles would be appreciated.
PANNA COTTA ($ 8) — premium yuzu ingredient. Good value for $ as it serves 2. The granola pieces are a delightful surprise and complementary to taste and texture.
COFFEE — by Dark Matter (the rockstar of Chicago coffee!). Washed coffee for $ 5 serves 2 single cups. The 3 choices alone keeps you coming back for more.
Service — 5-​star including the assistants. Knowledgeable, courteous and friendly with super duper faith in the goodness of mankind. What a trooper! Utensils are automatically replaced. Clean up is quick with antibacterial wipes in between for crumbs.
Table spacing is perfect! Zen-​like chair pullout as it is easy, flowy and without a snag or effort. A table with a view of the Sears Tower is on the bar-​side.
I look forward to tasting the entire menu.

I had the privilege of dining at OON on Saturday night. I was anticipating greatness from what I heard about Chef Matt Eversman and the build-​up of OON’s mysterious opening. Needless to say, it was everything I thought it would be, and more.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by an incredibly friendly host that seated my party immediately. She sat us in the middle of the dining room and our waiter, Tim, kindly walked us through the cocktail, wine, and drink menu. Our party began each with a different cocktail. Each was complex and delicious. It was quite apparent that OON’s mixologists took much time and care in crafting each drink so uniquely.
As soon as our drinks arrived, we placed our food order. For starters, my party ordered the Octopus and Short Ribs. Both items are a must have! The Octopus was fresh and light, and the Short Ribs melted off the bone. For our entrees, the table ordered the Quail, Lamb, Tofu, and Flank Steak. While an abundance of meat, each dish was crafted so elegantly, with a myriad of flavors and textures. I left the meal feeling satisfied and eager to return again.

Went here on the opening night with a friend. First off, it definitely has the swanky west loop vibe to it. Nice décor. High ceilings. Overall it’s a cool looking place.
We ordered the octopus for a starter. It was good, even though I don’t think I have a discriminating enough of a palate to completely enjoy it. I ordered the quail for an entrée. I really liked it, especially the house sriracha sauce. I didn’t try the dessert, but I saw others eat the cake and the donuts… which looked incredible.
P. S. The drink list is 10 times longer than the menu

Waiting a year for a restaurant to open could lead to great disappointment and woe. To let you know: OON does NOT disappoint!!! Making my reservations for the grand opening via OpenTable, I was very pleased with my dining experience. Lighting in OON offers great ambiance while the noise reverberated throughout making me know I was in the next up and coming fine dining West Loop bedrock.
Never had I a Malort mixed with sake, but the Second City Samurai proved to be a tasty accompaniment with my starters. Me and a friend opened with chilled udon that came with the bestest of sauces. I normally am not a fan of cold appetizers but think twice and snag yourself chilled udon which I suspect should quickly become the most popular dish on the menu.
Grilled octopus came with delightful hunks of fried chorizo while the wheatberry gave it a terrific texture. I love nothing more than grilled octopus mixed an array of textures and flavors to make my day.
Scallop to me can always be hit or miss but at OON you will no doubt bow down to their culinary mastery. Served with white pomenta and almond you will first submit to its tenderness and let the pomenta and almond add both texture and deliciousness that will melt you away.
Moving on to dessert the chocolate banana layer cake was served up with a sauce to make you want to keep on eating. The banana flavor is both a surprise however does not overwhelm. Top all this off with a Tiger Beer and you will thank yourself for good decisionmaking.
I can’t wait to OON again!