Taus Authentic

Great food and atmosphere, I highly recommend taus. This is one of the best places by far in wicker park area. Amazing flavors paired with a focused Wine list make this a can’t miss spot. We are Soon to be regulars of taus. Finally a restaurant in the hood that gets it right.

I don’t write negative reviews… But all 4 dishes my girlfriend and I got were BLAND. For the $$$ I was expecting so much more. The waitress was very nice and the service she provided was excellent. But the food… or lack there of. The octopus dish– 4 small pieces of octopus and mostly potatoes, supposed to be with chorizo, which ended up being small chunks of bacon (huh?). The ricotta tart, with lavender and honey, the two ladder MIA and the dish was extra dry. And the truffle cavatelli… Which I added a picture of, and no we didn’t eat one noodle from it before I took that picture. We spoke to the manager, not to negotiate price but to just give a critique of the food. We said the food was bland and his words were: «can you be more specific? I have never heard anything like that before. And the pricing is competitive.» Said a brief sorry and walked away. We were not expecting anything, but he never offered us anything. I wouldn’t mind paying the price for food that I could say was at least average. I will not return and my recommendation is to run for the hills before you even walk by! All I ended up with was an empty tummy ache (no joke) and a $ 60+ hole in my pocket

Went to Taus Authentic for Sunday brunch with a friend around noon. I had a reservation but you definitely don’t need one for brunch. There were only a handful of other patrons there. This is really a beautiful restaurant! It’s a very open space with ornate furniture and lots of natural light coming from the windows facing Division.
Service was very friendly! I had to wait a while for my friend to show up and the guy busing the tables was nice enough to chat with me for a while. Once my friend came we started with the sticky bun. It wasn’t very good, skip it. For entrees our waiter recommended the steak & eggs, tamale and croque madam. I went with the croque madam and my friend did the tamale. Both dishes were quite large and presented very nicely. The croque madam had an egg on top and some kind of gravy in addition to the ham and melted cheese. Very tasty and very filling. The pork tamale with eggs and breakfast potatos looked amazing; I think I will try that next time I come.
Really nice place for brunch! It’s great to have a place like this we’re you know you’ll always be able to get a table. Food was really good and it’s more affordable than their normal dinner menu too.

We couldn’t have asked for a nicer experience.
Seated promptly in a nice looking dining room with little pretense. Cocktails and drink options were appealing and delicious. The menu isn’t overwhelming, but you can see the thoughtfulness that Michael Taus brings.
Loved the combination of the healthier winter kale salad and rich fish courses and left a little room for a homemade desert.
The chef stops by to chat with most diners and is so friendly that you end up wondering when you can come back next to see what Taus Authentic will do next.

I never did go to Prasino which occupied the space for a short time but i did spend a fair bit of memorable time across the street at the now defunct Moonshine.sadz.
Taus Authentic is a nice space, warm and inviting and the food is generally executed well. The half portions are nice when you only want a bit of a snack and drinks are always on point. Nice wine selection round out the overall experience but you would expect that coming from the owner, operator, Exec Chef given his background and experience.

1. The ambiance and the décor is very warm.
2. Service from our waitress Austin was amazing from start to finish.
3. Michael Taus is so talented and took the time out to visit our table.
4. Everything we ordered was AMAZING!!! Got the friend chicken, cheese plate and the Kale salad, duck flatbread for starters.
5. We loved the sea scallops, lamb and the braised pork ribs.
6. Beet cocktail and hot butter rum were tasty!
7. Finished it off with expresso and chocolate cake
8. Will be back soon!!!

I’ve got to admit I’m still scratching my head. We had a reservation for 8pm tonight, arrived on time and were seated immediately.
Our waiter was at our table immediately and explained the cocktail menu and the chef’s vision for the the food menu. He was professional and nice.
20 minutes after arriving my wife, who is far more patient than myself, says «I think he has forgotten all about us. I’ll give the waiter 5 more minutes to take a drink order after that we can figure out our dining options over a cocktail elsewhere.»
If it had been busy, if they were slammed maybe I can understand but the seats and bar were only 30% filled, thinking there might be a reason for this on a Friday night at 8pm.
To summarize:
8pm arrived
8pm-​825pm drank two glasses of water, never saw the waiter again after initial introduction
825pm left to find a restaurant wanting to take our money, wife explained to the confused hostess what triggered our departure
NOW I GET IT… MY WIFE SHOULD HAVE READ FURTHER IN THE REVIEWS BEFORE BOOKING A RESERVATION. SHOCKING THIS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO OUR EXPERIENCE EVEN THE SAME NIGHT OF THE WEEK AND TIME.
Gunner S.
1.0 star rating 5÷22÷2015
We made a reservation for 8:00 last Friday. We showed up at 8:00 and sat on the patio. After a few minutes, a guy brought us water. That was the last time someone came to our table. We sat there, and sat there and nobody came to take a drink order or welcome us to the restaurant. There were servers all over the place, just not at our table. Chef Taus was even walking around overseeing things. At 8:25, we got up, told the hostess we were leaving and why, and left.
There are way too many good places to eat near Taus Authentic to put up with not just terrible service, but no service at all. With the prices on the menu (that I looked at for 25 minutes), I would expect top notch service.
I live just a few blocks away and I’ll never be back. You blew it.

Nicely designed space and tables not too close together. We stated with 2 nice appetizers. The avocado/​feta salad had nice flavors with the toasted feta chunks and green goddess dressing. The duck flatbread was very good.
The chicken is a specialty and had a nice flavor of cinnamon? Intriguing. Short ribs were nice and tender. One of our diners had the pork chop with carrot filled pierogis last time they were here and like the pierogis so much, that’s all they wanted.
We had 2 desserts recommended by Violeta, peach upside down cake and fruit tart, that both were very good.
The chef finished our meal with a glass of dessert wine. A nice touch.

Fantastic service! We came for brunch on a Sunday and couldn’t have been more well-​attended to — our server was prompt, friendly and knowledgeable about beer/​menu items and more.
I just have to say for the prices, the portions are small. Thankfully we had split the heirloom tomato and ricotta tart to start, otherwise it would not have been enough food. Afterward, my wife got the nutella/​lemon french toast and I had the ‘smoked fish’ platter (aka lox platter, which, another note — just say what it is. I thought I was getting 2 – 3 smoked fish with various nibbles to go with, but it was basically a glorified lox platter with tiny toasts instead of a bagel.)
The food WAS tasty, though. The prices, still, a bit of a shock for what you get compared to other spots (where similar dishes would come with sides and a substantially larger amounts.)

My wife and I were in our old neighborhood and decided to stop in to try this joint, which had taken over the old Prasino space on Division. What a pleasant surprise! They were happy to seat us outdoors, but after having a drink at the bar we enjoyed our bartenders’ company so much that we decided to eat indoors. The wine list is well-​curated, and my martini was perfect. The décor is reminiscent of 5-​star boutique hotel. Beautiful, elegant, cozy.
I can’t say enough about the food. We followed servers’ recommendations and had the avocado-​feta starter, with razor thin slices of radish and not-​your-​grandmothers green goddess dressing. Flavors blend beautifully. Followed that with the lobster dish, accompanied by oxtail ravioli with bacon and chive. Superlative. If we’d stopped there, I would have already given this restaurant five stars. However, next came the fried chicken. I quite honestly have never had better fried chicken in my life. We told the chef how much we’d enjoyed the experience and he comped our dessert.

So here’s the deal — it tastes good. A bit expensive. But nothing was memorable. Zealous was mine and the husbo’s fave restaurant so we were so excited to have the chef move in the ‘hood. But we walk by here a lot and never really have the urge or want to go back in.
We had a cheese plate — typical. It wasn’t anything unique. And I honestly can’t remember anything else we had… Again — nothing was really memorable. The wait staff and service was great. It’s a fun place to go in for a drink… but I’d skip the food.
I really miss Prasino and thought Taus would be a good replacement but it let us down.

Loved this place! The service was excellent and the food delicious.
We started with the cheese and meat boards, both great.
We shared the Fried Chicken.
Green beans and corn bread with lemon butter came on the side.
We also shared the Ribeye and Polenta, the Hunter sauce was so good.
Our server was wonderful.
She was super friendly and she steered us in the right direction.
The chef came out numerous times to chat, and bought us dessert!
We had the best girl’s night out!

Super bummed about this place! I’m a neighbor and had been dying to try it as soon as it opened and only just got over there for the first time last night. I had read the mixed reviews on Unilocal but was still super optimistic.
We started with cocktails, I had a glass of rose and that was probably around 3 oz. It wasn’t hugely expensive but come on, give me a little heavier of a pour.
Then apps — we did the hamachi crudo with crispy pork belly — the pork belly bites (tiny tiny cubes) were better than the hamachi. I am a huge raw fish fan but this fish honestly tasted fishy — not fresh and not seasoned well in my opinion. We also split the steak tartare — another incredibly small portion and even the little crackers that it came with were less than impressive. The steak had almost no flavor — total bummer.
Main courses were better — the lamb, we split it between two of us. Interesting starch on the side — Eggplant I think it was — kind of bland but the lamb was great, good to the bone. Expensive ($ 33) given that the majority of the plate was filled with eggplant & Brussels spouts.
We also tried the ricotta tart (ok, not running back for it but not bad either) and then also the duck cavatelli. The duck was recco’d by our waiter and while I really enjoyed it, we could have had more — the portions were just so small at Taus given the prices.
With two glasses of wine, one cocktail and the food described above we each paid about $ 80 including tip. That’s a lot of a neighborhood spot on a Tuesday night.
I realize Michael Taus is a bit of a big deal but I wish he would reframe the restaurant to meet his surroundings. I’m good with small plates but let’s ensure the prices matches the meal, yes?

We made a reservation for 8:00 last Friday. We showed up at 8:00 and sat on the patio. After a few minutes, a guy brought us water. That was the last time someone came to our table. We sat there, and sat there and nobody came to take a drink order or welcome us to the restaurant. There were servers all over the place, just not at our table. Chef Taus was even walking around overseeing things. At 8:25, we got up, told the hostess we were leaving and why, and left.
There are way too many good places to eat near Taus Authentic to put up with not just terrible service, but no service at all. With the prices on the menu (that I looked at for 25 minutes), I would expect top notch service.
I live just a few blocks away and I’ll never be back. You blew it.

Met up with a few girlfriends for a weeknight dinner to finally check out the new space. It looks beautiful inside. The layout is the same as Prasino, but I actually can’t remember anymore what it looked like inside. Taus feels comfortable, but in a fancy way. The bar area has some fantastic lounge seating (and plenty of bar stools).
Rather than ordering individual entrees, we decided to share a bunch of small plates:
Sunchoke dosa – good, but not super memorable
Baby greens – a salad, what else is there to say?
Cavatelli – loved the duck and mushroom flavors in this
Braised octopus – good, nothing to write home about though
Ricotta tart – could have eaten 2 of these myself!
Pomme frites – mmmm that truffle aioli
Brussels sprouts – perfectly charred and with a curry flavoring of some sort
Bohemian rhapsody – the kolachy was a bit dry, but the poppy seed ice cream was interesting (in a good way!), and the fruit dumpling was delicious
Service was good and attentive… maybe a little too attentive? It wasn’t super busy so perhaps that’s why the server came around more often than I’m used to. I couldn’t tell if he was just bored and trying to stay busy or if I was being rushed out/​rushed to order more.
I’d definitely go back, especially to try some of the other dishes. Would recommend for a group dinner or a date. The décor is impressive enough for nicer nights out, but the pricing is pretty standard. None of us drove to dinner, but I did notice they are using the elementary school lot across the street for parking.
Wish it had been warm enough for the patio, but soon enough… I hope!

As a wicker park resident, I was very sad to see Prasino go and had been anxiously awaiting the opening of Taus Authentic. I must say, I was totally blown away. The atmosphere is warm, comfortable, rustic and modern.
The food… We started off with the ricotta tart. The presentation was beautiful and the flavor was unexpected, yet delicious. I was expecting gooey ricotta, but it reminded me of a quiche– a very upscale quiche topped with an array of tomatoes, pesto and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Loved it. We also had the steak tartare– another beautiful presentation. I’m new to the steak tartare game so I don’t have a lot to compare to, but it was yummy. I loved the mustard like sauce that was swiped across the bottom of the dish.
For entrees we shared the striped bass, cavatelli with duck and the lobster oxtail ravioli. While all three were spectacular, I cannot stop dreaming about the striped bass. The skin was perfectly crispy and plated on top of wide rice noodles in a red coconut curry broth and surrounded by mussels. You have to try this fish.
For dessert we opted for the cheese plate (as opposed to the composed cheese course in the dessert section) and the «chocolate cake». The cake was more decomposed than cake-​like and so beautifully presented. I’m not huge into chocolate cake or sweet deserts in general– so I loved it. But I can imagine someone expecting a big slice of cake might be disappointed.
Overall, I can’t wait to return. Great addition to the neighborhood. Oh and Chef Taus stopped by every table to ask how things were going. I was so very impressed by this. Something you almost never see in downtown Chicago. We chatted about the dishes and he spoke of his wife putting together some ideas for a brunch menu. Can’t wait for that!

Literally my second Unilocal ever and it was 100% that I Just had one the best meals of my life at the new TAUS AUTHENTIC in wicker park. The staff was extremely inviting and very friendly from the moment I walked in the door…
I started my meal with a cocktail called «curtsy and a bow». I am usually a classic old fashion type of guy but the bartender Meghan who was so nice by the way recommended it and it was amazing. I definitely recommend trying it.
Once seated for dinner the restaurant is extremely cozy and very well designed. It’s has a great ambience and great music that’s not turned up to loud so I had to yell like most restaurants these days.
My server Thomas was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about all the food and wine, and made spot on recommendations.
And had perfect service from the start to the finish of the meal. There was nothing I had to ask for, water, more wine etc.
Starters to try:
Cured Hamachi
Beef tartare
The foie gras club
And the CAVATELLI — my favorite starter
For entrees:
I recommend the lobster with oxtail ravioli
And the Veal cheek «pot-​au-​feu»
And definitely try the pomme frites with truffle aioli and the cauliflower gratin as sides for the table to share.
For dessert:
The «tbd named later chocolate cake»
And the Paris-​breast was amazing!
The owner and chef Michael Taus came out with the General Manager to see how my meal was and were both very nice and really genuine.
I just found my new favorite place to eat in chicago, and can’t wait to come back and try all the other dishes on the menu.

So glad this place took over the old Passino, the space is gorgeous. You walk in and feel at home.
Service: Will the bartender shook our hands when we sat at the bar. He made eye contact, came over and introduced himself. It was a great start to our evening there. He allowed me to try two different reds and was ready for me to try more if I didn’t like it but I did not want to put him through the back and forth.
Ambiance: two fireplaces, couches, comfy barstools, grey, cream, and browns filled the space. Lovely!
Wine: small list but good options from $ 9-​$ 14. Cocktails were $ 11.
Food: No late night menu but Will said they are working on it.
I gave it one less star because the place was pretty dead besides a birthday party that thankfully filled their cavernous space. It was pretty sleepy otherwise. Hopefully with time more people take notice and come out to it.

Um… yes. Long live Taus.
We had been eyeing this place for awhile now and were super excited to get a Valentines Day reservation here. From the moment we walked in everyone was super friendly. The space is awesome… definitely different than the old Prasino, but still carrying through some similar themes… reclaimed wood, plush seating, and a really nice cocktail lounge area. It seems to be a great place to have whatever kind of evening you want, whether it’s a nice dinner, an affordable dinner, or a nice place to have a cocktail.
To start I got the ricotta tart and my husband got the sunchoke dosa. Both were great. For our entrees I had the flat iron steak and my husband had the pork shoulder. Again, excellent. The portions were perfect… and I appreciated that it wasn’t overkill and allowed us the opportunity to experience the different tastes without being overly stuffed. We got the cauliflower as the side (quite possibly my favorite…) and the chocolate dessert which is a MUST.
Towards the end of the dinner when we were drinking coffee and trying to savor every last bite of that chocolate dessert, Michael Taus’s wife, Annette came over and introduced herself to us. She asked our opinions and really made us feel welcomed. You can tell that they have put much thought into the restaurant and are really invested in it. I hope this place does well.
Definitely worth having a reservation… but there’s a long communal table which is reserved for walk ins and a large lounge space as well.
This is a fabulous addition to the Wicker Park neighborhood and I can’t wait to go here again.

Taus’ modern take on French cuisine is a huge addition to Wicker Park’s main drag. The very comfortable space is clearly lovingly designed by the chef, and the quality of the furnishings and décor makes one think that Taus Authentic was designed with precision and care by someone that is in it for the long haul.
Did I mention that the food is damn tasty?