The Purple Pig

I can see why the chef got a James Beard! The restaurant is served tapas style so you split different plates which is nice. The food came out quickly and they quickly cleared our plates and refilled our water. Our waiter could've been more friendly and checked how we were doing more. Definitely recommend if you are in Chicago
My favorites were the
- the arancini
- duck croquettes
- braised duck shoulder
- apple crosistant

These dishes were alright and I wouldn't order again
-broccolini
- seafood risotto

Everything was phenomenal here. Our server, Heriberto was so professional and gave great recommendations. Food was incredible - broccoli, fried mozzarella and linguine pasta. We both had espresso martinis for dessert which were the best I've ever had. Can't wait to go back.

Great flavors and nice presentation! Our server also prepared a small dessert for our birthday - super friendly service! We had a lovely evening here, definitely worth the hype!

I was able to do walk-in at 5pm on a weekday night and didn't have to wait at all (there were empty tables), but by the time I finished my meal at 630p, there were 10+ people waiting to be seated, so I recommend reservations!

The food was delicious. I enjoyed the smoked pork tongue and the roasted carrots. The pork belly was crispy, but I'd like to try another pork dish next time!

I visited this trendy small plates place on a Friday in mid-August during a quick trip to Chicago and was very pleased with my meal. We got the bread basket, which was absolutely divine--this coming from someone who isn't that crazy about bread. My scallops were wonderful also; the orange sauce is just a dream.

I'm giving five stars for the food, but the staff--not impressed. Our server seemed visibly annoyed that we didn't take her suggestion to order four or five plates or get dessert (we wanted to save room for a treat at the show we were going to). And we were seated by the very noisy kitchen, so I couldn't hear her very well, and she was a little snappy when I responded to what I THOUGHT she said. Her treatment makes me hesitant to ever return despite the delicious food.

The best meal we had in Chicago hands down. I was a bit skeptical coming into it because it seemed meat heavy and I don't eat a lot of meat, but everything here was insanely good.

Our server was really great with recommendations. We got the roasted bone marrow, grilled broccoli, pork belly, and milk braised berkshire shoulder.

Bone marrow was really good and a pretty decently large size. I went somewhere else the next weekend and theirs was lacking compared to the purple pig's! The broccoli had a great crunch and I really liked the sauce.

Star of the show was the meat. The pork belly and shoulder were extremely tender and very delicious. We were so shocked at how good it was. Definitely get either or both.

We loved the purple pig!

Food: 5/5 To be honest, I came here back in 2014 with some friends and I didn't really enjoy the food. Ever since then, I never came back until recently because my boyfriend loves this place. I gave it a second chance and I was amazed! The bone marrow was so good, I love the sauce and it melted in my mouth! The half duck with the bread was so good! We got a pistachio cake and this is one of the best pistachio cake I ever had!

Service: 5/5 We stayed there for a bit and the server was nice enough not to kick us out. Also, the server was attentive to our needs and answered all of our questions.

Ambiance: 4/5 The place can get very crowded during the weekend and many tourists come here so the seating is quite tight.

Great ambiance and food, just be sure to snag a reservation especially on the weekend. Located right by the riverwalk, this is a wonderful spot to grab dinner after walking around the riverwalk and magnificent mile.

We ordered the Chicken Kebabs and Pork Belly to split between the two of us. The kebabs were simple but cooked perfectly with a nice char but still moist. The pork belly was absolutely delicious with that glaze. We'd love to come back and try other things on the menu!

When searching on places to eat, I kept seeing the purple pig. I ended up going with friends before heading out to a concert. It was decently full for 3 something pm on a Thursday. We got the crispy pig's ear, mushroom 3 ways, hummus, whipped feta, lamb shank, seafood risotto, and grilled broccoli. This was split 4 ways with one of those people being a vegetarian.

Crispy pig's ear: This was interesting in concept but in reality it's essentially like fries. Of everything we ordered it was the most whatever because of how the main ingredient didn't really stand out.

Whipped feta: This is exactly what it sounds like. I wasn't particularly big on this but not really my order. It just tastes like feta so if that's what you want, it's perfect.

Hummus: The hummus is good. The whipped feta and hummus come with the same bread. They are thick slices that can handle the weight of a heavy smear. The hummus has more to compared to the feta. More toppings which I think made it feel more interesting.

Seafood risotto: This came last but it was yum. A bit on the salty side but with a strong seafood taste. I wouldn't change it but it's heavy and has the vibe that it'll hurt anyone who is lactose intolerant.

Grilled broccoli: Of the veggie dishes, this one was the best. I wish I knew how to cook broccoli this well because this was just so good.

Mushroom 3 ways: This was the dish that came out first. It was a solid starter veg. The mushrooms are longs slices which was somewhat unexpected. It didn't stand out among all the dishes but it was good.

Lamb shank: This was good. The meat fell off the bone so it was easy to eat. There isn't anything bad to say about it because it was prepared well. The taste just didn't linger enough for a review over a week later.

This was too much food for 4 people. Sadly because we're not local that means food to waste instead of a doggie bag. The location is great for tourists and fantastic to share with friends especially since they serve with that expectation.

Overall, this was good. It's worth a stop once because you will get a solid decent meal and the price tag does correlate to that quality.

Service and ambience is good. I sat at the bar and watched them cook. I probably should've paid more attention to them before ordering. Some of the dishes they were putting out looked really good. My spinach salad was very good but a little small. It had peaches, blueberries, walnuts, cheese crumbles, etc. I then had the chicken saltimbocca. Chicken was a little overcooked and dry. The prosciutto was a little tough and the risotto was very rich, heavy and fattening. I would avoid this dish and go for the pork chop or shoulder.

I stopped in here for an afternoon cocktail and snack while I wait for my other coworkers to make it into the city.
I grabbed one of their lovely featured cocktails and some prosciutto wrapped dates. The cocktail was so light and refreshing and the dates were cooked to perfection with a little crisp to them.
The atmosphere was a bit loud, but the food and contain I ordered was amazing.