Sepia

Housed within a 19th-century print shop, this urbane dining room mixes original details with modern touches. Exposed brick walls and custom tile floors complement floor-to-ceiling wine storage and dramatic chandeliers.Chef Andrew Zimmerman’s menu brings elements of Southeast Asian, Korean, and Mediterranean flavors to American cooking, as in a toasted brioche layered with Délice de Bourgogne cheese, wilted sliced leeks, and black truffle with a tableside pour of a rich and savory leek and popcorn velouté. Grilled sablefish, served Carolina barbecue style, offers a balanced blend of savory, sweet, and smoky thanks to a side of shredded cabbage tossed with honey mustard, trout roe, and smoked apple cider beurre blanc. For dessert, try the jivara milk chocolate frosty.

An 1890s print shop reinvented as Sepia

• The dining room sits inside a renovated 1890 print shop in Chicago’s West Loop, featuring a custom Art Nouveau tile floor, hand-crafted millwork, exposed brick, and vintage stemware that reflect the building’s bygone era.
• The space pairs refined and rustic with memorabilia from Windy City history, creating a backdrop for chef-driven, ingredient-focused cuisine.

Private Dining by Sepia – a dedicated space next to the restaurant

• Sepia operates a separate private dining venue (Private Dining by Sepia) next to the main restaurant; when allowed, it can host up to 60 for a seated event or 100 for a reception, offering the same inventive American cuisine.
• This creates a built-in, intimate setting for celebrations that stands apart from standard restaurant dining.

Chef-curated experiences and a hands-on tasting format

• The restaurant offers a Chef's Experience (a chef-curated tasting) with optional wine pairings, led by Executive Chef Andrew Zimmerman and team; experiences run about $185 per person with limited nightly availability.
• This program allows guests to engage with seasonal favorites and see the kitchen’s craft up close, adding a theatrical dimension to the dining event.

Signature Ingredients

• Seasonal, locally sourced ingredients: Sepia emphasizes pristine natural ingredients, sourced locally from artisan farmers and used in a product-driven menu that highlights seasonality; ingredients are organic and/or sustainable when available.
• Housemade pastas, chutneys, and jams: Pasta, chutneys, and jams are made in-house, underscoring craftsmanship and the use of fresh, quality ingredients to build flavor across dishes.
• Ricotta: A core dairy component featured in Crispy Ricotta Gnudi, showcasing fresh ricotta cheese as a key ingredient in one of the restaurant’s standout preparations.
• Monkfish: Roasted monkfish appears in signature seafood pairings, representing the restaurant’s emphasis on seasonal, high-quality proteins.
• Little neck clams: Paired with monkfish in some dishes, highlighting the role of fresh shellfish in the tasting concepts.
• Sweet peas: Central to the Sweet Pea Pavlova dessert, illustrating the restaurant’s use of bright, seasonal produce to finish courses with characteristic sweetness.
• Meyer lemon: Used in Meyer lemon sorbet accompanying the pavlova, signaling a distinctive citrus profile that brightens desserts.
• Butternut squash: Featured in Butternut Squash Risotto, a fall-forward vegetable that showcases the kitchen’s ability to transform seasonal produce into elegant dishes.
• Wild mushrooms: Highlighted in Mushroom Ravioli, emphasizing the restaurant’s use of foraged or cultivated fungi to create umami-rich pastas.

Tasting Menu

• Five-course tasting with wine pairing option
• Wine Pairing: $60.00

First: Scallop crudo, red dulse, apples, watermelon radishes Second: Tortelli finti, beef sugo, candied hazelnuts, oregano Third: Redfish, caramelized Brussels sprouts, baby carrots, almonds Fourth: Grilled beef shoulder loin, okra, green tomatoes, blackberries Fifth: Sesame cake, Asian pear, tahini, concord grape sorbet

Signature Dishes (à la carte highlights)

• Sea Scallops — $18.00
• Japanese Sweet Potato Ravioli — $15.00
• Apple and Celery Root Soup — $13.00
• Selection of House Made Charcuterie — $17.00
• Selection of Artisan Cheeses — $15.00
• Chicken Breast — $30.00
• Grilled Sturgeon — $34.00
• Stone Bass — $35.00
• Falafel — $24.00
• Burrata — $16.00