Fig & Olive | Chicago
Hello lovely people!! It has been a hot minute since I’ve shared a restaurant review with you, so get comfy, grab a snack / cup of coffee, and get ready to read through my experience at Fig & Olive.
Located in Gold Coast Fig & Olive (F&O) is a slightly bougie restaurant + bar serving up Mediterranean inspired plates on a seasonally rotating menu. For those of you not in Chicago, no need to fear! F&O is a chain with locations in Dallas, NYC, LA and DC for you to check out. I went with my roomies on a Sunday to experience F&O's weekend brunch; however, they are also open daily serving up lunch and dinner plates. Without further ado, let’s get into the food!
We started off by ordering a 6 piece bruschetta sampler including: Forest Mushroom with truffle and artichoke, Smoke Salmon with crème Fraîche, Burrata with tomato and pesto, Manchego with fig and almonds, Beef Tartar with a spice mustard aioli and pickled chilies, & Prosciutto with fig and ricotta. My personal favorites were the Manghego and the Burrata!
The table ordered a variety of mains, and one of my good friends, Eunice, was a big fan of the Hanger steak (shown to below) that was served with baby kale, arugula, pine nut, and romesco with almond & hazelnut. Meanwhile, Nicole and I shared two entrées: the Rosemary Shrimp Fettuccine and the Fig and Walnut Pancakes.
The Fettuccine was served with fresh basil, blistered heirloom tomatoes and a tomato mascarpone sauce. It was delicious and great for savory inclined brunch goers. For those with a bit of a sweet tooth, the pancakes were an absolute delight; served with sliced fig, walnuts and whipped cream. Fun fact: this was my first time (in conscious memory) trying figs!
Overall, the aesthetic at F&O was ‘high end’ but also friendly and relaxing. I would highly recommend stopping by a Fig & Olive, if you have one nearby!!
