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Restaurant
Avec River North
River North, Chicago
Restaurant in Chicago, United States
The Read
Hearthside Mediterranean
Price
$50–100per person
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
Avec River North works well for a table that wants to share. Start with chorizo-stuffed dates or focaccia, then choose from hearth-baked calamari, pizzas, pasta and larger plates. Its weekday lunch and weekend brunch menus offer different ways to visit.
About Avec River North
Avec River North is easiest to enjoy with a few dishes across the table. The chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates and Taleggio focaccia are familiar Avec starting points; add a seafood or vegetable plate, then decide whether the table wants pasta or something larger.
Choose the menu for the visit
Dinner has the widest hearth-driven spread. The current menu lists calamari baked with merguez ragù, roasted garlic aioli and Calabrian chile breadcrumbs, plus pizzas, handmade pastas and a red-lentil-braised pork shoulder. The dinner chickpea hummus comes with radish, black-garlic tahina, green-chile zhoug and feta. Weekend brunch has its own soft-egg hummus, wild-rice grain bowl and wood-oven French toast.
Plan the timing
The restaurant is at 141 West Erie Street. It serves lunch Monday through Friday, brunch Saturday and Sunday, and dinner every day; weekday happy hour runs before dinner. Check the live menu when ordering, because the named garnishes and seasonal plates change. For a first visit, a few small plates and one larger dish show more of the kitchen than ordering a single entrée each.
The takeAvec River North suits groups that want to share Mediterranean small plates and add pizza, pasta or a larger dish. Weekday lunch, weekend brunch and daily dinner provide different menu formats at the Erie Street location.
Venue detailsLively
Know before you goBefore you book
Recognition and awards1 source
Explore ChicagoNearby
Planning details
- Location
- 141 W Erie St, Chicago, IL 60654
- Reservations
- Book on OpenTable
- Website
- avecrestaurant.com
- Phone
- (877) 298-0592
Around this placeMore Pearl picks
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Avec River North carries over the original Randolph Street restaurant's wood-fired, Mediterranean-influenced approach and its communal dining ethos. The room leans into a refined, casual-serious sensibility: dishes arrive to the centre of the table, encouraging shared conversation rather than isolated plates. The space reads as thoughtful rather than flashy, honoring a decades-long local legacy that taught Chicagoans to eat family-style. That balance between warmth and quietly elevated restraint gives the restaurant a classic, comfortable feel where the food and the act of sharing take center stage.
Best For
Avec River North suits groups that want to share Mediterranean small plates and add pizza, pasta or a larger dish. Weekday lunch, weekend brunch and daily dinner provide different menu formats at the Erie Street location.
Ordering Tips
At dinner, start with chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates or Taleggio focaccia, then consider a seafood or vegetable plate and a pasta or larger dish. The current dinner hummus has radish, black-garlic tahina, zhoug and feta; the brunch version has soft egg. Check the live menu for seasonal changes.
Venue details
Ambiance
Light and bright with blonde wood floors, high ceilings, tall windows, and an open kitchen with flame-fueled cooking. Warm, energetic taverna-like atmosphere with plants and wood tones; can get noisy on busy weekend nights.
Tags
Vibe
LivelyModernEnergetic
Best For
Date NightBusiness DinnerGroup Dining
Experience
Open KitchenStandalone
At the Table
- Dress Code
- Smart Casual
- Noise Level
- Lively
- Service Style
- Upscale Casual
- Meal Pacing
- Leisurely
- Capacity
- Large
- Kitchen
- Modern
- Menu Format
- Small plates, A la carte, Family style
- Drinks Focus
- Craft cocktails, Wine, House-made syrups
- Dietary
- Vegetarian friendly, Allergy accommodating
- Private Dining
- Available
Signature Dishes
- Bacon-wrapped Medjool dates with chorizo
- Taleggio flatbread
- Orchiette pasta
- Hamachi crudo
- Affogato
Know before you go
Know Before You Go
- Getting there
- 141 W Erie St, Chicago, IL 60654
Planning details
Location
Recognition and awards
Explore Chicago
Around this place
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