CheSa’s Bistro & Bar

My friends and I walked in, great music coming from the speakers. The restaurant and bar was looking really classy with their black and gold.We came with a party of about a dozen people, Service was great and the food was delicious. I'll be taking my daughter here sometime soon

CheSa's is awesome, we went there for brunch and tried several items on their menu like the crab cakes, salmon cakes, chicken and waffles, and poached eggs on smoked salmon and english muffin. Everything tasted great, I would even go so far to say that their waffles were the best I have tried in the US!! AND the best of all is, that everything is gluten free!! If you have a gluten sensitivity, this is the place to go!The owner of the restaurant was there as well and she was super friendly and accommodating. All in all, great ambiance, great service, and even better food! We will be back!

1000/10 !!! Food was absolutely amazing! The flavor of everything was just on another level. And I feel like since this restaurant is gluten free I didn't didn't feel super heavy after I was done eating. The device was amazing as well, even the chef came out and held a conversation with us.

Decent local establishment. Very nice redo of former bakery. The Alligator banquets fit in with the cuisine. The all gluten free menu leans to Louisiana / Cajun with lots seafood. The landlubber and vegetarians also have options. Most items are made to order, so be patient. Drinks are good, but took a long time too. This place may be a little rich for Avondale.

This place is definitely a must go for brunch when it comes to their food! It was DELICIOUS! I walked in and was greeted by Kevin - he was super friendly and I appreciated his guidance with the questions I had on the menu. See pictures for the drinks we ordered. I'd say I felt okay but for $20 I'd want more of a stronger kick cause that's definitely on the $$$ side of things. It was a tasty drink though - just add some more liquor haha!The crab was soooo soft and flavorful. I did order the lump cake and not the balls so idk if that was how they always come or what? The potatoes were soft and seasoned to perfection but they were a little greasy. The eggs were good, glad I added the cheese. The place itself gets 5 stars because they have free parking! You don't get that too often during a brunch in Chicago. The restaurant is pretty and I was surprised it wasn't full. It was my table (2 people) + 2 more tables (a group of 3 and a table for 1). I hope more people get to experience this yummy place

530 reservations for 3 seated right away left at 830pm not a great thing for me even though I wasn't in a rush and I'm a person of convenience. Total stars 3.5 review on customer service. Glad the food was fresh but what a wait. Customer service was good. Ambiance cool. Smaller restaurant but the food did not disappoint. Restaurant week also.... I was disappointed that my appetizer came to the table 1 hour after ordering. Appetizer Ordered (not restaurant week): Collard green oysters tasty... nice size and cheesy...second set was a bit more spicy loved the kick! Pick 1st...sweet n sour cauliflower had a nice kick and was yummyMy bestie ordered... gumbo (banging) fire! I actually ordered an order to go but the waiter failed to oblige me... I would order again.... the roux perfect heat and balance.My other bestie ordered jalapeno cornbread and crawfish... nice heat with the crawfish a pinch too sweet for me otherwise kinda yummySecond course (main dish)I ordered snapper as did my bestie... we both expected a fried piece of snapper bigger than what we got but a nice portion honestly. The fish was cooked nicely seemed slightly battered and not too flavorful. The red beans and rice was cooked well and tasty the gravy on the plate was alright as well complimentary.. but I would have preferred a fried snapper with fresh garlic and onions and everything else.My other friend ordered the oxtails risotto... I tried them extremely tender perfectly braised and the reduction sauce perfect. The risotto cooked perfectly. I would definitely order. (Fyi they are already de-boned) The desserts... the banana foster ... disappoints it was like banana foster ice cream scoop with whipped cream. Totally disappointed as I wanted traditional banana foster... double miss! The wild card desert which was a chocolate fudge mouse almost genache like cake was extremely rich needed wine to compliment. The beignets were chewy its was peachy and slightly above ok!!! Not peach cobbler at all....as described.Drinks were mediocre... better off getting a shot or doing what we did and going to a bar afterward. Definitely has potential and excellent food. An awareness and attentiveness of the patrons by our server could improve some as we waited a very long time for some things that I could or would have passed on. I would definitely want to try it again but I'm already fearful of the wait. I would place an order ahead of time because the food is worth it!!!! Clean bathrooms fyi. Parking is in a mini mall so lots of parking.

First visit was made after amazing advertisement on social media. I was very excited to find a casual and trendy restaurant on the Northside. We were 2 of a total of 6 guests. Though we're immediately greeting there was a little delay with taking our drinks and receiving them. Again we were 2 of 6 guests. Our appetizer was the char-grilled oysters which were very delicious and reasonably priced for a half-dozen. For entrees we ordered the catfish and jambalaya and the crispy salmon with garlic mashed potatoes. Though after waiting over 30 minutes for the entrees the salmon dish was superb! I'd rate it a 5! The Fried catfish was overcooked and as crunchy as a pork rind. The flavor was good but it should be improved. We will return for drinks and other items in the future. We hope everything improves during our next visit.

It's Chicago Restaurant Week so what better time to try a new restaurant! Came here with a group of friends and we were eager to try the different options on the menu. I was a bit late for my reservation due to weather and traffic and I'm happy that this restaurant didn't require the entire party to be present to be seated. Our waiter was very friendly and accommodating. I ordered the Dusee Side Car for my drink and it was not strong at all. A bit disappointing. For our meals we ordered off of the Chicago Restaurant Week menu (appetizer, entree, dessert). For my appetizer, I ordered the crawfish cornbread and it was good! My friends ordered the seafood gumbo for their appetizer and it was not warm when brought to the table nor was it flavorful. The waiter had the kitchen reheat the food, however my friends were still not fond of the seafood gumbo. For our entrees, we ordered the red snapper, crawfish and shrimp etoufee, along with the oxtail and risotto. None of the entrees gave off a Creole flavor. It lacked the Cajun spices and certainly didn't bring any heat (spiciness). Additionally, my friend stated the oxtails were too salty. For our desserts, we ordered the Banana Foster Custard and the Peach Cobbler Beignet Waffle. The banana foster custard was the highlight of the evening!! And it paired well with the cookie. I wish we had a larger serving of that. My friends did not enjoy the peach cobbler beignet waffle. It was way too doughy and not fluffy. I wouldn't return on my own accord, but if someone invited me for their event I'm open to giving it another shot ordering from their regular menu or even brunch menu.

Hidden Gem that I highly recommend for anyone looking for homemade, excellent creole/soul food, with love. Chef CheSa is an amazing cook, extremely personable, and loves what she does. Do yourself a favor and visit and indulge in an enjoyable, flavorful, filling experience, where you will leave both full and satisfied!

I made a reservation here for a large party after the initial vendor had to cancel last minute. CheSa was able to accommodate my party of 35 people within 2 weeks. I met with her in person to discuss the menu, look at the venue, and try the food. The decor is beautiful, food delicious, and music playlist good.However, things did not go as planned the night of the event. The custom menu for my party that had been discussed wasn't made. When I had reached out to the owner to confirm the entrees, she had misunderstood me and thought I did not want the appetizers that we had previously discussed. We had to wait an hour to eat even though we had a reservation. The service was slow. There were a few other parties present, and it seemed as if they did not have enough wait staff. At the end of the night, the waitress undercharged us and the owner texted to inform me of the mistake to recoup the difference.