Geja's Cafe

Since 1965, Gejas has been blessing Chicago with its premier fondue dining experience - an experience that has rightfully earned it the title as Chicagos most romantic restaurant. It's dimly lit, with wine bottles all around and live music. However, it isn't just for couples - My brother and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we moved through the menu! For starters - the drinks were good! Cocktails are 50% off during their happy hour too! The food experience following was fantastic. VEGETARIAN AND PLANT BASED OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE AS WELL! We started by dipping various fruits and breads in the Gruyere cheese fondue. Then moved to a variety of meats, seafoods and veggies being fried in an oil, to pair with 1 of 8, of their house made sauces. The finisher is a flamed pot of Belgian chocolate served with more fruits, churros, rice krispy treats and pound cake for dipping. AMAZING!I tried a bottle of their special reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - perfect, and we also tried a warm drink made with Bailey's.Excellent service, beautiful atmosphere and a filling spread. Make a reservation to experience them and tell them that Bri from Planes and Plates and her brother Brian , sent you! Enjoy!

There is street parking and valet parking ($15-$20 as of this post; I recommend it)I booked this place for my wife and I's first year of being married. There were so many things to say about this place:The ambiance is very romantic and also a little posh. It's definitely more of a business casual kind of vibe although my wife and J as well as the couple next us were definitely dressed down. The low-lit area coupled with the live nylon acoustic guitar really created a special kind of romantic space.The service was fantastic. My wife and I showed up 40ish minutes prior to our reservation and asked to be seated inside (it was a lot hotter than I thought it'd be when I initially booked). The staff were willing to worth with us and gave us not only an inside table but one right under an air condition vent (shout out to Bill for hooking it up!). Our server Spencer was super helpful in explains how to do fondue as my wife and I had never experienced it. He simplified it expedited our experience (which was great because we had a flight to catch).The food was delicious. The different sauces made for a fun night of experimenting with flavors and meats. I got the beef tenderloins with chicken while my wife got the beef tenderloins with scallops. The dessert was so good and so fun! Roasting marshmallows and dipping everything in the chocolate! All delicious. Some things to note:If you come here, plan to eat for no less than 2 hours. My wife and I had not realized that this type of meal is meant to be enjoyed and so a standard 1-hour eating time is not enough time. In truth, I wouldn't have been surprised if we would have spent 3-hours eating and honestly, the restaurant's ambiance welcomes it. Additionally, I'd recommend not getting the chicken, I have a shellfish allergy so I opted for the chicken and it took so long to cook (I was informed it'd only take 5 minutes but each piece took about 10 minutes). Finally, the lighting is very low, so much so that the other folks snapping photos would have their cell phone flashes automatically turn on and it would be blinding.

A Chicago Classic. Geja is a restaurant that focuses on fondue and I would have to say one of the most romantic places to have a special dinner with your special someone. We sat outside this round. A couple of tables set out in front with a fire place in the middle of each. No complaints. But a little part of me wants to experience the inside ambiance. We started off with a few happy hour cocktails (the deals are ridiculously good. 50% a bottle of wine under $100 and 50% signature cocktails!) and moved onto the experience. They have a few A La Carte options , but we went for one of their pre constructed dinners. We got the Prince Geja Combination which came with beef tenderloin, chicken breast, shrimp, scallops, and shrimp. All of the meat was beyond delicious - especially with the unique dipping sauces and seasoning. Before the meat came, we were introduced to some of the most fantastic fondue cheese I've tasted with a plethora of breads, fruits and veggies to dip. After the meat, we were greeted with some delicious chocolate fondue. I may or may not have been scrapping the bottom of the bowl at the end of the meal. Overall, this meal was the perfect amount of food for a party of 2. Our waiter Ricky explained everything beautifully and was an amazing server. We felt at home! He even surprised us with a special dessert for my partners birthday. If this is your first fondue - no worries. This place is VERY BEGINNER FRIENDLY! If there's a special occasion, I think I found your spot :) enjoy!

This restaurant is fun- basically a privately owned version of the melting pot. We were sat outside by a fire which was nice, but a little tough to communicate accross the fire to the rest of the party. The waitress felt a bit abrupt. She replaced my friends cup that had someone else's lipstick on it, without much of an apology. I liked the cheese dip for the appetizers and the chocolate sauce for the dessert but cooking all of our meat in the oil took quite a bit of work, time and calculating how long each item had been cooking. In the future, I think I'll leave it to the chefs. They did provide a lot of sauces but the meat we cooked ourselves wasn't that good.

Still one of the most romantic spots in the city! We were so impressed with the ambiance, food, and staff. All of them went above and beyond to make sure we had an excellent dining experience. We had the classic cheese fondue, a sampling of the different proteins, and of course the dessert. The sauces provided with the proteins are a great touch-especially the giardinara sauce.

This is one of my favorite restaurants of all time. Possibly my #1 favorite. We have been here numerous times over the years. Amazing service. Amazing food. Amazing cocktails. Amazing ambiance. Very romantic. Can't say enough about this place. Always an excellent dining experience. I hope they never change. Highly recommend.

A Chicago institution that has been around since 1965, Geja's cafe is a Chicago Fondue restaurant which has been called The most romantic restaurant in the US by USA Today readers. Come for the classic 3 course Fondue dinner, Cheese, Meat/vegetables, and dessert. The cheese fondue is absolutely delectable , dipping in fruits, veggies and bread. The middle course were shrimp and beef, and veggies, and top it off with the dessert with fruits, graham crackers. Be careful to pace yourself as while they will fill up things like bread, fruits , veggies, it will quickly fill up your tummy. The service here is impeccable and they are always asking how things are. I'm embarrassed that it took me more than a decade in Chicago to finally make it here, but it was well worth it!!#datenight #romantic

Perfect date spot - people kept recommending Gejas to me, and now I know why! Pro tip for my veggies: they can give you a second pot of oil to cook in if your partner/party has meat eaters. 10/10 for accommodating dietary restrictions! Dessert melted chocolate was every girl's dream.

Food: 8/10 - We indulged in a delightful 3-course meal, commencing with a satisfying salad and the ever-beloved cheese fondue. The cheese fondue was an absolute highlight. The second course provided a unique experience as we fried our own chicken and veggies at our table, a must-try adventure. The finale was the delectable chocolate fondue, a perfect ending to our meal.Service: 9/10 - The attentive waitstaff not only provided excellent service but also offered fantastic recommendations. They even surprised us with a mouthwatering cheesecake to celebrate a birthday, which was a lovely touch.Ambience: 9/10 - The ambiance was exceptional, featuring a sophisticated and dimly lit setting with the added charm of live music and an impressive display of wine bottles.

Came here during restaurant week and was a bit disappointed. I'd never tried a fondue restaurant before and it turned out I wasn't real enthusiastic about it. I'd prefer somebody else hassle with cooking my food and then bring it to me. The tables were too high to see into from a seated position. Lost items off of the forks and had to stand over the pot to retrieve them. Smoke in the eyes. Just not fun for me. The quality of the meats, veggies, and fruits seemed top notch, but one of the cheeses we had was grainy. I think I would have preferred broth over oil. The service wasn't great, had trouble finding somebody to help when one of our pots didn't get lit properly. Would not vote to return.