The food and drinks on the whole were good. The pani puri could have been better, and the pindi chole and dal makhani tasted like they came out of a pre cooked indian meal- was pretty bad. the bloody mary was good and deserts were great- esp the shahi tukra. food could have been better given the price, and the quantities a bit more.....not sure if i am coming back anytime soon.
Review Source:What happened to this place?? Â Is Maneet Chauhan not a associated with this place anymore! Vermillion USED TO BE amazing...
My husband and I have been coming here since 2007 until we moved 2 years ago in 2011  and it was always consistently great! So we are in town visiting and dropped by last night to get their scallops and butter chicken, which we used to crave - but as soon as I walked in last night things didn't  feel the right... It was totally empty except for 1 big table, but ok hey its Monday at 8pm, so benefit of he doubt.... The host was arrogant-annoying but whatever. BUT then the waiter with the broken hand, although polite, kept trying to upsell on EVERYTHING we ordered *NEWSFLASH WAITERDUDE- if I want any cocktails, sides, entrees, dessert or anything else I will be sure to let you know, now leave us alone, thanks!* Â
And of course when I asked for recommendations on apps, they all seemed to hover around the $14 options...hmm - coincidence?! It just felt like the restaurant is hurting so badly that they just want/need to squeeze as much as they can out of you before you leave - not ok in a supposed upscale and pricey restaurant - the items should sell themselves... So at last we settle on 2 orders of the scallops, the lamb chops and the butter chicken with side of rice. Â
Food comes - sadly, the scallops didnt have that crave factor anymore - though relatively well cooked, the crust was a burnt mess and the cheese was non existent with the puree being somewhat bland - what happened! This dish used to be awesome - sigh. Â Lamb chops - 2 out of 3 were meaty - 1 was literally all grisel and fat -very unappealing- don't even know how they allowed it to leave the kitchen-I point it out to the host guy, that apparently is doubling as a food runner"-hey is this supposed to be this fatty?" he says yes...my thoughts ok - but then when I take a knife to it vs the other meaty ones-can't eat any of it- so I tell the host and insist this can't be right -so he says they can replace it - please do I say....great. I eat the others while I wait - not bad-crust kept coming off, the pickled onions were very tasty...I get the last chop - the bastards gave me the same chop, but cooked it longer - really Vermillion?! At this point, I knew dessert was OUT of the question and I would never be coming back - despicable. Â
Food-The butter chicken also did not make the grade- some chicken was well cooked, other pieces overcooked and dry and tough to eat...the sauce which used to be amazing, no longer was... :-( rice was rice, naan was dry....double sigh.
Bill for 3 appetizers, 1 entree and a side of rice plus 20% tiip was $102. Â Had it been amazing as it once was - happy to spend it... BUT NOW, NO WAY IN HELLWE ARE COMING BACK FOR THIS GARBAGE. Â I wish I would have read reviews on this place last night before coming, but we just assumed it would still be phenomenal - lesson learned...
Save your money and go to India House(though currently undergoing renovations) -hopefully they still have their cooking integrity...and if they do they are worth the wait!
Went there for Restaurant Week. We quickly realized, though, that it was cheaper to just order off the regular menu. We got the seafood stew and ribs. The stew was very good. The ribs were fine but nothing special -- and I would have expected more sides than just a few pieces of cucumber in yogurt sauce. The decor was nice, but the service was lacking, our table was wobbly, and the restaurant was loud. It's not bad, but it's not great -- and there are better places to spend that kind of money.
Review Source:I again ventured into vermilion for our friend's send-off party. The food was as usual excellent. The service was borderline rude. Wait staff almost took the plates while we were still eating. They were moving furniture all over the place (apparently getting ready for next day setup). They should really rethink their wait staff.
Review Source:My girls and I only came in for the Pani Puri Margaritas b/c we'd heard so much hype around it. The drinks were ok...we ordered a round of 4 and each one of ours tasted slightly different. It's like they didn't get the ratio for the ingredients right - some of the drinks were too strong and some were just like water. It's a cool concept though and I'll definitely come back to try the food.
Review Source:This place is OK, just barely OK. Â I'd rate it 2-1/2 stars if I could. Â Vermilion is primarily an Indian restaurant, where they mix up the traditional dishes with nontraditional ingredients. Â (Steak tandoori.)
Pretty clear that the owner pulled from the McKinsey consulting playbook for execution, style, and especially the marketing aspect and nailed those things. Â The big problem is that the place feels sort of hollow, and the dishes seem lacking of soul, heart, and passion. Â The Latin tie-in "fusion" fell flat - if you have to try to explain it to me... then it probably isn't working.
The ribs were really good, super tender, recommended by our server, and a good pick. Â The fish stew was uninspiring (the famous Iron Chef one even), it was a LOAD of Indian vegetables and a sprinkling of seafood. Â I'm not thrilled to pay big bucks for a bowl of zucchini in fish stock. Â The broth by itself was not that great, so the stew built on top of it wasn't that great. Â
We somehow expected more. Â
"Tomato rice" sounded exotic but was a puck of standard rice with diced tomato on top. Â That really seemed to fall short, almost comically so. Â The appetizers/tapas we had were very good but were extra small portions that didn't justify the price (a single portabello taco for $12.) Â I can't fathom how they can sell a tasting menu where the prices are 5x for 1/5th the food.
Went at 7 on a Saturday night and the place was less than half full. Â Every other place in the area was packed.
So were we glad we tried the place? Â Yes. Â Would we go back? Â Hahahahahaha, No, never. Â There are just so many better Indian places, and many better Latin places that show their passion in the food.
Groupon in hand, my sister and I headed to Vermillion last night before a show! Â We were greeted warmly at the door and promptly asked whether we wanted the veggie or regular menu. Â My sister asked for both and I asked for the regular menu. Â When we were seated, I was presented with the veggie menu, my sister the regular, and rather than a drink menu, we were given a dessert menu! Â This was, luckily, the only flaw of the meal, but more attention to detail would be better when seating patrons.
The restaurant was sleek with black, white, and red. Â Michael C. was our waiter, and he was AMAZING! Â He immediately took back the dessert menus, without our prompting, and went into great detail about the drinks. Â He highlighted all of the specialty drinks in great gusto. Â I especially enjoyed my cucumber mint martini!
For appetizers, we had the artichokes and hearts of palm. Â Stunning! Â Both were complicated and delicious. Â He also said the scallops were amazing, but my sister does not eat fish (will save this for my next visit). Â For entrees, Michael was very, very helpful and steered me toward the fish stew, and this was a hit for me. Â A variety of fish and veggies in a broth! Â Yumm. Â My sister had a cauliflower vegetarian entree which was also delicious, based on the bite I swiped when she wasn't looking! Â
My sister was not up for dessert, so I will also give this a shot on my next trip.
This place was fabulous, and I cannot wait to return!
I have not traditionally thought of Vermillion when wanting to go to an Indian restaurant, so when I was considering where to take my mother for Indian she recommended to me Vermilion as an Indian-Latin fusion spot and said there was a Groupon, it was a no-brainer.
Usually fusion spots do not do it for me, but in consideration of pairing similar flavors in the spicier ranges and similar cooking techniques of the tandoor-BBQ-range with an avant-garde twist, I agreed out of curiosity and we were off on our mother daughter date.
Our reservation for 7:00 was a great idea because - HINT - you can find parking downtown as rush hour comes to an end. It was not super busy at this time anyway and the host was very friendly in accommodating us and explaining to me their array of chefs, their accolades and the women's foundations where some of the proceeds go.
Waiters were not pretentious despite the location of River North.
It appeared as though mostly older art gallery types and businessmen in groups were on the scene. I discovered that the black and white photographs  were shot by India's leading fashion photographer, although I did not particularly like them because they were close ups of TEXTURE, abstractions of women's bodies, they were detached from the atmosphere of the food and had no relation to Latin America or India in any social context which could make them thought-provoking. Then again what would one expect from a fashion photographer turned "fine artist"? Two completely different genres.
The layout was interesting, chandeliers inside diffusion cases and red vermillion curtains for the illusion of privacy and huge pillars. A very well thought out layout. What made the service GOOD instead of just OKAY is that there were probably more waiters than necessary, this can't be a bad thing and one table is guaranteed to have a **minimum** of a $60 bill. Â
Now for the food- Ah yes, if you are not familiar with Arepas allow me to explain. A corn-based dough patty that serves as the bottom portion for food to be served upon in South America. I wish that the duck arepas were bigger than a half dollar, and that the arepa was featured just as much as the duck was. The duck arepa was seasoned to be spicy and tasted as if it were a fusion, but it did not serve the arepas to be portrayed as finger food.
I insisted upon the plain naan (this has so much room for creativity in the Latin realm!) and coconut rice, two obvious essentials. Okay, there was something a little too healthy about the naan- it did NOT seem to come from a tandoor at all, and while the portion was perfect for two people, I wished I could say the same about the rice. The coconut rice had a jalapeño for garnish and a bay leaf, but it was not enough rice and again it seemed like they were afraid of butter. Rice is cheap- you can definitely do more than two cups without losing profit.
The Methi Sarson Palak Paneer was interesting, I tasted hints of basel and cilantro in my otherwise predominantly Indian spiced dish~ Â The large chunks of cheese were satisfying but I would not recommend this dish to a full-sized adult who likes to eat, there will be no leftovers. The consistency was that of baby food, it was very creamy but would be good a little chunkier as well to retain and break up some flavors.
Our shared Pindi Butter Chicken was bright orange and very creamy, the chicken was tender and the portion was medium sized but with smaller pieces of chicken than traditional Indian restaurants offer. I don't recall anything standing out or the spices to be extra original and didn't taste the Latin flavors.
We opted out of desert, which I ALWAYS save room for, because the (very common) almond joy cake, or chocolate empanadas would have probably caused a fight over it by my mother and I due to the portion size. Â If anything I would have tried the nut cake by myself, but didn't feel I could justify $9 on it.
I expect Vermillion to let their customers influence them more before they are out-fusioned by the fusion trend. They have already been around for 12 years, so they have it half-right. There is so much room for growth- perhaps this requires a discussion of portions rather than seasonal flavors- and for me personally to explore the rest of the menu without feeling like I could have gotten more bang for my buck at India House or Gaylord's.
I came here after a rave review by a local. The menu descriptions were fairly mouthwatering, though I found it odd that there wasn't much of a smell of good food permeating the space.
Our waiter was very, very heavy on the upsell which is pretty annoying at a supposedly upscale restaurant....not to mention that the wine list has three numbers after each wine, the first of which is the year, not the price. So you have a good chance of ordering a $10 glass of wine, drinking it in practically one gulp because the pour is so small, and then finding out that it was actually $13.
Top it all off with mediocre food, particularly when considering the prices, and you have a really disappointing experience - made all the more so by the fact that I was only in Chicago for a few days and there are so many excellent restaurants there.
End note, I'm pretty sure that my waiter probably threw out my comment card - why do they make waiters give and collect comment cards?
I'm extremely shocked by other yelper reviews. I'm in Chicago once a year and my husband and I LOVE Vermilion. I've been to 17 countries-most in the last 6 years, and have been  to at least over a thousand restaurants (it's not an exaggeration), and Vermilion is still on the top of my list. I'm not sure if they change things up for November because of the conference (60,000 people attend), or if it's just a coincidence that we get amazing food and service each time! We decided to take a group of clients there and they absolutely loved it. I love the burst of flavors in each dish. I think that maybe some of the people that gave vermilion bad reviews probably just swallowed their food because you can definitely taste the fusion. Vermilion uses a lot of different spices and I think that unless you're a good cook at home or are use to fusion, your pallet won't appreciate the different flavors.
Tip # 1- I wouldn't go based on Karan S. reviews as she only has 3 reviews- two of those being chinese and Japanese cuisines. Main ingredients - Â Soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, garlic, wasabi. She sounds like this person I know that said cream cheese tastes like goat cheese. REALLY??? Â I think you get my point.
Tip #2- Don't expect to get your mothers traditional Indian cooking like Hirani's review because it's not Indian food. It's Indian Latin fusion! Reality check- It's not meant to taste like a typical Indian dish.
Tip#3 - If you don't have an adventurous pallet or you don't know what fusion is about, then most likely you're not going to appreciate the food, nor the prices so start introducing your tongue to more flavors.
Tip# 4- My husband ordered the dosa taco appetizer and he said it was bland. Â Well, he said this to me just today as I was writing the review. So what was the advice I gave my hubby? Next time send it back or say something!! When you don't like something, send it back to the kitchen and have it made again (ESPECIALLY with these prices). That's what I learn from Chef Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares show HAHAHAH.
If you still want to try Vermilion- these are the dishes I've tried and have enjoyed VERY VERY much. I'm a fast eater, but at Vermilion, I take my time to taste all the spices and flavors that blend in so well.
* artichoke pakoras - absolutely delicious
*blue corn crusted scallops- soooo good
*chicken kabab- yummy!
I had the lobster portuguese & chimichurri new york strip and it was perfect. I loved the coconut rice on the side.
This is the second time I've been here (neither on my own accord). Food is decent, nothing to brag about. I found the ambiance and the decor pretty sub standard for the  type of restaurant they're projecting themselves to be.
The 2 reasons I have such a low rating is
1) The food is ok, definitely not worth what they're charging.
2) We went in for a friends birthday and my buddy (who had organized the dinner) was told that the charge for cutting the cake (whether we do it or they do it) would be $70 (10 slices @ $7 a slice) for a cake that cost $50. Seriously !!!!
This place is just not worth the effort.
Chicago is a fantastic city (among my top 5) with some of the best food I have had to-date. In fact, we never had bad service or a bad meal.. until we went to Vermilion. Up until that point, we had only experienced friendly hosts, incredible food, knowledgeable and attentive servers, and professional, charismatic management. When we walked into Vermilion, we were met with a sullen faced host/manager (?we couldn't tell) who seemed disinterested in speaking with, or engaging us, in any positive way. While our server seemed quite promising at first (knowledge of the menu was impressive), her service, and the overall quality of our night, deteriorated quickly.
Appetizers may have been the only good thing about this place, but even then, "good" is largely a relative term, as everything else was so bad. Drinks took a long time (~10-15 mins), quality checks were sparse, and the food runners auctioned off our orders (Denny's style) and actually came to our table twice with the wrong food.
The tandoori steak was bad, just awful; to say it was bland does not even scratch the surface. The prawn curry dish I ordered was mediocre at best, and served with rice that had sour, mushy patches in it (tasty right?). As soon as we were done eating, even though it was readily apparent that we were in the mood to keep drinking (half of us had full drinks), inexplicably, the server came out of nowhere and attempted to have us clear up! She would also ask us questions and literally leave either before we had answered OR AS WE WERE speaking with her. I am typically quite sympathetic with servers, but this was truly bad form.
I was warned by a local that Vermilion was not the best option, I wish we had listened. I truly regret that this was one of our dining experiences when there were so many other great options in Chicago.
So let me describe the food a bit better. The cocktails are all good, perfectly balanced. The appetizers (we tried all the vegetarian and the meat tasting plate) about 50% of that menu tasted good. Maybe a couple stood out (nothing compared to say, graffiti in NJ or Indika in Houston). The entree had all meats undercooked or overcooked (not a single one out of 4 had a well cooked meat morsel). We tried the Kerala red curry which was sure spicy but totally flavorless ( all you can taste is just dry chilli spice and garam masala spice which destroys the tapioca underneath) also it had no salt. The gobi Portuguese was well prepared (relative to the rest of the junk served) we had the thaali which is supposed to be authentic Indian but was far from it. Naan was chewy and not fresh (it was cold
And probably chewy from sitting out). North Indian curries (in the thaali) had tons of tamarind which is an ingredient that is NEVER used in north Indian food. If she was trying to fuse north with south, she failed miserably. The desserts were extremely ordinary and had little imagination. I'm not surprised this
Chef was kicked out of the Iron Chef of America early on in the competition.
Is there a statue of limitations when it comes to reviews? I think even Stabler will even agree with me when I say 'absolutely not'. That being said, my visit has been within 5 years but definitely over 2. I went there on a Thursday with my mom. Whenever my mom is in town, we try to go to a different place each time. Blah blah this time it was Vermilion. My mother is over 50 so dinner time was about 6 which could explain why the place was empty. And when I say empty i mean staff were still showing up for their shifts. A little off setting but before we had anytime to dwell a beverage list was placed in front of us, well played V. Our waitress, who was very intimidated by my mother's and my personality, did her best to keep up. She recommended the Pear Cardamon Martinis.
STOP!
Right here. This is why this review is happening! I'm going to type it again slowly so you can get it down.
PEAR - the fruit
CARDAMON- the spice
MARTINI- the drink
Best drink I have ever had in my life! I am a beer girl. Oh wait a wine girl. No, a whiskey girl. Actually, a dirty martini (very lightly dirty- naughty) girl.
Conclusion- I like my drinks. The martini is the perfect blend of spice and sweet (although I am not usually a fan of sweet). Pear Vodka, fresh cardamon and a little lime. After 2 years I still have cravings for this drink. Those of you that notice the time this review was written, you will notice it is 822 AM on a Tuesday. Yep- cravings. Hey- I can't control when they come. All I know is that when they come I need to do the best I can to appease the need.
Honestly... this review is pretty much to solely pay tribute to this drink however I will very briefly tell the rest of the culinary tale.
The space is dark and modern, a bit on the chilly side so bring a sweater, coat, wrap, ascot, diner's choice.
Service was great- nothing to really say.
Food- awesome. Vermilion is a mixture of Latin and India. The menu offers selections from both side as well as a few hybrids of the flavors. Think plantains, curry, cardamon, steak, tofu. My mom likes to eat vegetarian and I only eat meat, if I can help it, and V had a great selection for both eaters. I got a chimchurri steak with plantains and mom got paneer.
Conclusion 2- Go to this place, if not solely to try the martinis, then to get some yummy fun food.
The good...
The artichoke tapas things... Oh man that was good. It's basically a artichoke tempura with a tasty spicy sauce.
Ribs - mmmm yummy. The ribs are very good but heartburn city!
Strip Steak - delicious. The spices they use on this steak make it so good! It was cooked perfectly. I was very happy with this choice. If it were not for this steak, I'D RATE THIS PLACE 2 STARS IF NOT FOR THIS STEAK.
The ehhh...
Service was good, nothing to boast about. Suggestions came after we placed our order (weird). Walked out in front of 2 hostesses who were talking to each other, did not thank us or acknowledge us.
The sides and tapas we had at our table were all interesting but I didn't find anything else really amazing to mention.
The ugly...
The naan. For a place that's upscale Indian, it was quite possibly the worst naan I've ever had. I mean the worst. It was tough, dry, just plain not good. Now I don't know if that's the way it's supposed to be (I'm a white guy) but the naan I get from other cheaper Indian joints and even the trader joes frozen naan is tremendously better. I feel almost as though it had been made a long time ago and sat out, wasn't even warm.
I agree with their prix fixe menu... It's odd that the price points are so high considering their menu price points. I don't understand why anybody would order it????
Had dinner here last night.
The night started off a little weird in that I couldn't quite connect with our server. I also didn't understand the prix fixe menus. At a place with an average entree price of $25 and appetizers from $10-$14, a $90 prix fixe should probably be for 2 people and not one but...
Anyway, after some awkward communication which was probably on me, we settled in. My date and I had the following:
- roasted red pepper lentil soup
- some type of mango salad
- crab/lobster cake
- special empanadas
- special ceviche
- tamarind shrimp
- blue corn crusted scallops
- pani puri
- tamarind ribs
Every dish worked for us. I'm a big fan of Indian flavors and cooking and the fusion with Latin American flavors seemed to take the best of both worlds and wasn't forced.
However, I'd caution against anyone coming here who isn't into spice or thicker sauces. My ribs, as an example, were covered in a sweet tamarind sauce (as advertised) which I really enjoyed but could also see others thinking the sauce was too much.
The fried items (empanadas and pani puri) were done with a light hand. Empanadas, in particular, can leave me feeling overly stuffed but these were surprisingly light and airy.
The scallops had a nice crisp crunch that I can still taste. The shrimp were fresh, reasonably sized and had a spiciness from the tamarind sauce that caused me to scarf them down with a sense of urgency!
The crab/lobster cake was done well. I'm from the 'as little filling as possible' school when it comes to crab cakes and these met that requirement. However, the portion size for this plate needs to be thought through a bit more. At the price, you should probably get two and not one.
Both the salad and soup were good values with great flavor and portion sizes! The soup, in particular, is a little filling so I'd caution against starting with it if you're in the mood to try different things.
The bill was $133 after tax and before tip, which seemed fair.
My advice to anyone - make sure you truly enjoy Indian flavors if you plan to dine here. This isn't a place at which you can 'just other a steak'. With that prerequisite met, you could be in for an exciting meal!
I had the paella. Not only was it bad, the rice was obviously not fresh and a few days old. The menu says it comes with squid, tilapia, clams, and mussels. That was a lie. It came with 2 shrimp, and 3 mussels. I brought this up to the server who was apologetic. Keep in mind I was having lunch with 2 others and the only other party in the whole place was one couple. The server alluded to rectifying the issue with desert but I was pressed for time and I told her I wasn't into sweets. Her back up was a round of drinks. I made it clear I wasn't interested in that either as I was headed back to a meeting. 2 minutes later, I'm presented with a round of drinks. Champange flutes with some red slurry and a wilted rose petal. Yelch.
The interior design of this place looks like my bubbey from Boca Raton Florida, consulted a nouveau riche coke dealer from miami and the two of them went back to 1992.
The first time I ate here, it was my new best friend.
The next visit, flavor just wasn't there.
Third and most recent time, same, just lacking flavor or in particular any sort of fusion flavor, plus the hostess and server both seemed really put out by having to deal with the Groupon crowd, as the certificate was expiring the next day. Yeah... staff it or don't sell it.
I don't really know what to make of the flavor thing though. Also somewhat Groupon induced? I guess I'd recommend staying away from the "Core Indian" portion of the menu since straight Indian food, you can get much cheaper and spicier elsewhere.
The food here pleasantly surprised me in a great way. Came here on a Sunday night with a group of 6. It was slow given the fact that it was Sunday night - and therefore we got really good service. Our waitress was super sweet.
Also, in terms of all the bad reviews of the food, I honestly think that for certain persons, Indian food and spices will naturally not sit well. For the people that also had bad reviews given the scene and service, I guess if I were coming here for a rowdy, in your face fun evening, this place would not be the choice. Choose something newer for that. But if you want good food with the company you go with, this place is a nice option.
For me, the food was excellent. Had and Pani Puri - and my friend who is Indian said it was stellar. For my entree, I got the vegetarian Eggplant with a side of Coconut rice. Also very tasty! The spices were Indian - bold, spicy, tangy, sweet, sour all at once in a balanced way. Â
I got to taste some of the meats my friends ordered and it was all executed very well.
The decor is a little dated, and this place has been on Hubbard for a while, but that definintely says something - to have a restaurant in River North stick around for several years. Not sure what the scene and service is like on the weekends, but if you are looking for a nice meal on a quiet weekday, this place might be a good option if you're in the mood for Indian inspired dishes.
Came here last night for friends birthday.
The restaurant was half empty which was unusual for restaurants around this area, then later the food explains everything.
My friends and I sat there for a while before the waitress finally greets us and bring more menus over. As we were trying to order, the waitress could never hear any questions we asked, basically we had to repeat the question once if not more.
We ordered 2 bottles of wine, so didn't get to try any of their cocktails. For appetizer, I ordered chicken bombay frankie, which was highly recommended by a friend, and chimichurri new york strip for entree. Bombay frankie was such a disappointment, the flavors were no different from a chicken wrap burrito people can order from a fast food restaurant, and with the price i'm paying, I am expecting a lot more flavors.
The new york strip was a little on the dry side, had the spiciness from the chimichurri sauce, but other than the spiciness, there wasnt much other flavors from it, sweet potato that came with the steak was really dry, and flavorless. I also got to try the butter chicken from a friend...although it was a good dish, but definitely could get it else where for a lot cheaper price.
Indian and Latin american fusion should go very well together since they use a lot of similar spices, but I don't think Vermillion pulled it off.
I guess there is a reason why the restaurant was half empty at 730pm on a Friday night.
I really had high hopes for this place after everything I had heard and all the hype surrounding its famous chef-owner. When we got there around 8:30 on a saturday night the place was almost empty.
The server was extremely friendly and gave us great tips for ordering from a menu that looked a little strange to us coz of the all the weird fusion stuff going on. So we were off to a good start.
For drinks we had a lychee ginger martini, a cucumber mint martini and mango mint mohito. The drinks were definitely top-notch and extremely delicious!!! So 5 stars there for sure!
For the appetizers we shared the "degustation of  4 appetizers" which includes about two bites of 4 different dishes that the chef chooses. On this day there was a duck appetizer, which neither of us are fans of, so we got the chicken doubled  and we had two other different vegetarian dishes. One was pani puri and the other was artichoke something. These were all awesome!
The main course is where things started to go downhill. We ordered butter chicken and the goat mutton. The butter chicken was great, but lets get real, butter chicken is very hard to screw up (even if you try it at home, its pretty easy. Takes forever, but still easy). The goat mutton was not so great. It was way too spicy (even for indians), some pieces of the mutton were overcooked, some were undercooked. Even the pieces that were nicely cooked were very unsatisfying. I ended up not eating most of it and just ate the butter chicken. Both these entrees came with naan, which was also extremely disappointing. It really didn't have that fresh naan feel or taste to it.
The dessert was the worst part. There was actually a chocolate cake on the menu with some type of chili masala. Are you kidding me???? More spice? I think by the time we get to the dessert most people have had enough spice. None of the other items on the menu looked appealing at all. Once look at the dessert menu and we just asked for the check.
Even without the dessert, we had spent wayyy too much money. I dont think we would come back here. Definitely not with a group, coz you'll end up paying a small fortune to feed more than 4 people. Its a nice place if you want to try something new. But if you're going here to satisfy your craving for 'modern' indian food, you will probably leave unsatisfied. If you're from the suburbs its definitely NOT worth the trek downtown. There are much better options in the burbs, in every burb. Â Heck, there are much better options downtown as well.
What a joke!
As a south Indian, I was raised on the most delicious succulent food imaginable. I remember being a small child and sitting on the counter as my mother made fragrant dishes and always coming back to sneak bites when she was in the pantry.
My boyfriend took me here for my birthday because it combined two of my favorite cuisines- Indian and Latin. It was a disappointing beyond belief. I know that the chef is Indian and a huge Food Network star but I really don't understand why.
We started our dinner off with scallops. They were perfectly cooked but the flavor was off, it tasted sour and not good.
I ordered the lamb shank gassi. Let me start off by saying that I love lamb, I am totally and utterly obsessed with lamb. This lamb was dry and there was no flavor. The spices were very 1 dimensional. It tasted like the lamb had been cooking forever in the spices that were old. There wasn't enough salt, heat or flavor. It was just lacking all around. I wanted to complain about the food but that would require the servers to ever walk around. Since they never bothered to come around, we just ate, paid and left a very poor tip. As a previous service employee, this hurt me deeply. I do not blieve in leaving bad tips but this service required it.
My boyfriend ordered the lobster portuguese MP. The only thing on the plate that was decent was the rice. The lobster was overpowered by the spices that were again under salted and the lobster was chewy. What a total and utter disappointment!
What upset us even more? When we left, the next day were were both fighting for the bathroom and the only common meal we shared was at Vermillion. So, I called the manager to report it (I worked in F&B and ran 10 bars and 4 restaurants) in hopes they would catch the bad item and stop serving it. I was told that I was wrong and talked to like I was an idiot by the rude manager who apparently has no customer service experience. He kept bragging about the restaurant instead of apologizing and promising to look into it. How dissapointing!
I love supporting my fellow Indiana, when they success it helps the rest of us but this is a huge disappointment and embarrassment for all Indians, everywhere!
I had to say, the menu isn't really creative. In India we have pani puri sold on every street corner by every cart vendor. What is so special about it here? Nothing, especially nothing worth paying $8 for when it cost them less than $.50.
Save your money, go somewhere where they know how to cook.
At Vermillion I ate one of the best meals I've ever had. Â My husband and I ordered the prix fixe, mine was vegetarian, his was vegan. Â I cannot imagine another restaurant providing better vegan food (most of my dishes were vegan). Â I also enjoyed their pear and jalapeno cocktail, and when I requested it be spicier, they did oblige.
Highlights across the five courses were: my paneer appetizer with spicy coating, punjab chole, jicama salad, spicy eggplant, the curried-gobi entree, and the desserts (chocolate cake, mango flan, yummy sorbet, and a delicious sesame/poppy crisp). Â We also loved the little 'street food' style crisp. Â It was a little shell/bowl with a delicious filling, eaten after pouring the accompanying cucumber water inside.
I also love eating at Vermillion because the service is so outstanding. Â And yes, it's expensive...but in my opinion, this sort of outstanding service and superbly-creative delicious food is worth every penny.
My experience here was amazing. Â So amazing that I had to pinch myself to confirm it was real. Â
I was super excited to try Vermilion for two reasons: (1) Chef Maneet Chauhan of Chopped and Iron Chef was/is an influence to this restaurant and (2) Many recommendations from numerous people.
So we made finally made reservations. Â Our server was friendly, but overall service was spotty (forgotten drinks, inattentiveness, etc.). Â The drinks were creative, unique, and quite tasty. Â I highly recommend the saffron coconut cream martini.
Since there were so many unique items on the menu, we decided to order the tasting menus - which consist of plenty of food to keep you full. Â I ordered the vegetarian tasting menu and they prepared the entire thing vegan for me without a problem. Â Every item served was absolutely delectable, the only thing I did not like was the eggplant (overcooked and weird flavoring) but everything else more than made up for it. Â My bf ordered the supreme omnivore tasting menu and he loved it too. Â Overall Vermilion was a homerun for us - it's my new favorite place to get a fancy pants vegan meal.
Save your pennies, Vermilion is pretty pricey, but for an Indian-Latin fusion experience, it is awesome. It is also fancy in decor, and so my boyfriend and I decided to dress up for the occasion.
When they offer water, be aware that there is still, sparkling, and tap. We didn't hear the tap part and went for still water, which is Voss, which they charge you $6 a bottle for, c'est la vie.
Vermilion's menu is divided into a couple of options - if you are exceptionally hungry and have deep pockets, there are various tasting menus (meat, seafood, vegetarian, or omnivore). Personally for the two of us, though we were hungry, we went for one tapas-style opening plate and two entrees. We did not have dessert and since I can't tolerate alcohol, can't comment on the drinks though it looked like drinks are quite popular at this place.
Both my boyfriend and I love strong, flavorful, pungent dishes. That's where Vermilion's specialty lies.
Our tapas was some kind of potato cake with chicken on top, it's not on the website's menu so I forget the name. I think the tapas was the one place where I was a bit indifferent.
For entree, he had the red curry fish and I had the chimichurri new york strip steak. The fish: Holy spice batman! It is spicy (but according to bf, who lived abroad in Bangalore, still not authentically spicy). It is also authentic, he nods.
The Chimichurri new york strip steak is much more palatable to those with American tastes. The sweet potato it comes with complements the dish well.
Our service was prompt, attentive, helpful, (a bit over-selling on the prix fixe menu, obviously).
To make a long story short, Vermillion was fabulous. This fancy eatery is the kind of place I usually don't like. Fancy decor, high prices and stuffy vibe. But the food blew me away. The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door was the wonderful odors coming out of the kitchen. I really wasn't hungry when I walked in, but the aroma of charred meat put me in the mood for some grub.
For my entree, I opted for a hunk of steak. I ordered the tandoori skirt steak . This lovely hunk of meat was covered with a hot sauce and served with delicious sweet potato's. The steak was spicy, it had the roof of my mouth burning, but for some reason the combination worked. It didn't ruin the taste of the steak. It actually enhanced it. Well worth the hefty price tag. It was a different take on steak that I really enjoyed.
 Here's the delicious, bottom line: If you are looking for a different kind of dining experience, filled with spice, heat and flavor, add Vermillion to your list of places to visit. The food was tasty, the service was wonderful and it's well worth the price tag. My wife and I had a fabulous time and we can't wait to go back.
Not worth the price! Long wait to get food/bill, the portion of food was small and the server overcharged us at the end of the night. Â I don't mind small portions if the food is truly amazing, but 5 small chunks of chicken in a 24 dollar dish is ridiculous. Ordered the nut cake dessert - $9 for a tiny square, if I'm paying that much think it should come with ice cream or something. Wished I just went to forever frozen around the corner.
You can get way better indian food on west devon at a fraction of the price. Hostess was also in a foul mood. Music was horrible and the decor was pretty whack (naked photos of women in the bathroom?) So glad I used a groupon - otherwise I'd be kicking myself. Really not worth the wait or the price!
Among several of the high-priced restaurants in Chicago, Vermilion is one that I have found to be worthy of returns. The portions are not grand, but if you order something substantial like a dish with beans or potatoes, you will fill up nicely.
Refreshing cucumber martini. A flight of appetizers. A flight of Indian dishes.
Nothing like sitting outside enjoying a great meal and watching the variety of individuals strolling down the street. Be forewarned that Indian and Latin flavours can be a bit of a duel with each other. You may have to request that the dishes be prepared such that one flavour stands out more than the other. Else, it is definitely all good.
Had a Groupon for this restaurant that gets you 2 appetizers and 2 entrees and used it tonight. We got there at 7:15 and got seated right away for our 7:30 reservation. The décor is nice, the pictures of the naked women in the bathroom
were kind of weird and the music reminded me of a nightclub.
For appetizers we ordered the blue corn crusted scallops and the Bombay frankie. About 15 minutes later we got the food. The scallops were pretty good, it was the first time I'd ever had scallops so I have nothing to compare them too. The Bombay frankie would have been delicious except that it came out warm and would have been a lot better if it were hot.
For the main course I had the "pindi" butter chicken and my friend had the tandoori skirt steak. About 15/20 minutes later we got the food. The butter chicken was alright. I didn't love it enough to finish it. The naan it came with was so greasy; it looked like it was wearing lip gloss. It wasn't light and fluffy at all. I would prefer the chicken tikka masala at Gaylord Indian Restaurant off Michigan Ave any day of the week. I had a piece of my friend's tandoori skirt steak. I thought it was really good; the mint sauce on it was tasty. The problem was that she asked for it well-done and it came out a little rarer than medium. They even used the steak cooking to well done as an excuse as to why the food took so long, and it did take long.
We decided to order dessert and ended up getting the sampler because the waitress suggested it would be good for sharing. It arrived about 15/20 minutes later. It was $16 and together I don't think the 3 samples would have added up to 1 dessert. It was pretty much  of every dessert on the menu. The desserts were delicious, especially the chocolate cake, perfect with a little bit of heat. But I would have never gotten it if I knew that it was so little food for so much money.
The waitress forgot that we had the groupon and gave us the check for the full amount of $101. This sucked because it took her about 10 minutes before she came back and we could correct the check. I wouldn't be surprised if she did it on purpose so that we knew the amount to tip her. When she came back with the corrected check she made a point to show us the original amount and where the groupon was added. I understand that maybe waiters get screwed by people not tipping on the full amount but I'm not dumb and don't need to be constantly reminded.
We ended up paying about $55 with the tax, tip and dessert and that was honestly too much for what we got. The service was slow; we were there for 2 hours. It was overpriced and the portions were tiny! Some of the food was okay but not good enough for what you have to pay.
I'll cut right to the chase, this place is very nice but it's very expensive for food that I just did not enjoy.
I ordered the following:
Tapas
- blue corn crusted scallops on a kali mirch latin calabasa goat cheese puree
- jumbo crab-lobster cake malabar seasoning, tamarind olive tartar
Main Course
- chili-glazed blackened tamarind ribs (an indian export to americas - tamarind/imli glaze + avocado pakoras, tomatillo pachadi)
Good thing I ordered the Naan and some Pinot Noir to wash down the other food. I guess I should have gone to a cheaper place for my first Indian food experience.
I just went to Vermilion today for lunch and I am still feeling it hours later. Â In fact, I haven't had an appetite since. Â The food was extremely subpar, scantly portioned, and the service was slow and unhelpful. Â I had major digestive issues after eating there and I had food that was pretty safe (slightly overdone blackened tilapia and dried out saffron rice). Â Everything was disappointing and it seems that every chance they get they try to confuse the consumer into paying more. Â
We were also given the dinner price for the lunch prix fixe menu. Â When we brought it up with the waitress, she wouldn't budge. Â We asked kindly for the manager and he acknowledged the price difference almost like it's been happening all day. Â Either way, they did nothing to fix the problem except refund $70 to us (that's what I paid. For lunch.), probably in the hopes that people would continue to just go with the flow and pay the wrong amount for their food. Â I was incredibly insulted and I will never go back here.
I would have given it 2 stars for decor, but frankly, it looks like every other relatively new restaurant downtown. Â Avoid this place. Â They're swindlers and your body might not agree with their fare.
We were really excited to try Vermillion, but we were not at all excited when we left.
I came for restaurant week lunch with a group of 8 friends, If I had come here and paid full price for this food, I would have been very upset.
Overall, SPEND YOUR MONEY ELSEWHERE. Especially during restaurant week.
1. The food was just meh and bland. I feel like I could get better latin and indian food elsewhere-- the fusion didn't really come through well in the food. I expected more from an Iron Chef. Â Part of this seems to be that they didn't give any of the food options that other yelpers have raved about. If you're going to participate in restaurant week, why don't you go all out and showcase your best food so people want to come back? In this case even what they did serve didn't even seem well executed.The best thing I ate was the Tandoor Chicken sandwich, and even that wasn't outstanding.
2. The drinks were good. The fusion came through well here. The decor is very cool. These were really the only saving graces. Unfortunately I don't choose where to dine solely based on the drinks and decorating... FOOD is kind of my main priority.
3. We went for restaurant week expecting typical lunch pricing as nothing else was listed on the website. It turned out their lunch menu was a 33 or 44 option, even though their sign outside advertised a "latin express" prix fixe lunch option for $24. We assumed this was the restaurant week menu option for lunch because they had displayed the exact menu we were given. It took and arm an a leg, but they finally gave us this price. If they hadn't I would have only given this place one star.
My first New Year's Eve dinner! Â Excellent service never fails. Â Due to pressing schedule, I asked waiter with sense of humor to compress the 3-hour 7 course dinner into 1.5 hours. Â Yay!
Lobster Portuguese was delish! Â An inspiration to at-home preparation of lobster.
The method of consumption for Juhu Ki Pani Puri is an experience in itself. Â Only fine dining credible chefs are able to create such a dish -- strategy into merging liquid into solid and experiencing ALL the flavors in one bite.
The quality of food is never questionable. Â A la carte prices is enough to file bankruptcy. Â The KEY to enjoying Vermillion is prix fixe menus and aggressive search for Vermillion's deals and specials.
I'm in between a 3 and a 4 here. I've been here 3 times and my most recent visit left me leaning towards the 3.
Overall, the ambience is strange here. Almost everytime I'm here it is EMPTY. It makes for an awkward meal when you feel like you are the only ones in the restaurant. Where are all the people! And the service has always been a little awkward
I've really liked most dishes I've had here, mostly because I love spice! If you don't like spicy food do NOT come here. Most of their entrees are delicious but my fav is the seafood soup/stew. Lamb shank good, NY strip good and spicy chimichurri!
Their ribs were on the dry side so skip those. Also skip the mussel appetizer was very medium...mussels were bland. They poured the sauce tableside, but the mussels needed to be cooked IN the sauce to really get the flavor.
No matter what you MUST try the chocolate lava cake. Dark chocolate + blackberry sorbet should be a regular.
I love the fusion here. I hope they can get more people in the door to help the ambience and up the service a little!
Vermilion effortlessly merges Indian and Latin American flavors in contemporary presentations. As adventurous as I am in my diet, I usually dislike Indian food; however, when Groupon offered a deal for Vermilion I decided to try it out.
Scott and I secured the first dinner reservation on Christmas Eve. Scott wore slacks and a button-up shirt and I wore nice jeans and a fancy sweater. The host was wearing a classic suit and our server (Ashra) was sleek in all black.
There was a bar on the front left wall and tables and secluded booths throughout. Large black and white photography demurely donned the walls. The square tables were draped in white cloths but the black plastic chairs were surprisingly simple, but matching nonetheless.
I had a blueberry fizz cocktail that was served in a champagne flute, a dollop of sorbet and topped with a red rose petal. The flavor was mature and refreshing - not sweet as expected.
Scott and I started with the duck arepa and artichokes. The arepas were open-faced and bite-sized and spicy. I loved the texture combinations. The sauce served with the deep-fried artichokes was a necessary addition. It truly completed the plate. Both dishes were beautifully presented like works of art.
In comparison, the entrees were more simple and far less impressive. Scott got the skirt steak and I had the lamp shank. Both were good, but nothing like the small plates. Scott hated the sauce that came with his steak and the rolled up thing on the side was not to his taste. My lamb shank was very tender (I could cut it with a fork). I loved the rice and the other small side that came with it.
I ordered rice pudding to go and had it a couple of days later. It was WAY too sweet for my liking. Â It was a generous portion and took two days to eat. What also took two days to eat was my left over lamb.
Vermilion has a beautiful setting (perfect for a date) and a unique dining experience. I think that it's a good place when someone isn't sold on Indian (or Latin) foods since it has options. The service is also terrific. I could tell that they were extremely interested in pleasing their customers.
I've been dying to try Vermilion for years, and finally had a good opportunity to try it out.
We came for dinner on a Sunday night, and as we walked from the South Loop to Hubbard, we passed tons of empty restaurants. I think the economy, and possibly the late bears game, really slows down business on Sundays.
We picked Vermilion based on friend's reviews of the place from years ago. I've got to say, for once, I'm happy I didn't check the Yelp reviews first or I don't think we would have bothered to come. It does seem that our fantastic dinner was in the minority, and that's sad because this place has potential.
The service was attentive (we were one of two tables occupied in the whole place, so really, it better be attentive!) and I thought the decor was sexy modern, yet fun. They have an all vegetarian menu, which upon walking in, we were asked about. They also are sure to understand any dietary restrictions you have.
We started with cocktails, the husband a nice malbac, and I went for the Coconut Saffron Creme cocktail. It was sweet, but it really went well with the artichoke pakoras, which had a chili coconut dipping sauce that was freaking out of this world good (save it for later!)
The husband had the Lobster Portuguese; stewed in a goan clove-garlic-cardamom gravy + coconut rice + eggplant chip. I opted for the veggie version, the Gobi Portuguese which replaces the lobster with cauliflower. Also got some fenugreek naan on the side. The dinners were spicy, not overly so, Â I would get this again, and in the Gobi version, there was plenty for me to take home so 2 meals in one for $20. While the Lobster version was good, not sure it's worth the $40 price tag.
We still had wine in the bottle, so opted to go with the Vermilion Hedonism for dessert. Dark chocolate cake with chili powder and a side of fruit with blueberry sorbet. Outstanding, don't pass on this.
Maybe it's the items we ordered, but I wasn't getting too much of the Indian Latin fusion, but just Indian. We were glad we tried it, and we got to expense this dinner. Although, if we had to pay, not sure it's worth the expensive price point.
Went here on a groupon. Reservation for 8:00. Finding parking was terrible. So we walked in about 8:12. Our table was given up. Fine.
We sat to wait in the lounge area. Not so lounge-y. Â Oversized metal chairs with no cushion. Can't lay back and can't sit up straight. Really atrocious. no comfort at all for diners waiting to be seated.
After 30 minutes (thanks to my kindle to keep me waiting).... hostess finally gives us a menu to order drinkings. 15 minutes later, drinks come. 10 minutes later, hostess says, " oh you're table's ready but we can't seat you until your tab is finished at the bar. Â Girl serving drinks takes our credit card for payment. then checks on another group of people in the lounge. then another group. then another group. and another. THEN takes the credit card to the machine to swipe our payment.
Really, vermillion? it takes an hour to seat your guests on a reservation and you make people wait in crappy chairs and refuse to sit them when their table is ready b/c YOU can't get your act together
we bought the Chopped  tasting. $80 a piece or $160 for the both of us. Without a groupon, would have been $320.
The food was okay. Most dishes were very spiced to the point of distraction. Very hit or miss. Some were salty. Nothing was that memorable. We were seated at 9 and out past 11. Didn't expect to be spending forever and a half there.
With the deal, yes we paid $160. But if i were to spend that money anywhere, I'd expect some better service and better food. There's other places for fine dining.
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