Head-to-Head · Chicago
Brindille vs Indienne
Both are River North refined dining. Book Brindille for classic French a la carte, Indienne for Chicago's first Michelin-starred Indian tasting.
The Verdict
Brindille is the refined Parisian room at 534 North Clark Street in River North, opened in 2013 by Carrie Nahabedian and Michael Nahabedian, the James Beard-winning cousins behind the long-running NAHA. The room runs to French linens, fine china and a classic carte that leans on duck, seafood and a deep French cellar. It is listed in the Michelin Guide rather than starred, books a la carte at around 90 to 150 dollars a head with a tasting menu on request, and scores 8 for food, 8 for the room and 8 for value. It is the safer, more traditional of the two evenings.
Indienne is the bolder room, and the decorated one. A few blocks west, chef Sujan Sarkar runs the progressive Indian kitchen that became Chicago's first Indian restaurant to hold a Michelin star, and it was named Restaurant of the Year at the 2026 Banchet Awards. The cooking melds Indian heritage with French technique across a set tasting menu: pani puri with passion fruit and green apple, yogurt chaat with strawberry and tamarind, morel samosa with asparagus and truffle. The tasting runs about 185 dollars before pairings, with a first-come bar-bites counter, and it scores 9 for food, 8 for the room and 7 for value.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | Brindille | Indienne |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 8 / 10 | 9 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 8 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
| Value | 8 / 10 | 7 / 10 |
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| A milestone tasting dinner | IndienneThe set menu, the Michelin star and the Banchet Restaurant of the Year title make it the occasion room for a night that should feel special. |
| A classic French dinner | BrindilleNahabedian's carte of duck, seafood and French classics is the more traditional table, with the flexibility to order light or long. |
| Closing a deal | BrindilleA la carte pacing and a quiet, linen-set room let a conversation run on your schedule rather than the kitchen's tasting clock. |
| A food-led date | IndienneThe progressive tasting gives a couple something to talk about course by course, and the room reads as a genuine event. |
| A flexible budget | BrindilleYou set the spend on the carte, from a two-course supper to the full tasting, where Indienne commits you to the set menu price. |
Price and How to Book
The split is flexible French versus fixed Indian tasting. Brindille is the a la carte Parisian room that books on OpenTable, Resy and by phone, with a strict 48-hour cancellation policy; the full picture is in the Brindille review. Indienne is the starred tasting room that releases tables on Resy and Tock and sells its weekend slots fast, as covered in the Indienne review. Both sit in our wider Chicago dining guide.
For cuisine context, weigh Brindille against the best French restaurants worldwide and Indienne against the best Indian restaurants worldwide. For occasion fit, line them up with our picks for a first date and for closing a deal. More match-ups sit on the compare index.