The Purple Pig Restaurant

Wow, their food is just incredible. It's no wonder their seats are always filled and folks are always raving about the Purple Pig. Every single thing we had was knock-it-out-of-the-park delicious. I came here on a weeknight for a double date and we started with some drinks. I had the "Last Word" cocktail made with gin and my partner had the "Blood and Sand." If you like bourbon, the Blood and Sand cocktail is for you.

Visiting Chicago for the first time, we were looking so forward to eating here. Let me just skip to the food. The beef tartar was served on a platter with a “smoke dome”. I tried to eat it, but it tasted like a hobo’s ashtray. The capers/beef was 50/50 ratio. I sent my watermelon drink back, which I never do, but it was awful. My friends lemon drink was delicious. We got the pigs ears/kale, which was like eating a dog treat. I’ve had cracklings from the Piggly Wiggly that are more edible. The atmosphere was loud, the service was nothing special at all for the price point. This place is pretentious and overrated. $100 for 2 disappointing appetizers and drinks.

We came here for lunch right when they opened at 11am and got seated as walk-ins. The interior of the restaurant had a lovely modern finish, and the service was insanely quick and attentive. We ordered the pork belly and the milk braised pork shoulder. Both dishes were beautifully plated and tasted incredibly delicious. Of the two dishes we ordered, we enjoyed the flavor of the pork belly more with its unique ginger glaze, but the texture of the pork shoulder was so soft and tender that it simply melted in your mouth. We had a wonderful experience, and we will definitely return and try other dishes as well!