Giant

“I deleted my year-old five-star review to make a new one, because every experience at Giant is exceptional. Seeing the same friendly faces year after year and enjoying the food makes me so grateful for this spot and this neighborhood. Try the sortalini if it's there while you visit!”

“Giant blends classic culinary techniques with big flavors; primarily from southeast Asia, with a sprinkling of whatever cuisines suit their fancy. The menu remains surprisingly cohesive and balanced. The dining room seats maybe 50. It is cramped and it's challenging not to feel like you're eavesdropping on the table next to you against your will. Service is attentive without being overbearing. Lots of bold flavors means plates and utensils are swapped out between courses. My meal at Giant caught me off guard. For one, the menu highlights 2 or 3 main components and leaves the rest to the ambiguous. The servers will give you more details on request but I enjoyed being surprised by each dish. The kitchen leans into flavors that others shy away from. Bitter, smoky, sour, to name a few. I was impressed by how well all of these flavors were balanced with their counterparts from other creative ingredients to create delicious plates. There wasn't one bad dish or one that didn't pleasantly surprise me. This is uncommon even by Chicago's standards; and as an ex-industry veteran, I've eaten at my fair share of establishments. Seafood plays a central theme at Giant. And while I'm sure the menu rotates frequently, there are some recommendations for those reading near the time of posting. The Deviled Dungeness Crab and Baked Clams are must-orders. The lamb rib is substantial and delicious; don't let the $8 price tag fool you. The Sortalini (Smoked Tomato) was the most unassuming, shockingly delicious pasta dish I've had in some time. Reservations are highly recommended as the dining room fills quickly. Most plates are built for sharing so those who like to try a bit of everything will be in heaven here. Giant is a cozy neighborhood restaurant that is anything but ordinary. It's a breath of fresh air and I'm excited to go back.”

“Giant was a GIANT hit for me! The dishes at this restaurant were remarkable. I will say, I wasn't the biggest fan of the drinks, but the food certainly made up for it. Likewise, this is a smaller restaurant, so the tables are squeezed together pretty tightly. The baked clams we started with had great flavors and a lovely crispy breading. We got the angolotti, per our server's suggestion and it certainly did not disappoint. This dish was so delicious and overall, my favorite from the night. The flavors were sort of sweet from the onions, but also pretty savory from the sauce, I really enjoyed the texture of the noodles as well. We shared it and it left me wondering if I should order another portion just for myself (portions were a little on the smaller side). We also shared the zucchini which was also delicious. I was surprised that the zucchini was served cold (on purpose), and I may have enjoyed it just a little better if it was hot. Still, it had great flavors. The saffron tagliatelle was great as well. The chili butter sauce incorporated well into the noodles and crab and the flavors fit really well together. I ordered one last clam at the end of dinner because I liked them a lot, but for some reason this clam did not taste like the ones we started with and tasted like they may have accidentally added double the amount of salt (perhaps a QC issue on this one). Overall, really great food with friendly servers, just not the biggest fan of how close the tables are to each other, and it gives off a bit of a claustrophobic feeling.”

“Went to try Giant for restaurant week and it did not disappoint! We arrived just before 6pm and so qualified for the half off bottle of wine deal which was fun. We decided to order the restaurant week menu as well as man menu items. Standouts were the crab salad (just fresh with incredible crab flavor), eggplant with pita (just WOW, I’m not really an eggplant person but it was cooked in such a fabulous way I couldn’t get enough!), sortalini pasta (to die for…. Seriously fantastic I should’ve ordered twenty of them), and the roast pork (melty and fatty, no notes). We also really enjoyed the vegetable dumplings, shrimp, beef cheek, and sourdough bread! For dessert the soy sauce ice cream was so fun and interesting, and apple tart was perfectly crunchy and sweet (but not too sweet). Great place to go with friends or a date! Only docked one star for atmosphere because the tables were packed so closely together it was really difficult to get out from the booth haha would have loved a little more room to get out comfortably.”

“Super tasty and unique food at Giant! My friends and I shared several plates and we loved them all. Some standouts were the saffron pasta with crab and the fries with…crab. The atmosphere is a bit loud at the tables. The tables are very close to each other. I think the best spots would be the patio in summer or at the chefs counter (only 4 seats) so you can watch all of the action in the kitchen.”