Bohemian House

Bohemian House, also known as Boho, isn’t for the faint of heart. Literally. If you have heart problems you might want to consult with your doctor before eating here. That’s because Boho is a modern take on Bohemian food, which means food influenced by the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria, which means a lot of meat. Meat like knackwurst and pork schnitzel, and just saying the word schnitzel is a daunting task, let alone eating it all. We will say that the modern take on the food makes it a bit lighter than a traditional Eastern European meal, but not by a lot.

Located on the corner of State and Illinois, Boho is entrenched in River North without being as much of a scene as places nearby. We chalk it up to the style of the food, because let’s face it, people wearing fedoras, giant sunglasses, or 37’’ heels aren’t trying to eat beef cheek pierogies or spätzle for dinner.

The design is cool, and anything but low key. Boho is full of thick wood tables and ceiling beams, plus a number of bright colors and patterns sprinkled throughout the space. Think German beer hall meets colorful and modern interior design. It’s lively without being real loud, so you can come for food and cocktails but still hear the people next to you.

Just make sure those people are comfortable eating Bohemian style food, so maybe leave the wannabe Instagram models at home.

Food Rundown

Deviled Eggs

Not something we’d normally order at a restaurant, but these are pretty good. They are topped with cured salmon, salmon roe, dill, and rye. The salmon flavor is what makes these worth ordering.

Hungarian Langos

Fried potato bread with a heavy dose of garlic sour cream and aged gouda. We’d recommend only ordering if you have a party of four or more. A piece or two is good, but too much of this stuff and you’ll be down for the count.

Salt & Vinegar Chips

These homemade chips are delicious and great for picking at as a starter. Dip them in the horseradish-onion dip served with it.

Slow Roasted Beets

Order these beets if not for the sole purpose to get some veggies. It’s a beautifully plated dish with beets, apples, walnuts, caraway vinaigrette, and molasses. Tastes good too.

Bone Marrow & Steak Tartare

The steak tartare actually ends up being minimal because it’s piled on top of the marrow bones. Not a bad thing, just think of this more like a bone marrow dish with a steak tartare bonus than the other way around.

Pork Schnitzel

Sizable piece of pork schnitzel with dill potatoes, bacon, onions, and charred lemon. Straight forward.

Roasted Duck Leg

Slice roasted duck with grilled kohlrabi, cherries, smoked hazelnuts, and some cabbage. If you’re a duck fan then you’ll be a fan of this.

Grilled Chicken Paprikash

A classic Hungarian dish, and one that is done very well. We’d order this chicken in a tomato based sauce any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Don’t sleep on the potato dumplings that come with it.

King Salmon

Excellent salmon. Period. It comes with some squash and sweet corn, but the salmon itself is delicate and tastes great. The one acceptable stray from all the meat.

Skirt Steak

Skirt steak with grilled broccoli and red wine braised farro. Solid move if you’re in the mood for some standard skirt steak.

Brunch

The only thing we don’t love at Boho is the brunch. Portions are tiny, it’s a little dead in there, and overall is lacking. Go for dinner instead.