Reunion by Chef Art Smith — Restaurant in Chicago

Reunion is a new restaurant from Chef Art Smith and located at Navy Pier. They have transformed and taken over the old Bubba Gump restaurant. Don’t worry Lt Dan did leave some shrimp for Chef’s fantastic Shrimp & Grits dish.

Reunion is about getting back together with friends and family. The pandemic over the last 2+ years have kept us all away from sharing meals and celebrations with others. Reunion is the place to reconnect again over delicious southern cuisine.

The space is warm and inviting. I really love the attention to detail. The booths have a denim back with leather belts. These accents make me feel like I’m in the heartland of America. The artwork on the wall paints a picture of life on the farm. There’s also a huge outdoor patio and bar. It’s the perfect place to grab a cocktail when you first arrive at Navy Pier.

The food is all about love. I really enjoy southern comfort food because it feels like home. Some of my favorite dishes include the Mac n Cheese. It’s made with aged cheddar, white cheddar & havarti. It was literally the perfect cheesy bite. I was amazed it was still steaming hot even after sitting on our table for 30 minutes. If your looking for a salad, then grab the shaved Brussels & kale. I loved the dressing made which was a maple tahini vinaigrette dressing. It really pulled the whole dish together.

The fried chicken was super moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. Don’t forget to pour some of their hot sauce on top. Chef’s brining process really creates a winning piece of chicken. The mashed potatoes are whipped to perfection. I’m also in love with the drop biscuit with some spreadable pimento cheese. The pan seared salmon over sweet potatoes & Brussels sprouts with a lemon vinaigrette is a beautiful looking and tasting dish.

I had a magical moment with the double stack burger. I literally got goosebumps on my first bite. It reminded me of a gourmet version of a Big Mac which I haven’t eaten one in over 12 years. The gourmet toppings of roasted garlic mayo & bacon tomato jam really pushed me over the edge. We ended our meal with pecan pie & chef’s famous hummingbird cake. The perfect amount of sweetness to end an amazing meal.

Chef Art Smith started his culinary roots in Chicago. The Hyde Park native brings his fantastic food to Chicago’s version of Disneyland. Navy Pier is getting a makeover and it starts with the food choices. Chef Art Smith is a great addition. He has lived a lifetime sharing his southern cuisine around the world. He has cooked for Oprah, Princess Diana, Pres Obama & Lady Gaga. He has received James Beard Awards & appeared on Top Chef, Iron Chef America & BBQ Pitmasters. He’s truly a culinary gem. He also gives back to the community with his charities.

Reunion is the place to get back together on Navy Pier. Chef Art Smith’s southern comfort food will have people coming back for more. It’s the perfect place to gather with...

Based off of the reviews posted before mine, I make a great assumption that on the day that my husband and I visited was just a bad day because our experience was nothing like any of the great reviews posted . We visited on Saturday, 1/26/25. It is Restaurant Week in Chicago and we always try something new at that time. My husband went online to make a reservation while we were waiting in line at Fly Over. Since it's Restaurant Week, I suppose they required a credit card to place the reservation; not a problem. We arrived at our 2:30 reservation and the place is almost empty, which is strange for a place on a Saturday afternoon downtown (we should have taken that as our first warning). The hostess was pleasant and we were seated immediately. The decor is really unique - a mix of farmhouse and modern and I thought that was very nice. There was a young lady and her guitar providing fantastic entertainment; she had a wonderful, melodious voice. Our waitress arrived and took our drink orders - a lemonade and a Sprite. The Sprite was disgusting as it was super sweet and flat. The lemonade was straight out of can and not the freshly squeezed lemonade you would expect from an establishment like this. I sent the Sprite back for a Coke and I am not a fan of Coke at all but there were very little choices presented that was non-alcoholic or tap water. We ordered the fried green tomatoes, crab cakes and hot honey bbq wings for appetizers. The tomatoes and wings were decent but the crab cakes tasted like they came straight out a can; a total lack of flavor and seasoning. If it was real crab at all, I'd be surprised. Everything was adorned or garnished with arugula, as if that would make a bit of difference. Our waitress was absent most of the time, so we just pushed it to the side and waited for our main course. We ordered the fish sandwiches and they definitely were frozen fish patties straight out of the box, fried too hard with a slice of American cheese and one dab of tartar sauce in the middle of the top bun. No lettuce, no tomato, nothing. We asked for extra tarter and hot sauce to make the sandwich palatable and added a fried green tomato and some of the arugula from the appetizers (yes, those plates were still on the table as no one cleared them out. Again, our waitress was very inattentive). The french fries were good though. We paid the check (the total around $130 with the tip added though it was undeserving) and left. I'm glad for the experience because I now know not to walk into a mostly empty restaurant on a Saturday afternoon in the...

Chef Art Smith's Reunion, we we're a little timid as this was our first time to this location. We've been to Chef Art Smith's Homecoming numerous times in Orlando at Disney Springs. Our first few times to Homecoming was outstanding!!! Unfortunately, the last couple of times to Homecoming the food was just mediocre.

I was hesitant to try Reunion because of this. I figured we would give Reunion a try because of the Christmas drone show.

Upon our arrival, we were ever so graciously greeted by Jojo. He was so energetic, super happy, and accommodating to our needs! He is definitely an amazing asset to the team! I knew then ǰthat we would at least have great service from Reunion.

Jojo escorted us to our table and introduced us to our amazing waitress, Laura.

Laura was an amazing waitress! She knew we were there for the drone show. Her knowledge of the menu was amazing. She knew that with our dinner selections, we would have enough time to enjoy our dinner. We couldn't have asked for a better waitress. She was kind, inviting, reassuring, and quick with the drinks! What more can you ask for.

I didn't get the names of the runners, but they also were very nice and polite as well!

On to the food, we ordered the skirt steak, shrimp and grits, and the fried chicken!

Our hats off to th we Chef as every skirt steak was cooked to PERFECTION!!! The steaks were soooo full of flavor, the potatoes in the chimichuri, mmmmmm so delicious!!! Gordan Ramsay, take some notes!

The shrimp and grits were so smooth and creamy.They had the perfect amount of spice from the sausage. The shrimp were plump and cooked just right. My only critique to this dish would be to remove the tails on the shrimp. Other than that, Chefs' kiss 💋

Oh, the fried chicken. How can you go wrong? The chicken was crispy, juicy, and that hot honey sauce, delicious!!!

Thank you to the amazing team at Chef Art Smith's Reunion for a wonderful culinary experience! We...