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Noah Sandoval

Oriole

Noah Sandoval is chef and owner of Oriole, the acclaimed two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago’s West Loop. With a father in the Navy, Sandoval relocated a lot during his youth, from Virginia to California to Scotland before settling back in Richmond.

Sandoval’s passion for cooking began when he was a teenager. He was a dishwasher at Helen’s, a fine-dining restaurant in his native Richmond, when the chef offered Sandoval to try the food. It was the moment that separated before from after.

Since that day, cooking and hospitality have been Sandoval’s north star, training under chefs Shawn McClain, David Shannon, and Michael Carlson. He was the founding chef at Senza, the genre-breaking Chicago restaurant that was the first gluten-free restaurant to receive a Michelin star.

Introducing Oriole and Kumiko the West Loop scene

Noah Sandoval, in spare time a former punk guitarist and current classic car enthusiast, building on his previous success in Chicago restaurants, introduced Oriole to the West Loop scene with the help of his partners, wife and General Manager Cara Sandoval. Oriole offers a comprehensive experience focused on the guest through informed service, carefully crafted dishes, and a modern industrial ambiance with homey comfort.

Kumiko is the Sandoval’s most recent project with friend and bar goddess Julia Momose. The bar is a beverage omakase, a nod to Momose’s upbringing with a Japanese focus.

Sandoval and his culinary team develop a large format tasting menu with seasonal foundations and a focus on ingredients and their origin.

“My culinary philosophy can change year-to-year, but in approaching food, I always try to find the best ingredients and build dishes around that,”

Taking the concept even further, Sandoval considers each product’s origin in designing a dish, capturing other facets of the region for a deeply rooted collection of flavours. He also encourages collaboration and creativity among the team.