Chicago's Most Iconic Restaurants

Seasons change, trends come and go, but these restaurants have withstood the test of time—and have become integral parts of the Chicago dining scene. Here are Chicago’s OpenTable Classics: the places that continue to excel after 10+ years. There’s a reason they’re still around: they keep giving us a reason to come back.

The OpenTable team

10 Restaurants

Updated February 26, 2020

Restaurants:	Boka, Sepia, Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab…
Price Range:	$$$ - $$$$
Cuisines:	Contemporary American, Seafood…
Neighborhoods:	Lincoln Park, West Loop, River North (Chicago)…

Boka

$$$$

Contemporary American

Lincoln Park

4.8

6142 reviews

Boka is the flagship restaurant of the Chicago empire Boka Restaurant Group, the place that launched no less than a dining revolution. The contemporary-American menu still feels contemporary—we love the vegetable-heavy dishes in particular—and the space is both upscale and cool. The excellent service doesn’t hurt, either.

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Experiences available

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Sepia

$$$$

Contemporary American

West Loop

4.8

4574 reviews

Upon walking into Sepia, it’s clear that this is a special restaurant; the exposed-brick walls and crystal-dripping chandeliers make this one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the city. The food is just as wonderful as the ambiance, with a modern American menu that incorporates touches of Southeast Asian, Korean, and Mediterranean cuisines. It’s no wonder Michelle Obama called it one of her favorite restaurants.

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Experiences available

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Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

$$$$

Seafood

River North (Chicago)

4.9

15650 reviews

Joe’s Stone Crab is a Miami institution, and when it opened in Chicago, it became an instant institution of its own. You’re here, of course, for stone crab, platters of it that you’ll crack open and devour—but don’t sleep on the steaks, too, which are some of the best in the city.

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The Gage

$$$$

American

Downtown / Loop

4.7

10430 reviews

The menu at The Gage, a handsome, elegant gastropub in Millennium Park, spans the globe, with dishes like crispy harissa drumsticks, poutine, Thai coconut curry, and a perfect rendition of fish and chips. And if you’re game for game, The Gage has some of the city’s best examples of it, with an excellent bison tartare, venison burger, and roasted New Zealand rack of elk.

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Le Colonial - Chicago

$$$$

Vietnamese

Gold Coast / Streeterville

4.8

6646 reviews

For a quiet, lovely, and delicious dinner, head to Le Colonial, a French-Vietnamese restaurant in Gold Coast that’s been serving top-notch dishes like spring rolls, banana-leaf-steamed trout, and lemongrass chicken since 1996. The service is friendly and attentive—and if you’d like, they’re more than happy to help you navigate the expansive menu.

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RL Restaurant

$$$$

American

Gold Coast / Streeterville

4.7

6091 reviews

Right next to the world’s largest Polo store you’ll find RL Restaurant, Ralph Lauren’s first foray into the dining sphere. You’re here for American classics like shrimp cocktail, pigs in a blanket, dover sole, and crab cakes, all served in a handsome room that is both clubby and chic.

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Shaw's Crab House & Oyster Bar - Chicago

$$$$

Seafood

River North (Chicago)

4.8

13048 reviews

There are few better places to dine on gorgeous seafood than Shaw’s Crab House, a Chicago institution in River North. Choose between the 1940s-style dining room or the more-casual Oyster Bar, and get to work; we particularly recommend the stone crab claws, the chilled shellfish platters, and whatever oysters are on the menu that day.

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HUB 51

$$$$

American

River North (Chicago)

4.6

5277 reviews

Chips and guacamole? Tuna poke? Burrata with pesto? King-crab California rolls? You’ll find all of them on the menu at HUB 51, and that’s just in the appetizers section. Join the crowd of hip, good-looking people and dig in.

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Mon Ami Gabi

$$$$

French

Lincoln Park

4.8

6733 reviews

Mon Ami Gabi has been serving French bistro classics—think escargots, chicken-liver mousse, steak au poivre, and trout almondine—for twenty years. The plant-filled space is also a lovely place to spend a lunch or dinner, with tiled floors, mirror-lined walls, and tons of natural light.

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Shanghai Terrace

$$$$

Chinese

Gold Coast / Streeterville

4.9

2009 reviews

On the seventh floor of the Peninsula Hotel you’ll find Shanghai Terrace, a gorgeous jewel box of a restaurant serving upscale Cantonese food. The dim sum in particular is not to be missed—especially the pork buns and peekytoe-crab dumplings—and the views are not to be missed.

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