Chicago’s 19 Greatest Restaurants

While the Windy City has always prided itself on its restaurant scene, in recent years, the rest of the country has taken note as well. Since the 2000s, the city has routinely picked up MICHELIN stars, launched the careers of star chefs such as Rick Bayless and Stephanie Izard, and played host to the James Beard Awards for the past five years and counting. The year 2017, when both Condé Nast Traveler and Bon Appétit magazines singled Chicago out for being America’s best restaurant city, was a windfall.

Coming off a time that’s wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry as a whole, there’s never been a better time to celebrate the iconic spots that have shaped the city’s restaurant scene into the juggernaut it is today. From classic steakhouses to modern Korean food, these are The Greats: 19 restaurants that have helped define Chicago’s world-class dining scene.

Marion Brewer and Sarah Freeman

19 Restaurants

Updated April 04, 2022

Restaurants:	Boka, Parachute, Demera Ethiopian Restaurant…
Price Range:	$$ - $$$$
Cuisines:	Contemporary American, Korean, African…
Neighborhoods:	Lincoln Park, Avondale / Irving Park, Uptown…

Boka

$$$$

Contemporary American

Lincoln Park

4.8

6142 reviews

Boka’s approachable, seasonally driven new American menu has garnered the restaurant a MICHELIN star, three stars from the Chicago Tribune, and James Beard Awards nominations, solidifying it as one of Chicago’s most exciting places to dine. Renowned chef Lee Wolen has a knack for taking seemingly simple preparations and adding depth, texture, and an unexpected flavor or two. For instance, Spanish octopus is served with smoked cauliflower, hazelnut, and crisp cucumber, while Wolen’s signature roasted chicken gets the gourmet treatment with sunchoke, maitake, and black garlic. These dishes are served in Boka’s beautifully designed dining rooms, each of which feels like its own little world with living green walls and oversized circular banquettes.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Experiences available

View Experiences

Parachute

$$$$

Korean

Avondale / Irving Park

4.7

1521 reviews

This small restaurant punches way above its weight class, serving up Korean-American mash-ups that earned it a Michelin star, a spot on Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurant list, and a James Beard Award. Though it is currently operating with a pared-down takeout menu out of its sister restaurant down the street, Wherewithall, Parachute is still serving some of the signature dishes that Chicagoans fell in love with. Stop in for chef Beverly Kim’s signature dish of baked potato bing bread with sour cream butter — a buttery loaf filled with bacon, potato, and cheese — vegan mapo tofu, or a ten-piece order of Korean fried chicken with spicy gochujang sauce.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Demera Ethiopian Restaurant

$$$$

African

Uptown

4.8

1310 reviews

When Tigist Reda immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia in 2007, she brought a passion for cooking and an entrepreneurial spirit, opening Demera shortly after her arrival. The chef’s meticulously prepared dishes — she even toasts and grinds all of her own spices — quickly established this restaurant as the city’s top destination for Ethiopian food. Order one of the Messob platters, which can feed groups ranging from two to eight and offers Chicagoans the opportunity to try eight different chef’s selections, such as kik alicha, a dish of split yellow peas stewed with onions, garlic and tumeric, or ye-beg wot, where bone-in lamb is braised in a spicy berbere chile sauce. For those looking to temper the heat in some dishes, ask about the house made honey wine, or tej, that provides enough sweetness to balance the spice.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba

$$$$

Tapas / Small Plates

Lincoln Park

4.8

7989 reviews

Long before the small plates concept dominated almost every new restaurant, Café Ba-Ba-Reeba was serving tapas to the denizens of Lincoln Park. In fact, when the restaurant opened in 1985, it did so as the progenitor of Spanish cuisine in the city, introducing Chicagoans to paella and patatas bravas. Today, locals still flock to the restaurant to sample the six different styles of sangria on offer, snack on chorizo-wrapped dates and tortilla española, or to fortify themselves on the weekend with perennially packed tapas brunch, featuring items such as waffle-battered chicken on a stick with maple syrup. Café Ba-Ba-Reeba is part of the venerated Lettuce Entertain You Group, which includes other Chicago favorites such as Shaw’s Crab House, RPM Italian, and Mon Ami Gabi.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Maple & Ash

$$$$

Steakhouse

Gold Coast / Streeterville

4.8

3999 reviews

In a city with many steakhouses that boast decades of operation, Maple and Ash represents the next generation of the genre. This sprawling restaurant puts opulence front and center, from the velvet dining chairs and soaring ceilings to the wine list, where the priciest bottle tops $10,000. And while that’s out of reach for many, there are smaller luxuries available, such as a Wagyu beef carpaccio topped with king crab, truffle, and supreme caviar, or The Eisenhower, a 40-ounce porterhouse that the kitchen cooks directly in coals left over from the wood-fired grills. For those who would rather just sit back and let the kitchen decide, there’s a $200 tasting menu, cheekily named the “I Don’t Give a F*@k” option.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse - Chicago

$$$$

Steak

Gold Coast / Streeterville

4.8

7126 reviews

To say Gibsons is popular would be an understatement—it’s one of the highest grossing independent restaurants in all of Chicago. The restaurant’s prime location just off the Magnificent Mile and commitment to quality has fueled its reputation as a Chicago classic since it opened in 1989. Once you’re in the door, the dining room’s pressed tin ceilings amplify laughter and conversations, lending a boisterous atmosphere. But Gibsons owes its staying power to its steaks: The restaurant is the first in the country to have its own USDA certification, Gibsons Prime Angus beef. Save room for desserts, which the menu humbly lists as carrot cake or chocolate mousse pie, but in reality are towering, multi-layer creations whose heights rival the city’s distinguished skyscrapers.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Tanta

$$$$

Peruvian

River North (Chicago)

4.7

4355 reviews

Tanta owner Gastón Acurio is one of Peru’s most famous chefs, using his international restaurants as unofficial ambassadors for the country’s cuisine. The menu in Chicago highlights the full diversity of Peruvian food, showcasing ingredients from both its mountains and oceans and combining them with the techniques and ingredients brought to the country via generations of immigrants from Japan, Spain, China, and Italy. The result is a one-of-a-kind dining experience, where Chicagoans flock to try dishes such as chaufa aeropuerto, a mixture of pork fried rice, shrimp omelet, vegetables, and a Japanese-influenced Nikkei sauce that’s best enjoyed on the restaurant’s year-round rooftop patio. Pair it with one of the innovative pisco drinks, such as the La Rusa, a mix of pisco, elderflower liqueur, orange, and lemon poured over a Campari-infused ice cube.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Experiences available

View Experiences

Chicago Cut Steakhouse

$$$$

Steakhouse

River North (Chicago)

4.7

8897 reviews

Located downtown alongside the Chicago River, surrounded by the city’s skyscrapers, dining at this notorious power broker spot makes anyone feel like they’re in the heart of the city’s action. A seat in one of the oversized, red tufted booths that line the wall offer lucky diners a view of both the tour boats cruising the river and the other patrons in the lively dining room. The menu is full of steakhouse classics, with a few originals thrown in such as the Lobsterscargot appetizer, where Maine lobster tail pieces are cooked in garlic butter, topped with melted havarti, and crostinis come on the side to help spoon up the mixture.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Shaw's Crab House & Oyster Bar - Chicago

$$$$

Seafood

River North (Chicago)

4.8

13048 reviews

Though the nearest shoreline is Lake Michigan, Chicagoans have ocean access via Shaw’s, the city’s top seafood destination that’s known for its relationships with fishermen all over the world and extensive oyster selection. Head to the wood-paneled dining room to feast on blackened mahi mahi from Costa Rica, or for a classic Shaw’s experience, go for the Alaskan king crab dinner, which comes with an enormous king crab that clocks in at over a pound, Caesar salad, two sides, and dessert. For a quick bite, snag a bar stool at the old-school oyster counter, where the day’s selections are posted on the board hanging overhead and the well-versed shucker can talk you through the characteristics of each variety, opening up the bivalves right before your eyes.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Gene and Georgetti

$$$$

Steakhouse

River North (Chicago)

4.8

4937 reviews

Chicago’s oldest steakhouse, established in 1941, has hosted celebrities ranging from Frank Sinatra to Will Ferrell and cultivated a devoted following among locals. Though the past two years have forced the restaurant to contend with a grease fire and a global pandemic, Gene and Georgetti has soldiered on, pivoting gracefully to meet both moments. The menu remains close to what it was when the restaurant opened, dishing out beautifully marbled steaks, double-cut lamb chops, and red-sauce favorites such as eggplant parmigiana. In its softly lit, red-carpeted room, it’s easy to lose track of time, order another bottle of wine, and linger.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Kumiko

$$$$

Dining Bar

West Loop

4.8

468 reviews

The team behind Oriole runs this modern cocktail bar that creative director Julia Momose describes as “a cocktail party with the world’s best hors d’oeuvres.” The restaurant’s Japanese-inflected drinks and small plates were an instant hit, earning it a spot on the Chicago Tribune’s 2019 list of best restaurants, and a mention as one of Time’s 2019’s Greatest Places. While the restaurant is currently closed for indoor dining, locals can still enjoy creative cocktails and food to-go, such as the Seamless, an unexpected combination of namazaké (unpasteurized sake), aquavit, pineau des Charentes (a fortified wine), elderflower syrup, and orange bitters. Keep an eye on the restaurant’s social media for food specials, which recently included duck soba with winter squash and kombu dashi.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Girl & the Goat

$$$$

Contemporary American

West Loop

4.8

12751 reviews

Stephanie Izard shot to fame when she won the fourth season of Bravo’s Top Chef, which she then parlayed into a series of successful Chicago restaurants with the team behind Boka that upped the ante for Chicago’s casual but ambitious dining spots, first with Girl & the Goat. As the name implies, this is a meat-heavy menu, but one that brings in a chorus of textures, flavors, and inspirations. For instance, the namesake goat appears in empanada form with miso-bleu aioli and mushroom-apple giardiniera, or as confit goat belly with lobster, crab, and vanilla bourbon brown butter. Goat even makes its way onto the drink menu, where diners can pair their meaty meal with a “goat fashion,” where goat-fat infused bourbon is mixed with demerara sugar and fennel bitters.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Experiences available

View Experiences

Sepia

$$$$

Contemporary American

West Loop

4.8

4574 reviews

Chicago stalwart Sepia serves an ever-changing seasonal American menu that has scored the restaurant a MICHELIN star on top of the constellation of stars from various reviewers since it opened in 2007. The $85 tasting menu from lauded chef Andrew Zimmerman consists of four courses, ranging from dishes such as ricotta agnolotti crispy tapenade, parmesan, cultured butter, aged balsamic, and pickled peppers. For the full package, select the wine pairing option to try sommelier Alex Ring’s selections and complement country fried truffled chicken schmaltz dumplings with a crisp Loire Valley chenin blanc.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Experiences available

View Experiences

North Pond

$$$$

American

Lincoln Park

4.9

4141 reviews

North Pond may be one of the most overlooked restaurants in Chicago. Tucked inside Lincoln Park, the Arts and Crafts-style structure—formerly a warming shelter for ice skaters—was converted into a restaurant in 1998. Wood inlays and a cozy stone chimney make it a city center escape. It’s a popular destination for special occasions, and for good reason. Enjoy a seasonal tasting menu, rich with local produce, showcasing dishes such as lamb tartare and duck breast in mole negro, while gazing at its namesake pond and striking views of the Chicago skyline.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Jaleo - Chicago

$$$$

Tapas / Small Plates

River North (Chicago)

4.5

769 reviews

Chef and humanitarian José Andrés is taking Chicago by storm with a slew of new restaurants. His first, Jaleo, is a vibrant celebration of Spanish flavors and techniques. Its whimsical approach to tapas offers croquetas de pollo served on a ceramic chicken and paella by the pan in a light-soaked dining room lush with tiled accents. Don’t forget to head downstairs after your meal for a cocktail at Pigtail, a speakeasy-style bar specializing in all things Ibérico.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Soule

$$$$

Soul food

West Town

4.4

346 reviews

Once you step into Soulé, you’re part of the family. The soul food kitchen pays tribute to Creole-inspired home cooking and has been welcoming customers—including celebs such as former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen—to its West Town restaurant since 2017. Chef and owner Bridgette Flagg, a Chicago native, was taught to cook by her grandmother Beatrice “Bea” Tolliver. The intimate restaurant, which seats fewer than three dozen patrons, offers comforting classics such as blackened catfish and honey-drizzled fried chicken in its modern dining room. Soulé is BYOB, but does offer a selection of non-alcoholic beverages, including a Soulé punch and sweet tea.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Juno

$$$$

Japanese

Lincoln Park

4.6

1275 reviews

Chef and owner BK Park’s Lincoln Park restaurant is a fan favorite for creative sushi displays and has served some of the city’s freshest sashimi since 2013. The sleek dining room, featuring a long sushi counter illuminated by modernist fixtures, offers an expansive a la carte menu with both hot and cold offerings. On the hot side, start with seared scallops in spicy seafood sauce and tori meatballs with pepper soy glaze before moving onto beautiful plates of smoked spicy king crab nigiri. The team also has an omakase-focused restaurant in the West Loop, Mako, which earned its first MICHELIN star in 2020.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Experiences available

View Experiences

Elske

$$$$

American

West Loop

4.7

745 reviews

Chefs David and Anna Posey’s first solo venture takes the form of an airy West Loop restaurant complete with a cozy courtyard. The couple’s creative take on casual fine dining earned the space a MICHELIN star. The restaurant offers both set and a la carte menus; the latter takes diners on a tour of Scandinavia via the restaurant’s now famous duck liver tart with buckwheat and pickled ramps, smoked fluke tartare on rugbrød (Danish rye bread), and chanterelle ice cream with toasted meringue. After dinner, enjoy a glass of glögg—red wine with mulling spices, almonds, and brandy—in front of the outdoor fireplace.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Rose Mary

$$$$

Croatian

West Loop

4.8

1849 reviews

There are many perks that come with winning a season of Top Chef, and one of them is opening the restaurant of your dreams. Chef Joe Flamm did just that in 2021 when he opened Rose Mary in the West Loop. The restaurant pays homage to his Italian heritage and his wife’s native country of Croatia, resulting in dishes such as gnocchi with pašticada, a braised beef dish from the northwestern Balkan Peninsula. It’s this heartfelt blend of two comforting cuisines that earned Rose Mary its reputation as one of Chicago’s hottest new restaurants.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Explore OpenTable

Chicago

Explore the Greatest Restaurants on OpenTable