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Descend a dramatic exterior staircase from LaSalle Street to reach NAIA, a massive Greek-Levantine restaurant from DineAmic Hospitality and chef Athinagoras Kostakos, a “Top Chef: Greece” winner. A 50-foot hand-carved stone wall dominates the main dining room, while a coliseum-style section opens toward the water with pergola-covered riverfront booths. The menu spans tableside hummus, cacio e pepe-style Turkish dumplings with urfa chili oil, and a wagyu beef skewer with smoked salt. Wash it down with cocktails like the Naia Martini featuring feta-stuffed olives.

This Logan Square pasta spot got a fresh start in a spacious home in 2023, after which it nabbed raves from the Chicago Tribune and a MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability. Much of the produce at this Italian-by-way-of-the-Midwest restaurant comes from chef Joe Frillman's brother's farm outside Chicago. Find it in playful dishes like onion dip with housemade Ruffles, fritto misto with cheese curds, and pierogi with mussels and beer.

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• MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

  2025

• MICHELIN Green

  2025

• MICHELIN Green

  2024

A James Beard-nominated chef and the prolific Lettuce Entertain You come together at this 140-seat River North restaurant that is a love letter to Southeast Asia. Chef Thai Deng’s menu spotlights dishes like the prawn toast youtiao with herb nam jim. Order it alongside a drink from Kevin Beary’s cocktail program, which draws on Thai and Vietnamese cafe culture. Chandeliers sourced from Bangkok and thousands of hand-glazed ceramic tiles make eating here feel like a night-market experience.

A Chicago institution since 1984, Shaw’s Crab House captures the energy of a classic 1940s-style seafood house. The River North staple operates on a distinct dual personality: a sophisticated, white-tablecloth main dining room alongside a roaring oyster bar featuring live blues. Come for the decadent signature chopped seafood salad, stay for the gin martini.

Since 1999, this Logan Square cornerstone has quietly defined Chicago's farm-to-table ethos. Self-taught chef and co-founder Jason Hammel rotates the menu with relentless seasonality—three new dishes every Monday, sourced from trusted regional farmers. You might find things like vermouth-steamed mussels, malfadine with pork sugo, and a pecorino cake for dessert. The result is a bohemian bistro that defies category: risky yet grounded, humble yet refined. A 2024 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Hospitality, Lula remains the neighborhood's beating heart, and the restaurant that built Logan Square's culinary identity.

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• MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

  2025

• James Beard Winner

  2024

When it opened in 2010, Girl & the Goat ushered in a new era of casual fine dining on the West Loop’s now-iconic Restaurant Row. In a cozy, rustic-chic space, feast on mega-award-winning (James Beard, Top Chef, Iron Chef) Stephanie Izard’s bold, globally influenced dishes like sweet and sour wood-fired whole branzino and goat empanadas that prove why this MICHELIN Bib Gourmand remains as hot and relevant as ever.

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• MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

  2025

• MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

  2024

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse is the only restaurant group in America with its own USDA Prime certification, sourcing an exclusive Prime Angus beef program that makes it a standout in the national dining scene. Order the massive, bone-in W.R. Chicago Cut steak alongside the signature 10-ounce Gibsons Martini, poured ice-cold with a whisper of dry vermouth. The room is classic and vibrant, styled with rich wood accents, crisp white tablecloths, and an energetic buzz. It remains a timeless, essential piece of Chicago history.

Land one of the city’s most coveted tables at Creepies, an exciting West Loop neo-bistro from the acclaimed team behind MICHELIN-Starred Elske. Located right next door to its sibling restaurant, David and Anna Posey’s newest venture delivers a shareable menu of elevated comfort food, from saucisson in puff pastry to a standout roasted chicken. The design pairs salvaged vintage chairs with chic lilac-and-gold tiling, creating a lively space to enjoy a sharp cocktail menu or a Saison beer made in collaboration with is/was Brewing.

Le Colonial from owners Rick Wahlstedt and Joe King has been transporting Gold Coast diners to 1920s Saigon since it opened with a palm-filled dining room, warm wood accents, and ambient lighting. The kitchen, with chef Hassan Obaye at the helm, bridges French-colonial technique and Vietnamese tradition. The ca chien Saigon arrives as a whole crispy red snapper dressed with dill, scallions, and a chili garlic fish sauce. It goes down best with the lychee martini with yuzu liqueur and a sake spritz.

The world's first MICHELIN-Starred Filipino restaurant, Kasama earned two Stars and a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes under the direction of Genie Kwon and Tim Flores. By day, the East Ukrainian Village spot runs as a counter-service café where items like the longanisa breakfast sandwich are a major draw. The room transforms each evening into a multi-course tasting menu that traces Filipino cooking through its Chinese, Spanish, and Latin American influences. Dishes like adobo with mussels and king trumpet mushrooms or a mais con yelo dessert of sweet corn and milk granita give a sense of the range. It’s supported by Old World wines and a thoughtful non-alcoholic pairing. Unpretentious throughout, this is one of Chicago's most important restaurants.

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• MICHELIN 2 Stars

  2025

• World's 50 Best #31

  2025

• James Beard Winner

  2023

This West Loop spot sparked Chicago’s small-plates craze in 2003 and now has MICHELIN Bib Gourmand status. Expect soulful Midwestern riffs on Mediterranean small plates and an excellent wine list that leans southern European. Don't miss avec’s bacon-wrapped chorizo-stuffed dates, which are right up there with hot dogs and deep dish as classic Chicago fare.

Open since 2003, acclaimed chef Lee Wolen’s one MICHELIN-Starred restaurant continues to serve up some of the city’s best contemporary American fare—all in a glam, greenery-decked dining room. The approachable, refined menu celebrates seasonal ingredients with bold preparations and exceptional clarity—black-truffle roasted chicken and porcini ricotta gnudi are two standouts. Bonus points for a charming, tree-lined back patio.

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• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2025

• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2024

Billy and Cecily Federighi's West Town pizzeria landed on Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America list in 2025, and a visit makes clear why. The housemade focaccia and Carol's meatballs are must orders alongside your super-thin pizzas. The drink list keeps pace with equally fun options like a pepperoni Negroni. The room feels like a neighborhood Italian spot and a buzzy wine bar at once, warm and close enough that conversation carries easily across tables.

A live fire grill glows at the heart of El Che, a South American–inspired steakhouse lined with glossy black marble and tile that Chicago Magazine named one of the best restaurants in the city. Chef John Manion grew up for a few years in Brazil and got into asado grilling while traveling in Argentina. Come prepared to feast on seafood platters with charred lobster tails and the party steak, a 42-ounce wagyu flap with red and green chimichurri. Those in the know also appreciate the wine list, which exclusively showcases South American makers and won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

When Ever roared onto the scene in 2020, the accolades quickly poured in—including a rare Chicago Tribune four-star review and two MICHELIN Stars. You’re here for James Beard Award-winning chef Curtis Duffy’s artfully plated and precisely choreographed New American tasting menus, served on sleek black tables outfitted with museum-quality lighting. Cap the evening with innovative drinks and luxe snacks at the restaurant’s stylish cocktail bar, After.

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• MICHELIN 2 Stars

  2025

The Jean Banchet Awards recognized this River North institution with its iconic restaurant of the year award in 2026—fitting for America’s oldest Tuscan steakhouse, which opened in 1941. Dishes like bistecca Fiorentina highlight the connection to Italy while originals like chicken alla joe firmly tie it to Chicago. Pair your order with a selection from the Lucchesi wine list, the largest in the country, and a nod to the birthplace of the founders. The room matches the restaurant’s legendary status—it’s lined with signed photographs from celebrities who dined here, including Frank Sinatra.

Sophisticated Scandinavian fare is on the menu at Elske, a MICHELIN-Starred charmer from wife-and-husband chefs Anna and David Posey. Dig into beautiful, seasonally changing plates—think smoked duck liver tart or smoked Fjord trout with beets—in the intimate dining room that channels a trendy Danish B&B or on the fireplace-decked courtyard with an herb garden.

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• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2025

Besides serving exceedingly delicious southern fare and top-notch hospitality from James Beard Award-winning chef Erick Williams, Virtue shows how a restaurant can be a community champion. With moving activist quotes on the windows, art of Black cultural figures, and a minority-centered mentorship program, Williams goes all in on lifting the Black community through food. Pro tip: Don't miss the shortrib, and save room for dessert.

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• MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

  2025

• MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

  2024

• James Beard Winner

  2023

This seasonal American tasting-menu restaurant is so good that it has consistently held on to a MICHELIN Star since first getting one in 2011. Executive chef Kyle Cottle now leads the kitchen, and you'll get to choose from several options in your four-course dinner. This might include dishes like crispy ricotta gnudi, roasted monkfish with little neck clams, and a sweet pea pavlova with meyer lemon sorbet. You'll definitely want to get the wine pairing—Sepia won Wine Spectator's 2022 Best of Award of Excellence. Eating here feels extra-special because it's housed in an 1890 print shop with Art Nouveau floors and exposed-brick walls.

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• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2025

• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2024

• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2023

Chef-and-somm brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey's parents opened Chicago's beloved Le Bouchon, so there was already a ton of buzz when the brothers debuted Obélix in 2022. With black-and-white floors, burgundy banquettes, and a name borrowed from the beloved Gallic comic books, the vibe here is definitely more fun than fussy. Indulgent dishes like beef Wellington, aged duck breast, and foie gras macarons have helped the restaurant and the brothers score James Beard Award nominations and a place atop Chicago Magazine's best new restaurants list in 2023.

Rick Bayless spent years traveling Mexico before opening Frontera Grill in 1987, and that obsessive groundwork still shows up on the plate. The tortilla soup and moles are non-negotiable. Close out with the chocolate-pecan pie. Order a margarita with it—they are shaken tableside—and get the Champagne version if you’re feeling extra fancy. The room is warm and vivid, filled with folk art and earthy tones that make it a really lively place for dinner. It’s only right that this groundbreaking spot has a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant.

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• MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

  2025

When chefs hear the name Charlie Trotter, the awe and respect is immediate. The late culinary legend was known for flawless hospitality and pioneering practices like the in-kitchen chef's table—in addition to award-winning food, of course. Now, with the return of the Lincoln Park restaurant from his son Dylan Trotter, diners can once more experience the perfection of a Charlie Trotter meal, as intepreted through big-name chefs such as Grant Achatz and John Shields during a series of once-in-a-lifetime pop-up dinners.

When Alinea opened in a quiet Lincoln Park townhouse in 2005, it wasn't just a restaurant opening, it was an argument for what American fine dining could be. For two decades, chef Grant Achatz has created boundary-pushing tasting menus built on the radical idea that food should engage every sense, not just taste. Each course plays with expectation, and sometimes spectacle, turning dinner into something closer to live theater. That idea has made Alinea one of the most decorated restaurants in the country and proved that Chicago belongs at the center of the national dining conversation.

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• MICHELIN 2 Stars

  2025

After working with some of Chicago’s biggest culinary names, Spiaggia and Trio alum Michael Carlson has made quite the name for himself with Schwa: Not only was he recognized as a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2006, but he also earned a nomination for “Best Chef” from the James Beard Awards in 2010. Schwa, his ambitious and highly personal Wicker Park tasting menu restaurant, is an exploration of global flavors, pairing cornbread with leche de ligre and ramen with katalfe, strawberry tare, and tea. With its soundtrack of hip-hop, a sultry dining room, and a free-wheeling sensibility, it’s no wonder that Schwa earned itself a MICHELIN star.

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• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2025

In an intimate 1,700-square-foot Uptown dining room, executive chef and owner Norman Fenton offers a personal exploration of Latin American cuisine through a multi-course tasting menu and late-night taco omakase. The kitchen relies on an in-house masa program and features dishes like ravioli with huitlacoche, sweet corn, and truffle. Cocktails match the kitchen's detail, including the Tejuino with rum, yellow masa, and tepache liqueur. The vibrant cooking has earned Cariño a MICHELIN Star and tons of acclaim including a James Beard nomination for Best Chef: Great Lakes along with national praise from "The New York Times."

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• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2025

• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2024

North Pond sits at the edge of its namesake water in Lincoln Park, in a historic Arts and Crafts building facing the Chicago skyline. Chef John C. Brandon builds a six-course tasting menu around local farms and their seasonal harvest with dishes like duck schnitzel with cornflakes, candied kraut, and cider mustard. Pair it with cocktails like the El Gallo featuring cilantro mezcal, spring onion, and elderflower. A Michelin Guide Chicago Mainstay and an OpenTable Top 100 Romantic Restaurant for 2026, the restaurant is made for a memorable evening by the water.

Chef Otto Phan serves every piece at Kyoten himself, passing sushi across a chef's counter in Logan Square. The fish comes mostly from Japan and changes by the day, sometimes by the moment. Small bites called otsumami share the menu with nigiri such as tuna on an exclusive Japanese rice seasoned with aged red vinegar. Sake, beer, and wine keep pace with the fish. Phan builds each piece around purity, harmony, and balance, and the counter keeps you close enough to watch. That focus earned four stars from “The Chicago Tribune.”

Beneath The Aviary, Grant Achatz and Jason Weingarten's The Office feels like a private library or club room. The house Old Fashioned pairs bourbon with strawberry and fernets for a herbal finish. Dealer's Choice lets the bartenders build a drink around your spirit and flavor preferences. The collection of rare, vintage and barrel-aged spirits keeps growing. Chef Alan Mileykovsky's menu keeps pace with caviar service, beef tartare and fried chicken with caviar.

The brainchild of Next Restaurant alum and James Beard finalist Jenner Tomaska and wife Katrina Bravo, Esmé delivers one of Chicago’s most wildly ambitious tasting experiences. From truffle-topped cocktails to luxe dishes like caviar-studded meringues, the bold, artfully plated menu mirrors the gallery-like interiors—earning this one-of-a-kind destination a coveted MICHELIN Star.

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• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2025

• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2024

• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2023

Rick Bayless's mole negro, a 32-ingredient sauce built over three days, once traveled to a White House state dinner honoring Mexico's president. Chef de cuisine Meagan O'Connor and pastry chef Jennifer Enyart, both decades into cooking alongside Bayless, carry that same rigor through Topolobampo's revolving tasting menu, reinvented every six to eight weeks with each course paired to both a wine and an agave spirit. The dining room, tucked behind Frontera Grill, stays intimate under walls hung with Mexican folk art. A James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award and a MICHELIN Star back up the ambition on the plate.

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• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2025

Superstar chef Grant Achatz brought his kitchen thinking to the bar, and The Aviary shows it. The In the Rocks arrives inside a hollow sphere of ice that you crack open at the table with a sling-shot or hammer. Food borrows from Alinea, like the black truffle explosion, a single-bite ravioli that bursts with Périgord truffle broth. Custom lounge seating faces the bar line where drinks are engineered in view. World's 50 Best Bars recognized the room in 2014 and 2016.

Next rewrites itself several times a year. Each menu commits to one place, era, or idea, and the room, service, and soundtrack change to match. Wall Street 1987 put gold leaf on a classic ribeye earlier this year, and the current Fashion menu cuts and drapes ten courses like couture. Three wine pairing tiers run from global varietals to rare producers with a non-alcoholic pairing too. The restaurant won a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant the year after it opened, and it has held on to a MICHELIN Star every year since 2020.

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• MICHELIN 1 Star

  2025