Chicago
The Loop needed a forward-thinking food court, and Revival Food Hall delivered. Come lunchtime, hip office workers pack the blond-wood tables of this…
Must-see restaurants in Illinois
-
Chicago
One of the world's best restaurants, the triple-Michelin-starred Alinea purveys multiple courses of molecular gastronomy. Dishes may emanate from a…
-
Illinois
This fiercely sustainable, farm-to-fork destination restaurant in Effingham (of all places!) is arguably Illinois' top gastronomic haven outside of…
-
Chicago
Tribune and Sun Times reporters have guzzled in the subterranean Billy Goat for decades. Order a 'cheezborger' and Schlitz beer, then look around at the…
-
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Soothing 1950s pastels and antique pie tins set the Americana vibe at Paula Haney's celebrated pie shop, where hand-rolled, buttery-flaky crust is plumped…
-
Chicago
Stephanie Izard's flagship restaurant rocks. The soaring ceilings, polished wood tables and cartoon-y art on the walls offer a convivial atmosphere where…
-
Chicago
A cozy, European-like tavern, Hopleaf draws crowds for its Montreal-style smoked brisket, cashew-butter-and-fig-jam sandwich, ubercreamy macaroni and…
-
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Margie’s has held court at Bucktown’s edge for more than 90 years, scooping ice cream sundaes into giant clamshell bowls for everyone from Al Capone to…
-
Chicago
Step into the dark-wood, candlelit room, where ceiling fans swirl lazily and big-leafed palms sway in the breeze, and you'd swear you were in 1920s Saigon…
-
Chicago
Giordano's makes 'stuffed' pizza, a bigger, doughier version of deep dish. It's awesome. If you want a slice of heaven, order the ‘special,' a stuffed pie…
-
Chicago
At this no-frills meat den, a man with a machete salutes you at the front counter. He awaits your command to hack off pork pieces and then wraps the thick…
-
Chicago
Michelin-starred Goosefoot serves a cutting-edge, modern American tasting menu that never fails to surprise. For instance, your dessert – a vanilla…
-
Chicago
Follow your nose to Pleasant House, which bakes tall, fluffy, savory pies. Daily flavors include chicken and chutney, steak and ale, or kale and mushroom,…
-
Chicago
This LGBTIQ+-friendly bakery mixes Filipino and American flavors. The teeny room couldn't be any cuter. Chandeliers dangle from the ceiling, and a handful…
-
Chicago
Korean American chef Jennifer Kim showcases the food of her childhood through the influences of Italian cooking at Andersonville's hottest new restaurant…
-
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Chicago’s lone Costa Rican eatery turns out burritos bursting with chicken, black beans and fresh avocado, and sandwiches dressed in a heavenly, spicy…
-
Chicago
You’ll feel transported to Dakar upon entering this tidy, white-curtained cafe where spicy yassa chicken (marinated in lemon and onion), bissap (hibiscus…
-
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Sit at the retro counter for Tex-Mex plates of pork-shoulder posole and buttermilk fried chicken with chorizo-verde gravy. Dessert? It's pie, of course –…
-
Chicago
The owners, who hail from southern Turkey, prepare meals from their Kurdish homeland. Dishes include sac tawa, a traditional stir-fry of meat, peppers and…
-
Chicago
This Barcelona-style tapas and seafood restaurant buzzes in an enormous, convivial room where light streams in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. It…
-
Chicago
Housemade pastas are the specialty here. They seem simple in concept, such as the cacio whey pepe (small tube pasta with pecorino Romano, ricotta whey and…
-
Chicago
Ground Control is an industrial, trippy mural-clad restaurant with pinball machines and craft beer on tap. That it's meat-free is incidental. The dishes…
-
Chicago
This wee storefront eatery produces huge flavors in its heady comfort food. Dishes like the king-crab tagliatelle, biscuits with jalapeño butter and sweet…
-
Chicago
Seafood restaurants can be fusty. Not so GT Fish & Oyster. The clean-lined room bustles with date-night couples and groups of friends drinking fizzy wines…
-
Chicago
Home Bistro (aka ‘HB’) feels as cozy as the nouveau comfort food it serves. Cider-soaked mussels, goat's cheese risotto and buttermilk fried rabbit leg…
-
Chicago
Retro-cute as can be, little Spinning J harks back to a 1950s soda fountain, with a line of counter stools and a smattering of booths where you can sip…
-
Chicago
An excellent late-night option for this area, Velvet Taco features hip new takes on the eminently adaptable taco: spicy chicken tikka; Nashville hot tofu…
-
Chicago
A relic of Route 66, Lou's brings in elbow-to-elbow locals and tourists for breakfast. The old-school waitstaff deliver big fluffy omelets and thick-cut…
-
Chicago
The name doesn't lie: it's all about dumplings in this bright room under bamboo lanterns. The dough pockets come steamed or pan-fried, in serves of 12 or…
-
Chicago
A Michelin-starred restaurant-lounge hybrid, Boka is a pre- and post-theater stomping ground for younger Steppenwolf patrons. Order a cocktail at the bar…
-
Chicago
This always-hopping gastropub dishes up fanciful grub, from Gouda-topped venison burgers to mussels vindaloo or Guinness-battered fish and chips; a steak…
-
Illinois
Just off Main St (read: lures in more locals), Otto constructed this historic building in 1899 and turned it into a restaurant. He and his restaurant are…
-
Chicago
It’s a mixed crowd at Valois. In fact, the clientele is so socioeconomically diverse that a U of C sociology professor wrote a well-known book about it,…
-
Illinois
This downtown Moline Thai restaurant whips up an authentic menu of Thai curries, rice and street food with occasional dabbles into Burmese, Laotian and…
-
Chicago
Renowned pastry chef Bobby Schaffer has opened one of Andersonville's newest spots, a Scandi-influenced bakery with an appropriately minimalist, elegant…
-
Chicago
You could easily walk right by this modest storefront without realizing the rich, buttery glory that awaits inside. The chef reworks his great-grandmother…
-
Chicago
Neighborhood folks dig into plates heaped with falafel sandwiches, creamy hummus, lamb shawarma, spinach pies and other quality Middle Eastern fare at…
Chicago
Fat Rice won a Beard Award for its dishes, which are inspired by the flavors of Macau, a former Portuguese territory off China’s coast. The unconventional…
Chicago
If you prefer your sushi served in a trendy nightclub-like space with dramatic lighting, or if your favorite maki is named after an American state, don't…
Chicago
Summertime visits to candy-floss-pink Original Rainbow Cone have been a South Side tradition since 1926, with evening queues frequently stretching outside…
