Must-see restaurants in The Great Lakes

  • The lantern-adorned Revival Food Hall in Downtown Chicago has seriously upped the city's food-court game.

    Revival Food Hall

    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…

  • Young Joni

    Minneapolis

    Young Joni fuses two seemingly unrelated types: pizza and Korean food. Here, you can order a wood-fired, crisp-crusted prosciutto, gruyere and ricotta pie…

  • Alinea

    Chicago

    One of the world's best restaurants, the triple-Michelin-starred Alinea purveys multiple courses of molecular gastronomy. Dishes may emanate from a…

  • Firefly Grill

    Illinois

    This fiercely sustainable, farm-to-fork destination restaurant in Effingham (of all places!) is arguably Illinois' top gastronomic haven outside of…

  • Billy Goat Tavern

    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…

  • Sister Pie

    Detroit

    Owner Lisa Ludwinski (a 2019 James Beard Award finalist) and her army of female bakers create amazing treats at this corner storefront. The milk chocolate…

  • Story Inn

    Indiana

    This former general store dating to 1851 (tin roof and metal facade still intact!) drips with countrified rustic charm, beckoning foodies for culinary…

  • Milktooth

    Indianapolis

    Breakfast lovers of the world unite at artsy Milktooth, a can't-miss morning hot spot set in a tchotchke-peppered garage. In 2015, Jonathan Brooks was…

  • Hoosier Mama Pie Company

    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…

  • Girl & the Goat

    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…

  • Hopleaf

    Chicago

    A cozy, European-like tavern, Hopleaf draws crowds for its Montreal-style smoked brisket, cashew-butter-and-fig-jam sandwich, ubercreamy macaroni and…

  • Margie’s Candies

    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…

  • Bauer Farm Kitchen

    Cincinnati

    It’s odd that for all its German heritage, Cincinnati doesn’t have many German restaurants. Enter downtown’s Bauer Farm Kitchen, which specializes in…

  • Momo Ghar

    Ohio

    It’s hard not to fall for this Nepalese dumpling counter hiding inside a global foods supermarket. Look for the bright-hued prayer flags fluttering over…

  • Le Colonial

    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…

  • Larder Delicatessen & Bakery

    Cleveland

    Set in a historic firehouse, Larder has an old-time vibe. Jars of pickled veggies line the wall, and the pantry sells everything from hickory nuts to…

  • Farmhouse Deli

    Gold Coast

    While it could coast on its looks – the shabby-chic farmhouse decor is cute as a button – the deli ups the ante with seriously top-notch food. The Cubano…

  • Octave Grill

    Indiana

    Octave Grill's burgers made with grass-fed beef and piled high with gourmet goodness were voted best in Porter County. Indeed, they are cooked to…

  • Giordano's

    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…

  • Detroit Vegan Soul

    Detroit

    Step inside this light-wood cafe staffed by hippies and fork into splendid soul food dishes that just happen to be vegan. The soul platter, with black…

  • Don Pedro Carnitas

    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…

  • Goosefoot

    Chicago

    Michelin-starred Goosefoot serves a cutting-edge, modern American tasting menu that never fails to surprise. For instance, your dessert – a vanilla…

  • Pleasant House Pub

    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,…

  • Tinker Street

    Indianapolis

    Fork into seasonal dishes such as Indiana mushroom stroganoff with pappardelle, sherry, crème fraîche and parsley pistou or an incredible pork belly with…

  • Jennivee’s

    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…

  • Passerotto

    Chicago

    Korean American chef Jennifer Kim showcases the food of her childhood through the influences of Italian cooking at Andersonville's hottest new restaurant…

  • St Elmo's

    Indianapolis

    This nearly 120-year-old carnivore haunt is Indy's best – and one of its only – independent steakhouses. It receives consistent accolades for service,…

  • Irazu

    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…

  • Gorée Cuisine

    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…

  • Dove's Luncheonette

    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 –…

  • Gundis Kurdish Kitchen

    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…

  • Mercat a la Planxa

    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…

  • Monteverde

    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…

  • Ground Control

    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…

  • Giant

    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…

  • Green Well

    Michigan

    Burgers, green curry, and barbecue pork and polenta feature on the menu, where everything is made with sustainably farmed ingredients. Beer plays a role…

  • Skillet

    Ohio

    This teeny restaurant in German Village serves rustic, locally sourced brunch fare. The menu changes, but you might fill a plate with griddled cinnamon…

  • GT Fish & Oyster

    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…

  • Home Bistro

    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…

  • Birch + Butcher

    Milwaukee

    Birch + Butcher claims to have the city's only open-fire hearth for serious searing and grilling. However it does it, we love the results. Choose from a…

More destinations you need to see