The 10 Best Restaurants in Chicago You Must Try

Few cities in the United States benefit from seasonality as much as the Emerald City. Using farm-fresh foods from all around Illinois—not to mention neighboring Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin—the best restaurants in Chicago are widely regarded as some of the most thrilling in the country, owing in no small part to the culinary expertise of its chefs.

Here are our current favorite restaurants in Chicago, ranging from renowned chefs to memorable dining experiences for their hospitality and gourmet food. There’s no shortage of fantastic food in this city.

From Ethiopian to pizza, all the food that makes the Windy City one of America’s best places to eat. We hope that our selection of the best restaurants in Chicago serves as a starting point for you.

No matter what kind of vibe you’re looking for, you’ll find the perfect place and a cool, friendly crowd to go with it.

From pizza to pasta, put these restaurants on the top of your list of the best museums in Chicago and visit at one of the best places to visit in Chicago, check out one of the best luxury hotels in Chicago so that you must plan your vacation to this exciting city.

Here is our list of the best restaurants in Chicago. If you enjoy our blogs, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

We guarantee there is something on this list to satisfy your cravings. Honestly, try them all!

Here We Go!!


Best Restaurants in Chicago

Some of the best restaurants in Chicago are pizza places, others have Michelin stars, and still others serve some of the best cheap food in Chicago. The food is just as different, with Korean, Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, and Indian dishes from all over the world.

Here are our list of the best restaurants in Chicago for where to eat your favorite pizza.

1. Lula Café

Lula Café | Best Restaurants in Chicago

A neighborhood favorite that has been doing the whole farm-to-table thing for a long time, before it was cool. One of the famous restaurants in Chicago, IL.

There’s a reason why Lula has been a mainstay in Chicago for over 20 years. Chef-owner Jason Hammel and his team make dishes with the freshest seasonal ingredients, and it shows. Everything you eat here, from pastries to turkey sandwiches to roast chicken, tastes like it’s been tried and tested many times.

Lula has brunch every day, so if you’re free on a Thursday or Friday morning, your Classic Lula Breakfast Burrito awaits.


2. Kasama

Kasama | Best Restaurants in Chicago

Kasama is a modern Filipino-American bakery and fine dining restaurant run by husband-and-wife team Tim Flores and Genie Kwon (Oriole). It has both a Michelin-starred tasting menu and a variety of casual daytime dishes that will make you say, “I’ll take one of each.”

Believe everything you hear about Kasama. It really is as good as they say. Come in the morning for brunch items like a breakfast sandwich with longanisa on top or a full Filipino breakfast with longanisa/tocino, fried egg, garlic fried rice, and pickled papaya, as well as some of the best pastries in Chicago.

At night, make a reservation for the restaurant’s 13-course tasting menu, which takes you on a Filipino-inspired journey through dishes like nilaga with A5 wagyu beef and a perfect little croissant with freshly shaved black truffles. One of the famous restaurants in Chicago, IL.

If you don’t want to eat inside, you can avoid the inevitable weekend line by ordering online and picking up your food. We promise it will taste just as good.


3. Tzuco

Tzuco | Best Restaurants in Chicago

Chef Carlos Gaytan’s big comeback to Chicago is a restaurant in River North that pays tribute to his home city of Huitzuco, Mexico.

Tzuco has only been open for a few years, but it has already become one of the best restaurants in the city, thanks in large part to Gaytan’s French-influenced Mexican cooking. For example, the French onion soup has meaty poblano peppers added to it, and the steak tartare has pickled jalapenos, cilantro, and guacamole added to it.

The patio is heated all year round, so you can eat outside no matter what the weather is like. But you should also check out the dining room, which looks like it’s from another planet. Tzuco has the best fast food in Chicago.


4. Virtue

Virtue | Best Restaurants in Chicago

This book is chef Erick Williams’s love letter to the Southern way of cooking through old recipes and new ways of saying things. One of the best places to eat in Chicago.

At this Hyde Park restaurant, you can almost feel the soul coming out of the menu. It’s because Williams cooks from the heart, whether he’s making his famous collards with chunks of smoked turkey meat or fried green tomatoes with tender shrimp and creamy rémoulade.

The only thing better than the food is the atmosphere, which is romantic without trying too hard. It’s perfect for a cozy date night.


5. Mi Tocaya Antojería

Mi Tocaya Antojería | Best Restaurants in Chicago

The sunny corner spot at Mi Tocaya is full of color and art, including murals that show off the chef-owner Diana Davila’s Mexican heritage. The colorful tile floors, painted succulents in bright green, and large floor-to-ceiling windows make the space feel warm and friendly. One of the most beautiful restaurants in Chicago.

Davila serves her own versions of tasty Mexican food. On the menu, you’ll find the usual suspects like tacos (with fillings like cochinita, chorizo, corn crema, and butternut squash), while the larger antojos section has some interesting alternatives. It’s a lively place for a date with serious, modern Mexican food.


6. The Bristol

The Bristol | Best Restaurants in Chicago

The restaurant has great à la carte and tasting menus that change with the seasons. The Bristol is somewhere between a fancy restaurant and a nice place for people in the neighborhood to eat. One of the best places to eat in Chicago.

If you have a little extra cash, executive chef Larry Feld Meier’s New American tasting menu with eight courses is one of the best in town. But you can get some of the same farm-fresh ingredients from the dinner menu, like pillowy milk bread, hand-made pastas, and a half-roasted chicken. With your dessert, have a cup of Rare Tea Cellars tea.


7. S.K.Y.

S.K.Y. | Best Restaurants in Chicago

Stephen Gillanders’ Pilsen restaurant, whose name comes from the initials of his wife, has an Asian-inspired menu that isn’t afraid to try new things.

At S.K.Y., nothing is quite what you expect it to be, which makes a meal there full of pleasant surprises. From the Japanese Caesar salad to the foie gras bibimbap, the flavors and presentations aren’t always what you’d expect. Just enjoy the fact that they’re not what you’d expect.


8. Dear Margaret

Dear Margaret | Best Restaurants in Chicago

A place that doesn’t try to be fancy and serves hearty French-Canadian food.

With a focus on the seasons and ingredients from the Midwest, there is almost always something new and fresh to eat. The menu is full of rich foods like charcuterie, pot roast, and cured pork, but executive chef Ryan Brosseau doesn’t shy away from sharp, acidic flavors like extra-tart vinaigrettes or neon Piparra peppers.

Plan to start your meal with fried smelts, no matter what time of year you go.


9. Lardon

Lardon | Best Restaurants in Chicago

Close to the California Blue Line stop, this café is all about meat and cheese. During the day, they serve Metropolis coffee and sandwiches, and in the evening, they serve cheese boards and charcuterie.

Charcuterie from Lardon can be used as a meal or a light snack. The chef board is almost enough for you and a date if you share it with another person. If you share it with three or four people, it will hold you over between drinks after work and dinner at home.

Even though this menu has a lot of meat, there are some great salads on it for lunch. Try the Green Monster salad, which is full of vegetables, or the Friese & Lardon salad, which has pork belly, herbs, mustard with a sour taste, and a soft-boiled egg on top.


10. Andros Taverna

Andros Taverna | Best Restaurants in Chicago

At this new restaurant in Logan Square, chef Doug Psaltis serves modern Greek food that is based on sustainable practices and careful sourcing. The restaurant was inspired by a love for the cosmopolitan taverns of Greece. One of the most beautiful restaurants in Chicago.

It is a tribute to the Mediterranean and its flavors, with its roots in culinary history and friendly service. Start with pork shoulder gyros and char-grilled octopus, then save room for a dessert made by pastry chef Hsing Chen.

Here, wine is the co-star, and the list shows off 25 Greek labels with pride and plenty (boasting one of the more robust programs in the city).


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FAQs About Best Restaurants in Chicago

Is Chicago a good food city?

Bon Appetit magazine just named Chicago the “best restaurant city” in the United States. INSIDER looked into 10 reasons why Chicago should get the award. Chicago is a place where molecular gastronomy is very popular. It also has great casual and cheap food, as well as deep-dish pizza, of course.

What food is Chicago famous for?

Best Chicago Food:
1 Deep-Dish Pizza from Lou Malnati’s.
2 Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich at Al’s Italian Beef.
3 Basic Fried Chicken Dinner at Harold’s Chicken Shack.
4 Buttermilk Old-Fashioned Chicago Doughnut at Do-Rite Donut.
5 Chicago-style hot dogs at Portillo’s.

What drink is Chicago known for?

The Old Fashioned is a cocktail that is pretty much what its name says it is. It is one of the most famous drinks from Chicago. This cocktail was first mentioned in a newspaper in 1803. The editor wrote about a drink that was made with spirits, sugar, water, and bitters.

Why Chicago is famous?

Chicago is known for many things, like Chicago-style hot dogs, Chicago-style (deep dish) pizza, Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, jazz music, and gangsters like Al Capone from the 1920s. Chicago is also known for its museums and buildings like the Sears Tower. It is also known for its sports fans who are very loyal.

What snack is Chicago known for?

When Chicagoans leave the state, these are the 8 foods they miss the most.
Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Pizza.
Garret’s Popcorn.
Portillo’s Hot Dogs.
Portillo’s Cake Shake.
Doughnut Vault Doughnuts.
Stan’s Donuts.
Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Walker Brother’s 49er Flapjacks.


Tell Us In The Comments Your One Of The Best Restaurants in Chicago!

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