Best Restaurants in Chicago
— Chef-Recommended

at Alinea

"The engineering required to create a liquid-filled raviolo that bursts in your mouth is extraordinary. Temperature control is critical - too hot and it breaks, too cold and the tru…"

at Oriole

"Oriole's dashi-foie gras opener resets expectations immediately. The umami from the dashi marinade transforms a classical French preparation into something wholly original."

at Smyth

"Smyth's koji-buttered carrots from their wood-burning hearth demonstrate how fine dining can exalt a humble vegetable. This is Midwestern cooking at its most refined."

at Avec

"Avec's chorizo dates have been on the menu since 2003 and will outlast all of us. The smoke, the sweet date, the spiced pork, the Piquillo sauce. Classic."

at Sabri Nihari

"Sabri Nihari's overnight beef shank is among the most technically demanding dishes in Chicago — and it costs eleven dollars. The marrow has dissolved into the stew."

at Giant

"Giant's xiao long bao are Logan Square's best-kept secret. Jason Vincent's dumplings have the right soup volume and the correct pork-to-fat ratio."

at Oriole

"Oriole's Ora King salmon crudo is the raw salmon with cucumber water, wasabi ice, and compressed melon that shows what a modern American fine dining kitchen in Chicago can achieve.…"

at Giant

"Giant's braised beef cheek with polenta is the Midwestern comfort classic executed with the precision of a kitchen that takes its craft seriously. The beef cheek is braised until i…"