The Places · United States
Chicago
Made By profiles 70 places in Chicago, spanning bakery, modern american fine dining, hotel — each tied to the people and producers behind it.
01.Modern American Tasting Menu
Smyth
Chicago, United States
Smyth belongs to Chicago's highest-stakes tasting-menu tier, where progressive American cooking is judged by sourcing discipline as much as technical range. John Shields and Karen Urie Shields bring a farm-driven lineage shaped by Charlie Trotter's and rural Virginia, now backed by Michelin three-star recognition, La Liste scoring, Star Wine List recognition, and a 2026 OAD North America ranking.
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02.Avant-Garde Molecular Gastronomy
Alinea
Chicago, United States
Alinea remains Chicago's defining modernist dining room: theatrical, technical and more concerned with changing the grammar of American fine dining than with repeating luxury-restaurant conventions. Grant Achatz's long-running flagship carries two Michelin stars, a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating, AAA Five Diamond recognition and a 2026 OAD North America ranking, placing it in a narrow tier of U.S. restaurants where format is part of the argument.
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03.Japanese Dining Bar
Kumiko
Chicago, United States
Kumiko occupies a precise position in Chicago's Japanese dining scene: part tasting-menu restaurant, part James Beard Award-winning bar program, with the two disciplines operating at the same level of craft. The kitchen's Japanese-inflected tasting menu and Julia Momosé's spirits collection hold equal weight here, making it one of the few $$$$-tier venues in the city where the drink program is not an afterthought.
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04.Hotel
The Peninsula Chicago
Chicago, United States
Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond-rated for more than ten consecutive years, The Peninsula Chicago occupies a prime address on the Magnificent Mile with 339 rooms, a 19th-floor spa and pool, three restaurants and a bar. Awarded 99.5 points on La Liste's Top Hotels 2026 list and two Michelin Keys in 2024, it represents the upper tier of Chicago luxury accommodation.
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05.Bar
Best Intentions
Chicago, United States
Best Intentions is a Chicago neo-dive with serious cocktail credentials: a 2026 Tales Spirited Awards Top 10 nominee for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar, a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service, and No. 25 on North America's Best Bars 2025. The draw is the contrast: wood-panelled ease, Midwestern kitsch, a deep whiskey list, and cocktails that refuse to make the room feel precious.
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06.Modern French-Japanese Tasting Menu
Oriole
Chicago, United States
Two Michelin stars, a 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes, and a La Liste score of 93 points place Oriole at the serious end of Chicago's tasting-menu tier. Chef Noah Sandoval's progressive American format draws on French and Japanese technique, served in a converted West Loop warehouse where guests arrive by freight elevator and dine beneath a ceiling collage above an open kitchen.
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07.Basque-Inspired Steakhouse
Asador Bastian
Chicago, United States
Ranked the #1 steakhouse in North America by Robb Report in 2025, Asador Bastian brings Basque asador tradition to Chicago's River North, centering the txuletón, thick bone-in ribeye from old dairy cows, cooked over open fire in the historic Flair House. The wine list runs 140 selections with a strong Spanish spine, and the room reads intimate rather than clubby, which separates it from the city's old-guard chophouse circuit.
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08.Modern American Fine Dining
Ever
Chicago, United States
Two Michelin stars, a La Liste score of 96 points in 2026, and an AAA 5 Diamond rating place Ever among Chicago's most decorated fine dining rooms. At 1340 W Fulton St, Curtis Duffy's Fulton Market restaurant operates in the modernist tier occupied by a handful of American restaurants, technically ambitious, compositionally precise, and priced to match its comparable set.
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09.Modern Filipino
Kasama
Chicago, United States
Kasama occupies a rare position in American dining: a Filipino restaurant holding a Michelin star and a James Beard Award, operating as a daytime bakery and café before transforming into a 13-course tasting menu destination by night. Located in Chicago's East Ukrainian Village, it draws on the culinary pedigrees of Genie Kwon and Timothy Flores to reframe Filipino cuisine within the language of contemporary fine dining.
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10.Modern Steakhouse
Swift & Sons
Chicago, United States
Set in a converted 1920s meat and produce warehouse in Chicago's Fulton Market District, Swift & Sons channels the city's meatpacking heritage through a contemporary steakhouse lens. USDA Prime beef, a 2,800-bottle wine list with strong California and French depth, and AvroKO's architecturally considered interior place it firmly in Chicago's upper tier of formal steak dining. Ranked #106 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list in 2024.
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11.Modern Tasting Menu
Feld
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Plate-recognized tasting counter in Chicago's Ukrainian Village, Feld builds its 20-to-30-course menu around ingredients sourced within a four-hour radius, with dishes that cycle daily according to what's in season. The kitchen operates in the center of the room, in full view of the dining room, and a backyard fire pit extends the experience when weather allows. Recognized by both the Michelin Guide and Bon Appétit as one of America's best new restaurants.
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12.Modern American Seasonal Fine Dining
Boka
Chicago, United States
Boka has held a Michelin star since 2010 and remains one of Lincoln Park's most consistent fine-dining addresses. Chef Lee Wolen's à la carte menu and hyper-seasonal tasting menu both draw on sharply sourced ingredients and technically precise cooking, set inside a dining room that manages to feel both elegant and genuinely welcoming. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 across nearly 1,900 responses.
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13.Modern Middle Eastern
Galit
Chicago, United States
Galit holds a Michelin star and an Opinionated About Dining ranking of #71 in North America (2025) for its modern Middle Eastern prix-fixe on Lincoln Avenue. Chef Zach Engel works regional produce through an aromatic, produce-forward lens, with a beverage program built around wines from Armenia, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 PM, with a price point at the upper tier of Chicago's neighbourhood dining scene.
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14.Midwest-Inspired Italian Pasta
Daisies
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient in Logan Square, Daisies operates across a generous, sunlit space on Milwaukee Avenue where vegetable-forward cooking and house-made pasta anchor a menu sourced largely from the chef's family farm. The room runs from a morning café into a full dinner service, with a bakery component that extends the offering further than most neighbourhood restaurants in its price tier.
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15.Modern Indian Fine Dining
Indienne
Chicago, United States
Indienne brings a tasting-menu-only approach to progressive Indian cuisine in Chicago's River North, earning a Michelin star in 2024 and an Opinionated About Dining ranking of #469 in North America (2025). Chef Sujan Sarkar draws on French technique alongside the breadth of the Indian subcontinent, with parallel vegan, vegetarian, and non-vegetarian menus served in a room that mixes warehouse bones with white tablecloths and rose-pink booths.
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16.Nordic-Inspired Modern American
Elske
Chicago, United States
On Chicago's Randolph Street dining corridor, Elske operates in a category occupied by few American restaurants: serious tasting menu territory with an a la carte alternative and a genuine Nordic influence. Ranked #157 in North America by Opinionated About Dining in 2024 and holding a 4.6 Google rating across 735 reviews, it draws a committed audience to the West Loop for seasonally grounded cooking and an unusually calm dining room.
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17.Inventive New American Tasting Menu
Schwa
Chicago, United States
Schwa occupies a particular niche in Chicago's fine dining scene that almost no other room does: Michelin-starred cooking delivered without servers, over a soundtrack of rap music, by chefs who plate and present their own work. Ranked #131 on Opinionated About Dining's North America list in 2025, it sits in the upper tier of the city's progressive American restaurants while refusing every convention that tier typically demands.
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18.Refined Regional Mexican
Topolobampo
Chicago, United States
Topolobampo holds a Michelin star and a top-500 Opinionated About Dining ranking for its seasonally shifting Mexican menu in Chicago's River North. The kitchen draws on regional Mexican traditions, rotating through cuisines like Pueblan cooking with dishes built around masa, agave spirits, and slow preparations. Open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner, it occupies the upper tier of Chicago's fine-dining set.
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19.Modern American with Beer Pairings
Moody Tongue
Chicago, United States
Moody Tongue sits above its working brewery on South Wabash, where a one-Michelin-star kitchen and an in-house brewing program operate as equal partners rather than novelty sidekicks. Chef Jared Wentworth's contemporary menu draws from a wide range of global references, with beer pairings that are integral to the meal's structure. Ranked 32nd in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 Casual North America list, it occupies a small, well-defined niche in Chicago's serious dining tier.
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20.Avant-Garde Tasting Menu
EL Ideas
Chicago, United States
EL Ideas operates from a converted warehouse on Chicago's Lower West Side, where Chef Phillip Foss runs a single-seating, BYOB dinner that functions more like an open-kitchen experiment than a conventional restaurant. A Michelin star since 2024 and consistent placement on Opinionated About Dining's North America list signal serious cooking beneath the deliberately casual format. Guests are encouraged to wander, watch, and engage directly with the kitchen.
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21.Modern Omakase
Mako
Chicago, United States
Among Chicago's small-format omakase counters, Mako occupies a deliberately understated position on West Lake Street: 22 seats, a single plaque at the entrance, and a menu that earns its place on the Opinionated About Dining North America list. Chef BK Park's program runs Wednesday through Sunday, with cooked courses alongside the sushi sequence setting it apart from leaner omakase formats in the city.
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22.Modern Contemporary Fine Dining
Esmé
Chicago, United States
On Lincoln Park's Clark Street, Esmé holds a Michelin star and back-to-back Opinionated About Dining top-200 finishes in North America for its multicourse Nordic-American tasting menu. Chef Jenner Tomaska and co-owner Katrina Bravo run the program inside a gallery-like space where each course arrives on ceramics made by local artists, and the cooking leans toward unexpected savory-sweet combinations at a serious price point.
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23.Modern American Fine Dining
Sepia
Chicago, United States
Set inside a converted 19th-century print shop on Jefferson Street, Sepia occupies Chicago's upper tier of contemporary American fine dining. Chef Andrew Zimmerman draws on Southeast Asian, Korean, and Mediterranean influences to push the format well beyond straightforward Continental territory. With a Google rating of 4.6 across more than 1,400 reviews and an 840-selection wine list priced accessibly for the category, the room earns its $$$$ positioning on substance rather than ceremony.
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24.Modern American Gastropub
Loyalist
Chicago, United States
Beneath its tasting-menu sibling Smyth in Chicago's West Loop, Loyalist operates as a French-American brasserie where the kitchen's technical rigor surfaces in an à la carte format. Ranked #78 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list in 2024 and #27 in Gourmet Casual Dining in 2023, it draws a regular crowd for farm-sourced vegetables, aged meats, and a burger that has become one of Chicago's most discussed.
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25.Classic Steakhouse with French Flair
Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf
Chicago, United States
Bavette's Bar & Boeuf on West Kinzie brings a French-accented steakhouse format to Chicago's River North, pairing expertly broiled wet-aged cuts with a raw bar and unexpected kitchen signatures like short rib stroganoff. Ranked #67 on Opinionated About Dining's 2025 Casual North America list and holding a Michelin Plate, it draws a consistently full house with its jazz soundtrack, Chesterfield sofas, and tobacco-dark dining room.
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26.Jaliscan Birria
Birrieria Zaragoza
Chicago, United States
Birrieria Zaragoza has held a single, unwavering focus since opening: goat birria, made the way it has always been made in Jalisco, served at a price point that makes it one of Chicago's most recognised cheap eats. Ranked #19 on Opinionated About Dining's North America Cheap Eats list in 2025 and awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2024, it earns its reputation through discipline, not breadth. Note: the restaurant is temporarily closed.
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27.Modern Thin-Crust Pizza
Robert's Pizza & Dough Company
Chicago, United States
Ranked #6 on 50 Top Pizza USA 2025 and #26 globally on 50 Top Pizza World, Robert's Pizza and Dough Co. operates from a riverfront position on the Near North Side, producing artisan, brick-oven thin-crust pizzas that have earned the venue a place among the most credentialed pizzerias in the country. The riverfront setting adds a spatial dimension rare in Chicago's serious pizza circuit.
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28.Modern Steakhouse
Maple & Ash
Chicago, United States
Maple & Ash occupies a multilevel Gold Coast address where wood-fire technique meets the classic American steakhouse format. Led by two-Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant and holding a 2024 Michelin Plate, the restaurant pairs dry-aged cuts with a 2,500-label wine list overseen by a six-person sommelier team. The room, the wine program, and the fire-roasted menu place it firmly in Chicago's upper tier of destination dining.
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29.Modern Italian Pasta
Monteverde
Chicago, United States
In Chicago's West Loop, Monteverde has built its reputation on a working pasta station visible from the dining room counter, where sheets are rolled, cut, and hung daily. Chef Sarah Grueneberg's cucina tipica program draws from Italian regional traditions while integrating influences from her wider travels. Ranked on Opinionated About Dining's North America list and holding a Michelin Plate, it sits in the upper tier of the city's serious Italian offerings.
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30.Modern New American with Asian Influences
Maxwells Trading
Chicago, United States
In Chicago's West Loop, Maxwells Trading occupies a converted warehouse on Carroll Avenue where the cooking moves fluidly across Japanese, Chinese, and Thai reference points. Dishes like soup dumpling tortellini with maitake mushroom and turbot with kombu beurre blanc earned the kitchen a 2024 Michelin Plate and a spot at number 13 on Esquire's Best New Restaurants list. The bar program and a rooftop kitchen garden round out a package that punches well above its price tier.
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31.Modern Southern Soul Food
Virtue
Chicago, United States
Virtue brings Southern cooking to Hyde Park with the kind of institutional weight that comes from two James Beard Awards and a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Chef Erick Williams runs a welcoming room on E 53rd St where skillet corn bread, dirty rice with gizzards, and stone-ground grits anchor a menu rooted in heritage technique. The crowd skews University of Chicago smart; the hospitality skews South Side warm.
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32.Contemporary Greek
Andros Taverna
Chicago, United States
Andros Taverna on Milwaukee Avenue brings Greek cooking to Logan Square with enough conviction to earn a Michelin Plate and a place on Opinionated About Dining's North America casual list. The wood-burning oven anchors a menu that runs from mezze and charred dips to grilled lamb chops, while an all-Greek wine list spanning Macedonia to Santorini signals the kitchen's commitment to staying on-source. Weekend brunch and a $50 corkage fee round out the picture.
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33.Global Fusion Tasting Menu
Valhalla
Chicago, United States
A chef's counter tasting menu in Wicker Park drawing on Filipino, Mexican, Chinese, and Indian cooking traditions, Valhalla holds a Michelin Plate and ranks #357 on Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America list. Stephen Gillanders runs an intimate, counter-only format at 2020 W Division St, Wednesday through Sunday evenings, at the $$$$ price tier.
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34.Mediterranean Small Plates & Charcuterie
The Purple Pig
Chicago, United States
On Chicago's Michigan Avenue, The Purple Pig occupies a different competitive tier than the city's tasting-menu circuit. A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder since at least 2024 and ranked among Opinionated About Dining's top casual North American restaurants, it delivers Mediterranean-inflected gastropub cooking at mid-range prices, a combination that explains both its 4.6 Google rating across nearly 7,000 reviews and its loyal repeat clientele.
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35.Farm-to-Table Vegetable-Forward
Cellar Door Provisions
Chicago, United States
A Logan Square neighborhood restaurant operating at the opposite end of the spectrum from Chicago's tasting-menu circuit, Cellar Door Provisions serves direct, well-seasoned New American and Mediterranean-inflected cooking in a breezy corner dining room on West Diversey. Ranked #380 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list in 2025 and a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient in 2024, it delivers honest cooking without theatrical packaging.
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36.Modern French Bistro
Obélix
Chicago, United States
A River North French restaurant where hearty classics, duck, foie gras, pâté en croûte, squab pithivier, are executed with evident seriousness and everything is made in-house. Ranked #198 on Opinionated About Dining's Top Restaurants in North America (2025) and listed on Star Wine List for its French-focused cellar, Obélix runs at a mid-to-upper price tier with a dining room atmosphere that reliably fills tables with wine and seafood platters.
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37.Farm-to-Table American Bistro
Lula Cafe
Chicago, United States
Lula Cafe Chicago transforms farm-to-table dining into community art at Jason Hammel's Logan Square institution, where 25 years of hyper-seasonal cuisine and 2024 James Beard Award-winning hospitality create an authentic neighborhood experience that attracts both celebrated personalities and devoted locals.
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38.Edomae-Style Omakase
Kyōten
Chicago, United States
A 10-seat nigiri-only counter on Armitage Avenue, Kyōten sits in Chicago's compact but serious omakase tier, ranked #164 on Opinionated About Dining's North America list in 2025 and recognised with a Michelin Plate. Twice-weekly fish shipments from Japan and a beverage list priced well below the room's ambitions make this one of the city's most considered formats in the $$$$ category.
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39.Modern Spanish Seafood Tapas
mfk.
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient ranked among North America's top gourmet casual restaurants by Opinionated About Dining, mfk. on Diversey Parkway brings Iberian-inflected seafood to Lincoln Park in a subterranean room that trades the expected basement gloom for whitewashed brick and wide windows. The menu moves from warm boquerónes and anchovy crostini to seared scallops and Basque cake, pitched at a price point well below Chicago's fine-dining tier.
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40.Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel Chicago
Chicago, United States
Four Seasons Hotel Chicago occupies a prime Magnificent Mile address at 120 E Delaware Place, with 345 rooms offering lake and skyline views, a seventh-floor restaurant under Executive Chef Richie Farina, and a spa and indoor pool that place it among the Gold Coast's most complete luxury properties. A Google rating of 4.7 across more than 1,600 reviews reflects consistent delivery on a promise that has attracted celebrity guests and repeat travelers for decades.
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41.American
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
Chicago, United States
On Rush Street since 1989, Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse is a Chicago institution that operates in a register most steakhouses have abandoned: loud, convivial, and unapologetically traditional. The house beef program runs across two distinct lines, Gibsons Prime Angus and Gibsons Grassfed Australian, and the dining room draws a cross-section of the city that few Gold Coast restaurants can match. Opinionated About Dining has ranked it in North America's top casual dining tier three consecutive years through 2025.
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42.Piedmontese Italian Osteria
Osteria Langhe
Chicago, United States
A Logan Square osteria running since 2014, Osteria Langhe has held consistent recognition on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list, ranked 28th in 2025, for its focused Piedmontese menu, house-made tajarin, and a 1,275-bottle wine program weighted toward the region. It holds a Michelin Plate and sits in the $$ meal price tier, making it one of Chicago's more serious Italian destinations at a moderate price point.
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43.Upscale Diner Burgers & Egg Dishes
Au Cheval
Chicago, United States
Au Cheval sits on West Randolph Street at the edge of Chicago's Fulton Market corridor, a French bistro-inflected American diner that has tracked consistently on Opinionated About Dining's North American casual rankings since 2023. Open seven days a week from 10 am, it draws a cross-section of the city's dining public and holds a 4.6 Google rating across more than 10,000 reviews, which is a meaningful signal for a high-volume room.
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44.Authentic Mexican Carnitas
Carnitas Uruapan Restaurant
Chicago, United States
On the 1800 block of West 18th Street in Pilsen, Carnitas Uruapan has been serving slow-cooked carnitas in the Michoacán tradition since the Carbajal family brought the technique north. Ranked by Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats list three consecutive years, reaching #110 in 2023, #125 in 2024, and #145 in 2025, it holds a 4.6 Google rating across nearly 2,800 reviews and closes by mid-afternoon most days.
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45.Modern American Fine Dining
Charlie Trotter's
Chicago, United States
Charlie Trotter's operated at 816 W Armitage Ave in Chicago's Lincoln Park from 1987 to 2012, earning a place in the World's 50 Best Restaurants every year from 2002 to 2008, peaking at #11. The restaurant helped establish the tasting menu as a serious American dining format and shaped the generation of chefs who now run Chicago's fine-dining scene. The Armitage Avenue address occasionally hosts pop-up events honoring its legacy.
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46.Modern Filipino
Boonie's
Chicago, United States
A former food stall that earned a 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand, Boonie's on North Western Avenue serves a tight, pork-forward Filipino menu where the rice cooker sets the room's tone before you've even sat down. Chef Erik Tas keeps the format intimate and the cooking direct: crispy pork belly, herb-marinated cuts, steelhead trout in tamarind broth, and a deep-fried plantain spring roll that closes the meal on a high note.
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47.Modern American Gastropub
The Duck Inn
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand gastropub in Chicago's McKinley Park neighbourhood, The Duck Inn operates at the junction of British pub tradition and American craft cooking. Chef Kevin Hickey's kitchen holds a 4.7 Google rating across more than 1,400 reviews and a place on Opinionated About Dining's North America Casual list, making it one of the more credentialled value-tier restaurants on Chicago's South Side.
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48.Seafood
Girl & The Goat
Chicago, United States
On West Randolph Street, Chef Stephanie Izard's Girl & The Goat has anchored Chicago's Restaurant Row since 2010, earning back-to-back Opinionated About Dining recognition through 2025. The menu organises around protein rather than course, with a dedicated goat section and shareable format that rewards groups willing to work through multiple rounds. The din is deliberate, the room is full most nights, and the kitchen is more precise than the atmosphere suggests.
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49.Roman-Style Pizza & Pasta Bistro
Munno Pizzeria & Bistro
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient on North Clark Street, Munno operates at the intersection of Roman-style pizza and serious house-made pasta. The unfussy room fills quickly, and for good reason: electric deck ovens produce puffy, charred pies with a bubble-like crunch, while the pasta program holds its own alongside them. At a $$ price point, it delivers kitchen discipline that punches well above its neighbourhood-spot appearance.
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50.Authentic Mexican
Sol de Mexico
Chicago, United States
On a stretch of North Cicero Avenue where regional Mexican cooking holds its own against Chicago's downtown dining circuit, Sol de Mexico has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for the kind of masa-forward, mole-serious cooking that rarely gets its due in a city better known for steakhouses and tasting menus. The sopes and pollo en mole manchamanteles are the kitchen's clearest arguments for why this part of the city deserves attention.
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51.British Pub Fare with Artisanal Savory Pies
Pleasant House Pub
Chicago, United States
At Pleasant House Pub, classic British comfort is polished to a refined gleam. Celebrated for its regal hand-made pies and chef-driven pub fare, this intimate Bridgeport favorite marries hearth-warm flavors with thoughtful technique, flaky, butter-rich pastry gives way to deeply savory fillings, bright seasonal vegetables, and quietly confident sauces. Candleglow lighting, polished wood, and the soft murmur of conversation create an atmosphere of understated exclusivity, while a curated list of craft ales, ciders, and Old World wines offers elegant pairings. It’s a place where indulgence feels effortless, hospitality is discreetly attentive, and every plate is composed with care.
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52.Farm-to-Table Gastropub
Longman & Eagle
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder and consistent Opinionated About Dining fixture since 2010, Longman & Eagle operates at the intersection of serious cooking and genuine neighbourhood hospitality on Chicago's Logan Square. The bar reads dive, the kitchen cooks fine, rabbit terrines, sweetbread stroganoff, and a daytime omelet that draws as much critical praise as the dinner menu. Ranked #310 in North America by OAD in 2024.
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53.Chinese
Yao Yao
Chicago, United States
Yao Yao holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) and anchors the Szechuan end of Chinatown's 22nd Street corridor with a pickled fish signature that arrives in three sizes and a chili-oil wonton program that requires no convincing. At $$ pricing, it positions well against the neighborhood's more formal Chinese dining options while delivering a technical specificity that few comparably priced rooms attempt.
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54.Modern Vietnamese
HaiSous
Chicago, United States
HaiSous on Chicago's South Side brings a Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised approach to Vietnamese cooking, with a menu divided into five sections and a format that runs from an open kitchen counter to communal dining rooms. Opinionated About Dining ranked it among North America's top restaurants in 2024. Wednesday through Sunday evenings, with Sunday brunch from 10am.
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55.Modern Chinese-American
Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand–recognised Chinese-American spot on North Western Avenue, Chef's Special Cocktail Bar delivers nostalgia-driven classics in a colourful, high-energy room built around a U-shaped bar. Dan dan noodles, crab rangoon, and a bone-in pork shank with black bean sauce anchor a menu that earns its Bib distinction through consistency and flavour rather than refinement. The price-to-quality ratio sits well above its $$ bracket.
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56.Modern American Small Plates
Giant
Chicago, United States
On a residential stretch of Logan Square, Giant runs a short, frequently changing menu of American bistro cooking that rewards closer reading than the format implies. Familiar formats, crab salad, pasta, ribs, arrive with enough technical precision and structural ingenuity to position the room well above its modest $$ price point. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across 851 reviews, and the critical consensus tracks that signal.
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57.Handmade Italian Pasta
Tortello Pastificio
Chicago, United States
Tortello Pastificio on Division Street operates in a register rare for Chicago's Italian scene: a pasta-focused format with Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025, priced at a fraction of the city's white-tablecloth Italian addresses. Chef Duncan Biddulph runs a tight, ingredient-driven program where the ritual of fresh pasta anchors every decision on the plate.
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58.Alpine Comfort Cuisine
Table, Donkey and Stick
Chicago, United States
Table, Donkey and Stick holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and brings Alpine cooking to Chicago's Logan Square with a rustic inn format that sits well outside the city's usual fine-dining orbit. Chef Alexis Ayala's menu leans into Central European technique, charcuterie boards, braised meats, sauerkraut preparations, while pushing the format into genuinely creative territory. A 4.6 Google rating across nearly 730 reviews confirms the reputation holds beyond awards season.
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59.Contemporary American Comfort
Gilt Bar
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised gastropub on Chicago's River North corner, Gilt Bar has anchored Hogsalt Hospitality's portfolio since 2010. Moody lighting, studded leather banquettes, and a bar that moves at pace set the tone. The menu runs to fried chicken, beef cheek pot pie with bone marrow gravy, and house-made pastas, bold plates designed for the kind of evening that doesn't end early.
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60.Charcuterie & Salumi Deli
Lardon
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand salumeria on Chicago's North Side, Lardon operates from a historic California Avenue storefront and centres its entire identity on whole-hog butchery, house-cured charcuterie, and the European deli traditions behind them. Curing chambers visible from the dining room hold rows of soppressata, finocchiona, and Spanish chorizo. Weekend evenings shift toward bistro-style plates, but the charcuterie board remains the core argument for the visit.
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61.Modern Mexican Antojería
Mi Tocaya
Chicago, United States
Mi Tocaya brings a Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised take on Mexican cuisine to Logan Square, where Chef Diana Dávila draws on Aztec culinary traditions that most Chicago menus leave unexplored. The $$ price point and 4.6-star Google rating across more than 1,000 reviews make it one of the neighbourhood's more consistent value propositions, with a cocktail program that keeps pace with the food.
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62.Regional Mexican
Frontera Grill
Chicago, United States
Rick Bayless's original River North dining room has carried a Michelin Bib Gourmand and consistent recognition from Opinionated About Dining since long before regional Mexican cooking became a mainstream conversation in the United States. The menu rotates through Mexico's coastal and highland traditions, with molés and wood-influenced preparations anchoring a program built on local sourcing and open-fire technique. Walk-ins are possible but weekends fill quickly.
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63.Indian Fusion
Superkhana International
Chicago, United States
A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder on Chicago's West Side, Superkhana International has spent five years refining a format where Indian flavors move freely between tradition and invention. Naan arrives topped with salted jalapeños and mozzarella; butter chicken becomes calzone filling. The $$ price point and a lunchtime takeout window make it one of the more accessible addresses in the city's Indian dining conversation.
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64.Seasonal French-Inspired Cafe
Pompette
Chicago, United States
Pompette on Bucktown's Damen Avenue has earned back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, making it one of the neighbourhood's most consistent critical performers at the mid-price tier. A three-chef kitchen helmed by Ashlee Aubin, Aaron Patten, and Katie Wasielewski drives a contemporary menu that punches well above its price point. Google reviewers rate it 4.6 across 172 submissions, reinforcing the Michelin committee's verdict.
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65.Mediterranean
Avec West Loop
Chicago, United States
avec on West Randolph has held its place at the centre of Chicago's Mediterranean-leaning casual dining scene for more than two decades. Under a Michelin Plate recognition and consistent Opinionated About Dining rankings, the long wood-clad room draws crowds to its counter and communal tables for seasonal plates rooted in French bistro and Mediterranean tradition. The $$ price point makes it one of the West Loop's more accessible options with serious culinary credentials behind it.
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66.New American Gastropub
Union
Chicago, United States
Union is a gastropub on Chicago's North Side where the same team behind Lardon has built a dinner-focused room that earns its Opinionated About Dining recognition without the price tag to match. Edison-lit booths, a thoughtful local craft beer selection, and a menu that moves between fried cheese curds and shawarma-spiced chicken place it firmly in the category of well-executed casual dining that doesn't ask you to choose between comfort and craft.
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67.Classic Chicago American
Portillo's & Barnelli's Chicago
Chicago, United States
On Ontario Street in River North, Portillo's & Barnelli's occupies a specific tier in Chicago's casual dining order: a counter-service institution ranked among Opinionated About Dining's top cheap eats in North America two years running. With a Google rating of 4.4 across more than 23,000 reviews and late hours every night of the week, it functions as both a local fixture and a reliable post-event destination for the neighbourhood.
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68.Bakery
Mindy’s Bakery
Chicago, United States
The rotating menu at Mindy’s reads like an Encyclopedia of Bread, with everything from donuts to pot pies, and fleeting standouts like a mortadella and giardiniera turnover and a honey, brie, and apricot jam danish. This Wicker Park bakery also happens to have one of the best bagels in Chicago . Unfortunately, because everyone shares our opinion, the small space is usually crowded. There are only a couple of window seats, so be prepared to eat over the steering wheel and catch some crumbs in the
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69.Bakery
Justice Of The Pies
Chicago, United States
Inside this dentist's office-turned-bakery is the best key lime pie in the city, made better than the rest by the addition of strawberries and basil. Get a whole one, or get a slice and build your own pie flight to decide whether you like the lemon espresso or cucumber, mango, and chili lime versions better. Cakes, cookies, quiches, and banana pudding are on the menu too. Warm dishes like chicken pot pie are available after 11am, made even warmer by the friendliest conversations you’ll ever have
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70.Bakery
Publican Quality Bread
Chicago, United States
This West Town bakery is where you’ll find the baking operation that supplies bread to The Publican and Publican Quality Meats , along with a small storefront that has all sorts of pastries and loaves. Fantastic things like earthy buckwheat chocolate croissants and gruyere brioche buns are available on a rolling basis starting at 7am, and fresh bread (like a tangy sourdough that’s crustier than Statler and Waldorf) makes an appearance at 9am. There’s no place to sit, but there’s ample street par
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