30 Best Restaurants in Chicago, Illinois

Believe the hype and secure tickets—yes, tickets—well in advance, since Chicago's most exciting restaurant demands an adventurous spirit and a serious commitment of time and money. If you have three hours and $295 to $435 to spare, the 10- to 18-course tasting menu that showcases Grant Achatz's stunning, cutting-edge food is a fantastic journey through intriguing aromas, visuals, flavors, and textures.

One of the finest Thai restaurants in Chicago—some say in the country—offers a culinary tour through Thailand via a nine-course tasting menu. (An à la carte menu is also available.) The elegant dining room is in an out-of-the-way location in a residential neighborhood on the Northwest Side, but it doesn't discourage a strong following among locals and visiting foodies.

If you're looking for a Steppenwolf pretheater dinner on North Halsted Street, this upscale spot gets the foodie stamp of approval. The seasonally driven menu is constantly changing, showcasing elegant fare like slow-cooked Arctic char or an elevated presentation of roasted chicken, and the slick bar and outdoor patio both serve food, so this is a big draw even for those not watching curtain time.

A former Arts and Crafts–style warming house for ice-skaters at Lincoln Park’s North Pond, this romantic gem in the woods fittingly champions an uncluttered culinary style amid scenic views. Organic ingredients, wild-caught fish, and artisanal farm products appear on the seasonally changing menus. A four-course tasting menu is $98; for a less formal meal, diners can order à la carte.

There aren’t many restaurant dinners that start by entering through an alley and into a freight elevator, but nothing about Oriole is typical, from the secretive entrance to the warm, impeccable service to the hit parade of bites on Noah Sandoval’s $285 tasting menu. Wine pairings are a must, since the old-world, white-wine focus makes the flavors on the forward-thinking tasting menu truly sing.

The name may evoke nostalgia for the building's gritty past as a print shop, but Sepia is thoroughly forward-thinking in both its design, which features glassed-in chandeliers and leather-topped tables, and chef Andrew Zimmerman’s elegant, seasonal four-course prix-fixe menu. A well-chosen, international wine list and thoughtfully prepared cocktails satisfy oenophiles and cocktail-lovers alike; grab a spot on the lounge side for a predinner drink with a side of people-watching.

Chef-owner Rick Bayless wrote the book on regional Mexican cuisine—several books, actually—and here he takes his faithfully prepared regional food upscale. Next door to the more casual Frontera Grill, Topolobampo shares Frontera's address, phone, and dedication to quality, though it’s a higher-end room, with a more subdued mood and a menu of tasting options. 

Seasonality is the watchword at this modern spot, where the menu changes constantly but the dishes are always executed with the utmost care. Filled with blonde wood and lovely light, the dining room makes a fine place to unwind with wine and snacks in the afternoon, or tuck into heartier plates at dinnertime.

You can eavesdrop on advertising types who do the after-five mix-and-mingle at this spot on the ground floor of the Leo Burnett Building. When it comes to the menu, there's no shortage of choices: fish and shellfish entrées come in various preparations, from grilled to seared to baked. Classic surf-and-turf combinations like Atlantic cold-water lobster tail and filet mignon mingle alongside Asian-inspired dishes like lemongrass shrimp and yellowfin tuna sashimi. The restaurant, with its marble, granite, and beautifully set woodwork, is an inviting space to relax, and the multilevel dining room provides plenty of eye candy, plus glimpses of the Chicago River beyond. A local jazz trio performs on Tuesday through Saturday evenings.

There are a lot of good things to come when you enter this Tuscan-inspired restaurant, namely lusty, richly flavored pastas, an antipasto table, impeccable seafood, and meats from the wood-fired oven. The discreet, professional service softens the rustic, open-loft setting of exposed-brick walls and wood floors, while the seasonal menus keeps customers coming back again and again.

You might not expect romance at the top of the Chicago Stock Exchange, but at Everest, there are sweeping westward views of the city's sprawl, the service is impeccable, and the prix fixe menu is French with an Alsatian bent. The space, where modern sculpture melds with art nouveau, is an elegant place to settle in for a luxurious meal.

Gaucho-clad servers parade through the dining room brandishing carved-to-order fire-roasted meats at this Brazilian churrascaria. The Full Churrasco Experience starts at  $57.95 and the first stop should be the lavish Market Table with an array of seasonal salads, antipasti, and charcuterie; then, using a plate-side poker-chip-like disc, you signal green for "go" to bring on the selection of meats, stopped only by flipping your chip to red, for "stop” though you can restart as often as you like.

Chef Zachary Engel has established himself as a critical favorite for his approach to Middle Eastern cuisine, which merges fine dining technique with big flavors and a disarming sense of humor that’s telegraphed through cheeky menu descriptions (e.g., tehina hummus with “way too much olive oil”).

Intimate and elegant doesn't make headlines, but Les Nomades quietly serves some of Chicago’s best French food in the warm dining room of this Streeterville brownstone, which has wood-burning fireplaces and original art. The carefully composed menu of French food includes the usual suspects along with more contemporary fare—you compose your own prix-fixe dinner from the menu; four courses cost $135; five courses are $150.

This high-end, innovative take on the traditional steak house is a natural fit for the Gold Coast. Chef Danny Grant serves decadent dishes that appeal to high rollers, groups of friends, and date nights. Select a cut of steak or seafood cooked in the wood-fired hearth, or try the $200 “I Don't Give a F*@k” menu for a tour of the restaurant’s top dishes without having to make any decisions.

Catalan-inspired restaurant Mercat offers a stylish respite from Michigan Avenue with a view of Grant Park and a menu of small to midsize plates, all of which are great for sharing. To get more bang for your buck, try the chef's tasting menu, with prices starting at $55.

Grant Achatz's buzzworthy sophomore effort is big on concept: the restaurant completely transforms its menu, tableware, decor, and beverage program every three months to focus on a unique theme, whether that’s an homage to famed chef Auguste Escoffier's tenure at the Ritz Paris or Ancient Rome. Tickets for the one-of-a-kind meal from Executive Chef Ed Tinoco are paid for in advance, nonrefundable, and only available online.

Named 2020's Restaurant of the Year by Chicago's annual Jean Banchet Awards, Smyth features a 15-course tasting menu that's tweaked daily by husband-and-wife chefs John B. and Karen Urie Shields. The dishes are ever-changing and depend on what the kitchen can get from The Farm, just outside the city, which provides ingredients grown to the chefs’ specifications; for a more casual meal—including the Chicago Tribune's pick for the city's best burger—head downstairs to the Loyalist bar.