23 Best Restaurants in Chicago, Illinois

Formerly located around the corner on North Rush Street for more than two decades, Le Colonial continues to deliver delicate and sophisticated and French-Vietnamese fare in its new location. The ambience is relaxed and comforting and the service is simply top-notch. 

James Beard--award-winning chef Jonathon Sawyer explores the use of ingredients from close to home while preparing global cuisine at this sleek restaurant on the seventh floor of the Four Seasons Chicago. Signature dishes include an appetizer size crispy confit of chicken wings and a rich lobster and spaghetti dish inspired by the Montreal restaurant Joe Beef. 

French cuisine sometimes gets knocked for being too rich, too heavy, and too expensive, but that's an image that French-Canadian-born chef Cliff Crawford is doing his best to prove wrong at this stylish restaurant on the ground floor of the Sofitel. The menu features Le Burger, seasonal salads, and a decadent brioche French toast.

Mid-century style reigns at this wood-paneled clublike restaurant, where the menu draws inspiration from the landmarked space's previous incarnation as a tony men's club. The sweeping bar is perfect for sipping historic and house cocktails over bar snacks or raw seafood, or settle into a comfortable leather booth for private conversations and all manner of meat perfectly prepared.

Tasting menus tend to come with sky-high prices, but that's not the case at this welcoming BYOB spot in nearby Bridgeport, where $35 gets you four courses served in a sleek, comfortable dining room. The menu is eclectic, and skews toward Chinese dishes and flavors, though there are other global influences as well among the creative offerings.

Famed Cubs announcer Harry Caray died in 1998, but his legend lives on as fans continue to pour into the namesake restaurant—where Harry frequently held court—for Italian-American specialties, prime steaks and chops, and ice-cold martinis. If you're looking for a classic Chicago spot to catch a game, the generally thronged bar serves items off the restaurant menu; you can also follow the summer crowds to Navy Pier and the Harry Caray's outpost there.

The Lyonnais comfort food at this charming, cozy bistro in Bucktown is in a league of its own thanks to pitch-perfect classics along with some light twists on favorite dishes. Evenings can get busy so reservations are recommended; note that Mondays mean half-price bottles of wine, while the royale burger is only served at lunch.

This Baja-inspired spot first opened in 2016 as the latest venture in chef Rick Bayless's exploration of Mexican cuisine. Bayless has since divested, but Leña Brava's all-wood-fired menu abides. Sit downstairs by the hearth, or opt for a quieter table upstairs overlooking Randolph Street, but regardless of your seat, be sure to order a glass or bottle of hard-to-find Mexican wine, the perfect complement to the food.

Chefs Cameron Grant and Cooper O’Brien serve some of Chicago’s most soul-satisfying Italian food at this cozy and convivial Logan Square Piedmontese restaurant. The pastas are flawless and come stuffed and topped with seasonal accompaniments, while the hearty meat and seafood main courses pair perfectly with the Northern Italian wine list—save room for the classic Italian desserts or order a bittersweet digestif to end the meal.

As precious as a jewel box, this red, lacquer-trimmed 80-seat restaurant hidden away in the Peninsula Hotel reveals the hotelier's Asian roots. Come for stylishly presented upscale dim sum, stay for the outdoor terrace that seats up to 70 during warmer months and lets you revel in a relaxing Cantonese and Shanghainese meal four stories above the madding crowds of Michigan Avenue. 

Sleek and elegant, this all-day restaurant, with two bars and views of the open kitchen, is an ideal spot for Gold Coast see-and-be-seen drinks and sampling thoughtful new American cuisine. Chef Stephen Gillanders, says he has taken a "simple and chic approach" to developing the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. For dessert, pastry chef Tatum Sinclair's cookie plate is always worth saving room for.

World-renowned Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio makes his foray into the Chicago dining scene with this sleek homage to the cuisine of his homeland. Small format dishes make it easy to try everything, and the pisco-based cocktails are unmatched; just be wary of your wallet as prices tend to add up quickly.

If you're going to see a performance at the CIBC Theatre across the street, you're close enough to dash over here for a drink at intermission (there's a lengthy by-the-glass wine selection). Pre- and post-curtain, the clubby confines fill with showgoers big on beef, though there are also ample raw bar, seafood, and pasta choices. For the most relaxing experience, plan to come after the theatergoers have left for Act I.

The luxurious Langham Hotel doesn’t disappoint with this elegant American restaurant located on the second floor, where cushy white leather seats pamper guests gaping at the glittering city lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The menu offers an array of shareable snacks along with entrées and salads; the dishes have global touches that keep them interesting while still remaining approachable.

The Wildfire kitchen's wood-burning oven is visible from the dining room at this cozy supper club–style steak house that plays a sound track of vintage jazz. No culinary innovations here, just exceptional cuts of meat and top quality seafood.