Boka in Chicago is Lee Wolen's Michelin-starred dining room beside Alinea on Halsted, with a quiet garden courtyard and a brined whole-roast chicken for two.
Tip: Book the garden room in summer. It is one of the prettiest outdoor dining rooms in the city.
Address: 1729 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Elske in Chicago is David and Anna Posey's Michelin-starred Randolph Street dining room with Danish influences, restrained plating, and a small front-yard patio.
Tip: The Aquavit pairings are the room's secret weapon. Ask Anna for the by-the-glass walk.
Next in Chicago is the Achatz-Kokonas Fulton Market tasting menu that changes theme every season, from Childhood to Sicily to Vegan to Trio. Sister room to Alinea.
Tip: Tickets, not reservations: you buy by season on Tock, and they sell out the morning they drop.
Mako in Chicago is B.K. Park's Michelin-starred 22-seat omakase counter at 731 W Lake Street in the West Loop, with fish flown twice weekly from Toyosu market.
Tip: Sit at the wood corner of the counter, closest to the rice cooker; the timing of the nigiri is sharpest there.
Esmé in Chicago is Jenner Tomaska's Michelin-starred Lincoln Park tasting menu, themed seasonally around a guest artist whose work runs on the plates and walls.
Tip: Sit at the chef's counter for the longer between-course explanations of the current theme.
Atelier in Chicago is the Michelin-starred tasting-menu room that moved to a 36-seat Lincoln Square space on Western Avenue in October 2025 under chef Bradyn Kawcak.
Tip: Book the early seating at 17:30. The pace is the most relaxed of the night and the chef visits each table.
Alinea in Chicago is Grant Achatz's three-Michelin-star Lincoln Park dining room, the original American modernist tasting menu since 2005 at 1723 N Halsted Street.
Tip: Salon is the shortest flow and the easiest to book; Kitchen Table is the deepest dive into the menu.
