Tasting menuChef Grant Achatz, Dave Beran (alumnus)$$$$$185-285Wed-Sun 00:00-00:00Book 60 days ahead
Next in Chicago is the Achatz-Kokonas Fulton Market tasting menu that changes theme every season, from Childhood to Sicily to Vegan to Trio.
Tip: Tickets, not reservations: you buy by season on Tock, and they sell out the morning they drop.
Mako 1 ★ ★ 4.2
Japanese sushiChef B.K. Park$$$$$185Wed-Fri 17:30-22:30; Sat-Sun 16:00-22:30; Mon-Tue closedBook 21 days ahead
Mako in Chicago is B.K. Park's Michelin-starred 22-seat omakase counter at 731 W Lake Street in the West Loop, with fish flown twice weekly from Toyosu.
Tip: Sit at the wood corner of the counter, closest to the rice cooker; the timing of the nigiri is sharpest there.
Esmé 1 ★ ★ 4.1
Tasting menuChef Jenner Tomaska$$$$$185Wed-Sun 17:00-22:00Book 30 days ahead
Esmé in Chicago is Jenner Tomaska's Michelin-starred Lincoln Park tasting menu, themed seasonally around a guest artist whose work runs on the plates.
Tip: Sit at the chef's counter for the longer between-course explanations of the current theme.
Middle EasternChef Zachary Engel$$$$$105Tue-Thu 17:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-22:30, Sun 17:00-22:00Book 30 days ahead
Galit in Chicago is James Beard winner Zachary Engel's Michelin-starred Middle Eastern dining room on Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park, with a choose-your-own.
Tip: Order the laffa straight off the hearth as your opening course; the warm bread is the anchor for every spread on the meze list.
Tasting menuChef Grant Achatz$$$$$285-465Mon-Fri 17:00-22:00; Sat 17:00-22:00; Sun closedBook 60 days ahead
Alinea in Chicago is Grant Achatz's three-Michelin-star Lincoln Park dining room, the original American modernist tasting menu since 2005 at 1723 N Halsted.
Tip: Salon is the shortest flow and the easiest to book; Kitchen Table is the deepest dive into the menu.
Tasting menuChef John and Karen Shields$$$$$295Tue-Sat 17:00-21:00; Sun-Mon closedBook 30 days ahead
Smyth in Chicago is the two-Michelin-star West Loop tasting menu from John and Karen Shields, paired with The Loyalist downstairs and produce from their own.
Tip: Ask for the wine-pairing 'reserve' option if you have a long evening; the cellar lists a deep run of Burgundy.