Kasama in Chicago is Tim Flores and Genie Kwon's Michelin-starred Filipino tasting menu at 1001 N Winchester in Ukrainian Village, doubling as a daytime bakery.
Tip: Day-room bakery and evening tasting menu run separate book-and-pay flows. Plan to come for both, on different days.
Address: 1001 N Winchester Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Topolobampo in Chicago is Rick Bayless's Michelin-starred Mexican fine-dining room at 445 N Clark Street, with menus that rotate every six weeks by region.
Tip: Friday slots open 60 days out and disappear inside an hour. Set a 09:00 alarm for the exact 60-day mark.
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.
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.
