21 splurge rooms in Chicago, editor-picked. tasting menus and the full big-night-out treatment in Chicago. All Chicago food.
Alinea ★ 4.9
lincoln-park · 1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Alinea in Chicago is Grant Achatz's three-Michelin-star tasting menu at 1723 N Halsted, the dining room that codified American modernist fine dining.
Tip: Book the Gallery flow if you want the full theatre; Salon is the quieter, three-course-less option.
Smyth ★ 4.8
west-loop · 177 N Ada St, Chicago, IL 60607
Smyth in Chicago is John and Karen Shields's two-Michelin-star tasting menu on Ada Street, with produce from their own farm 90 minutes south of the city.
Tip: The companion bar downstairs, The Loyalist, runs an excellent burger if you can't land the upstairs seats.
Oriole ★ 4.8
west-loop · 661 W Walnut St, Chicago, IL 60661
Oriole in Chicago is Noah Sandoval's two-Michelin-star room on Walnut Street in the West Loop, a quiet 28-seat tasting menu with a strong caviar service.
Tip: The wine pairings are unusually well-judged at the German-and-Austrian end. Ask for them by region, not by tier.
Kasama ★ 4.8
ukrainian-village · 1001 N Winchester Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Kasama in Chicago is Tim Flores and Genie Kwon's Filipino bakery by day, Michelin-starred tasting menu by night, in the Ukrainian Village on Winchester.
Tip: The bakery has no reservations; the tasting menu books out 60 days ahead. Treat them as two different visits.
Alinea ★ 4.8
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
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.
Ever ★ 4.7
west-loop · 1340 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607
Ever in Chicago is Curtis Duffy's two-Michelin-star Fulton Market tasting menu, opened 2020 after Duffy left Grace, with rigorous service and quiet plating.
Tip: Sit at the chef's counter if it is on offer at booking. The view of the pass is the room's best seat.
Smyth ★ 4.7
177 N Ada St, Chicago, IL 60607
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.
Oriole ★ 4.7
661 W Walnut St, Chicago, IL 60661
Oriole in Chicago is Noah Sandoval's two-Michelin-star tasting menu room at 661 W Walnut Street, a 28-seat West Loop room with strong caviar service.
Tip: The wine pairings lean Germanic and Austrian. Ask by region, not by tier; the value is on the long-pour bottles.
Bavette's Bar & Boeuf ★ 4.6
river-north · 218 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60654
Bavette's Bar & Boeuf in Chicago is the dimly-lit River North steakhouse on Kinzie, French bistro paintings overhead, with a bone-in ribeye that anchors.
Tip: Book at 21:00 on a weeknight if you want the back booths. The earlier seating is mostly business dinners.
Topolobampo ★ 4.6
river-north · 445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
Topolobampo in Chicago is Rick Bayless's Michelin-starred Mexican fine-dining room beside Frontera on Clark, with regional menus that rotate every six weeks.
Tip: Reservations open 60 days out and the Friday slot goes in an hour. Set a calendar alarm.
Kasama ★ 4.6
1001 N Winchester Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
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.
Tip: Day-room bakery and evening tasting menu run separate book-and-pay flows. Plan to come for both, on different days.
Ever ★ 4.5
1340 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607
Ever in Chicago is Curtis Duffy's two-Michelin-star Fulton Market tasting menu, opened in 2020 after he left Grace, with rigorous service and quiet plating.
Tip: Sit at the chef's counter if it is offered at booking; the view of the pass is the room's best seat.
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse ★ 4.4
gold-coast · 1028 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611
Gibsons in Chicago is the Rush Street steakhouse since 1989 with its own USDA Prime stamp, packed nightly with politicians, athletes and conference traffic.
Tip: The cake slices are large enough for four. Order one for the table and ask for four forks.
Topolobampo ★ 4.4
445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
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.
Elske ★ 4.4
1350 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607
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.
Tip: The Aquavit pairings are the room's secret weapon. Ask Anna for the by-the-glass walk.
RPM Steak ★ 4.3
river-north · 66 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60654
RPM Steak in Chicago is the marble-and-leather River North steakhouse on Kinzie from the Melman family of Lettuce Entertain You, with A5 Wagyu sliders.
Tip: Sit at the bar if you cannot land a booth. The bar menu is the same and the cocktails arrive faster.
Next ★ 4.3
953 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607
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 ★ 4.2
731 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661
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.
Boka ★ 4.1
1729 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
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.
Esmé ★ 4.1
2200 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
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.
Galit ★ 4.0
2429 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
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.