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Chicago restaurants
The abiding cliché regarding dining in Chicago—that it is the quintessential meat-and-potatoes town—should have been laid to rest more than a decade ago. While there are still plenty of sirloins to go around, an especially innovative generation of chefs has earned Chicago a reputation for risk-taking, high-flying food. In 1988, Charlie Trotter got things rolling with his New American cuisine. He's since been followed by chefs such as Homaro Cantu and Grant Achatz, who consistently turn out taste bud–stimulating, chemistry-lab creations—with ambitious prices to match. You'll find most of these designer kitchens clustered around the Gold Coast, River North, and the Loop. The other noteworthy trend in Chicago restaurants involves luxe renditions of global cuisine, especially at theatrical Michigan Avenue and River North dining rooms. Rick Bayless's sister kitchens, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, have turned Chicagoans on to upscale Latin dishes, while Shanghai Terrace at the Peninsula finds a coherent seam in pan-Asian food.
Of course, there's also a wealth of cheap eats and soulful ethnic restaurants. Head to Bucktown or Wicker Park for intimate cafés, Andersonville for heartland Scandinavian food, or Devon Street for a surplus of authentic Indian restaurants. And don't leave the city without chowing down on a supremely meaty hot dog from the Wiener's Circle.
There are literally hundreds of places in town that serve respectable Chicago-style hot dogs: char-grilled Vienna beef topped with mustard, chopped onions,...more
Before opening this feverishly anticipated Gold Coast restaurant in a dainty carriage house, Art Smith spent ten years as Oprah's personal chef. Dinner service...more
From the team behind Blackbird and Avec, this Fulton Market District newcomer taps into the prevailing fashion for down-home dining and restaurant patrons'...more
While eating deep-dish, Chicago-style pizza with a fork is an equally novel experience at Gino's East and Giordanos, Chicago's two other famous pizza...more
Steaks are secondary to sports at this old-timey "clubhouse," named after the Cubs Hall of Fame broadcaster. Only Cooperstown boasts more baseball...more
Perhaps Graham Elliot Bowles's stint at the Peninsula Hotel's relatively formal Avenues restaurant created a pent-up need for culinary whimsy, but whatever the...more
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