Top Restaurants in Chicago (2024)

A Chicago institution for two-fisted Italian beef sandwiches piled with green peppers and provolone cheese, Mr. Beef garners citywide fans from area hard hats to restaurateurs and TV personalities. Service and setting—two indoor picnic tables and a dining rail—are fast-food no-nonsense, and the fare is inexpensive; it's a workingman's favorite, though located near River North's art galleries.

Named after the 27 nations south of the U.S. border, this Pan-Latin restaurant serves a smattering of cross-cultural dishes from the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina on a menu of very shareable bites. The circular bar has its own following if you're looking for innovative co*cktails and creative tacos, and after 11 pm on weekends, the floor in the middle of the dining room is cleared for salsa and merengue dancing.

When Wicker Park's veggie-centric Earwax Café closed, vegans and vegetarians decamped to this new California transplant. Even devoted carnivores scarf down the café's satisfying vegan dishes featuring house-made tempeh, seiten, and other faux meats. Don't miss the decadent-tasting desserts, made without refined sugar. Additional locations in Lakeview and the Loop.

Inspired by the French Riviera mansion where the Rolling Stones recorded Exile on Main Street, Nellcôte blends European opulence with raw bohemian chic. Much of the menu is driven by the restaurant's in-house flour mill, which is used to make everything from an array of pizzas to pastas, while lots of local veggies and wood-grilled meats and seafood round out the offerings.

A long-running fixture on Division Street in Humboldt Park---also known as the Paseo Boricua---family-owned Nellie’s is especially popular on weekends, when locals come out in droves for the generously sized breakfast and brunch dishes. It’s a good place to sample a jibarito, the Puerto Rican contribution to Chicago’s sandwich pantheon: it’s an assemblage of grilled meat and toppings surrounded by flattened, fried plantains.

Grant Achatz's buzzworthy sophom*ore effort is big on concept: the restaurant completely transforms its menu, tableware, decor, and beverage program every three months to focus on a unique theme, whether that’s an homage to famed chef Auguste Escoffier's tenure at the Ritz Paris or Ancient Rome. Tickets for the one-of-a-kind meal from Executive Chef Ed Tinoco are paid for in advance, nonrefundable, and only available online.

The views of Michigan Avenue from the floor-to-ceiling windows are breathtaking at the Park Hyatt’s NoMI Kitchen, a seventh-floor lifestyle-focused concept that goes along with NoMI Lounge, NoMI Garden, and NoMI Spa. The open kitchen features a locally sourced menu rooted in French techniques, though the sushi is some of the city’s best (with fresh wasabi grated on the side).

Heaping breakfasts, available anytime, make this spot a favorite with the neighborhood's late-night crowd. There are also branches in Old Town, Lakeview, and Edgewater.

Heaping breakfasts, available anytime, make this spot a favorite with the neighborhood's late-night crowd. There are also branches in Old Town, Lakeview, and Edgewater.

If your taste buds crave a quick Middle Eastern fix, make your way to the back of the Jewelry Mall, walk up to the counter, and place your order for creamy hummus, crispy falafel, grape leaves, a shish kebab sandwich, or another snack. It isn't fancy, but it's good, and the service is snappy.

Chefs Cameron Grant and Cooper O’Brien serve some of Chicago’s most soul-satisfying Italian food at this cozy and convivial Logan Square Piedmontese restaurant. The pastas are flawless and come stuffed and topped with seasonal accompaniments, while the hearty meat and seafood main courses pair perfectly with the Northern Italian wine list—save room for the classic Italian desserts or order a bittersweet digestif to end the meal.

It's easy, crowd-pleasing Italian here, with an array of classic pasta, salads, meat, and seafood dishes. If you opt for the $39.95 prix-fixe, you pick an entrée and servers do the rest, working the room with several rounds of communal platters of antipasti followed by your entrée, and dessert—the results are tasty, but Osteria shines brightest at making you feel comfortable.

The crowd at this casual spot serving fried chicken and fish is decidedly hipster, but even if that’s not your scene, the food and co*cktails are worth making your way to to the location on the southern end of Logan Square. During the summer, the beer garden is packed with folks playing table tennis, chowing down on shareable snacks and sandwiches, and sipping boozy slushies and cheap beer. With three additional locations scattered around the north side, there's always a picnic table with your name on it.

This old-fashioned parlor, which sells sundaes, shakes, malts, and cones of homemade ice cream, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2019.

Theatergoers to the Goodman, the Palace, and the Oriental pack Petterino's (next door to the Goodman lobby) nightly, though this Italian supper club with framed caricatures of celebs past and present could stand on its own merits. Whether you’re here for lunch or dinner, the deep, red-velvet booths make a cozy stage for old-school classic dishes including prime steaks, seafood, and pastas.

An urban bodega merges with a Vietnamese noodle shop at this quirky corner store that’s won accolades for its fragrant chicken, beef, and vegan pho, based on a family recipe. In the grocery section, hard-to-find imported Thai chips and Japanese chocolates mingle with household essentials.

The weekend bustle of this dim sum house can feel overwhelming, but Phoenix softens you up with second-floor picture-window views that frame the Loop skyline and an excellent food menu. Dim sum is dispensed from rolling carts all day long on weekends, but don’t overlook the regular menu, which features an array of live seafood cooked how you like it.

A CTA construction project forced the Pick Me Up out of its longtime Lakeview location, but its new digs preserve its quirky, neighborhood café charm. The thrift-store treasures hanging on the walls are as eclectic as the crowd that comes at all hours of the day to drink bottomless cups of coffee or dine on sandwiches, appetizers, and desserts.

The antithesis of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, Piece’s thin-crust pies mimic those made famous in New Haven, Connecticut—they’re somewhat free-form in shape and come in plain (tomato sauce, Parmesan, and garlic), white (olive oil, garlic, and mozzarella), or traditional red, with lots of topping options. Salads balance out the menu, while the award-winning house-brewed beers pair perfectly with the food.

Despite the legions of shoppers on Michigan Avenue, there are few casual cafés to quell their collective hunger, making this bakery-patisserie-café a welcome spot any time of day. Breakfast leans European, with pastries, coffees, and breakfast sandwiches, while the all-day menu features shareable small plates and larger entrées—the upscale Peninsula Hotel runs Pierrot, which accouns for both the high quality and the high cost.

Serving inch-thick pizzas in a comfortable, well-worn dining room, Pizzeria Due is where everyone goes when they've found out that Uno, the original home of Chicago's deep-dish pizza up the street, has an hour-plus wait. Both restaurants serve deep-dish, but Due also offers thin-crust pizzas (and is easier to get into).

Chicago deep-dish pizza got its start here in 1943, and both local and out-of-town fans continue to pack this Victorian brownstone for the filling pies, while the dim paneled rooms with reproduction light fixtures make the setting a slice of Old Chicago. Plan on two thick, cheesy slices or less as a full meal; this is no quick-to-your-table pie so also order salads and be prepared to entertain the kids during the inevitable wait.

Cheerful and reasonably priced, this fast-casual Little Italy café specializes in thick, square slices of pizza, most under $5, along with salads, sandwiches, and house-made pastas. Between the nearby University of Illinois Chicago campus and workers from the Rush University Medical District, it gets busy, but the cafeteria-style service makes it a quick, satisfying meal.

Head to this branch of a local restaurant empire for salads, house-made pasta, and its famous thick, bready squares of pizza.

Started in 1963 as a hot dog stand called "The Dog House" in the Chicago suburbs, this River North restaurant is a favorite among locals and tourists alike (usually with a drive-thru line to prove it). A "Chicago Style" hot dog (mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickle, celery salt, and peppers) is the obvious quick bite, but what about an Italian beef sandwich --- yum!

Handmade dumplings are the specialty at this sleek, modern restaurant. Order them fried or steamed, packed with fillings like lamb and coriander, lobster, pork and cabbage, and many more.

Just outside Lincoln Park, R.J. Grunts has been serving killer milk shakes and burgers since 1971. It is also known for its famous (and gargantuan) salad bar.

Just outside Lincoln Park Zoo, R.J. Grunts has been serving killer milk shakes and burgers since 1971. In a 21st-century twist, its famous (and gargantuan) salad bar---allegedly the country’s first---has been reinvented in a digital format.

Power brokers, moneyed locals, and Michigan Avenue shoppers keep the revolving doors spinning at RL, the initials of designer Ralph Lauren, whose signature soigné style is infused into the eatery that adjoins the Ralph Lauren flagship store. Inside, cozy leather banquettes are clustered under hunt-club-style art hung on wood-paneled walls, while the menu of American classics perfectly suits the setting.

Grant Achatz's and the Alinea Group’s most casual, affordable restaurant is a rollicking good time, where the flavors of are as bold as the soundtrack. Snag a seat by the roaring fire, which assists the chef with capturing smoky flavors, or squeeze into the tables that overlook a busy West Loop corner; either way, you’ll want to order a big meaty dish to share with the table, and some of the excellent co*cktails.