51 Best Restaurants in Chicago, Illinois

Devotees of Chef Rick Bayless queue up for the bold flavors of his distinct fare at this casual restaurant brightly trimmed in Mexican folk art, where the menu changes monthly. Bayless visits Mexico frequently, updating his already extensive knowledge of regional food and cooking techniques, and he frequently takes his staff with him, ensuring that even the servers have an encyclopedic knowledge about the food. Bar Sótano, in the Frontera Grill basement, serves mezcal and agave, alongside modern Mexican bar food including "Oaxacan drinking snacks." 

Formerly located around the corner on North Rush Street for more than two decades, Le Colonial continues to deliver delicate and sophisticated and French-Vietnamese fare in its new location. The ambience is relaxed and comforting and the service is simply top-notch. 

Chef-owner Rick Bayless wrote the book on regional Mexican cuisine—several books, actually—and here he takes his faithfully prepared regional food upscale. Next door to the more casual Frontera Grill, Topolobampo shares Frontera's address, phone, and dedication to quality, though it’s a higher-end room, with a more subdued mood and a menu of tasting options. 

The oldest coffeehouse in the Gold Coast pleases just about everyone with breakfast all day, a nightly dinner specials. They stay open until 9 pm seven nights a week.

James Beard--award-winning chef Jonathon Sawyer explores the use of ingredients from close to home while preparing global cuisine at this sleek restaurant on the seventh floor of the Four Seasons Chicago. Signature dishes include an appetizer size crispy confit of chicken wings and a rich lobster and spaghetti dish inspired by the Montreal restaurant Joe Beef. 

If you’re finding it difficult to accommodate everyone’s cravings, Beatrix is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. The restaurant offers comfort food with a healthy twist for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch: options include salads and burgers as well as larger entrées. Open early until late, the bakery churns out fresh pastries and specialty coffees in the morning before the bar crowd swings in around happy hour to sip on fresh-squeezed-juice cocktails, wines, and craft beers.

The chef at this Pan-Asian restaurant is a stickler for using natural ingredients, and the menu of Thai and Chinese dishes has many options for those seeking gluten-free or vegetarian options.

The late comedian John Belushi immortalized the Goat's short-order cooks on Saturday Night Live, barking their signature, "No Pepsi, Coke!" and "No fries, cheeps!" at customers, and you can still hear the shtick at this subterranean spot. The diner food is cheap and tasty, the staff is super friendly, and people-watching is a favorite sport—pop by during a break in sight-seeing or head by late-night to check out the bar.

Behind and a level down from the Wrigley Building is the inspiration for Saturday Night Live's classic "cheezborger, cheezborger, cheezborger, cheeps, no fries, no Pepsi, Coke" skit. Grab a greasy burger at this no-frills grill, or just have a beer and absorb the comic undertones.

Classic French dishes using local and sustainable ingredients have been the ethos of Bistronomic (Bistro-Economic) since it opened in 2011. Escargots, onion soup, and mains like a braised lamb shank served with French lentils are highlights at this cozy but elegant neighborhood favorite.

Under the El at Superior and Franklin, Brett's Kitchen is an excellent spot for a quick pastry, sandwich, or omelet. It's super casual: order at the counter and grab a seat.

A Spanish expat from Galicia runs this tapas restaurant beloved by visiting Spaniards, local families, dating couples, and bargain chowhounds for the selection of shareable classic and creative small plates, most for under $10 and featuring a range of meat, seafood, and veggie options. This is a loud and boisterous spot, so be prepared for conviviality—but sometimes on weekends waits can stretch to hours.

French cuisine sometimes gets knocked for being too rich, too heavy, and too expensive, but that's an image that French-Canadian-born chef Cliff Crawford is doing his best to prove wrong at this stylish restaurant on the ground floor of the Sofitel. The menu features Le Burger, seasonal salads, and a decadent brioche French toast.

There are a lot of good things to come when you enter this Tuscan-inspired restaurant, namely lusty, richly flavored pastas, an antipasto table, impeccable seafood, and meats from the wood-fired oven. The discreet, professional service softens the rustic, open-loft setting of exposed-brick walls and wood floors, while the seasonal menus keeps customers coming back again and again.

Gaucho-clad servers parade through the dining room brandishing carved-to-order fire-roasted meats at this Brazilian churrascaria. The Full Churrasco Experience starts at  $57.95 and the first stop should be the lavish Market Table with an array of seasonal salads, antipasti, and charcuterie; then, using a plate-side poker-chip-like disc, you signal green for "go" to bring on the selection of meats, stopped only by flipping your chip to red, for "stop” though you can restart as often as you like.

Grab a seasonal brew and watch a game on the big screen, fill up on yummy Chicago deep-dish pizza, or catch a nightly stand-up comedy act at the graffiti-covered Gino's East.

Famed Cubs announcer Harry Caray died in 1998, but his legend lives on as fans continue to pour into the namesake restaurant—where Harry frequently held court—for Italian-American specialties, prime steaks and chops, and ice-cold martinis. If you're looking for a classic Chicago spot to catch a game, the generally thronged bar serves items off the restaurant menu; you can also follow the summer crowds to Navy Pier and the Harry Caray's outpost there.

This chocolate café just off Michigan Avenue is a chocolate lover's dream, where Belgian chocolate and hot chocolate are the stars. You can also order sandwiches, quiche, waffles, French pastries, and build-your-own crepes (sweet and savory). 

Intimate and elegant doesn't make headlines, but Les Nomades quietly serves some of Chicago’s best French food in the warm dining room of this Streeterville brownstone, which has wood-burning fireplaces and original art. The carefully composed menu of French food includes the usual suspects along with more contemporary fare—you compose your own prix-fixe dinner from the menu; four courses cost $135; five courses are $150.

This high-end, innovative take on the traditional steak house is a natural fit for the Gold Coast. Chef Danny Grant serves decadent dishes that appeal to high rollers, groups of friends, and date nights. Select a cut of steak or seafood cooked in the wood-fired hearth, or try the $200 “I Don't Give a F*@k” menu for a tour of the restaurant’s top dishes without having to make any decisions.