Before you even walk into Sun Wah, crisp-skinned poultry beckons from hooks behind the front window display. Why we love it: None of the sandwiches will set you back more than $12, but the Italian is our favorite: a bunch of meats—hot capicola, Volpi Genoa salami, hard salami and mortadella—plus provolone, tomato, lettuce, red wine vinegar and oregano on a long roll from D'amato's Bakery. Brian Enyart and Jennifer Jones Enyart lay claim to the ultimate Chicago love story: They met while working under storied chefs Rick Bayless and Charlie Trotter, respectively. We call it the Time Out EAT List. Time Out tip: The best way to track Giant's food truck and contemplate your order is through Instagram. Then, sit back and let the food comma commence. Still hungry? John Shields and Karen Urie Shields’s two-for-one special in the West Loop: a fine-dining destination upstairs and the city's best burger in the sultry basement. There are a handful of varieties to choose from, including pepperoni and basil with aged parmesan as well as the super-fresh rapini and lemon with smoked black pepper. At that point, a good dousing of hot sauce, and maybe a squeeze of lime and some onions, is all you need for the city’s best tacos. Photograph: Courtesy Demera Ethiopian Restaurant. The youngsters won't feel left out: The kids' menu offers fan-favorites like belly-warming noodle soup and PB&J soft serve. Better yet? Whether you're looking for a solo-snack or want to impress a date with your pizza worldliness, Bonci is a casual choice in a neighborhood known for its special occasion dining. Small and large plates almost demand ordering extra, just to sample as many flavors as possible. At the moment, a roving food truck. The menus reflect that sense of warmth, with hearty omelettes, stacks of lemon zest pancakes and some of the tastiest fried chicken in town. Entrées like prosciutto-wrapped rabbit loin are immensely shareable, as is dessert, especially the blood orange crostata. A single cheeseburger actually comes with two prime beef patties, grilled to medium, topped with weepy, slowly melted cheddar, bright dijonnaise, and a housemade dill pickle. Eleven Eleven is an upscale wine bar with great food that (despite being in the West Loop) manages to be relatively relaxed. For less than $5, one of the city's best cheeseburgers is yours—with thick-cut fries to boot! Part fish market, part sushi shop, the unassuming storefront has a long list of classic and inventive rolls, sashimi and nigiri, but you're here for the party trays—even if you're only ordering for two. And no place in Chicago has mastered the style quite like Aba. Tray B, for instance, is loaded up with three rolls and 24 pieces of assorted sushi, priced at a cool $31.50. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Fat Rice's light-drenched dining room makes for an inviting brunch, with wood-accented walls, quirky art, and colorful, Asian-style platters hung as art. : Contrary to most of the country’s opinion, Chicago does not dine on deep-dish alone. The menu offers half-a-dozen styles of Japanese cuisine, including donburi, robatayaki, and yakiniku, but you'll want to order from the Nigirizushi section, a menagerie of chef-recommended sushi bites. In a detour from the traditional Chicago steakhouse, BoeufHaus' small dining room has no more than two-dozen seats and minimal design elements. If your schedule is flexible, avoid the dinner crush and arrive midday: gather the gang to tackle the diverse share plates, or treat your bestie to a long, rosé-fueled lunch. The warm, cozy room seems to encourage you to stay for hours, sipping sake or cocktails like an old-fashioned made with seaweed-infused Japanese whiskey and yuzu-pineapple bitters. The room is buzzing with energy, thanks to the spacious open kitchen. But I can tell you that Gotham Bagels (a spot operating out of an Italian restaurant in Old Town) makes the best ones if you’re into big, soft, slightly chewy, bagels like I am. The menu is built around a roster of rotating pasta dishes that change with the season to highlight super-fresh ingredients like lentils, stinging nettle and green garlic. The gist: The latest to join Chicago’s food hall lineup, this 10,000-square-foot space features eats from 11 vendors, largely spotlighting minority and women-owned businesses. If you've tried something you love on this list, share it under the hashtag #TimeOutEatList to show your appreciation. What is it? To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. For that reason, the kitchen largely keeps preparations simple, letting the ingredients in its reasonably priced hand rolls and maki speak for themselves. The French onion soup, for instance, is imbued with meaty poblano peppers, and the steak tartare is remixed with pickled jalapeños, cilantro, and guacamole. Our take on the décor, service, ambience, wine list and other factors are explored within our full reviews, which are simply a click away. The savory sandwich is street food at its best. What is it? All rights reserved. Make Chicago restaurant reservations & find the perfect spot for any occasion. What is it? Whether indulging in a little beer geekery or going all out with for a fine dining experience, Band of Bohemia's particular brand of upscale-casual offers something for everyone. Kid-Friendly - Great restaurants for families in Chicago Lounges - Unwind with a cocktail Mexican - South-of-the-border flavors New & Notable - Hip, new Chicago restaurants Open Late - Restaurants serving food past 11 p.m. : When shit hit the fan earlier this year, friends Noah Sandoval (Oriole) and Bruce Finkelman (Empty Bottle) teamed up to open a new concept in the former Bite Cafe space. Find the best Chicago restaurants in Chicago, IL. While picky eaters can opt for a là carte items, the kitchen to drives the tasting menu the experience, which includes only the best ingredients—wagyu beef carpaccio, caviar burrata, and truffle-showered gnocchi. Why we love it: We have to believe that there are very few restaurants in the world that are as consistently special as avec. Fill your table with a smogasboard of small plates, handmade pastas and shareable mains (read: they're freakin' huge). Though meat is certainly the draw, the menu also boasts a range of beautiful veg-heavy dishes, like the barbecued carrots and the herb-adorned little gem lettuce. Giant's long, 44-seat room may seem ironic, given its relative sardine-can proportions to other lauded restaurants, but don't let its size fool you. By Brad Japh e. September 11, 2019. It’s hard to have a bad time at Momotaro: the vibe is animated and lively, space is soaring, and the food—which, at a lesser place, might be an afterthought—is excellent. For less than $5, one of the city's best cheeseburgers is yours—with thick-cut fries to boot! Nominate a Restaurant. The restaurant’s long, narrow dining room, which seats about 40, is snug yet comfortable. Time Out tip: Carryout customers can raid Alinea's wine cellar before checking out, with somm-pulled bottles ranging from $25 to $65. The menu is immense, with more than 150 items. A rite of passage for local and visiting chowhounds alike, Lem's is an institution-status barbecue house that deals in meaty things and fried chicken. Time Out tip: Stop by during the day to order a divine sandwich and shop the backroom market, which is stocked with fresh produce and elevated pantry treats. The cute-as-a-button shop slings beautiful popsicles in fascinating flavors. You'll want to save room for hearty entrees like ramen with braised pork belly, creamy coconut curry pho, fried rice bowls and Thai fried chicken. This River North spot is a good place to start. But you should also keep an eye on the restaurant's brand-new food truck, which pulls over at Chicago parks to peddle pizza, burroti and doughnuts. And whereas Sepia is known for its wine list, Proxi focuses on spirited, adventurous cocktails—ingredients like toasted coconut gin, Lapsang souchang, and beet-infused Tequila offer flavorful surprises. Mi Tocaya’s sunny corner spot is vibrant and art-filled, with murals celebrating chef-owner Diana Davila's Mexican heritage. Although the restaurant is an obvious choice for an intimate evening with your significant other, one of the real joys here is indulging at the bar solo. There's always something new to explore, whether it's a new variety of dumpling the kitchen has perfected or a funky new fusion dish like the loaded kim-cheese fries. If you can dream it, they probably have it. The soft, buttery bun is the perfect blank canvas for the intense beefy flavor. Time Out tip: Don't have a car? Wanting to pay homage to Argentina's grilling culture, chef John Manion enlisted dramatic crank-controlled grills to serve up meaty, smoky fare of all types. It's why we flock to QXY for the seemingly endless menu that details dozens of fillings that are sorted by protein—from pork and pickled cabbage to scallop and lotus root. It's because Williams cooks with his heart, whether he's plating fried green tomatoes with tender shrimp and creamy rémoulade or he's fixing his famous collards, which arrive studded with hunks of smoked turkey meat. Classic Parisian bistro fare (escargot, steak frites, duck breast) gets a contemporary spin. What is it? A short black-tile walkway, beneath a millennial pink neon sign—a modern "X marks the spot"—brings you into El Che Bar’s sexy, darkly decorated space. Roister, Alinea's noisy younger sister, is a departure from that venerable temple to food. What is it? The O.G. Its regular menu items—like saffron-scented tagliatelle and parmesan-crusted onion rings—are still available for takeout whenever you please. This sleek place is light-filled and bright, with exposed bricks and beams, large industrial windows looking onto bustling Randolph Row, and dramatic open-flame hearths you can peek from the dining room. But we prefer to let chef-partner Lee Wolen’s impeccable techniques—on everything from dry-aged beef tartare and grilled octopus to ricotta dumplings—do the talking. Try another? In the center, a slightly raised bar—or stage, depending on how you're looking at it—features Grueneberg and her team of pastamakers hard at work on that night's eight or nine offerings. Developed by the late Burt Katz (before he opened Burt's Place), a legend in Chicago food lore, the style features a fluffier dough that is airier than its denser counterparts, with a dark ring of crispy caramelized cheese, thanks to the high-sided pan the pizza is cooked in. A unanimously beloved neighborhood darling that's been doing the whole farm-to-table thing long before it was a thing. The massive 22-ounce ribeye is a tabletop showstopper. Find reviews on the hottest restaurants, make reservations and see full menus by Zagat. Home to more than 40 James Beard Award-winning chefs and restaurants, Chicago has a thriving culinary scene that rivals that of any U.S. city. And then there's the Filipino Breakfast, which comes loaded up with longanisa or tocino, a fried egg and pickled papaya—all served atop a mound of fragrant garlic fried rice. They pay their way and sometimes, like the rest of us, their delivery driver gets lost. The result is a dim-sum style menu of shareable dishes—order to your heart's content. Located in Chicago's busy downtown area, Quartino is a distinctive restaurant that says goodbye to the giant portions that many Italian restaurants are known for, turning instead to smaller, shareable plates. The best new restaurants in Chicago are packed with personality and creativity, especially during a time when indoor dining is still off limits. You absolutely mustn't skip the burrata e ham starter—which comes with warm English muffin-like rounds called tigelle—nor the spaghetti al pomodoro, a simple but soul-affirming dish that stars Grueneberg's spot-on roasted tomato sauce. A massive, open floor plan with room for well over a hundred diners declares its status as a Chicago institution for Hong Kong–style Chinese barbecue. Toss in a half-order of fried shrimp, which arrive golden in hue and accompanied by cocktail sauce for dipping. Why we love it: You can practically feel the soul oozing from the menu at this Hyde Park restaurant. A living, breathing ode to chef-owner Darnell Reed's great grandmother and culinary inspiration, Luella Funches, who settled in Chicago in the '40s. Like its name suggests, the star of the menu is pizza—more specifically, thick Sicilian-style 'za that's deliciously bubbly yet awesomely crunchy. West Town spot, Frontier, but there's something about Ina Mae that feels deeply personal. Place your order with the whole household in mind—that way, you can try a few different flavors in one sitting. Honey Butter Fried Chicken's interior feels artsy and industrial The full menu is listed on a blackboard behind the register, and the unmistakable aroma of freshly fried poultry permeates the air. On May 4th, 2005 we opened the doors to Alinea. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. Includes treats like rice wrapped with crab and festooned with spicy Alaskan king crab an intro course regional! Read the 10Best Chicago reviews and view user 's restaurant ratings you over through passed-down recipes and reimagined expressions and... The pound of sustenance is swaddled with candied jalapeño mayo and crunchy slaw of... At Quartino Ristorante whenever you please institution is one of the morning search... 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