Restaurant Recommendations in Chicago

If you can, go to Ciccio Mio.

Did not go to Kisama but my brother says it’s superb

Prime & Provisions Steakhouse

Guessing most of the recommendations in this thread will be River North, The Loop and West Loop. Totally fine, and some of what I'll list will be in these neighborhoods, too, but I've always told this board: Chicago is a neighborhood-centric city. Too many great restaurants that can be missed outside of the above three neighborhoods. Anyway, without knowing what you're looking for:

- Lardon and Union (Logan Square) - Lardon has the best charcuterie in the city. Union opened a few weeks back and the food and craft beer drafts are Midwest driven. Both are located in the same building, under the same hospitality group. Michelin just featured Lardon with a Bib Gourmand award, which leads to my next recommendation...

- Kasama earned a Michelin star this year. It's a Filipino restaurant / bakery near Ukrainian Village - best breakfast I've had in some time. The Filipino BreaKfast is fantastic.

- Andros Taverna (Logan Square) and LYRA (West Loop) are good options if you're looking for cocktails and a modern take on Greek dishes, in a lively atmosphere. I love going to both if I'm looking for something a bit more casual.

- Aside from the generic Girl & The Goat recommendation, which is worth a reservation, my current favorite restaurant in West Loop is Rose Mary. Coincidentally, one of my two favorite Ramen places (other is Wasabi in Logan Square) is in West Loop, too - High Five Ramen has a level of spiciness that I just can't get anywhere else in the city. Super small space below Green Street, so you'll be waiting for a couple seats to open. If you can't decide, go to Time Out Market and check out some of the vendors. Please give the folks at Polombia a look - definitely one of the more unique food experiences as a fusion between Polish and Colombian.

- For burgers, Au Cheval is the popular recommendation, and for good reason, but my wife maintains the best burger in Chicago is at The Loyalist. It's up there, for sure. Community Tavern is my personal favorite - not super easy to get to, but could be worth a quick Uber to/from ORD, if you're flying in/out after 5pm. Other than those two, I love going over to Leavitt Street Tavern for their burger. If nothing else, it's a great place to grab a drink on a patio, at the dead end of a side street.

- For pizza, Pequod's, Lou Malnati's and Giordano's will be what you hear most, but my ultimate recommendation for pan / deep dish is Milly's Pizza in the Pan. Robert Maleski whipped up a finite number of pizzas each day out of a ghost kitchen during COVID. Got so popular and was able to secure a physical shop in Uptown this year. No matter how good it is, my ultimate preference is Tavern-Style - Michael's Original Pizzeria, John's Ristorante and Phil's Pizza is where I would steer you. If I had to choose one, give me Phil's Pizza to get a base before a Sox game.

- Lincoln Park is a fantastic neighborhood to walk through. Beautiful tree-lined streets, close to the lake and plenty of good shopping / bars. My favorite restaurant is Galit, which just earned its first Michelin star this year. Similar atmosphere to the aforementioned Greek restaurants, but this is a modern-take on Middle Eastern. In Lincoln Park, too, Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder is pretty damn good. Gets crowded, but their pizza pot pie is outstanding. Armitage Alehouse was recently-opened by owners of Au Cheval. Tremendous date night spot along the Armitage corridor (great shopping). I don't know that it's quite Anglo-Indian, but definitely British and South Asian influences.

- My three favorite steaks in Chicago are at Swift & Son's, Bavette's and Kinzie.

- Chicago has perfected the bar-forward pizza places. I will caution that weekends tend to be a raucous crowd, but it's a lot of fun. You'll see 20-30 somethings at Parlor (three locations), Happy Camper (two locations), Paradise Park, and Homeslice (more DePaul students). Pizza is fine, but you're there to get drunk.

- Plenty of cocktail bars throughout Chicago, but my personal favorites: Queen Mary, Violet Hour, California Clipper, Billy Sunday, Scofflaw, The Aviary / The Office, Booze Box, Victor Bar, Sparrow, and The Drifter.

- Like cocktail bars, there are plenty of breweries, both city and suburbs. Will stick to the city, obviously, but Half Acre was first to Chicago's craft beer scene. Started off in a small brewery on Lincoln, but recently-sold it to Hop Butcher. Moved to a pretty big facility on Balmoral. Dovetail makes the best traditional styles in the city. Best atmosphere is, probably, Metropolitan - in a converted warehouse with massive windows and patio on the river. Hop Butcher taproom isn't open yet, but they make best hazy IPAs in Chicago. If you're feeling a hazy, go with Maplewood. Their stout program is better, but solid IPAs. Solemn Oath opened a Chicago taproom and they have a good program of hazy IPAs between that brand and their Hidden Hand project. Corridor completely fell off after their previous brewer went to MoRE. Goose Island is, obviously, in Chicago. Their cellar list at Fulton is awesome, but all on-site consumption.

- There are so many restaurants here, and too many to list out, but a few others that aren't Alinea, Girl & The Goat, etc.: La Scarola, Piccolo Sogno, Roister, Boeufhaus, Funkenhausen, Vajra, etta (do Bucktown location - cooler neighborhood), Gretel, Giant, Daisies, Longman & Eagle, Twin Anchors, Maple & Ash, GEMINI, The Warbler / Gather, and Parachute.

Let me know if you have any other questions. There are a few other Chicago guys on the board that have plenty of good recommendations, too.

If you are in the Gold Coast area, then I would suggest Maple & Ash and order the "I don't give a frick."

For pizza, definitely Pequod’s. Also, there is Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders that is fantastic, but I wouldn't call it a pizza. It is more of a bread bowl with an Italian sausage ragu covered with cheese.

For fine dining, Alinea cannot be beat, but Oriole has a great multi course tasting menu and is easier to get into than Alinea.

For drinks, The Aviary is fun. Very creative cocktails from the Alinea guys.

Besides many already mentioned above, two of my favorite recent meals were at the Purple Pig and Sepia.

I'd avoid Gene & Georgetti at all cost.

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If I had to choose one, give me Phil's Pizza to get a base before a Sox game.

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This guy knows what he's talking about. Vito & Nick's is excellent as well.

Pequod's will always be overrated to me. It's not bad, but tourists and transplants love to gush over it for some reason.

Get reservations ahead is my recommendation.

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Guessing most of the recommendations in this thread will be River North, The Loop and West Loop. Totally fine, and some of what I'll list will be in these neighborhoods, too, but I've always told this board: Chicago is a neighborhood-centric city. Too many great restaurants that can be missed outside of the above three neighborhoods. Anyway, without knowing what you're looking for: - Lardon and Union (Logan Square) - Lardon has the best charcuterie in the city. Union opened a few weeks back and the food and craft beer drafts are Midwest driven. Both are located in the same building, under the same hospitality group. Michelin just featured Lardon with a Bib Gourmand award, which leads to my next recommendation... - Kasama earned a Michelin star this year. It's a Filipino restaurant / bakery near Ukrainian Village - best breakfast I've had in some time. The Filipino BreaKfast is fantastic. - Andros Taverna (Logan Square) and LYRA (West Loop) are good options if you're looking for cocktails and a modern take on Greek dishes, in a lively atmosphere. I love going to both if I'm looking for something a bit more casual. - Aside from the generic Girl & The Goat recommendation, which is worth a reservation, my current favorite restaurant in West Loop is Rose Mary. Coincidentally, one of my two favorite Ramen places (other is Wasabi in Logan Square) is in West Loop, too - High Five Ramen has a level of spiciness that I just can't get anywhere else in the city. Super small space below Green Street, so you'll be waiting for a couple seats to open. If you can't decide, go to Time Out Market and check out some of the vendors. Please give the folks at Polombia a look - definitely one of the more unique food experiences as a fusion between Polish and Colombian. - For burgers, Au Cheval is the popular recommendation, and for good reason, but my wife maintains the best burger in Chicago is at The Loyalist. It's up there, for sure. Community Tavern is my personal favorite - not super easy to get to, but could be worth a quick Uber to/from ORD, if you're flying in/out after 5pm. Other than those two, I love going over to Leavitt Street Tavern for their burger. If nothing else, it's a great place to grab a drink on a patio, at the dead end of a side street. - For pizza, Pequod's, Lou Malnati's and Giordano's will be what you hear most, but my ultimate recommendation for pan / deep dish is Milly's Pizza in the Pan. Robert Maleski whipped up a finite number of pizzas each day out of a ghost kitchen during COVID. Got so popular and was able to secure a physical shop in Uptown this year. No matter how good it is, my ultimate preference is Tavern-Style - Michael's Original Pizzeria, John's Ristorante and Phil's Pizza is where I would steer you. If I had to choose one, give me Phil's Pizza to get a base before a Sox game. - Lincoln Park is a fantastic neighborhood to walk through. Beautiful tree-lined streets, close to the lake and plenty of good shopping / bars. My favorite restaurant is Galit, which just earned its first Michelin star this year. Similar atmosphere to the aforementioned Greek restaurants, but this is a modern-take on Middle Eastern. In Lincoln Park, too, Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder is pretty damn good. Gets crowded, but their pizza pot pie is outstanding. Armitage Alehouse was recently-opened by owners of Au Cheval. Tremendous date night spot along the Armitage corridor (great shopping). I don't know that it's quite Anglo-Indian, but definitely British and South Asian influences. - My three favorite steaks in Chicago are at Swift & Son's, Bavette's and Kinzie. - Chicago has perfected the bar-forward pizza places. I will caution that weekends tend to be a raucous crowd, but it's a lot of fun. You'll see 20-30 somethings at Parlor (three locations), Happy Camper (two locations), Paradise Park, and Homeslice (more DePaul students). Pizza is fine, but you're there to get drunk. - Plenty of cocktail bars throughout Chicago, but my personal favorites: Queen Mary, Violet Hour, California Clipper, Billy Sunday, Scofflaw, The Aviary / The Office, Booze Box, Victor Bar, Sparrow, and The Drifter. - Like cocktail bars, there are plenty of breweries, both city and suburbs. Will stick to the city, obviously, but Half Acre was first to Chicago's craft beer scene. Started off in a small brewery on Lincoln, but recently-sold it to Hop Butcher. Moved to a pretty big facility on Balmoral. Dovetail makes the best traditional styles in the city. Best atmosphere is, probably, Metropolitan - in a converted warehouse with massive windows and patio on the river. Hop Butcher taproom isn't open yet, but they make best hazy IPAs in Chicago. If you're feeling a hazy, go with Maplewood. Their stout program is better, but solid IPAs. Solemn Oath opened a Chicago taproom and they have a good program of hazy IPAs between that brand and their Hidden Hand project. Corridor completely fell off after their previous brewer went to MoRE. Goose Island is, obviously, in Chicago. Their cellar list at Fulton is awesome, but all on-site consumption. - There are so many restaurants here, and too many to list out, but a few others that aren't Alinea, Girl & The Goat, etc.: La Scarola, Piccolo Sogno, Roister, Boeufhaus, Funkenhausen, Vajra, etta (do Bucktown location - cooler neighborhood), Gretel, Giant, Daisies, Longman & Eagle, Twin Anchors, Maple & Ash, GEMINI, The Warbler / Gather, and Parachute. Let me know if you have any other questions. There are a few other Chicago guys on the board that have plenty of good recommendations, too.

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Heading up to Chicago tomorrow night for a quick two and a half day trip with the wife. I think I probably can’t go wrong, but wanted to get your local opinion. Right now have a late reservation at Rose Mary Thursday night and a Friday dinner at Mi Tocaya Antojeria Friday night. Debating swapping out Rose Mary with Galit which I was just able to get into, mainly because it’s a more reasonable dinner time for the wife (8:15 vs 9:30). Are either/any of these can’t miss? I know they’re wildly different but just want an expert opinion. Basically I want someone to choose for me, cause I want to go to them all and can’t squeeze it all in!

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Heading up to Chicago tomorrow night for a quick two and a half day trip with the wife. I think I probably can’t go wrong, but wanted to get your local opinion. Right now have a late reservation at Rose Mary Thursday night and a Friday dinner at Mi Tocaya Antojeria Friday night. Debating swapping out Rose Mary with Galit which I was just able to get into, mainly because it’s a more reasonable dinner time for the wife (8:15 vs 9:30). Are either/any of these can’t miss? I know they’re wildly different but just want an expert opinion. Basically I want someone to choose for me, cause I want to go to them all and can’t squeeze it all in!

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Sorry, just saw this.

Good call on Mi Tocaya - our condo is about a 15-minute walk straight south on California (live closer to Lonesome Rose). Been there a couple times. Flavors are about as unique I've had for Mexican. Worth the go + Logan Square has a couple awesome cocktail bars, including Billy Sunday, if you're looking for something after dinner.

Like you said, Rose Mary and Galit are quite different, but give me Galit. Zachary Engel is the perfect chef for Galit - grew up in Israel, so a lot of Middle Eastern influence with his food. Lincoln Park is one of my favorite neighborhoods to stroll through after the dinner. A lot of bars and tree-lined side streets. Rose Mary is in West Loop, which is loaded with restaurants + I'm sure you'll go on your next trip.

Good deal, I had dropped Rose Mary earlier today so glad to know. Thanks again for the recs. Will check out Billy Sunday, too.