Tasting-menu titans, neighborhood izakayas, and the country's best new openings: Chicago is one of America's deepest dining cities. These are its best restaurants, by the consensus of its critics, its rating platforms, and its diners.
The full ranking
Tasting-menu titans, neighborhood izakayas, and the country's best new openings: Chicago is one of America's deepest dining cities. These are its best restaurants, by the consensus of its critics, its rating platforms, and its diners.
Cariño (Uptown)
Chef Norman Fenton's intimate Uptown counter serves an ambitious Mexican tasting menu rooted in heirloom corn and regional technique, paired with mezcal and natural wine. A Michelin star and near-perfect review scores make it one of the city's hottest reservations.
Oriole (West Loop)
Noah Sandoval's two-Michelin-star tasting-menu room down a tucked-away West Loop freight alley delivers a refined, produce- and seafood-driven progression. Polished but unstuffy service makes it a perennial pick for Chicago's best meal.
Kyōten (Logan Square)
Chef Otto Phan's exacting edomae omakase in Logan Square seats a handful of guests for a precise, fish-forward progression of nigiri. A Michelin star and a cult following make it one of Chicago's most coveted sushi counters.
Maxwells Trading (Fulton Market)
Erling Wu-Bower's freewheeling Fulton Market restaurant where Bolognese-style pasta meets Chinese soup dumplings and live-fire cooking. A critical darling across Time Out, the Infatuation, and Resy for its inventive, ingredient-driven menu.
Alinea (Lincoln Park)
Grant Achatz's Lincoln Park temple of avant-garde dining, long the most decorated restaurant in Chicago, where a multi-course spectacle turns dinner into edible theater. Still a bucket-list splurge decades after it helped redefine American fine dining.
Jeong (Noble Square)
Chef Dave Park's modern Korean restaurant in Noble Square earns a Michelin star for refined takes on banchan, house-made jang, and seasonal tasting courses. Warm and personal, with some of the city's highest Google scores.
Kasama (Ukrainian Village)
Genie Kwon and Tim Flores's Ukrainian Village spot is the first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant in the world, a bakery-cafe by day and an ambitious tasting menu by night. The morning longanisa breakfast sandwich draws its own devoted line.
Monteverde (West Loop)
Top Chef alum Sarah Grueneberg's West Loop pastificio is widely called Chicago's best Italian, turning out handmade pastas like tortelloni cacio e pepe from a buzzy open kitchen. A reservation worth planning around.
Smyth (West Loop)
John and Karen Urie Shields's three-Michelin-star tasting-menu flagship in the West Loop was named the best restaurant in North America for 2026. A hyper-seasonal, farm-driven progression that sits at the very top of American fine dining.
Galit (Lincoln Park)
Zachary Engel's Michelin-starred Middle Eastern restaurant in Lincoln Park builds a generous, hospitality-driven feast around pillowy house-baked pita and creative hummus and mezze. Warm, communal, and consistently acclaimed.
Ranked across 7 sources: North America 50 Best Restaurants 2026 (Chicago, by NA rank); MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2026 (starred spots, by star rating); Time Out Chicago · 28 Best Restaurants, Ranked (May 2026); The Infatuation · 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago (2026, unordered roundup); Resy · The Top Restaurants in Chicago Right Now (June 2026, unordered); Yelp · Ranked by Rating (June 2026); Google Reviews · Ranked by Rating (June 2026). Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
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