Chef and owner Jason Hammel continues to keep the community at the forefront of operations at Lula Cafe, which has, since 1999, endeared itself to many in Logan Square as a welcoming space for new American cuisine. This is an all-day cafe with fresh-baked pastries and a stellar breakfast burrito. At night, the wine list goes deep to accompany dishes like roast chicken, beet bruschetta, and summer squash with Santa Rosa plums, Tropea onions, and basil. Find a seat at the bar and enjoy oysters and snacks like chicken liver mousse.

Chicago has plenty of taquerias, but this Logan Square entry has quickly ascended to the head of the class. From a trio of Mexican chefs who worked at acclaimed French restaurants La Sardine and Le Bouchon, Taqueria Chingon offers delicate top-notch tacos. The pork and veggie pastors off the trompo offer masterclasses in texture. This is also a great place for the uninitiated to try out organ meats. The weekly specials are worthy of repeat eating. You never know what the chefs will scheme. They recently debuted a patio.

It’s hard for Chicago hot dog stands to differentiate themselves, as most of them use the same product: dependable Vienna Beef. But Redhot Ranch has managed. First, the stand uses sausage with natural casings. This provides the dogs with a unique bite, snappier than the Oscar Mayers that many Americans grew up eating. The stand also serves Depression dogs, the Chicago variant that comes with french fries in the bun. The griddle burgers are also of note. There are few meals as satisfying late at night. Redhot Ranch has locations in Lakeview and Bucktown, and 35th Street Red Hots, near Sox Park in Bridgeport, is from the same owners and has an identical menu.

Chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas’s fine dining institution is the city’s only restaurant to have three Michelin stars, and is considered one of the world’s best. Inside the luxurious Lincoln Park dining room, expect a sensory overload. Achatz uses heavily scented citrus, smoke, and other smells to provide diners with a theatrical experience: Servers present dishes as though they were works of art. As dinner for two can run close to $1,000 with wine pairings, Alinea is the restaurant that appears most frequently on Chicagoans’ bucket lists.

The best example of Chicago’s iconic Italian beef sandwich exists outside of the city at the two suburban locations of Johnnie’s Beef. The original space in Elmwood Park is a relic that first opened in 1961 (there’s also a second location in Arlington Heights). The menu is simple: beefs (the monosyllabic term locals use for Italian beef sandwiches), charcoal-grilled Italian sausages, and hot dogs. The thin-cut beef is perfectly seasoned with hints of oregano. The hot peppers deliver plenty of heat without overwhelming the meat. Don’t sleep on the beef-sausage sandwich, which combines tender slices with a robust sausage. Pepper-and-egg sandwiches are also available daily; they’re mostly aimed at Catholic customers who need a meat-free option on Lent Fridays. For dessert, there’s a stellar lemon Italian ice. While the city has plenty of beef options, Johnnie’s is worth the drive to the burbs.

Although 2020 was a challenging time to open a restaurant, the pandemic couldn’t stop the husband-and-wife team of Tim Flores and Genie Kwon. Kasama was one of the year’s true bright spots, and one of Eater’s 11 Best New Restaurants in America for 2021. Kwon handles the amazing pastries, like an eclair-shaped croissant topped with Serrano ham or salmon, while Flores prepares Filipino dishes for breakfast and brunch, including spins on lumpia and rice plates with tocino (roasted char siu-like pork) and longganisa (charred sausage). This past fall, Kasama introduced a fine dining dinner menu, one of the few Filipino tasting menus in the country, which immediately became one of the hottest tickets in town.

Joe Flamm and his partners went big in Fulton Market, opening a meticulously designed restaurant that’s become a destination for out of towners who know Flamm from his Top Chef win. But Rose Mary, described as “Adriatic drinking food,” writes a love letter to locals with European notes by fusing Italian, Croatian, and Midwestern sensibilities. The pastas would be at home at Spiaggia, one of the best Italian restaurants in Chicago before it closed, and where Flamm cut his teeth. The ribs have a sticky sauce that breeds a familiarity to those who grew up on both the Southwest or Northwest sides. They serve cevapi, a Balkan-style sausage. The octopus, cooked over a wood grill, is perfect. There’s a great energy in the restaurant which also offers a seasonal tasting table over the warmer months. Reservations are a must for the latter.

Chef Curtis Duffy became a superstar when he opened his first award-winning restaurant, Grace, on Randolph Street, and he’s brought that energy a few blocks west to Fulton Market, where Ever opened in 2020. Duffy is offering only one tasting menu (vegetarians will be accommodated), but he remains committed to showing off precise techniques with playful execution. Case in point: artfully cut ribbons of freeze-dried hamachi. Fine dining tends to be polarizing, but for folks who want a meal with a dash of theatrics, Ever fulfills that niche better than any Chicago restaurant. Just note that this is one of the most expensive meals in Chicago.

Chicagoans have few choices for upscale Indian food downtown. Rooh’s 2019 arrival is noteworthy not only because it fills that void, but because it also gives the West Loop some sorely needed variety. Patrons will be more than impressed with familiar classics such as butter chicken, but jackfruit kofta, scallops dusted with gunpowder pepper, and achari monkfish offer a better taste of modern Indian cooking. The restaurant also has a heated and tented patio.

The first restaurant from former Top Chef and Spiaggia chef Sarah Grueneberg has quickly cemented itself as one of Chicago’s top Italian destinations. The pastas are the stars at this West Loop hot spot, and customers can see cooks hard at work behind the counter rolling out dough and creating the delectable noodles they will soon consume. The restaurant’s pandemic takeout menu remains, but the dining room offers lively options like whole-bird chicken parm. There’s also a notable gluten-free menu.

The torchbearer for a dying breed of Jewish delis and diners in Chicago, Manny’s has endured for more than half a century in the South Loop, thanks to its massive and delicious pastrami sandwiches, an array of hot homestyle dishes on steam tables, and a family-friendly atmosphere cultivated over generations. The cafeteria-style setting is plastered with decades-old newspaper clippings and letters from Chicago luminaries. The space also now houses a new wing for bagels, sweets, coffee, and food to go. In its heyday, Manny’s was where Chicago politicians were often seen brokering deals.

Chicago’s Mexican community and food enthusiasts worldwide flock to this longtime family-owned counter-service institution in Pilsen that celebrates all parts of the pig. Order carnitas by the pound at the front counter and settle into a table — if one is available — to craft your own individual tacos with a mix of salsas, tortillas, and beans, or order tacos, soup, and cactus salad ready-made. Prepare for lines and waits during peak weekend hours.

Chicago has many food halls, but none offer the same type of experience as 88 Marketplace, the Chinese grocer in East Pilsen. The grocery store stocks tons of ingredients not readily available at chain supermarkets. That alone makes it a destination, but the second-floor food court offers wonders, headlined by 312 Fish Market, a sit-down restaurant with one of the most creative sushi menus in town at affordable prices. Find dumplings and other delights from A Place in Northeast, barbecue duck, and more from BBQ King 88. On the first floor, there’s Holu Steakhouse, where diners can find rare, pricey, and delectable cuts of beef along with top-notch cocktails. No stuffy River North steakhouse can compare. Then find Qiao Lin Hotpot, possibly the best hot pot in Chicago. Finally, get something sweet at Pure Tea. It took a while for 88 Marketplace to get going, but it’s now chugging on all cylinders.

Chicago doesn’t get enough love for its tacos, but this charming grocery store in Little Village produces some of the finest in the city. From carne asada to crispy tripe, these tacos fit delicately in customers’ hands and are best enjoyed with tiny bites to savor the mix of textures and flavors. This restaurant, on a quiet residential street, is a true Chicago original. Carryout only.

Family is at the heart of Jade Court, a unique Cantonese restaurant in the University of Chicago’s Harper Court development. Carol Cheung has taken the torch from her father, the late Eddy Cheung, who originally opened the restaurant in University Village. The Cheungs push boundaries with their renditions of Cantonese classics. For example, elitists might laugh at the sight of egg foo young, a staple at Chinese American fast-food restaurants, but Jade Court cooks treat the dish as precious cargo. Customers would be wise to trust Carol Cheung’s recommendations; she has an uncanny understanding of which dishes to suggest to customers, running the gamut from seafood to beef. The bar program is also noteworthy, with unique collaborations and tropical-style drinks. It’s tiki without the baggage through a Chinese American lens.

Chicago restaurant veteran Erick Williams has finally launched the restaurant he’s been dreaming of opening. Williams is intent on smashing all expectations for Southern food, and hopes to give diners a new perspective on Black cuisine. If customers want lighter fare, there are dishes like cauliflower with cashew dukkah and root cellar vegetables. For richer appetites, the beef short ribs with creamed spinach and crushed potatoes satisfy. Williams won the James Beard Award in 2022 for Best Chef: Great Lakes. One of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in 2019, Virtue has claimed its place as an iconic Chicago eatery.

Chicago’s legendary aquarium-style smokers are on display at Lem’s, underneath a giant lighted sign off 75th Street. This small shack specializes in sauced baby back ribs and giant hot links. Chicago is credited with creating the practice of serving rib tips slathered with sauce, and this is the place to give newbies an introduction.

It’s hard to break the hold of habit and branding, as seen every weekend with tourists crowding into Chicago’s fine downtown deep-dish establishments, waiting hours to be fed. For those not interested in those pomp and circumstances there’s Milly’s Pizza in the Pan in Uptown. Milly’s began during the pandemic in a Humboldt Park ghost kitchen but recently moved to a permanent location on the North Side — with an obscene delivery zone. Robert Maleski is a one-man operation, churning out artisanal pies with quality ingredients and that “burnt” ring of caramelized cheese around the edges. While deep dish is polarizing, Maleski’s methods restore that magic of eating it for the first time. Even the most stubborn hater will find love for Milly’s.

Obelix tells one of the purest Chicago stories. The restaurant is run by a pair of brothers, French Americans who watched their parents run some of the city’s most successful French restaurants in town (Le Bouchon, La Sardine). With Obelix, Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey have taken the lessons their dear parents have bestowed and added their perspective as city dwellers: find massive seafood towers, a taco with foie gras, and a decadent beef Wellington. The traditional French staples (gooey French onion soup) remain. But this bistro has a comfortable and modern feel, blending several culinary traditions to create a true French Chicago restaurant, a unique experience for any Francophile.

Randolph Street was once known for culinary innovation, but it’s now been reduced to a dance floor for national companies trying to demonstrate their worth. Fortunately, J.P. Graziano’s remains, an old Italian grocer transformed into a sandwich haven. The lunch lines are long, so order online, and be sure to order from a squadron of delicious subs (the Mr. G is the specialty of the house with a truffled vinaigrette). The grocer makes its own giardiniera, so this is where to pick up Chicago’s famed pickled pepper blend.

Nine Bar is the brilliant transformation of an iconic Chinatown restaurant, Moon Palace Express, in opening the neighborhood’s only cocktail bar. The cocktails are thoughtfully made and are a major draw, but it don’t underestimate the simple pub menu. Mapo hot fries show love to America and China with a spicy snack similar to poutine. The McKatsu is a fried pork cutlet that uses the fast-food spot for inspiration but applies a spicy Chinese mustard to make it unique. The wings and dumplings are also top-notch. As Chicago continues to heal from the pandemic, people will become more at ease while eating at bars. Nine Bar might serve Chicago’s premier bar menu.

Middlebrow is a narrow brewery taproom in Logan Square flanked by some wonderful restaurants including Dos Urban Cantina, Giant, and Osteria Langhe. The beer is easy drinking — the kind you’d want to sip on a camping trip with ales, lagers, and more augmented by top-quality fruits and other ingredients. The bread program stars in the morning with ham sandwiches and more. The afternoon pizza is a huge draw, especially on Tuesday when Middlebrow unleashes its tavern-style. It’s got a farm-to-table element that makes it stands out from the rest of the city’s pizza makers with ingredients like charred kale. 

One of Chicago’s most thrilling dining experiences comes from secret Edgewater locale. Don Young retains the title of “youngest chef to preside over a Michelin-starred kitchen” as he worked at West Town’s Temporis when the restaurant earned the honor. He’s puttered around town, most recently at Venteux, before creating his own endeavor. Duck Sel, yes a pun the mushroom, is a fine dining pop-up that allows the chef to demonstrate his mastery of many techniques with his trademark playfulness. It’s a throwback to the type of underground pop-ups that launched the careers of many, and it’s ideal for a special night out. Tickets go onsite bi-monthly. Young says he’s content with the pop-up but would eventually like to open his own restaurant.