It’s hard to find a good cold gin martini for $12 in River North, but Gus’ Sip & Dip has one. In fact, all 30 of their cocktails are strictly $12, including throwback recipes like a smooth, Manhattan-y Adonis. The food menu is less exciting and more expensive, and the slightly underwhelming $25 wagyu sandwich is better as a break from lots of drink exploration than a main event.

Put Wurst Behavior in Irving Park on your “going outside” list when winter starts killing off other plans, because the kimchi dog and the sausage that tastes like an italian beef are worth the hassle of a brisk commute. Even without the overflowing toppings, these homemade brats, sausages, and dogs are smoky, tightly compact, and served on toasted buns that hold everything together. Most of the meats cost $10, so Wurst Behavior is ideal for a small group meal.

It's no surprise that Il Carciofo is busy: it’s a new Italian restaurant from a popular chef, it’s in a popular neighborhood, and its sister Rose Mary has been busy for four years straight. Like its Croatian sibling, this spacious Fulton Market spot is filled with West Loopers who can’t resist the pull of a trendy new restaurant. Another shared trait: this Roman-style spot makes damn good food. The creamy rigatoni alla carbonara with crunchy guanciale is al dente perfection.

Etc.'s tasty Southern food, stylish space with fluorescent pillars, and upbeat R&B soundtrack could trick you into thinking the Loop was cool. Couples split savory rice with turkey hocks and fried okra. Friends pass around rich cacio e pepe with housemade bucatini. Some dishes are overly ambitious—we’d prefer the fried green tomatoes without the distracting burrata, red tomatoes, and balsamic. But you’ll forget about the few misses once you’re lost in the gravy-covered oxtail and purple grits.

Fire is the latest tasting menu restaurant from the Alinea group, so expect to take lots of pictures of things like an extra tender halibut cube. You’ll be served nine courses that highlight food science alongside flavor combinations that, aside from an overly rich wagyu and turnip plate, are perfectly balanced. Many dishes—like a soupy truffle pasta with leeks underneath—come with anecdotes about their unique smoking method, followed by “Careful, it’s really hot.”

Pizz’amici’s pizza is what every young tavern-style pie aspires to be. It's charred and razor-thin, with a tangy sauce and salty cheese that drapes over the edges like someone coloring past the lines. This isn’t imperfection, it’s pizza worth planning your week around. And planning is necessary. Friends and families escorting pizza-rabid children are all vying for reservations or walk-in spots in the West Town restaurant's small, checker-floored dining room. Be one of them.

The tamales at this casual Mexican spot are so smooth and fluffy, they’d make cumulus clouds jealous. As you sit at Santa Masa’s long diner-style kitchen counter, bites of poblanos and tangy salsa verde, chicken in smoky guajillo sauce, or a dessert tamal with strawberries and caramel will launch you into masa-fueled euphoria. After the tamale high, give their cheesy, meat-filled Santo taco or enchiladas a try. Even for the Midwest, it’s been awhile since we’ve been this excited about corn.

Despite operating out of Small Bar’s equally tiny kitchen, Patty Please is a massive burger-smashing force—so much so that it just smashed its way onto our Best Burgers guide. This Avondale spot presses beef into pristine doily-eque circles with a fantastic griddled crisp. But the patties’ center remains moist, fusing perfectly with the American cheese and buttery soft potato roll.

After closing in March, Parachute is back and has transformed into a full-fledged listening bar. It’s a fun and fresh remix in the restaurant’s original Avondale location, with Korean food and drinks that are as exciting as the hifi records echoing in the charming basement-esque space. Hank Williams classics and Korean oldies crackle as friends sit on gnome-shaped stools, eating burgers dipped in cheese and bordelaise or chewy tteokbokki pad thai.

Mirra’s crispy scallop taco with green curry lasts only two bites, but they’re some of the most exciting bites we’ve had in months. The Mexican-Indian dishes at this Bucktown spot are bright, spicy, and mostly group-friendly, like the mezze with rich guacamole and achar or a lamb barbacoa biryani with juicy beef inside a roti seal. Plan a group dinner here with some pals who like food that makes you want to decipher its flavor spice-by-spice.