Top Chef winner Joe Flamm's Midwest-meets-Mediterranean restaurant is a love letter to Adriatic soul food, like tortellini djuvec (ratatouille) and cevapi (lamb and beef sausage) grilled over a centerpiece charcoal hearth—and it’s these hearty but unique flavors that spawned shoutouts from the Chicago Tribune, Eater, and more.

When it opened in 2010, Girl & the Goat ushered in a new era of casual fine dining on the West Loop’s now-iconic Restaurant Row. In a cozy, rustic-chic space, feast on mega-award-winning (James Beard, Top Chef, Iron Chef) Stephanie Izard’s bold, globally influenced dishes like sweet and sour wood-fired whole branzino and goat empanadas that prove why this MICHELIN-Starred restaurant remains as hot and relevant as ever.

This Logan Square pasta spot got a fresh start in a spacious home in 2023, after which it nabbed raves from the Chicago Tribune and a MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability. Much of the produce at this Italian-by-way-of-the-Midwest restaurant comes from chef Joe Frillman's brother's farm outside Chicago. Find it in playful dishes like onion dip with housemade Ruffles, fritto misto with cheese curds, and pierogi with mussels and beer.

Popular LA chef Evan Funke and Chicago restaurant giant Lettuce Entertain You joined forces with a bang at this swanky Tuscan steakhouse inside The St. Regis. It's already the ultimate special-occasion destination, thanks to silky handmade pastas and premium steaks, a 700+ bottle, all-Italian wine list, and stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River through dramatic 40-foot windows.

One of Bon Appétit's 2024 best new restaurants in America, this Logan Square spot is the brainchild of Mike Satinover, better known as "Ramen Lord" to the fan base he built up over a decade posting about ramen on Reddit. Get comfortable at one of the spacious booths, or watch the action at the counter overlooking the kitchen, and choose from four different ramens like the Akahoshi Miso, with pork chashu and bamboo shoots.

This West Loop spot sparked Chicago’s small-plates craze in 2003 and now has MICHELIN Bib Gourmand status. Expect soulful Midwestern riffs on Mediterranean small plates and an excellent wine list that leans southern European. Don't miss avec’s bacon-wrapped chorizo-stuffed dates, which are right up there with hot dogs and deep dish as classic Chicago fare.

You'll find the ultimate versions of old-school red-sauce favorites like rigatoni a la vodka and dover sole piccata at Elina's, thanks to veterans of MICHELIN-Starred spots like New York City’s Restaurant Marc Forgione. The inviting West Town joint serves these classics in a cozy, brick-walled dining room or on the lush, Amalfi Coast-inspired patio.

Open since 2003, acclaimed chef Lee Wolen’s one MICHELIN-Starred restaurant continues to serve up some of the city’s best contemporary American fare—all in a glam, greenery-decked dining room. The approachable, refined menu celebrates seasonal ingredients with bold preparations and exceptional clarity—black-truffle roasted chicken and porcini ricotta gnudi are two standouts. Bonus points for a charming, tree-lined back patio.

Besides serving exceedingly delicious soul food and top-notch hospitality from James Beard Award-winning chef Erick Williams, Virtue shows how a restaurant can be a community champion. With moving activist quotes on the windows, art of Black cultural figures, and a minority-centered mentorship program, Williams goes all in on lifting the Black community through food. Pro tip: Don't miss the short ribs.

Sophisticated Scandinavian fare is on the menu at Elske, a MICHELIN-Starred charmer from wife-and-husband chefs Anna and David Posey. Dig into beautiful, seasonally changing plates—think smoked duck liver tart or smoked Fjord trout with beets—in the intimate dining room that channels a trendy Danish B&B or on the fireplace-decked courtyard with an herb garden.