The chef behind Kyoten, one of Chicago’s best (and most expensive) sushi restaurants, opened a more low-key option next door to the original Logan Square location. Aptly named “Kyoten Next Door,” the 18-course nigiri sushi omakase menu is $159 per person. And yes, considering that the original experience is a three-hour ordeal that costs over $450, Kyoten Next Door is more casual. But there’s nothing casual about the food.

After a few years in West Town, this Creole and Italian restaurant moved into a much larger space down the street. And Provaré 2.0 is a blast. This bright spot has an R&B playlist that will remind you of the greatness that is '90s Usher, a speakeasy hiding behind very convincing shelves, and food that makes you put your hand up to silence the table so you can have a private moment with the housemade pasta. There are standout dishes like fried lobster tails and creamy chicken parmesan.

You could drive around Chicago for hours looking for transcendent guava butter. Or, you could just go to Marina’s Bistro And Rum Bar, which will welcome you with a bowl of said condiment and a basket of warm plantain chips. This cozy Uptown spot serves fantastic cocktails and Puerto Rican food, like a bowl of pollo al ajillo (the flavor of which will attach itself to your brain with the adhesive strength of a price tag on a gift).

In a neighborhood that’s becoming increasingly more chaotic, Yokocho in the West Loop is blessedly easy. It’s a chill sushi spot next to Oakville and Foxtrot in the courtyard of a gigantic new office building. Unlike most spots in Chicago’s hypiest neighborhood, you can walk right in and grab a little wooden booth or seat at the sushi bar. The short menu has mainly handrolls, a few small plates, and about 10 types of simple nigiri or sashimi, with an option to get a piece of each for $50.

Just when we thought we couldn’t love pate any more than we already do, the team behind Indienne opened another restaurant in River North. Sifr is a “modern Middle Eastern” spot, and the menu has a wide range of dishes, including the aforementioned chicken liver pate topped with pomegranate molasses and parsley oil we want to rub on our face. But there’s also fava-filled manti in a silky butternut ashta that might be our favorite dumpling in the city.

There are already plenty of great kabob places within walking distance of the Kedzie Brown Line—does Albany Park need another one? Helmand answers this with a resounding “Absof*ckinglutely.” This Afghan restaurant is the new king of Kabob Row: every skewer (lamb, chicken, ground beef) is juicy, smoky, and seasoned with peppery spices. But other dishes should also be mandatory at the dinner party—like plump mantu with ground beef, and fall-off-the-bone lamb shank.

Tuk Tuk is the type of casual neighborhood restaurant you wish you could live across the street from. And if you live in Lakeview, this might be possible. This small, BYOB spot specializes in Isan Thai dishes, and serves fantastic food (like eight different types of papaya salad, and stir-fried crispy pork belly) packed chilies and herbs. For the people who tend to overestimate their heat tolerance, there’s fresh coconut water (served in an actual young coconut) on the menu to cool the burn.

We’re mad that the menu at Čálli isn’t longer. We wish it unfurled like a scroll, rolled down the stairs, and spilled out onto Green Street. Because every dish made us want to order four more. That’s true for the little garnacha topped with carnitas, the enmoladas in a mole that we’ve been ordered to stay 100 feet away from, and also the chocoyotes with chewy masa dumplings that laugh in the face of gluten. Čálli is located in a space inside Soho House most recently occupied by a pop-up.

Thattu evokes a sense of nostalgia for South India, even if you’ve never visited. This casual restaurant in Avondale serves comfort food from Kerala, and a few bites of coriander chicken will have you reminiscing about a childhood spent on the Malabar Coast that may or may not have happened. The menu is short, but that just means you can get one of everything, including an order of crispy masala-dusted chaatertots, curry, and the Kerala fried chicken sandwich.

Despite the aggressive name, this New American spot in Avondale is very welcoming. It has comfy banquettes and barstools, and chefs drop off dishes at tables while reminding you to stay at your candlelit table for as long as you want. But the food is why you’ll want to stay forever (or at least until they close at 2am). Ramp pasta and miso butter scallops are rich and creamy. Pork shoulder and burgers are aged to juicy perfection.