Thattu started as a beloved pop-up by wife-and-husband team Margaret Pak and Vinod Kalathil before landing an Avondale space in April. The neighborhood gem serves hard-to-find coastal dishes from Kerala on India’s southwestern coast (where Kalathil was born). The homey vibes are strong here thanks to exposed brick interiors and deeply flavorful dishes like fried yucca balls and fish steamed in banana leaves.

Fioretta means “little flower” in Italian, but there’s nothing modest about this swanky supper club-inspired restaurant that opened in April. DineAmic Hospitality Group (Prime & Provisions, Lyra) dialed the lavish vibes all the way up via touches like jewel-toned mohair booths and crystal chandeliers. The Italian American steakhouse fare comes with a side of live entertainment on weekends, and a roving cart prepping Caesar salad tableside adds to the throwback atmosphere.

Ummo made a splash by reimagining Italy’s greatest hits when it opened its doors in August. The brave new red-sauce restaurant comes from the group behind popular Northern Mexican spot Tzuco and is led by acclaimed Mexican chef Carlos Gaytán, who isn’t afraid of remixing Mediterranean classics.

When chef and owner Bridgette Flagg moved her adored Southern food spot and celeb magnet Soulé to larger digs in Lawndale in January, the restaurant’s West Town fans were concerned. Luckily, Flagg returned to the neighborhood with a brand-new look—and name—in August.

Itoko’s soothing Japan-meets-Scandinavia backdrop is a great match for chef Gene Kato’s imaginative sushi and robata menu. Kato is also the chef at the Boka Group’s award-winning Japanese restaurant Momotaro, but serves a more easy-breezy experience at this Southport Corridor spot, which opened in March.

When it came to inspiration for a new restaurant, James Beard Award winners and Parachute co-owners Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim didn’t have to look far. Anelya opened in October after starting as a pop-up to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and is named for Clark’s Ukrainian grandmother. The menu is filled with modern riffs on traditional staples like pickled fish and vegetables and borscht—Clark’s revamped version is made with duck, smoked pears, and cultured cream.

Smoque BBQ founder Barry Sorkin said goodbye to luxe steakhouse conventions when he opened this rustic meat market in April. But don’t confuse the lack of glam for less-than-stellar steaks. At Smoque, they get the oak treatment followed by a low-and-slow cooking technique, then seared to order with garlic butter in a cast-iron skillet. If you’re drinking, the move is a martini—there are eight different kinds to pick from, including one sweetened with maraschino liqueur.

Warlord is a no-reservation, open-till-late restaurant by three Chicago food vets (Trevor Fleming, Emily Kraszyk, and John Lupton) who come from local heavy-hitters like Kasama, Table Fifty-Two, and Rootstock. Since opening in April, it’s earned steady praise (including a rave review from The Chicago Tribune) for a daily-changing, live-fire menu. A burger—albeit a darn good one—is the only menu constant.

This sultry Spanish steakhouse opened in April and takes cues from Basque country—and it’s far from your average Windy City chophouse. Crowds flock here to choose from four cuts of beef that are aged at least 30 months, giving them an extra-intense flavor before they hit the grill; the txuleton, or bone-in ribeye, is the restaurant’s claim to fame.