The Best Restaurants in Chicago 2026
Chicago Dining Guide
Why we wrote this guide
Chicago does not do quiet excellence. This is a city that stacked three Michelin stars, a fistful of two-star tasting rooms, and a deep bench of Bib Gourmand neighborhood cooking into a few square miles of the West Loop, River North, and beyond. It is one of the strongest fine-dining cities in America, and the range is the point: you can eat a helium balloon at Alinea one night and slap-noodle your way through goat at Girl and the Goat the next. This guide cuts across every cuisine to name the rooms we think are actually worth planning a night around.
We send guests to these restaurants constantly, so this is not a listicle scraped from a search result. It is the shortlist we would hand a friend flying in. We tell you exactly where each one books. Last updated September 2026, with Michelin status current to the latest Chicago Guide.
The ranked guide
1. Smyth (West Loop)
Smyth is Chicago's only three-Michelin-star restaurant and, as of 2026, the No. 1 spot on North America's 50 Best Restaurants list. John Shields and Karen Urie Shields run a farm-driven North American tasting menu out of a room with an open kitchen, built on farmers, fishermen and makers at the height of their season, and the menu changes daily. See Smyth. Best for: the single most ambitious meal in the city, booked weeks out.
2. Alinea (Lincoln Park)
Grant Achatz's Alinea is the flagship of American modernist cuisine and held three Michelin stars from the first Chicago Guide until the 2025 Guide, before settling at two in the current Guide. It is still one of the most theatrical meals anywhere: the Black Truffle Explosion exploding raviolo, the Hot Potato Cold Potato, and the edible helium balloon are courses people remember for years. It is fully ticketed and prepaid through OpenTable, with new dates typically released around the 15th of each month, about two months ahead. See Alinea. Best for: a bucket-list dining event where the show is half the meal.
3. Oriole (West Loop)
Entered through a converted freight elevator, Oriole is Noah Sandoval's intimate two-Michelin-star room blending French and Japanese technique on an extended tasting menu. It was named Jean Banchet Restaurant of the Year and has held two stars since shortly after opening. The extended tasting menu is constantly evolving, and guests can book either the dining room or the kitchen table for a front-row view. See Oriole. Best for: a quieter, more precise two-star tasting away from the spotlight.
4. Ever (West Loop)
Ever is chef Curtis Duffy's follow-up to the shuttered three-star Grace, and it holds two Michelin stars. The serene, luxe room on a quiet stretch of Fulton Market serves an eight- to ten-course seasonal land-and-sea tasting menu built on proteins from land and sea with seasonal vegetables, and compositions of fruits, grains, seeds, and nuts. See Ever. Best for: polished, luxurious two-star fine dining with a serious hospitality pedigree.
5. Kasama (Ukrainian Village)
Kasama is the world's first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant, and Tim Flores and Genie Kwon's project was elevated from one star to two in the latest Chicago Guide. By day it is a casual Filipino bakery and counter; by night it becomes an intimate fine-dining room serving a modern Filipino evening tasting menu, threaded with Kwon's pastry-driven canapes and contemporary takes on Filipino classics. See Kasama. Best for: a two-star tasting with genuine originality and a great story.
6. Boka (Lincoln Park)
Boka holds one Michelin star. It pairs refined, seasonally driven contemporary American cooking with polished service in a room of banquettes and mirrored light bulbs, making it one of the more approachable ways into Chicago's starred dining without committing to a multi-hour tasting marathon. See Boka. Best for: a special-occasion dinner that is elegant but not intimidating.
7. Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse (Gold Coast)
Gibsons is the Gold Coast icon that launched a national brand, a clubby Rush Street institution running on old-school power-dining energy since 1989. It butchers its own USDA Certified Prime Gibsons Angus beef, grain-fed for up to 120 days and aged a minimum of 45 days, and the plates people come for are W.R.'s Chicago Cut, the Big Porterhouse, and the macadamia turtle pie. No Michelin status, and it does not need one. See Gibsons. Best for: the definitive Chicago steakhouse night out.
8. Monteverde (West Loop)
Sarah Grueneberg's Monteverde is a Michelin-listed trattoria built around an open, elevated Pastificio where fresh pasta is made throughout service. The must-orders are the Cacio Whey Pepe, the Ragu alla Napoletana with Italian sausage polpettine, the Gnocchetti con Pesto, and whatever seasonal tortellacci is on offer. See Monteverde. Best for: the best handmade pasta in the city at a fair price.
9. Frontera Grill (River North)
Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill is an art-filled regional Mexican cantina and a Michelin Bib Gourmand that has been a Chicago institution since 1987, with a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award to its name. Go for the Frontera ceviche, the carnitas, the Oaxacan black mole, and the table-shaken margaritas. See Frontera Grill. Best for: landmark regional Mexican and one of the best margaritas in town.
10. Girl and the Goat (West Loop)
Stephanie Izard's Girl and the Goat is a Michelin Bib Gourmand and one of the hardest-to-book tables in Chicago, a loud, high-energy room built for shared, bold-flavored small plates. It has been the West Loop's anchor restaurant for over a decade and still books out well in advance. See Girl and the Goat. Best for: a fun, boisterous group dinner over adventurous shared plates.
11. Momotaro (Fulton Market)
Momotaro is a multi-level modern Japanese room, with sushi and robata counters over a subterranean izakaya, led by Chef Partner Gene Kato. The kitchen turns out beef tsukune sliders on a bao bun, negima chicken thigh in a shiso marinade, otoro and Hokkaido uni nigiri, and the Momomaki roll of big eye tuna and spicy octopus, and the downstairs Izakaya keeps going as a late-night lounge. See Momotaro. Best for: robata and sushi with a night-out atmosphere.
12. The Publican (Fulton Market)
Paul Kahan's The Publican is a European-style beer hall centered on a long communal walnut table, an homage to oysters, pork, and beer that has shaped Fulton Market for years. Order the Slagel Family Farm pork rinds with cheddar, malt vinegar and cayenne, The Publican Chicken with beef fat frites, the 60-day dry-aged New York strip, and a run through the raw bar. See The Publican. Best for: a convivial, beer-forward dinner built for sharing.
13. avec (West Loop)
avec is the intimate, wood-clad Mediterranean wine bar that sparked Chicago's small-plates craze back in 2003, and it is still listed in the Michelin Guide. The chorizo-stuffed bacon-wrapped Medjool dates and the deluxe focaccia with taleggio and truffle oil are the enduring classics, backed by wood-oven Mediterranean small plates and southern-European cheeses. See avec. Best for: a lively wine-bar dinner and the city's most famous stuffed dates.
How to choose, fast
- Want the single best meal in the city, cost no object: Smyth (3 stars) or Alinea (2 stars, ticketed).
- Want a two-star tasting with a point of view: Oriole, Ever, or Kasama.
- Want starred dining without a three-hour tasting: Boka (1 star).
- Want the classic Chicago steakhouse: Gibsons.
- Want the best handmade pasta: Monteverde.
- Want regional Mexican and great margaritas: Frontera Grill.
- Want a fun, loud group night: Girl and the Goat or The Publican.
- Want Japanese with energy: Momotaro.
- Want a wine-bar dinner of small plates: avec.
How the booking works
We point you to the right place to book directly, whether that is Tock for the ticketed tasting menus at Smyth and Oriole, OpenTable for rooms like Alinea, Ever, Kasama, Gibsons, Frontera Grill, Momotaro, The Publican, and avec, or Resy for Monteverde.
On the Las Vegas side, our Las Vegas team handles the full nightlife experience end to end: tables, bottle service, and guest-list access at the city's top clubs and dayclubs. Chicago dinner, Vegas night out, we can help plan both.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best restaurant in Chicago?
By the numbers, Smyth. It is the city's only three-Michelin-star restaurant and currently ranked No. 1 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants list. If your idea of best is theater and modernist ambition, Alinea is the other name in the conversation.
Which Chicago restaurants have Michelin stars?
From this guide: Smyth holds three stars, the only three-star in the city. Alinea, Oriole, Ever, and Kasama each hold two stars. Boka holds one star. Girl and the Goat and Frontera Grill are Michelin Bib Gourmand honorees, and Monteverde and avec are also listed in the Michelin Guide.
Is Alinea still a three-star restaurant?
No. Alinea held three Michelin stars from the first Chicago Guide until the 2025 Guide and now holds two in the current Guide. It is still one of the most celebrated dining experiences in the country.
What is the hardest reservation to get in Chicago?
The ticketed tasting menus at Smyth and Alinea release months in advance and sell out fast, and Girl and the Goat books out well ahead. These are the ones worth planning around early, since the ticketed platforms sell out first.
Do I need a tasting menu, or can I order a la carte?
Both exist. Smyth, Alinea, Oriole, Ever, and Kasama are fixed tasting-menu experiences. Gibsons, Monteverde, Frontera Grill, Girl and the Goat, Momotaro, The Publican, and avec let you order plates a la carte and share.
Reserve your Chicago table
Tell us the night, the vibe, and the number of seats, and we will point you to the right room and its booking link.
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