With two smokers to prep meaty St. Louis-style and baby back ribs, tender brisket, and apple-and-oak-smoked pulled pork, this destination in the Northwest Side neighborhood of Irving Park delivers barbecue with nods to Kansas City, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee. During the pandemic, owner Barry Sorkin expanded takeout and outdoor dining options, including a patio in the former parking lot.

Superkhana International might not be what diners immediately think of when they’re looking for a great burger and outstanding pizza topped with the freshest veggies of the season. The restaurant’s backbone is Indian cooking, and diners will detect the familiar spices that make subcontinental cuisine unique. But this isn’t Tata’s Indian American restaurant. The pork vindaloo is sublime, almost a deconstructed version of the dish. The brunch might be the best in town with appam, the Indian griddle cakes, spiked with fresh produce such as asparagus, green garlic, and pea shoots. It’s a classic veggie option that can be made more appealing for carnivores by adding bacon. The Hakka noodles are fresh — the best version of the Indian Chinese classic that Chicagoans will be able to find. The chefs at Superkhana are finding their groove, with glorious butter chicken calzones and palak paneer pizza — and reminding diners that Indian food is about much more than heat.

Chicago thin-crust pizza is having a moment, with the city’s pizza-makers eager to defy the notion that this is only a deep-dish town. (Settle down, deep-dish fans. The thick slices are still awesome.) Pat’s Pizza in Lincoln Park — which moved from its original Lakeview location after a fire — has a storied history of popularizing tavern-style pies, and sports some of the crispiest, thinnest pizzas around. This family-owned spot uses its own sausage blend, which also helps set this place apart. Pies are available for carryout, delivery, and patio and indoor dining.

Chef and owner Jason Hammel continues to keep community at the forefront of operations at Lula Cafe, which has, since 1999, endeared itself to many in Logan Square as a welcoming space for new American cuisine. This is an all-day cafe with fresh-baked pastries and a stellar breakfast burrito. At night, the deep wine list accompanies dishes like roast chicken, beet bruschetta, and summer squash with Santa Rosa plums, Tropea onions, and basil. Find a seat at the bar and enjoy oysters and snacks like chicken liver mousse. Pick up a copy of Hammel’s new cookbook on your way out. Lula won a 2024 James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality.

It’s hard for Chicago hot dog stands to differentiate themselves, as most of them use the same product: dependable Vienna Beef. But Redhot Ranch has managed to stand out. First, it uses sausage with natural casings. This provides the dogs with a unique bite, snappier than the Oscar Mayers that many Americans grew up eating. The stand also serves Depression dogs, the Chicago variant that comes with French fries in the bun. The griddle burgers are also of note. There are few meals as satisfying late at night. Redhot Ranch has locations in Lakeview and Bucktown, and 35th Street Red Hots, near Sox Park in Bridgeport, is from the same owners and has an identical menu.

Chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas’s fine dining institution is one of two Chicago restaurants with a full three-star rating from Michelin. Inside the luxurious Lincoln Park dining room, expect a sensory overload. Achatz uses heavily scented citrus, smoke, and other smells to provide diners with a theatrical experience, and servers present dishes as though they were works of art. With a dinner for two running close to $1,000 with wine pairings, Alinea is the restaurant that appears most frequently on Chicagoans’ bucket lists.

The best example of Chicago’s iconic Italian beef sandwich exists outside of the city at the two suburban locations of Johnnie’s Beef. The original space in Elmwood Park is a relic that first opened in 1961 (there’s also a second location in Arlington Heights). The menu is simple: beefs (the monosyllabic term locals use for Italian beef sandwiches), charcoal-grilled Italian sausages, and hot dogs. The thin-cut beef is perfectly seasoned with hints of oregano. The hot peppers deliver plenty of heat without overwhelming the meat. Don’t sleep on the beef-sausage sandwich, which combines tender slices with a robust sausage. Pepper-and-egg sandwiches are also available daily; they’re mostly aimed at Catholic customers who need a meat-free option on Lent Fridays. For dessert, there’s a stellar lemon Italian ice. While the city has plenty of beef options, Johnnie’s is worth the drive to the burbs.

Although 2020 was a challenging time to open a restaurant, the pandemic couldn’t stop the husband-and-wife team of Tim Flores and Genie Kwon. Kasama was one of the year’s true bright spots, and one of Eater’s 11 Best New Restaurants in America for 2021. Kwon handles the amazing pastries, like an eclair-shaped danish topped with serrano ham or salmon, while Flores prepares Filipino dishes for breakfast and brunch, including spins on lumpia and rice plates with tocino (roasted char siu-like pork) and longganisa (sausage). Kasama broke real ground when it introduced a fine dining dinner menu, one of the few Filipino tasting menus in the country, which immediately became one of the hottest tickets in town. The pair won a James Beard Award in 2023 for Best Chef: Great Lakes.

Joe Flamm and his partners went big in Fulton Market, opening a meticulously designed restaurant that’s become a destination for out-of-towners who know Flamm from his Top Chef win. But Rose Mary, described as “Adriatic drinking food,” is also locally beloved for its European notes that fuse Italian, Croatian, and Midwestern sensibilities. The pastas would be at home at Spiaggia, one of the best Italian restaurants in Chicago before it closed, where Flamm cut his teeth. The ribs have a sticky sauce that breeds a familiarity to those who grew up on both the Southwest or Northwest sides. Try the cevapi, a Balkan-style sausage. The octopus, cooked over a wood grill, is perfect. There’s a great energy in the restaurant, which also offers a seasonal tasting table during the warmer months. Reservations are a must for the latter.

Let’s do a favor for Ever’s PR team: unlike at the end of Season 3 of The Bear, the real Ever continues to serve patrons. Chef Curtis Duffy became a superstar when he opened his first award-winning restaurant, Grace, on Randolph Street, and he’s brought that energy a few blocks west to Fulton Market, where Ever opened in 2020. Duffy is offering only one tasting menu (vegetarians will be accommodated), but he remains committed to showing off precise techniques with playful execution. Case in point: artfully cut ribbons of freeze-dried hamachi. Fine dining tends to be polarizing, but for folks who want a meal with a dash of theatrics, Ever fulfills that niche better than any Chicago restaurant. It’s so synonymous with fine dining that a semi-fictionalized version of the restaurant had a starring role in seasons 2 and 3 of The Bear. Just note that this is one of the most expensive meals in Chicago.

The first restaurant from former Top Chef and Spiaggia chef Sarah Grueneberg has quickly cemented itself as one of Chicago’s top Italian destinations. The pastas are the stars at this West Loop hot spot, and customers can see cooks hard at work behind the counter rolling out dough and creating delectable noodles. The restaurant’s pandemic takeout menu remains, but the dining room offers lively options like whole-bird chicken Parm. There’s also a notable gluten-free menu.

HaiSous in Pilsen is a remarkable comeback story for Thai and Danielle Dang after they survived financial fraud at their previous restaurant, Embeya. Now they’re free to focus on food and hospitality. Thai Dang, a native of Vietnam, uses a number of techniques from back home, including clay pot cooking, to create a menu that’s as ambitious as it is unpretentious, with dishes like grilled wild boar with lemongrass. Danielle Dang’s expertise with cocktails should be better recognized, as she pairs drinks to complement her husband’s two tasting menus. Customers can also order a la carte.

Chicago’s Mexican community and food enthusiasts worldwide flock to this longtime family-owned counter-service institution in Pilsen that celebrates all parts of the pig. Order carnitas by the pound at the front counter and settle into a table — if one is available — to craft your own individual tacos with a mix of salsas, tortillas, and beans, or order tacos, soup, and cactus salad ready-made. Prepare for lines and waits during peak weekend hours.

Head to the Southwest Side near Midway International Airport for goat that isn’t labeled as the latest food trend. There’s a simple menu packed with deep flavors here. The handmade tortillas and accouterments form the foundation of a signature Chicago meal. This family-run restaurant is takeout-only. Get there early, as it often closes by early evening A second location recently opened in Uptown near Broadway and Lawrence. It’a been a favorite for cast members of The Bear.

Chicago restaurant veteran Erick Williams has finally launched the restaurant he’s been dreaming of opening. Williams is intent on smashing all expectations for Southern food, and hopes to give diners a new perspective on Black cuisine. If customers want lighter fare, there are dishes like cauliflower with cashew dukkah and root cellar vegetables. For richer appetites, the beef short ribs with creamed spinach and crushed potatoes satisfy. Williams won the James Beard Award in 2022 for Best Chef: Great Lakes. One of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in 2019, Virtue has claimed its place as an iconic Chicago eatery. As Williams takes a step back to manage other restaurants, he’s trusted Virtue to protege Damarr Brown. All Brown did in 2023 was win the James Beard Award for emerging chef.

Chicago’s legendary aquarium-style smokers are on display at Lem’s, underneath a giant lighted sign off 75th Street. This small shack specializes in sauced baby back ribs and giant hot links. Chicago is credited with creating the practice of serving rib tips slathered with sauce, and this is the place to give newbies an introduction.

It’s hard to break the hold of habit and branding, as seen every weekend with tourists crowding into Chicago’s fine downtown deep-dish establishments, waiting hours to be fed. For those not interested in those pomp and circumstances there’s Milly’s Pizza in the Pan in Uptown. Milly’s began during the pandemic in a Humboldt Park ghost kitchen but recently moved to a permanent location on the North Side — with an obscene delivery zone. Robert Maleski is a one-man operation, churning out artisanal pies with quality ingredients and that “burnt” ring of caramelized cheese around the edges. While deep dish is polarizing, Maleski’s methods restore that magic of eating it for the first time. Even the most stubborn hater will find love for Milly’s. A second location recently opened in suburban Berwyn.

Obelix tells one of the purest Chicago stories. The restaurant is run by a pair of brothers, French Americans who watched their parents run some of the city’s most successful French restaurants in town (Le Bouchon, La Sardine). With Obelix, Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey have taken the lessons their dear parents have bestowed and added their perspective as city dwellers: find massive seafood towers, a taco with foie gras, and a decadent beef Wellington. The traditional French staples (gooey French onion soup) remain. But this bistro has a comfortable and modern feel, blending several culinary traditions to create a true French Chicago restaurant, a unique experience for any Francophile.

One of Chicago’s most thrilling dining experiences comes from secret Edgewater locale. Don Young retains the title of “youngest chef to preside over a Michelin-starred kitchen” as he worked at West Town’s Michelin-starred (now shuttered) Temporis when the restaurant earned the honor. He’s puttered around town, most recently at Venteux, before creating his own endeavor. Duck Sel, yes a pun the mushroom, is a fine dining pop-up that allows the chef to demonstrate his mastery of many techniques with his trademark playfulness. It’s a throwback to the type of underground pop-ups that launched the careers of many, and it’s ideal for a special night out. Tickets go onsite bi-monthly. Young says he’s content with the pop-up but would eventually like to open his own restaurant.

There are a lot of steakhouses in Chicago, catering to what Midwesterners are supposed to love. Meat and potatoes are fine, but most steakhouses offer the same offerings and ambiance, catering to the expense account crowd. Boeufhaus is the antidote to that pablum. The menu is tight, but the quality is abundant. Customers will find three to four steaks a day (most are dry-aged, while the New York strip is wet-aged). The wine list stars and matches the dry-aged funk of the meat. Cured seafood, vivacious veggie side dishes, and killer cocktails with welcoming service are all hallmarks. There’s no sous vide meat here and it’s not a cheap meal by any stretch, but unlike most of the downtown steakhouses, customers won’t leave here bloated and bored. The food and service set a new mark for a neighborhood restaurant. The downtown landmarks are great, but Boeufhaus is for a more sophisticated guest, not just the bros who are paying off a bet with a steak dinner.

Restaurants can relocate for a variety of reasons. The objective for chef Joe Frillman and his team at Daisies was boalstering their mission of celebrating midwestern comfort foods, a genre that includes fresh-made pasta, creative preparation of vegetables, and esoteric items like French onion dip with fresh-fried potato chips. Since moving into a larger space, Daisies has been packed for dinner. During the day, the spacious dining room might be the best place to work from home with plenty of outlets, strong coffee, and an avalanche of pastries from ace baker Leigh Omilinsky. Omilinsky is also a partner in the operation and the genius behind the can’t-miss desserts, right down to the gelato. Lunch service has also returned including a decadent cheesesteak. Some restaurants are spread too thin and don’t really excel in one category. But Daisies has kept its team intact, for the most part (they’ve been overly transparent with their service fees, using it for good, not evil), and that allows them to actually be really good at more than one thing. It’s a family-friendly all-day restaurant with a fun wine list. One of the city’s most unique spots and worth leaving Downtown Chicago to visit.

John and Karen Shields have brought their vision to life in Chicago, pushing fine dining boundaries delivering an extravagant tasting menu. The techniques, ingredients, and service are all top notch, and they are one of a handful of restaurants that have attained a full three-star rating from the Michelin Guide. Developing close relationships with purveyors all of the Midwest, Smyth dishes out creative dishes with fantastic produce in one of Chicago’s most expensive meals.

Reboots are cliched in the restaurant world, but Lilac Tiger in Wicker Park isn’t a reboot, it represents a rebirth. The front was the casual space where Zubair Mohaijir found a home for his wandering pop-up Wazwan which specialized in sandwiches and Desi American food (South Asian burgers, fried chicken sandwiches). Mohajir bought his investors out, secured a liquor license, and partnered with a few new folks to relaunch the space as a casual restaurant with mean cocktails. The food is a melange of South Indian Muslim food, something that doesn’t get much recognition in America. You’ll find wonderful bar bites like beef nihari momos, chicken nuggets, and spicy burgers. Take special note of the Chettinad Masala, which comes with a choice of chicken, mushroom, or paneer. The mushroom version is the best rice dish in Chicago — a comforting mouthful of perfectly spiced masala, tender mushroom, and basmati rice. The back area is home to the Coach House, Mohajir’s reservation-only tasting menu restaurant where he shows off his large ambition, whether that’s ancient duck recipes or melding Mexican and Indian flavors.

Esme won’t be for everyone. Jenner Tomaska and his wife Katrina Bravo have transformed a corner Lincoln Park space into a gallery where they can showcase local visual artists on a rotating basis. And the commitment extends to the tasting menu which often incorporates the artist either through the plating or another esoteric manner. There’s playfulness for this special occasion spot, which aims to show that working-class Chicago can feel comfortable in an upscale scenario full of sauce dots. A recent menu includes dover sole, unusually presented as a rack akin to lamb. But the elegance remained. Tomaska is a Chicago native and Alinea Group. The lineage is apparent, but the chef is keen on giving customers more than just an onslaught of course. He wants to trick them into actually taking away something extra with their meals. 

The Duck Inn is the ultimate neighborhood restaurant, a family-friendly place that Bridgeport locals could regularly visit — to nosh on Italian beef and duck fat-infused hot dogs while drinking a cold brew. But with special dishes like rotisserie duck, the restaurant also caters to special occasions thanks to chef Kevin Hickey’s fine dining edge. The cocktail and wine list is not just great in general, but it’s also one of the best to find a good drink on the South Side and that scarcity makes the restaurant even more remarkable. 

What grew from a burger pop-up to a residency inside the Long Room, one of Chicago’s best bars, has turned into a community staple in Edgewater. This is an old-school pub that great for groups and families (at least during the day). The food is well-thought-out, but the wild card is the relationship with Honeypie, a venerable Milwaukee pie shop that opened in 2009. Honeypie operates in Chicago via a storefront in front of Beard & Belly, and customers can order whole pies to take home. Slices are also available at Beard & Belly, and are available late; a high-potent stout or bourbon often makes an ideal late-night pairing. The fruit and cream pies rotate and there’s not a stinker in the bunch. So if your group is split between sweet and savory — and they’d like to get out of their house for a nocturnal beverage — Beard & Belly is a prime choice.

This Humboldt Park cafe opened in 2006 and has provided the Puerto Rican community with a delicious destination. Menu highlights include the addicting avena de coco (sweet coconut oatmeal) and jibaritos (the sandwiches served between fried plantains and stuffed with lettuce, tomato, garlic, and protein; try it with an egg for breakfast). The space is family-friendly and welcoming. There’s also a full espresso bar. This is the antidote to North Side brunches where impatient customers and frustrated workers combine to create an uncomfortable atmosphere. Nellie’s is above that with courteous service, well-seasoned food, and affordable prices.

One of two shacks for smoked seafood left in Chicago, Calumet Fisheries has inspired generations to visit the South Side for salmon, shrimp, and other delights. A throwback where customers order takeout and either eat at home or in their cars, this restaurant is a James Beard America’s Classic winner and recently reopened after a fire. Calumet Fisheries is an escape from urban life and a destination for tourists and locals alike.