The Top 69 Places to Eat Near PostBoy
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Rank 6. Virtue
Southern
A Bib Gourmand Southern restaurant anchoring Hyde Park, where the university crowd comes to eat properly instead of grabbing something fast. The room has a real bar and a dining room that actually looks like someone tried, and the kitchen turns out Southern cooking that feels both considered and genuinely comforting. The kind of place where you leave full in a way that takes planning. Dress like you have somewhere to be afterward.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Winner · Emerging Chef · Damarr Brown
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Winner · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Erick Williams
- Food & Wine 2025 · The Top 15 US Restaurants
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Rank 7. Indienne
Modern Indian
Michelin-starred modern Indian fine dining on a quiet River North block, where the tasting menu arrives looking like gallery pieces and somehow still manages to taste like home cooking from across the subcontinent. The room pulls off warehouse bones alongside white tablecloths and rose-pink booths without breaking a sweat, which tells you exactly who's in it: people dressed up enough to feel the occasion but too cool to admit they're impressed.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Sujan Sarkar
- Esquire 2022 · #36 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 8. Topolobampo
Mexican
Rick Bayless is one of those celebrity chefs even non-food people actually know, and Topolobampo is where he does his finest work. It's a proper fine dining room on the more dressed-up end of Chicago's restaurant scene, built around seasonal Mexican cooking that takes tradition seriously without getting stiff about it. The agave spirits pairing is genuinely worth doing. The crowd runs dressed-up date-night to special-occasion regulars who know exactly what they're ordering.
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Rank 9. Asador Bastian
Basque-inspired Steakhouse
Basque-style grilling doesn't have a lot of outposts in the Midwest, but Asador Bastian makes a serious case for Chicago as a place that gets it. This is a chophouse built around fire, aged beef, and the kind of quiet confidence that doesn't need to announce itself. The crowd tends toward people who've thought about where their steak came from. Ranked among the top steak restaurants in North America, and it shows.
- World's 101 Best #15 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
- Esquire 2025 · Dirty Dirty · The Best Martinis in America
- Esquire 2023 · The Spanglish · The Best Martinis in America
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Rank 10. Oliver’s
Seafood
Tucked along S Wabash, Oliver's is a cozy neighborhood seafood spot that somehow feels like a Hollywood set decorator raided a 1930s studio lot. The room is small and warm, with paintings on the walls and cushioned chairs that make everyone look slightly more glamorous than they are. The kitchen keeps things unfussy, letting quality ingredients do the talking with just enough global influence to keep things interesting. Save room for dessert.
- Artful Living 2025 · The Top 5 Most Stylish Restaurants in America
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 11. Shanghai Terrace
Chinese
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
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Rank 12. Moody Tongue
Contemporary
A Michelin-starred tasting menu perched above a working brewery, where the beer pairing isn't an afterthought but the whole point. The kitchen turns out genuinely ambitious contemporary food, and the house-crafted brews keep pace with every course in a way that makes wine pairing feel a little old-fashioned. The room is dark, close, and quietly serious, full of people who did their research and dressed accordingly.
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Rank 13. Obélix
French
A white-tablecloth French bistro in River North that leans into the rich stuff without apology, duck and foie gras appearing on the menu more often than most places dare. Everything is made in-house, the dining room is loud and bright, and the crowd dresses up just enough to match the seafood towers landing on nearby tables. Even brunch skips the egg-white omelet crowd entirely, which tells you everything.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation #12 · The 25 Best Restaurants In Chicago
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Rank 14. Calumet Fisheries
Seafood
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Rank 16. Brindille
French
- AAA Four Diamonds
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Best Hospitality
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
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Rank 18. Tre Dita
Tuscan Italian
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. Central
- The Banchets 2025 · Winner · Best Design
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Rank 20. Chef's Table at Astor Club
Contemporary New American
Ten seats, one seating, everyone eating together inside a private members club on the Gold Coast. Chef's Table at Astor Club runs a tasting menu that leans into luxury without taking itself too seriously, and the room feels like a dinner party thrown by someone with very good taste and a serious pantry. You don't need a membership, just a reservation, which is harder to get than you'd think.
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Rank 21. Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern
Cajun & Creole
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Best Neighborhood Restaurant
- The Infatuation #19 · The 25 Best Restaurants In Chicago
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Rank 22. Miru
Japanese
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Rank 24. Maple & Ash
Steakhouse
This Gold Coast steakhouse doubles as a party, which is either your scene or it isn't, but it probably is. Wood-fired dry-aged steaks are the main event, though the seafood holds its own too. The room runs multilevel with leather couches, clubby music, and a photo booth, so dress accordingly. First-daters, birthday tables, and people who definitely expensed it fill the place out nicely.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Top 10 U.S. Nominee · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. Central
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Rank 28. Frontera Grill
Regional Mexican
Rick Bayless built his reputation here, and the Bib Gourmand backs it up. This is a lively sit-down spot in River North where the margaritas get shaken tableside and the menu chases regional Mexican cooking you won't find at your average taqueria. The molés alone take days to make. The room is loud and warm in all the right ways, packed with people who came for a real meal and stayed for another round.
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Rank 29. Bavette's Bar & Boeuf
Steakhouse
Bavette's nails the thing most steakhouses get wrong: it actually feels fun. Think speakeasy, not expense account, with exposed brick, mismatched lighting, and leather sofas packed with people who are clearly having a better night than wherever you almost went instead. The steaks are expertly done, the raw bar holds its own, and the room is loud enough that nobody hears you order the steak frites twice.
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Rank 31. Apolonia
Contemporary Mediterranean
- The Banchets 2025 · Winner · Sommelier of the Year · Jelena Prodan
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Chef of the Year · Stephen Gillanders
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Rank 32. Gilt Bar
American
Gilt Bar is a dark, grown-up gastrobar in River North that's been setting the moody-basement-tavern standard for years. The front bar does cocktails with quiet confidence, while the back room, all studded leather and warm light, fills up with the kind of crowd that orders the pot pie and somehow also finds room for a slab of carrot cake. Big flavors, Bib Gourmand prices, zero pretension.
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Rank 33. Ciccio Mio
Italian
Ciccio Mio is a Bib Gourmand-winning Italian-American spot that leans hard into the throwback fantasy, checkered tablecloths and all, without being cheesy about it. The Hogsalt group behind it knows how to throw a party, and the portions prove it. Pastas are made in-house, the chicken is coal-roasted, and the tiramisu is the kind of dessert that makes you cancel your next thing. Dress like you mean it, but not too much.
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Rank 34. Sifr
Wood-Fired Middle Eastern
Sifr is a wood-fired Middle Eastern spot in River North where the whole table becomes a landscape of dips, grilled plates, and things you'll quietly refuse to share. The hummus alone, topped with charred chickpeas and zhoug, is worth the trip, and everything coming off the grill backs it up. It's casual enough for a weeknight but the food earns its Bib Gourmand. End with the house-made ice cream and you'll leave annoyingly satisfied.
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Rank 36. Les Nomades
Haute French
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Rank 37. Acanto
Italian
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Rank 38. NoMI Kitchen
French
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Rank 39. Ocean Grill & Bar
Vietnamese
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Rank 40. Bazaar Meat
Spanish-Influenced Steakhouse
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Rank 41. Soul & Smoke
Chicago-Style Barbecue
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Rank 42. Avec River North
Midwestern Mediterranean
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Mediterranean Cuisine Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
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Rank 43. Yao Yao
Sichuan Chinese
Chinatown's go-to spot for pickled fish, and yes, that's a whole restaurant built around one dish. Yao Yao does Sichuan-style sour, funky, fiery fish in a way that makes you wonder why more places aren't doing this. The room fills with families who came specifically for the extra-large pot and aren't messing around. Grab a front table to watch the kitchen, order some wontons in chili oil on the side, and accept that you'll be thinking about it for days.
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Rank 44. Tzuco
Mexican
Tzuco is a buzzy, upscale Mexican restaurant on State Street where Carlos Gaytán, a genuinely big deal in Chicago's food world, turns out dishes that feel rooted in tradition but quietly inventive. The room is warm and handsome, ceramics and earth tones everywhere, and the energy matches the crowd: date-night couples, groups who look like they planned this weeks out. Grab the chef's counter if you can and let the kitchen lead.
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Seafood-forward chophouse energy on Rush Street, where the room is loud, the portions are absurd, and the white linen somehow feels unpretentious. Mounted swordfish on the walls, dark wood everywhere, and a bar scene that holds its own. Order the stone crab claws and whatever family-style side sounds most ridiculous. The crowd is old Chicago money mixed with tourists who dressed up a little, and everyone leaves very full.
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Rank 46. RPM Steak
Steakhouse
RPM Steak is the kind of upscale steakhouse where everyone looks like they just closed a deal and dressed for it. The bi-level room is all marble, dark wood, and low light, with a wraparound bar at the center and semicircular booths that are worth angling for. The menu runs from Japanese cuts to American classics, the wine list is serious, and the steaks are the reason you came.
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Rank 47. Prime & Provisions
Steakhouse
A big, loud steakhouse that earns every bit of its swagger, Prime & Provisions is where finance guys loosen their ties and pretend they're in a Scorsese film. The barrel-vaulted ceilings, chandelier light, and a two-story wine tower set the tone immediately. Dry-aged beef is the whole point, the room is genuinely dramatic, and the bacon starter alone is worth the trip. Dress sharp and bring a group.
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Rank 48. Chicago Cut
Steakhouse
A proper riverfront steakhouse where the beef is butchered and dry-aged in-house, so you're not just paying for the view, though the Chicago River backdrop doesn't hurt. The room is all leather and warm wood, packed with suits who've loosened their ties and the occasional power couple splitting a bone-in something. Sides are exactly what you want them to be, the wine list is serious, and the service knows what it's doing.
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Rank 50. Birrieria Ocotlan
Mexican
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Rank 51. etc.
Southern
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Rank 56. Gavroche
Modern French
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Rank 57. JM Seafood
Seafood
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- VinePair 2025 · Food & Beverage Program of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- The Pinnacle Guide 2026 · 1 Pin
- 50 Best 2026 · #27 · North America's 50 Best Bars
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Rank 62. Amorino
Italian Dessert
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Rank 63. Bar Sótano
Modern Mexican
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Rank 64. Sugar Shack
Dessert
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