The Top 100 Restaurants Near The Graceful Ordinary
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- San Francisco Chronicle Top Peninsula and South Bay Restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Top San Jose Restaurants
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- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
- Eater The Best Places to Eat in Suburban Chicago
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Rank 10. Tortas Frontera
Mexican
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Rank 13. Johnnie's Beef
Italian Beef American
- Time Out #5 · The 25 best restaurants in Chicago
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
- Eater The Best Places to Eat in Suburban Chicago
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Rank 15. Santa Masa Tamaleria
Mexican
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Danny Espinoza and Jhoana Ruiz
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Best Counter Service
- The Infatuation 2024 · Chicago’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 16. Stumara
Georgian Eastern European
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- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Best Heritage Restaurant
- Eater The Best Places to Eat in Suburban Chicago
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Rank 19. Al Bawadi Grill
Middle Eastern
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Rank 20. Milly's Pizza In The Pan
Pan-style Pizza
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Rank 22. Al Bawadi Grill
Middle Eastern
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
- Eater The Best Places to Eat in Suburban Chicago
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Rank 23. Sol de Mexico
Traditional Mexican
Tropical walls and mariachi set the scene at this Cicero mainstay, where sopes arrive filled with caramelized plantain and house chorizo in vivid abundance. The pollo en mole manchamanteles—its mahogany sauce rich and nutty—justifies the dish's name: tablecloth stainer.
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Rank 26. Hermosa
Cambodian
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- Time Out Chicago Pie · The 18 best pizzas in the world right now
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Best Pizza
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Rank 29. Daisies
Italian
Sunlit and sprawling, Daisies has upgraded into a roomier iteration of itself, keeping its house-made pastas—pappardelle with mushroom ragù, rigatoni with pork ragù and fermented tomato—front and center. The onion dip with house-made ruffles remains essential; a new bakery operation supplies pastries, ice creams, and sorbets that close the meal with intention.
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- The New York Times 2023 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 30. Birrieria Zaragoza
Mexican
A narrow storefront devoted entirely to birria—stewed goat so tender it dissolves on the tongue, served bone-in for maximum savor in consommé or as tacos with handmade corn tortillas. The quesadilla, stuffed with melting cheese and meat, feels almost indulgent in its simplicity. One dish done with absolute conviction.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Time Out #2 · The 25 best restaurants in Chicago
- The Infatuation #18 · The 25 Best Restaurants In Chicago
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Rank 31. Lula Cafe
American
A brick-lined neighborhood corner that fills early and stays full, Lula cycles through seasonal plates with the ease of a place that knows its regulars. The potato 'nduja tart arrives burnished and sharp with aged cheddar; the house-made spaghetti, dressed in pancetta and a sweet-heat chili bean sauce, tastes of real technique applied without pretense. This is comfort that doesn't announce itself.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Outsdanding Hospitality
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
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Rank 32. Mi Tocaya Antojeria
Mexican
Lively chatter and seasonal cocktails fill the dining room at this Logan Square antojeria, where Diana Dávila's menu reclaims lesser-known Aztec traditions—guisado de nopalitos, a fragrant cactus stew with charred chilies and salty fried cheese curds, arrives with warm tortillas. The tacos carry the clarity of Mexico City street food, unpretentious and exact.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Diana Davila
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Diana Dávila
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Rank 33. Scofflaw
Gin-Focused Cocktail Bar
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After years of pop-ups, this neighborhood spot has settled into a playful approach to Indian cooking that freely mixes tradition with invention. Naan arrives topped with jalapeños and mozzarella or folded into a butter chicken calzone; Kerala crab curry and chana chaat hold their own alongside. The warehouse space, with exposed brick and a long bar, feels open and generous.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Zeeshan Shah and Yoshi Yamada
- Eater Chicago’s Best Pizza
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Rank 36. Anelya
Eastern European
In a cozy Avondale dining room, Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim honor Clark's grandmother through meticulously sourced Eastern European fare: green borsch alive with nettles, a zakusky cart of tart roe and seed hummus, butter-glazed pampushky bread. The stuffed cabbage arrives as a study in restraint—locally raised beef, deliberate flavors, no flourish beyond what the ingredients demand.
- Midwest Living 2024 · Best of the Midwest
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation #20 · The 25 Best Restaurants In Chicago
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Rank 39. Akahoshi Ramen
Noodles
- Bon Appétit 2024 · America's Best New Restaurants
- The Infatuation #11 · The 25 Best Restaurants In Chicago
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
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Rank 40. Xocome Antojeria
Handmade Mexican
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Rank 42. Giant
New American
Jason Vincent transforms familiar comfort foods—crab salad, ribs, onion rings—with unexpected flourishes in a cozy, modern-rustic room on Armitage. His thick pici noodles with bacon and jalapeños prove that straightforward ingredients, when treated with precision, need no apology.
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Rank 43. Longman & Eagle
Gastropub
A corner gastropub that looks like a whiskey bar but executes refined dishes—terrines, stroganoffs, omelets with brie—from a tiny hidden kitchen. The daylit cured salmon and breakfast menu rival the cocktails that draw neighborhood regulars through morning until night.
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Rank 45. Kasama
Filipino
Tim Flores and Genie Kwon cook Filipino food with striking originality in a spare room, each dish—mussel adobo, shrimp-paste peanut sauce—arriving as both homage and reinvention. The desserts, particularly a corn semifreddo that riffs on mais con yelo, are equally inventive, suggesting a kitchen where tradition and technique speak the same language.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- 50 Best 2025 · #31 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Best Neighborhood Restaurant
- Bon Appétit 2019 · America's Best New Restaurants
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Rank 47. Cellar Door Provisions
Mediterranean
A sunny corner in Logan Square holds a restaurant content with uncomplicated cooking—tender runner beans with garlic confit, silken duck liver mousse on warm bread—where seasoning lands true and flavors sing without fuss. The breezy dining room welcomes you equally whether you've reserved a table or pulled up to the counter. No pretense, no tweezers, just honest food that knows what it is.
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Rank 48. Smyth
Contemporary
The open kitchen at this chic West Loop tasting room showcases Shields and Urie-Shields' boundary-pushing approach to seasonal produce, some grown on-site. A kelp tart with pea butter and trout roe, or foie gras doughnuts with crab, exemplify their restless creativity.
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Rank 49. Mirra
Fusion
Mirca's kitchen splices Indian and Mexican vocabularies with unguarded confidence, sending out dum biryani with lamb barbacoa and scallop ceviche in crispy fenugreek roti alongside housemade achar and salsa tatemado that taste like they belong together. A young crowd packed elbow-to-elbow under exposed brick and ambient noise confirms what the food already knows: restraint has no place here.
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Midwest Living 2025 · Best of the Midwest
- The New York Times 2025 · Chaas Aguachile · The Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S.
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Rank 50. Bokeh
Cocktail Bar
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Rank 51. Andros Taverna
Greek
A handsome Greek taverna near Logan Square where mezze platters and grilled lamb chops emerge from a wood-burning oven with equal care. The wine list ranges across Greek regions, and custard pie with phyllo provides an impressive finale.
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Rank 52. Ever
Creative
On a hushed corner of Fulton Market, Curtis Duffy orchestrates an austere dining room where every element—light, spacing, plating—answers to a larger vision. The food arrives as disciplined architecture: technically assured, visually composed, each plate a study in structure and restraint.
- AAA Five Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Fine Dining Experience
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Chef Otto Phan's 10-seat omakase strips down to nigiri alone, with fish cut large and pressed onto generous rice mounds that feel substantial rather than precious. The tamago finishes silky; the prices and beverage list suggest a counter confident enough to skip pretension.
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Rank 54. Union
American
A warm, wood-lined gastropub that balances comfort food with creative touches, from spicy baby gem salad to shawarma-spiced chicken. Regulars camp at the bar under Edison bulbs while the kitchen keeps cheeseburgers and fried cheese curds turning.
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Rank 55. Lardon
Salumeria Italian
A converted butcher shop where whole-animal charcuterie hangs in plain sight, Lardon arranges house-cured pork across wooden boards and soft bread with the precision of a craftsman's inventory. The honeycomb floors and visible curing chamber anchor an old-world Chicago sensibility that extends from midday salumeria to weekend bistro fare.
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Rank 56. Jimmy's Pizza Cafe
NY-Style Pizza
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Rank 57. Table, Donkey and Stick
Alpine German
A rustic Alpine tavern on Armitage where communal tables and an inviting bar set the stage for whimsical cooking that refuses convention. The grilled lamb shoulder towers over creamy lentils; choucroute garni's beef richness yields to sauerkraut purée; pretzel ice cream sits atop jalapeño caramel. Creative dissonance runs through every course, from charcuterie to dessert.
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Rank 58. Paulie Gee's Logan Square
NY-Style Pizza
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Rank 59. Osteria Langhe
Piedmontese Italian
A glass-fronted garage space on Armitage glows with bare bulbs and wood tables where Piedmontese cooking unfolds with quiet confidence. Thin ribbons of poached beef drift in tonnato; house-made tajarin, eggy and abundant, swirls with ragù; hand-pinched ravioli cradles creamy la tur. A neighborhood fixture that earns its steady crowds through unfussy execution and genuine hospitality.
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Rank 60. Middle Brow
Tavern-Style
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Rank 61. Thattu
Coastal Indian
- Eater 2023 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times 2023 · The Restaurant List
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
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Rank 62. Milly’s Pizza In The Pan
Pan-style Pizza
- Time Out Chicago Pie · The 18 best pizzas in the world right now
- The Infatuation #23 · The 25 Best Restaurants In Chicago
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Best Pizza
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Rank 63. Brasero
South American
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Wine Enthusiast 2024 · Forward 50 Restaurants
- Time Out #23 · The 25 best restaurants in Chicago
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Garlic smoke rises from the rice cooker each time the door swings open at this narrow Filipino spot, once a food stall, now a compact temple to pork—crispy belly hash, herb-marinated cuts, sausage. Steelhead trout in burnt tomato and tamarind broth offers brief reprieve; a fried plantain spring roll dusted with brown sugar closes the meal like a handheld brûlée.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Joe Fontelera
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 65. Soul & Smoke
Chicago
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Rank 66. Ina Mae
Southern
A sprawling New Orleans tavern anchors a corner of Wicker Park with a three-deep bar and the restless energy of a place that knows what it does. The gumbo and po'boys arrive honest and sturdy, but it's the Nashville fried chicken—a staff obsession—that reveals the kitchen's true ambition.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Mark Domitrovich, Brian Jupiter, and Aaron Torricelli - Pioneer Tavern Group
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 67. Galit
Modern Middle Eastern
Inside a modest storefront, Zach Engel's modern Middle Eastern cooking unfolds through a prix-fixe of diners' choosing, opening with creamy hummus, warm pita, and pickles that establish the evening's warmth. The falafel carries unexpected brightness, wines from the Levantine region flow with purpose, and the whole operation hums with genuine hospitality.
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- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
- Eater The Best Places to Eat in Suburban Chicago
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- Time Out #20 · The 25 best restaurants in Chicago
- The Banchets 2025 · Nominee · Rising Chef · John Dahlstrom
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Rank 70. Maxwells Trading
Contemporary
A converted warehouse in West Loop fills nightly with the sound of conversation ricocheting off black-framed windows and an almost endless bar, its kitchen playing confidently with Japanese, Chinese, and Thai influences across dishes like soup dumpling tortellini and turbot with kombu beurre blanc. The rooftop garden feeds the plates; the bartenders fuel the momentum.
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Christopher Jung and Erling Wu-Bower
- Wine Enthusiast 2025 · Top 50 New Restaurants
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Rank 71. Le Bouchon
Lyonnaise French
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Nicolas Poilevey and Oliver Poilevey
- The Banchets 2025 · Winner · Best Neighborhood Restaurant
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Rank 72. The English Room
Continental
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Rank 73. Redhot Ranch
Chicago-Style American
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An alleyway corner in Ukrainian Village where hanging plants frame a scatter of garden tables and Chef Noah Sandoval's pan pizzas arrive charred and purposeful. The soppressata square with Castelvetrano olives and maitake mushrooms tastes like someone finally got the ratio right.
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Rank 76. Elske
Contemporary
The Posey's airy dining room and garden patio set a calm stage for cooking that honors ingredients with Danish-inflected restraint. Duck liver tart with salted ramp, composed vegetable plates, and gently handled proteins move across the season; desserts—shaped by Anna Posey's visual arts background—balance considered composition with simplicity. A thoughtful wine and juice program follows.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Anna Posey
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
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Rank 77. Vito & Nick's
Tavern-style Pizza
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Rank 78. Oceanique
Global
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Rank 80. Creepies
French
Stone and wood walls hold art above black-and-white tile, where David and Anna Posey's bistro unfolds with French discipline and Midwestern warmth. A halibut arrives with sauce homard and dumplings; a gnocchi swims in gruyere and egg yolk—restrained cooking that asks nothing more of itself than clarity.
- Esquire 2025 · Vesper · The Best Martinis in America
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation 2025 · #9 · Chicago’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 81. Boka
Modern New American
Lee Wolen's dining room—all banquettes, mirrored fixtures, quiet confidence—sustains its reputation through unwavering technique and seasonal rigor. Hokkaido scallops arrive with green garlic purée and aerated sabayon; house-made ricotta gnocchetti swims in cream beneath crispy chicken skin. A restaurant that has earned its steadiness.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Lee Wolen
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Rank 82. Lilac Tiger
Cocktail Bar
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. Central
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Chicago
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Rank 83. Pizz’amici
Tavern-Style Pizza
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation 2025 · #10 · The Top-Rated New Restaurants
- Eater Best New Pizzeria · The 2025 Eater Chicago Award Winners
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Rank 84. Bisous
Parisian
- 50 Best 2026 · #30 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Esquire 2024 · The Best Bars in America
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Top 10 U.S. Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
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Rank 85. La Chaparrita
Mexican
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Rank 86. Nadu
Regional Indian
Chef Sujan Sarkar's Nadu serves contemporary regional Indian cuisine designed for sharing, with meen gassi—walleye in coconut and tamarind curry—standing out as a richly spiced centerpiece. The warm, upbeat dining room welcomes walk-ins at the bar, though reservations help secure a table for the vegetable moilee and other dishes meant for the whole table.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- Eater 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 87. Spacca Napoli Pizzeria
Neapolitan Pizza
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Rank 88. Sepia
New American
A former print shop on Jefferson Street holds a dining room where exposed brick and floor-to-ceiling wine racks frame Chef Andrew Zimmerman's restless intelligence. His brioche with black truffle and leek velouté, his sablefish with barbecue spice and smoked apple, suggest a cook equally at home in Southeast Asia, Korea, and the American South.
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Rank 89. Ghin Khao
Northern Thai
At this sibling-run Northern Thai spot, hip-hop thrums beneath murals while the kitchen balances heat, salt, sweet, and acid with precision. Fishcakes arrive crunchy with herb salad; nam khao tod layers crispy rice with chicken, pork skin, ginger, and cilantro. BYOB transforms modest ambitions into proper feasting.
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Rank 91. Schubas Tavern
Chicago
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Rank 92. Coda Di Volpe
Southern Italian
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Rank 94. Monteverde
Italian
The pasta station anchors this narrow room where Chef Sarah Grueneberg executes the fundamentals of cucina tipica with quiet precision. Cabbage leaves give way to cacio e pepe made luminous with whey, each strand of al dente pasta coated in Pecorino and cracked pepper—the kind of cooking that fills the counter by early evening.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Bailey Sullivan
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #4 · The 25 best restaurants in Chicago
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Rank 95. The Perch
American
A whitewashed storefront gives way to an industrial dining room lined with steel brewing vats—the real draw here. The kitchen turns out filet sliders with blue cheese and caramelized onions, grilled fish sandwiches with house-made remoulade, and a carrot cake that lands soft and generous on the plate. Beer is taken seriously enough that tastings guide your order.
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Rank 97. il Carciofo
Roman Italian
- Condé Nast Traveler 2024 · The best new restaurants in the world
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Frank Callero, Joe Flamm, and Steven Zaleski - Day Off Group
- The Infatuation 2025 · #10 · Chicago’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 98. Rose Mary
Croatian Eastern European
Chef Joe Flamm's Rose Mary channels the rustic warmth of Croatian konobas through whitewashed walls and hanging plants in West Fulton Market. Charcoal-fired lamb and delicate rosewater fritule anchor a menu drawing from the Adriatic with assured restraint.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Frank Callero, Joe Flamm, and Steven Zaleski - Day Off Group
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. Central
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 99. The Loyalist
French
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. Central
- Time Out #18 · The 25 best restaurants in Chicago
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
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