The Best Pan-Asian Food in Chicago
Sections
- Eat , on. Can't turn off the last section 606
- Drink , off. Turn on 98 Only Drink
- Stay , off. Turn on 38 Only Stay
- Do , off. Turn on 6 Only Do
Tap another section to add it. All sections
The best pan-Asian food in Chicago, according to the experts: The Banchets, the James Beard Awards, and Wine Enthusiast have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Maxwells Trading comes out on top.
More Less
Eater and the Michelin Guide show up on more of this list than any other guide.
-
Rank 1. Maxwells Trading
Pan-Asian
Soup dumpling tortellini is either a great idea or a cry for help, and at Maxwells Trading it reads as the former. This contemporary restaurant in the West Loop packs a converted warehouse, where the bar stretches nearly the full length of the room and the kitchen folds Japanese, Chinese, and Thai threads into a single, coherent menu. A rooftop herb garden feeds the kitchen. Named a James Beard nominee for Best Chef: Great Lakes two years running.
The awards
- The Banchets The Banchets: Winner · Rising Chef · Chris Jung
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Top 50 New Restaurants
- The Banchets Winner · Rising Chef · Chris Jung
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower
- Wine Enthusiast Top 50 New Restaurants
-
Rank 2. Valhalla
Pan-Asian
A single chef's counter runs the length of a cool, dark room in Wicker Park, putting every diner front-row for the kitchen. Valhalla is a tasting menu spot where the food roams freely, pulling from Filipino, Mexican, Chinese, and Indian traditions in the same meal. The cocktail and wine pairings are taken as seriously as the food, which is saying something. The Banchets named the sommelier of the year for 2025.
The awards
- The Banchets The Banchets: Winner · Sommelier of the Year · Jelena Prodan
- The Banchets The Banchets: Nominee · Chef of the Year · Stephen Gillanders
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- The Banchets Winner · Sommelier of the Year · Jelena Prodan
- The Banchets Nominee · Chef of the Year · Stephen Gillanders
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
-
Rank 3. Mott St.
Midwest Pan-Asian
Edward Kim's Bucktown restaurant plays Midwest and Chinese off each other in ways that feel neither forced nor fussy. It's a casual, feast-style spot where the menu roams freely and the cooking has enough personality to pull it off. The Michelin Guide gives it a Bib Gourmand, which tracks for a place where the food is ambitious but the vibe stays loose. Go with a group and order widely.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Eater Eater: Chicago’s Best Burgers
- Eater Eater: Chicago’s Best Korean Restaurants
-
Rank 4. Planta Queen
Vegan Pan-Asian Sushi
Planta Queen is an upscale vegan restaurant on North Clark, part of a chain that dresses its plant-based menu in design-forward rooms. The sushi stands in for fish with eggplant, watermelon, and carrots, which is a lot of faith in a carrot. Monday brings unlimited maki for $35, and lunch has a two-course special. Expect a polished crowd that came for dinner, not a lecture.
The awards