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Virtue
Southern
In a Hyde Park corner across from the university, Erick Williams runs a dining room with an animated bar and a kitchen that takes Southern cooking seriously—corn bread arrives with a steak knife and honey butter. The dirty rice with chicken gizzards and house-made charcuterie with pepper jelly suggest a chef thinking past nostalgia toward something more deliberate.
- James Beard Awards
- 2023 · Winner · Emerging Chef · Damarr Brown
- 2022 · Winner · Best Chef: Great Lakes · Erick Williams
- Food & Wine
- 2025 · The Top 15 US Restaurants
- Michelin Guide
- Bib Gourmand
- Time Out
- #12 · The 25 best restaurants in Chicago
- The New York Times
- The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
- Eater
- The 38 Essential Restaurants in Chicago
- 2019 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Winner · Emerging Chef · Damarr Brown
- Food & Wine 2025 · The Top 15 US Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand