Chef Won Kim dishes out elevated bar snacks like sausages topped with “krautchi,” smoked wings, kimchi poutine, housemade meatballs over noodles and more. Read more.
Delicious Korean/Polish food. Eat on the patio if you can! Grab a board game inside and spend some time there. Go after 5pm Sunday for the good stuff, otherwise you'll get generic brunch options 12-4.
The original Gene's opened in 1972. Last year, the Luszcz family opened this second location across town. The new Lincoln Square satellite is a two-story specialty grocery, ideal for grabbing picnic p Read more.
Celebrity chef Rick Bayless really knows his way around authentic Mexican ingredients. The tortas are incredible – especially the goat-based Barbacoa one, if they're offering it. WinstonWanders.com
Hopleaf is well known for its huge beer selection—which is well deserved—yet the interesting takes on Belgian food is also a main reason crowds continue to pack the Andersonville spot. Read more.
Food obsessives make pilgrimages from around the globe to the 10-year-old Lincoln Park restaurant to experience Achatz's emotional, interactive and expensive tasting menus. Read more.
You can scratch a shocking number of essential Chicago street food classics off your list with a stop by Portillo's--Chicago style hot dog, Italian beef sandwich, chocolate cake shake? It's all here.
Four years in and Stephanie Izard's restaurant row flagship continues to be among the busiest - and best - restaurants in town. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.
Four for four: Paul Kahan strikes again with a taqueria that draws hour-long waits for al pastor and signature cocktails. Everyone raves about the pork belly, but our rec is to opt for the fish tacos.
One word: chilaquiles. Available only at brunch and after midnight, i.e., exactly when you’ll need them the most. If you go the burger route, know that a single cheeseburger is actually a double. Read more.
Do you like drinking whiskey and eating pork with hipsters at virtually any given point of the day? We'd like to introduce you with your new favorite restaurant.
The restaurant helped popularize Korean-inspired street food, such as tacos filled with sesame-chili shrimp, tempura fish, grilled short rib, spicy barbecue pork and more. Read more.
Our favorite version is topped with big hunks of fennel-flecked sausage and hot specks of giardiniera, but c’mon: It’s a casserole of melty cheese; it can do no wrong. Read more.
The ultimate neighborhood bar resides in Logan Square. It's perfect for groups, and most everyone now knows about their unique cocktail offerings. Read more.
This quality bodega operates as a butcher shop, bakery and cafe making it the ultimate deli! Try any one of their artisan house sandwiches or their popular Pork Belly Gyro. Read more.
The team at Longman & Eagle has restored the Czech landmark Thalia Hall to a two-chambered bar and restaurant with a beer-paired food menu, called Dusek’s, and a basement punch-focused cocktail bar. Read more.
A perfect blend of Chicago restaurants and shops unified in one space for people who can't and or don't have time to go to the actual restaurant. It's also downstairs from my office. RIP WALLET.
The reason chef Rick Bayless is the ubiquitous face of Chicago: his restaurants are amazing. Most recognizable from his media presence, but most memorable for transforming the image of Mexican cuisine
Le Colonial serves French-Vietnamese cuisine on tropically inspired menus that spotlight fresh seafood, vegetables and herbs. Read more.
Southern-inspired Mexican. To avoid crazy long lines on weekends, arrive before 10:30am. Chicken Fried Chicken was excellent. The Burnt Ends was okay, but the roasted potatoes & fried eggs were great.
The chicken comes with a delicate thin crust, which is then tossed in a sweet and sticky soy-ginger glaze and garnished with bits of freshly chopped green onion. The combination is addicting.
The special Superdawg proprietary all-beef sausage is perfectly complimented by pickled tomatoes. This is a unique Chicago experience that will never be duplicated. Read more.
We command you order the Frito pie with brisket chili, which is served in its bag (who needs crust?), filled with brisket chili, jalapenos, beans, and melted cheese. Read more.
Pork Carnitas: the tamarind glaze adds an unmistakable citrus zing to each bite, making what sounds like an over-loaded and fatty taco taste somehow balanced and restrained.
Parson's Chicken and Fish is the #1 ranked fried chicken joint in Chicago. Whatever you do, get something fried, like the classic fried chicken! And don't miss out on their very popular negroni slush. Read more.
Duck Duck Goat adds a trendy twist to the traditional Chinatown flare with a menu of unique items like egg waffles, goat dumplings and shrimp toast dim sum. Read more.
The longtime family-owned spot serves Chicago's best bowl of pho, but there are a seemingly unlimited amount of finds on the 200-item menu full of soups, noodle dishes, rice, banh mi, and much more. Read more.
When we want to eat with our hands and sop up spicy Ethiopian sauces and tender doro wat and vegetables we head north to Uptown. Tip: they roast their own coffee, too. Read more.
With two smokers to prep meaty St. Louis-style ribs, tender brisket, apple-and-oak-smoked pulled pork and more, this 'cue joint ain't no joke. Read more.
Beverly Kim and John Clark's Korean-American restaurant in Avondale is one of the most critically-acclaimed, original, and best-done restaurants in some time. Read more.
It may not serve your momma's fried chicken—with bones, skin, et al—but Honey Butter has been making swaths of Chicagoans feel like kids again when they dip their birds in that honey butter. Read more.
Former underground chef Abraham Conlon has reached the big time with his creative take on Macau cuisine. Try the pickle assortments and namesake "fat rice." Read more.
Creative, eclectic, delicious takes on Asian street food, cocktails, and a lively patio. Don't miss the everything wings, General Tso's lamb sweetbreads, and the Korean-style stuffed cabbage. Read more.
Under the direction of chef Jimmy Papadopolous, Boho honors Chicago's extensive Eastern European heritage with some of the most creative and tasty versions of that region's dishes in a gorgeous space. Read more.
Sepia continues to be one of the most consistent restaurants in Chicago. Andrew Zimmerman's menus paired with a cutting-edge beverage program makes it a complete experience. Read more.
The torchbearer for a dying breed of Jewish delis and diners in Chicago, Manny's has endured for more than a half-century in the South Loop thanks to massive and delicious pastrami sandwiches. Read more.
Kevin Hickey's personal passion project has garnered local and national accolades even the chef/owner didn't foresee. Don't miss the duck fat hot dog, the rotisserie duck, or the cocktails. Read more.
Consistently lauded as some of the best tacos in the country, venture to the southwest side for some of the best goat and other standout dishes like consomme at this small father-and-son standout. Read more.
With three broths to choose from, it’s a solid bet for vegetarians and meat lovers alike. No matter what you pick, we highly recommend adding a creamy molten egg to your order. Read more.
Not only is Big & Little's lamb gyro burrito intentionally inauthentic, I think it's also better than any Kronos gyro served on pita in Chicago. Read more.
Red Hot Ranch is no longer a secret with its all-natural sausages with a casing that just has enough bite. The double dog is the way to go, as the sausages are a bit slimmer than at most places. Read more.
While the burger is excellent (definitely add the bacon & egg), it's the Fried House-Made Bologna Sandwich that I'll be dreaming of. Crazy delicious and satisfying – cheap too. WinstonWanders.com
Legit ramen, good vibes, and a killer lunch special. The tonkotsu is the way to go, but you're gonna want to order one of those meaty Pork Belly Buns with it too. WinstonWanders.com
Not inexpensive & can be quite the scene, but I can't deny the freshness & deliciousness of the good. Nigiri was great, but the extremely decadent Mentaiko Spaghetti was insane. WinstonWanders.com
Hungover? Get the Fast & the Flammkuchen pizza which comes topped with bacon, smoked mozz, caramelized onions, & "Indiana Creme Fraiche" aka RANCH DRESSING. It'll fix you right up. WinstonWanders.com
