Mentioned by Kev's Best
5 Best Italian Restaurants in Chicago🥇
"Take in panoramic views of the Chicago River and the city’s famed architecture from Gibson’s Italia’s multiple outdoor options, located right on the city’s famed Loop. Steak and Italian food come together here for an extensive menu full of pasta, many meats, seafood, and sides. Warmer weather pairs perfectly with the restaurant’s spritz selection, which includes a classic negroni and a non-alcoholic melon option."
"Soak in riverfront and skyline views from three different levels at this West Loop steakhouse, which serves house-made pastas, high-quality cuts of meat and other Italian delicacies. The second and third floors of the restaurant feature tables spread across on spacious patios, while the fourth rooftop is available for private events (in case you've been looking to plan a waterfront soiree in the near future)."
"Gibsons Italia, one of the top Italian restaurants in Chicago, is like nothing you've ever experienced. Run by chef Jose Sosa, and one of the best steakhouses in Chicago, Gibsons I..."
"Next on our list of the best desserts in Chicago, it’s Formento’s. Formento’s is a really great restaurant in it’s own right (and definitely a place to enjoy a fancy date night), but you absolutely want to go here for their famous chocolate cake. Just take a look at the photo below and tell us you don’t want to get stuck in!"
"More snow globe dining, this time at the Italian spot along Randolph Street. As at sister restaurant The Bristol, the enclosed dining spaces seat four and come equipped with heater, ionizer and Bluetooth speaker. Reservations required."
"Located in Fulton Market District in the city’s West Loop, Formento’s is an Italian restaurant steeped in the fresh flavors of regional cuisine. The owner wanted to stick to grandm..."
"Nellie’s in Humboldt Park, Byrons Hot Dog in Ravenswood, and Byron’s Hot Dog Haus in Lakeview must be pretty great, since they’ve earned one of the highest star ratings from users for Street Food delivery."
"Mirabella Italian Cuisine in Avondale is an upscale Italian steakhouse with a warm ambiance. The white-tablecloth dining room with romantic lighting sets the scene for indulgent pa..."
"Visitors to this hidden gem will enjoy oak savanna, a forest, wetland and prairie all in one area. There are three trails from which to choose and explore: main loop, wetland and woodland and while you can take as long as you'd like, it's possible to do them all within an hour if you're in a hurry (although hopefully you're not because you want to stop at the lily pond, gaze at the free roaming deer and catch a turtle or finches as you take in the fresh air and scenery). Early Spring, locals from all over the city come by for the annual Maple Tree Tapping Festival where kids can enjoy free activities and see demonstrations on the Maple syrup process."
"North ParkYou could do worse than strolling through this 46-acre nature preserve with trails that wind through woodland, wetland, prairie, and savannah. You could also do worse than just chilling at the birding area and spotting rare specimens with your well-practiced/made-up bird calls."
"Tucked away at the edge of Lincoln Park that juts out into Lake Michigan, the Montrose Bird Sanctuary is a 15-acre wooded respite that features a few peaceful mulch-covered hiking trails to stroll through. What was once a site of Army barracks from the ’50s to the ’70s is now one of the best places in the area to spot a few of the tens of thousands of migratory birds from more than 300 different species that reportedly stop for some green space along their trek along the lake. Within the sanctuary, a 150-yard stretch of honeysuckle bushes has been nicknamed “The Magic Hedge,” because it attracts an especially high number of migratory birds."
"UptownThis more laid-back section of Montrose Beach is both a dune habitat and a bird sanctuary, as well as one of the best spots for trail hiking in the city with killer skyline views. If that’s not enough, there’s also a beach bar. And a damn fine beach bar at that."
"Break the cake mold and dream beyond the traditional sheet cake with one-dimension designs. Having served as Executive Pastry Chef at downtown hotels and winning or placing in several design competitions, Chef Peter Rios’ Alliance Bakery is ready to show you that if you can think it, he can bake it. Besides his three-dimensional edible works of art, Chef shows off skills he picked up training in Paris with his European-inspired pastries and desserts."
"From whimsical custom cakes (Narwhal cake, anyone? How about a 3-D Ninja Turtle?) and fruit tarts to macarons and kouign amann, the creativity at this lauded sweets emporium knows no bounds. Be sure to pair your sugar high with a caffeine jolt, courtesy of the bakery's full espresso bar. Sign up here for our daily Chicago email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun in town."
"Located on N State St, Alliance Patisserie offers a range of contemporary twists on classic European desserts. Its assorted range of macarons changes with the seasons, meaning you can simply never tire of those on offer. Our favorites, however, are strawberry (served with strawberry white chocolate ganache) and rose (with rosewater buttercream)."
"Restaurants Pan-Asian Lincoln Park. As if omakase menus weren't fancy and intimate enough, Sushi Suite takes things to the next level by transforming a 500-square-foot hotel room (located within Hotel Lincoln) into a secret, six-seat sushi speakeasy for private feasting. The 75-minute, 17-course menu from chef Jordan Dominguez serves up artfully arranged sushi topped with shrimp, uni and other seafood delights for $155 per person—for an even luxer experience, combine your meal with a trio of pairings from the suite's self-serve sake vending machine."
"Restaurants Pan-Asian Lincoln Park. If your love language is raw fish, there are few cooler culinary experiences than Sushi Suite 202, which transforms a 500-square-foot guest room inside Hotel Lincoln into an intimate omakase counter. The semi-private dining destination offers an hourlong, 17-course nigiri tasting menu that's brimming with tasty bites straight from executive chef Kin Wangchuk."
"Sushi Suite 202 is where you need to be while looking for authentic Japanese cuisine. The 17-course omakase Sushi at $125 is an unforgettable gastronomical experience. The velvet furniture with jewel tones with warm wood complements the cocktail bar in this exclusive in-suite omakase restaurant."
"Celebrated sushi chef BK Park serves an extensive omakase menu at this small West Loop restaurant, which fetches $175 a head for 23 courses. The menu, which is sprinkled with pieces of sashimi and nigiri, fluctuates with the seasons and includes indulgent morsels like king crab with uni miso, A5 wagyu butter and potato chip. The sushi counter boasts just 12 seats (there are an additional 10 seats behind it in the dining room), and each seating is limited to two hours."
"For unique cuts of fish fĂŞted with luxe ingredients, get to Mako in the West Loop. You'll be steeped in a dreamy dining experience at the omakase den. The star of this show is acclaimed sushi chef, B.K."