Mentioned by Fodor’s Travel
Top Restaurants in Chicago
"Restaurants American West Loop. Just like there's no need for an alarm on the weekends, there's no reason to be counting calories at brunch. This West Loop institution offers in-person and to-go dining for pigging out on stacked biscuit sandwiches, whitefish-topped bagels and pork schnitzel sandwiches."
"Serving some of the city's best sushi, this warm, cozy room in West Town seems to encourage you to stay for hours, sipping sake and Japanese whisky. Start with appetizers like the chrunchy chicken karaage or the decadent roasted bone marrow served with ribeye tarare before moving on to sashimi, nagiri and maki selections. You'll find everything from bluefin tuna to Alaskan king crab on the menu, along with speciality items that can be accompanited by optional caviar supplements."
"The best sushi really depends on what type of experience you’re looking for. Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill has by far the most Instagrammable presentations (going crazy with elaborate sauce designs). There are also a few all-you-can-eat spots that are also great deals (and filling if you’re not looking for the best fish) like Sushi Para M."
"Arami is an elegant restaurant with a unique modern design for its interior. Its bright and vibrant setting and delicious menu options are some of the reasons why the restaurant is always packed with hungry foodies. Arami is a gem on the Chicago Ave strip."
"Calumet Fisheries is seafood that offers a barebones approach to serving some of the best-fried seafood platters in town. They are among the few who still use a smoker and the seafood is fresh and smoked on-site with natural wood in their smokehouses. There are no artificial flavors used and the smoked fish has first been marinated in brine overnight then smoked with special oak logs."
"Calumet Fisheries gives customers a glimpse at a long-forgotten piece of Chicago on the city’s South Side, just seven minutes from the Indiana border and east of the Chicago Skyway. Enjoy precious smoked salmon, trout, and shrimp — the small smokehouse is right outside the restaurant. Each morsel is delicate and sweet."
"Salpicon is not only, the best Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood but also very well may be the best in the entire city. Born and raised in Colonia San Angel, Mexico City, Chef Priscilla Satkoff and her husband created Salpicon in 1995. They have been showered deservedly in accolades ever since."
"Humboldt ParkWhat you’re getting: Shrimp JibaritoThis Humboldt Park joint is on our list of the top 10 shrimp shacks in Chi, and might also be an excellent late-night fried-food contender since you can dine until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. While you should definitely try the massive fried shrimp po-boy, the off-menu Shrimp Jibarito is a sandwich you won’t want to pass up. Crisp, fried plantains with a sauteed shrimp filling are made to order for an impressively balanced jibarito."
"LakeviewWhat you’re getting: Fish tacosThis seafood joint has weekly dine-in specials like $2 Tuesday (think fried pollock tacos with cabbage, pico de gallo salsa, and spicy mayo, paired with lobster bisque and Miller Lites/Bud Lights for just $2 apiece) and an all-you-can-eat fish fry on Fridays for $10.95. The seafood and buns are flown in from Boston daily, plus you can grab fresh seafood from the market for later."
"Continue supporting startup brewers by ordering cans and crowlers of beer and hard kombucha from Pilot Project’s website. Embrace the warmer weather and dine outdoors on the patio or in one of Pilot Project's private patio cabanas. The taproom is also now open."
"Pilot Project is a brewery incubator that supports fledging breweries. Enjoy the resulting assortment of offerings on the outdoor patio. (Pilot Project Brewing)"
"Restaurants Bakeries Wicker Park. Alliance is perhaps best known for its elaborate celebration cakes, which are proudly displayed in the windows for passersby to ogle. But this bakery also traffics in coffee drinks and other pastries, like cookies, macarons and tarts, which are available to take away or to bring next door to a seating area."
"A post shared by 早川茉希(Maki Hayakawa) (@maki_hayakawa) on Sep 12, 2018 at 10:16pm PDT. Here’s one place you’ll enter feeling lovestruck and exit feeling frustrated simply because you couldn’t try everything from their selection. Their light, airy, and puffy macarons available in many flavours are simply to-die-for."
"Alliance Bakery specialises in French pastries|Courtesy of Alliance Bakery. Wicker Park’s Alliance Bakery has become a mainstay on the Northwest side. Offering mostly French pastries, Alliance’s own Chef Peter Rios studied in Paris for several years."
"A classic supper club with live violinists and wall-to-wall retro charm This North Side Italian gem with tuxedo-clad servers, tables with fresh flowers, and violinists serenading diners by candlelight has withstood the test of time since 1969 (or so it's estimated). Come for the ambiance, but also for the complimentary, to-die-for pizza bread and straightforward classics like chicken Vesuvio sauteed in a garlic and oregano white wine sauce, tender veal saltimbocca, and baked Alaska that’s flambéed tableside for a taste of time machine magic."
"What I love about this place is that I almost have to go with my family. We go so often that the faces of the Italian servers there light up when they see us. This restaurant is the gift that keeps on giving."