1,000 new restaurants visited by Chicago’s critics (estimated)

Critics sampled about 4,000 meals.

 

Of those, 208 were named best new restaurants.

The neighborhood with the most winners: River North.
The least common cuisines: Alpine, British, Cuban, Macanese.

2005:
 
2006:
 
2007:
 
2008:
 
2009:
 
2010:
 
2011:
 
2012:
 
2013:
 
2014:
 
 
  

Of those, 130 made it to the all-star list.

This process can take a while: Critics visit multiple times over several months to ensure food and service remain top-notch.

All-stars:
 
Not all-stars:
 

Of those, 65 remain on the all-star list.

Why do restaurants fall off? Some close. Some lose their chefs. Some fail to impress on subsequent visits.

1 star:
 
1.5 or 2 stars:
 
2.5 or 3 stars:
 
3.5 or 4 stars:
 

Of those, only Alinea, Schwa, and Sixteen have four stars.

 

 

 

Read about the latest selections—only 10 made the cut this year!—in the 2015 edition of Chicago’s Best New Restaurants.