Many a farm-to-table neighborhood restaurant has popped up around Chicago since Lula was born. None honor the idea quite so well as the original. Read more
Since 1989, the hallowed River North restaurant has been the model of consistency and excellence, retaining four stars from this publication almost nonstop, primarily by capturing and distilling an unabashed love for Mexican culture. Read more
Whether you consider it dinner, theatre, or an interactive gustatory art exhibit, Alinea is a bucket-list spectacle whose substance matches its considerable style. Read more
Now that the idiosyncratic BYO has firmly beaten the odds by boldly going its own way for 12 years, Schwa is considered more of an elder statesman than a punk upstart. Read more
At a time when restaurants were trending downscale, chef Michael Lachowicz, whose Restaurant Michael had become a North Shore fixture, went in the opposite direction. Read more
Chris and Nina Nugent’s unlikely jewelbox of a restaurant, which shares an unprepossessing block with the neighborhood grocery store, has streamlined its operation since first opening in 2011. Read more
Boka Restaurant Group’s flagship has always been the most significant, capital-R restaurant in the company’s impressive portfolio (which includes heavy hitters like Bellemore and Swift & Sons), but that doesn’t mean it’s deadly serious. Read more
Drive to the West Loop on any given night and peer into the white minimalist box at 619 West Randolph. No matter the time of year, you will find the little room full of laid-back, well-dressed urbanites who seem to be having an absolutely splendid evening. Read more
