Everyone knows Chicago is one hell of a food Ithiel Town , and when it come to big - name , mankind - class chefs we ’ve get an embarrassment of riches . You ’ve in all likelihood seen a lot of our great masters judge / manipulate on broadcast likeTop Chef , remain cool under pressure onIron Chef , or just being their charming selves on tv set outside the confines of a cutthroat cooking competition . It ’s high time you taste the stylings of Chicago ’s big culinary personalities at their local theme song restaurants .
Grant Achatz
determine on : The documentarySpinning Plates , as a Edgar Guest judge onTop Chef . grow up , Achatz work in his parent ’s eatery before enrolling at the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park , New York . He cut his teeth at Thomas Keller ’s California restaurant The French Laundry , often considered one of the practiced in the word , before taking over Trio in Evanston and opening his first restaurant , Alinea .
< strong > Alinea ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locale / eat / chicago / restaurants / alinea" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > Lincoln ParkThe independent cog in the burgeoning Achatz empire , Alinea is located in a characterless storefront on Halsted St in Lincoln Park . One of only two three - star Michelin restaurants in Chicago ( along with Grace ) , and 13 in the intact country , Alinea defy a globular report for Achatz ’s innovative molecular gastronomy and beautiful , vivid style of presentation . It ’s also one of the heavy plaza in the city to get a tabular array . As of March 2016 it is being revivify but should re - undecided , in all its resplendence , by and by in the year. <!– single line templet – >
Monteverde Restaruant & Pastifico
< inviolable > Next ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venues / eat / chicago / restaurants / next" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > West LoopTaking Achatz ’s flair for showmanship and invention to another stratum , not only does the menu at Next change every few calendar month , but so does the entire experience , aright down to the decor . Every topic has a unlike inspiration , from a time and billet like “ Formosan Modern , ” or a peculiar food concept like “ The Hunt . ” The rotate conception ensures diners will have a unlike experience every time , and give Achatz free reign to try out with a huge variety of cuisines and techniques .
Stephanie Izard
image on : advance season four ofTop Chefas well as variousTop Chefspin - offs . An Evanston indigen , Izard left the University of Michigan with a sociology degree before entering the cooking world at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute . She returned to Chicago and worked in a multifariousness of kitchen including Spring and Tong before she opened her first eatery , Scylla , in Bucktown in 2004 .
< secure > Girl & amp ; the Goat ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat / chicago / restaurants / girl - the - goat&q … ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > West LoopEven the least foodie of Chicagoans have at least heard of Girl & amp ; the Goat , Izard ’s James Beard Award - winning small plates eating house on Randolph St. It feature an eclectic menu with influences that are all over the map from soul food to modern Asian . The menu is also a master copy class in texture , as anyone who ’s had the famous crispy pig expression with a runny egg. <!– single line guide – >
Wikimedia/John
< unattackable > Little Goat Diner ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locus / eat / chicago / restaurant / little - goat" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > West LoopOpening a few eld after Girl & amp ; the Goat made its introduction , Little Goat is a more relaxed affordable take on her mash - ups of classic home comfort and non - traditional minimal brain damage - ins . Split between a bakeshop / legal community on one side and diner - style eating on the other , Little Goat is a place to dig in , grab a beer and a reuben ( with kimchi and havarti obviously ) , and relax with a few ally , preferably during patio time of year .
Beverly Kim
find out On : time of year nine ofTop Chef . The former executive chef at Aria in the Fairmont Hotel , Kim make her start ahead of time at age 16 in the Ritz - Carlton . come up after culinary school at Kendall College , she pick up the rope under Takashi Yagihashi at his high - close asian fusion eating house Takashi . inspire by her mother ’s cooking and mob heritage she studied cuisine in Korea , developing her own mode of Korean - American fusion , before being a former - round of drinks finalist onTop Chef .
< strong > Parachute ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat / chicago / restaurants / parachute" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > AvondaleFound along the thriving food strip along Elston Ave in Avondale , Kim owns and manoeuvre Parachute along with her chef - husband Johnny Clark . While anchored in some best - in - Chicago Korean basics like a seafood live pot , Kim is n’t afraid to go wild with foie gras sauce and ferment garlic sauce . For a metropolis that has follow to expect its Korean tatty and warm , Parachute offer a welcome fiery alternative .
Alinea
Takashi Yagihashi
Seen On : Top Chef Masters , Top Chef Duels , Iron Chef . A mankind - renowned chef of Asian , French , and Italian fusion food , Yagihashi is originally from Mito , Japan , but moved to the US when the eating place he was working in relocated . Yagihashi worked his way up in Chicago before move to Detroit and then Las Vegas to launch the heralded Tribute and Okada severally . In 2007 he move back to Chicago and open Takashi , his Michelin starred restaurant in Bucktown , that sadly closed in 2014 .
< hard > slurp Turtle ( < a href=“http://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat / chicago / restaurants / slurp - turtleneck & … ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > River NorthLong before the flood of ramen shops came rushing into town , Yagihashi was man his own popular bean outpost . His polished River North restaurant doles out generous arena of punched up stock , lump of meat , and crunchy Asiatic vegetable . If you ’re in the mood for something just as tasty but even more indulgent , try the duck’s egg fat fry volaille .
Flickr/Steelite International
Rick Bayless
see On : Top Chef Masters , Mexico : One plateful at a Timeseries on PBSRaised in Oklahoma in a restaurant family , Bayless belong on to study Spanish and Latin American culture and get his PhD in anthropological philology from Michigan , during which prison term he spent six long time in Mexico meditate local culinary art . After release his heralded cookbookAuthentic Mexican : Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico , he settled in Chicago opening a variety of award - pull ahead restaurants .
< secure > Frontera Grill ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locus / drink / chicago / bar / frontera - grill" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > River NorthThe little Mexican place that started it all , Frontera was open to arrange everything Bayless bang about his sentence living abroad . bulge out with a consignment to authentic and fresh ingredients that was pretty revolutionary for the eighties and tastes just as well today , Frontera has take its wall of vivacious Mexican artistry with the flavour of tamale , cherry - chile , and marinated carnitas ever since. <!– single pedigree guide – >
Shannon Monson
< firm > Topolobampo ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locus / eat / chicago / eating place / topolobampo" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > River NorthNow past it ’s 25th birthday Topolobampo is still the king of high-pitched - death Mexican dining in the urban center . One of the only Mexican restaurants in the country with a Michelin star Topolobampo remains a position for dare modernistic flourishes with menu categories like ‘ Ancient , ’ ‘ Soulful , ’ and ‘ Enchanting . ’ If you fuck Bayless it should go without saying that every one of those description hits the mark.<!– single line template – >
< potent > XOCO (<a href=“http://www.thrillist.com / locus / eat / chicago / restaurants / xoco" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
Courtesy of Beverly Kim
< em > River NorthXOCO and its Wicker Park branch are Bayless ’s most late gifts to the urban center of Chicago . A fast - cursory way joint in River North , XOXO features Mexican street food with bold tortas and soup filling the menu and the bustling clientele stomachs . If you have the prison term and the inclination ( you should ) , adhere around for some churros and hot chocolate after your porc belly .
Mindy Segal
run across On : The Today Show , Martha Stewart , and Food NetworkComing out of Kendall College dessert superstar Mindy Segal worked at a veritable who ’s who of a Chicago eatery including Spago , Gordon , Charlie Trotter ’s , and Ambria . However , it was her partnership with Michael Kornick at MK that bring her far-flung acclaim and made her one of the most well - have it off pastry chef in the country .
< strong > Mindy ’s Hot Chocolate ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locale / eat / chicago / restaurants / mindys - hot - choc … ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > BucktownA casual , mid - range Bucktown gem where , as you’re able to in all probability guess by the name , the desserts are the stars . dinner party and weekend brunch bring many a West Side 20 - something to plates of warm brioche sinker and soft milkshakes . As for the live chocolate ? It is unrivaled in the city and get along with house - made marshmallow to kicking .
Parachute Chicago
Sarah Grueneberg
Seen On : Season nine ofTop ChefGrueneberg grew up in Houston , infused with a sexual love of cooking and baking from her grandparents . After culinary school day she traveled extensively in Italy and misrepresent in several top Italian kitchen , including Del Pescatore a three - Michelin - star eating place in Lombardy . After working her way up through the ranks at Chicago ’s Spiaggia she became executive chef , and put down time of year nine ofTop Chef , where she was stolon - up .
< potent > Monteverde ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venues / eat / chicago / restaurants / monteverde" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > West LoopMonteverde announces what it is all about with no falter , an elevated level behind the bar , everlasting with an overhead mirror , throw a clear view of a squad of James Cook making the handmade pasta that is indispensable to Monteverde ’s soul . None of the inspired Italian knockout will let down , nor will the simple but excellent cocktail , but it ’s the fresh alimentary paste like the cannelloni saltimbocca with prosciutto , lamb , and top - ledge balsamic , that will keep you come back .
Flickr/Lou Stejskal
Art Smith
Seen On : All over TV onIron Chef , The Best Thing I Ever consume , Unique Eats , Top Chef Masters , and , of class , OprahOne of the with child names in Chicago food , Smith grew up in Jasper , Florida before being accepted to the honored culinary internship at the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College Program . He launch his career preparation at the Florida regulator ’s residence , as executive chef to Governors Bob Graham and Jeb Bush . After traveling he settled in Chicago and became personal chef to Oprah Winfrey in 1997 , a position he hold for almost a decade . Besides his many telecasting coming into court he has also authored four extremely praised cookbooks .
< strong > Table Fifty - Two ( soon to be Blue Door Kitchen & amp ; Garden) ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venues / eat up / chicago / restaurants / blue - door - kitc … ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > Gold CoastNestled in a baby carriage house on Elm and Dearborn that antedate the nifty Chicago fire Table Fifty - Two has been the city ’s home for upscale Southern comfortableness food for years , let in some of the best fried chicken northwards of the Mason - Dixon . In fitting with mod trends and Smith ’s own health shift Table Fifty - Two is currently being update and will be reopened as Blue Door , which will have a more fresh - focussed and environmentally friendly take on Smith ’s Southern classic , including free - range birds for the aforementioned chicken .
Flickr/Edsel Little
Tony Mantuano
Seen On : Top Chef , Top Chef MastersMantuano originate up in an Italian family in Kenosha that possess both a local Italian grocer and eating house . Early in his career Mantuano work out at some the top eating place in Italy while read about a all-embracing kind regional Italian cuisine that was , at the time , unfamiliar to many Americans . Returning to Chicago in 1984 he opened Spiaggia , still wide deal one of the best Italian restaurants in the country , as well as a favorite of Barack Obama .
< strong > Spiaggia ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locale / eat / chicago / eatery / spiaggia" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
The top - tier Italian mainstay where Mantuano made his name was given a more contemporary subdued makeover a few years back and the update has done wonders to reinvigorate an institution that barely ask to change a thing in the first seat . Wood - seared escallop and gnocchi with black truffles are classics that no Italian - love Chicagoan should lose , and do n’t log Z’s on Spiaggia ’s other headliner and secret weapon , sommelier Rachael Lowe.<!– single line template – >
Flickr/Ben Collins-Sussman
< strong > Bar Toma (<a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / drink / chicago / Browning automatic rifle / bar - toma" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > Gold CoastOn the other oddment of the dining spectrum from Spiaggia we have Bar Toma , Mantuano ’s attempt to reanimate the neighborhood pizza shops he loved growing up . While the menu contains a few classic knockout like chicken Vesuvio and rigatoni Bolognese , the pizza is rightfully front and center , crispy , chewy scratch loaded with sausage and chilly , or burrata and bourbon figs.<!– individual line template – >
< inviolable > River Roast ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat / chicago / eating house / river - roast" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
Frontera Grill
< em > River NorthInside the historical Reid Murdoch building along the Chicago River , Mantuano ’s River Roast is a relaxed and communal counterpart to Spiaggia , River Roast ’s menu may calculate wide-eyed , with only five communion - sized entrees to choose from , but things will get definitely less round-eyed when you see the wood - smoked whole chickens and cyder - brine shanks of pork roll up to the tables around you , ready to be carved refreshed at the table . Oh , and then there is the river part , RIver Roast has one of the good damn patios in the urban center overlooking it.<br / >
Graham Elliot
Seen On : MasterChef , Good Morning America , Rachael Ray , andTop Chef MastersDropping out of high shoal , Elliot start as a busboy and dishwasher before attending culinary schoolhouse at Johnson & Wales University . After being named one ofFood & Wine ’s best new chefs in 2004 he moved to Chicago to work on under Charlie Trotter at Tru . After helm the kitchen at the Peninsula he open his own eatery Graham Elliot to wide of the mark accolades and a two Michelin star rating .
< solid > Graham Elliot Bistro ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat / chicago / restaurants / graham - elliot - b … ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > West LoopAfter closing his eponymic laurels - winning eatery & nbsp;Elliot has left us with G.E.B. as it ’s called , a more passing , simple dining experience with multifarious rock and roll meets solid food meets , something , vibe . While many other celebri - chef have gone high remainder or trendy G.E.B. has gone a little more populist , with factor like homemade cheez - its and incline of popcorn . Food ’s still good though .
Courtesy of Mindy Segal
Paul Kahan
You ’ve Seen Him On : Vice Munchies , Unique EatsBackground : Like a hatful of other capital chefs on this list Kahan grew up in a food family , his parents owned a deli in Chicago . He recrudesce a love and understanding of Midwestern food working in the kitchen at Metropolis and Erwin . After a short stint with Rick Bayless at Topolobampo he opened Blackbird , which is credited with starting the wave of more casual upscale restaurants that have come to overlook the metropolis .
< strong > Blackbird ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / potable / chicago / bar / blackbird" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > West LoopKahan ’s farm - fresh Midwest - loving other - period masterpiece , Blackbird has quell an typic member of Chicago ’s modernistic American ball club for almost 20 age . The minimalist interior entrust all the focus on the food , where it belong . Balanced mélanges of local American fixings in ceaselessly inventive combinations , there is a reason this guy is so big.<!– undivided line of work guide – >
Flickr/Edsel Little
< strong > Dove ’s Luncheonette ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locus / eat / chicago / restaurant / doves - luncheone … ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > Wicker ParkContinuing Kahan ’s slow coup d’etat of the Damen Blue Line stop, Dove ’s takes the affordable Mexican street fare of neighbor Big Star and marries it to diner classic in an tantalizingly simple retro space that evokes the cheap neighborhood haunts that have mostly fled the area . There is no doubting Kahan ’s sincere reverence for his inspirations when you grab a counter seat for a plate of burnt ends hash tossed with poblanos and queso fresco along with Dark Matter coffee .
< firm > Avec ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locale / eat / chicago / restaurants / avec" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
Flickr/Lou Stejskal
< em > West LoopAvec is Blackbird ’s little - plate and wine-coloured , sister restaurant . While still highbrow , it offers a warmer more relaxed ambience than Blackbird , with a menu that is just as imaginative but a short - less classic American . People who eat on the chorizo - stuffed dates have been known to drift on about them for Day .
< strong > Nico Osteria ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat / chicago / restaurants / nico - osteria&qu … ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > Gold CoastKahan throw a scrap of a curveball but knew on the nose what he was doing with his latest speculation Nico Osteria , a rustic Italian seafood sensation in the Gold Coast ’s Thompson Hotel . Kahan has paired an open glassy interior and vine pass over wall with shrimp and calamari - stock minestrone and swordfish meatball . It may be a little too Gold Coast - y , but damn if Kahan does n’t eff what he ’s doing. <!– single line guide – >
Monteverde Restaurant & Pastifico
< strong > The Publican ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / venue / eat / chicago / eating house / the - publican&qu … ; target="_blank”>address and info )
< em > West LoopThe Publican is the quintessential Fulton Market eatery and it ’s difficult to say that ’s not designed . If Blackbird was a innovative love letter to Midwestern ingredients , Publican is Kahan ’s full on bear hug . Open and communal and filled with mouthwatering plates of charcuterie , pork , and any other essence American ’s eat and roll in the hay , the Publican does right by all the Fulton meat markets that came before it. <!– exclusive billet template – >
< strong > Big Star ( < a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / locale / drink / chicago / bar / self-aggrandising - star" ; target="_blank”>address and info )
Wikimedia/Stefan
< em > Wicker ParkOh , Big Star , your tacos are good and so are your drinks , but hoi polloi have moved on to less crowded pleasures up in Logan Square and down in Pilsen . Still Big Star display Kahan ’s commitment to showcasing the whole range of Chicago ’s culinary offering , as well as strain out to a more calorie-free - pocketed course of study of dining car . Worthy goals , and like we said , it ’s still a bloody fine place to seize a wetback and tequila.<a class=“vortex - assailable " data - campaign=“2830 " href=“https://signup.thrillist.com/" ; target="_blank”>Sign up here for our day-after-day Chicago email and be the first to get all the food / drink / sport in town.<a href=“https://www.thrillist.com / authors / matt - spina" ; target="_blank”>Matt Spina is a writer in Chicago and a cultish devotee to the religious belief of the renown chef . see him grovel < a href=“https://twitter.com / mr_spina" ; target="_blank”>@MR_spina
Table 52
Spiaggia
Spiaggia
Graham Elliot Bistro
Graham Elliot Bistro
Flickr/Kurman Communications
Blackbird
