Best Restaurants in Chicago 2026: MICHELIN, 50 Top Pizza and Local Legends on One Map

West Loop · Contemporary tasting menu

Chefs John Shields and Karen Urie Shields serve a personal, ingredient-led tasting menu from an open kitchen. It holds three MICHELIN stars and was ranked No. 1 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026.

Ukrainian Village · Filipino

Husband-and-wife chefs Tim Flores and Genie Kwon run this Filipino restaurant, whose name is Tagalog for "together". MICHELIN promoted it to two stars in its 2025 Chicago selection.

Covered by The Infatuation

West Loop · Contemporary tasting menu

Guests reach this tasting-menu restaurant in a former warehouse through a converted freight elevator. It holds two MICHELIN stars and appears in The Infatuation's top 25 for Chicago.

Covered by The Infatuation

Lincoln Park · Creative tasting menu

Grant Achatz's flagship is known for theatrical, multisensory courses that use scented vapours and hidden ingredients. MICHELIN moved it from three stars to two in its 2025 Chicago selection.

Covered by The Infatuation

West Loop · Creative tasting menu

Chef Curtis Duffy runs this Fulton Market tasting-menu room, set in a minimalist space of Venetian plaster and low lighting. It holds two MICHELIN stars.

Lincoln Park · Contemporary American

Chef-owner Lee Wolen's flagship has run for more than a decade in a relaxed room of banquettes and mirrored bulbs. It holds one MICHELIN star.

Covered by Condé Nast Traveler

Ukrainian Village · Farm-focused contemporary

Feld sources most of its produce from farms within about four hours of the city. It holds one MICHELIN star, and chef Jacob Potashnick won the 2026 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes.

Lincoln Park · Middle Eastern

Chef Zach Engel cooks Middle Eastern food in a lively dining room behind an unassuming exterior. It holds one MICHELIN star and appears on The Infatuation's and Condé Nast Traveler's Chicago lists.

Covered by The Infatuation and Condé Nast Traveler

Uptown · Modern Mexican

Chef Norman Fenton draws on his background and travels for an ambitious take on Mexican cuisine in an Uptown corner under the L tracks. It holds one MICHELIN star.

Covered by The Infatuation

River North · Upscale Mexican

Rick Bayless's fine-dining room serves original Mexican cooking on a menu that changes with the seasons. It holds one MICHELIN star.

Lincoln Park · Deep-dish pizza

Known for pan pizza with a caramelised cheese crust, a style 50 Top Pizza says has drawn diners since the 1970s. Time Out, The Infatuation and Condé Nast Traveler all list it among the city's best.

Covered by Time Out, The Infatuation, Time Out and Condé Nast Traveler

Streeterville · Pizza

50 Top Pizza praises its crisp, well-seasoned crusts and a lakeside terrace, ranking it No. 8 in the USA and No. 35 in the world for 2026. Time Out and The Infatuation both include it in their best Chicago pizza lists.

Covered by The Infatuation and Time Out

Ravenswood · Neapolitan pizza

Jonathan Goldsmith's Ravenswood pizzeria bakes soft Neapolitan-style pies in a wood-fired oven using many Italian ingredients. 50 Top Pizza lists it among its Excellent Pizzerias for 2026.

Covered by The Infatuation, Time Out and Condé Nast Traveler

Lincoln Square · New York-style pizza

Jimmy Kang's shop makes long-fermented, crisp New York-style pizza, plus a softer square pie. It ranks No. 13 on 50 Top Pizza's 2026 USA slice list.

Covered by The Infatuation and Time Out

Logan Square · Seasonal American

A long-running Logan Square neighbourhood restaurant with a main dining room and a bar in the adjoining space. It is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.

Lakeview · Neapolitan pizza

Named for a Campanian white grape, it bakes traditional Neapolitan pizza in a wood-fired oven, according to 50 Top Pizza, which ranks it No. 43 in the USA for 2026.

Covered by Time Out

Greater Grand Crossing · South Side barbecue

A South Side barbecue spot whose family legacy dates to 1954, known for rib tips and hot links cooked in an aquarium-style smoker. Carmen Lemons, youngest daughter of James B. Lemons, runs it today.

Covered by Time Out Chicago

River North · Regional Mexican

Rick Bayless's casual restaurant focuses on regional Mexican cooking built on local produce, with table-shaken margaritas. It is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.

Logan Square · Inventive American

This easygoing restaurant gives familiar dishes such as onion rings and crab salad inventive twists. It is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.

West Loop · Contemporary American

A busy, high-energy Randolph Street dining room that MICHELIN describes as full from opening to close. It is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.

Logan Square · Mexican

Chef-owner Diana Dávila runs this lively Mexican restaurant in Logan Square. It is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.

Logan Square · Indian-inspired

Inventive dishes built on Indian flavours with influences from Chicago and beyond. It is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.

Elmwood Park · Italian beef

An old-school Italian beef stand in suburban Elmwood Park, serving since 1961. Eater Chicago says its sandwich comes closest to a consensus standard and draws lines out the door.

Covered by Time Out, Eater Chicago and The Infatuation

River North · Deep-dish pizza

A Chicago deep-dish name since 1971, known for its buttery crust, per Time Out. The Infatuation includes it in its ranking of the city's deep-dish pizzas.

Covered by Time Out, The Infatuation and The Infatuation

Little Italy · Italian beef

Al Ferrari and family began selling Italian beef here in 1938, and Eater Chicago says the recipe of spiced beef dipped in gravy is unchanged. The Infatuation ranks it first among the city's Italian beef sandwiches.

Covered by Eater Chicago and The Infatuation

West Loop · Diner, burgers

A small West Loop diner whose cheeseburger draws long lines. Time Out ranks its single cheeseburger second in Chicago and The Infatuation calls it its favourite burger in the city.

Covered by Time Out and The Infatuation

South Deering · Smoked and fried fish

A fish smokehouse in South Deering, next to the bridge from the Blues Brothers jump scene, per Time Out. The Infatuation calls it an iconic smokehouse.

Covered by Time Out and The Infatuation

River Grove · Hot dogs

A standing-room hot dog stand in suburban River Grove whose slim, snappy dogs come topped with fries, and no ketchup. Time Out calls it an institution and The Infatuation calls it iconic.

Covered by Time Out and The Infatuation

South Loop · Jewish deli

A cafeteria-style Jewish deli that The Infatuation says has been a Chicago classic for about 80 years. Time Out calls it the city's most quintessential restaurant.

Covered by Time Out and The Infatuation

Norwood Park · Hot dogs, drive-in

A Norwood Park car-hop drive-in open since 1948, where servers bring orders to your car window. Time Out ranks it first among Chicago's hot dog stands.

Covered by Time Out and The Infatuation