| Restaurant | Neighborhood | Cuisine |
Gene & Georgetti
500 N. Franklin St.
312-527-3718
Founded in 1941 by Gene Michelotti and his partner Alfredo Federighi (who was nicknamed "Georgetti" after a famous Italian cyclist), Gene & Georgetti is Chicago’s oldest steakhouses. It's still run by Michelotti's family, and renowned for its beef, its gruff waitstaff and the care it takes of its regulars, who include many celebrities.
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| River North | Italian
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Mity Nice Grill
835 N. Michigan Ave.
Water Tower Place
312-335-4745
A comfortable, 1940s-style bar and grill with a simple motto "Good food, served right." This Lettuce Entertain You spot offers a pleasant respite from Magnificent Mile shopping with home-style dishes like macaroni and cheese; meatloaf; pot roast and burgers.
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| Magnificent Mile | American
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Nacional 27
325 W. Huron St.
312-664-2727
This River North eatery introduced the Modern Latin craze to Chicago with an innovative food and drink menu. There's also live entertainment and dancing on the weekends, as the restaurant turns into a night-club on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Read more about Nacional 27 at the Dining Chicago blog.
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| River North | Latin American
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| Old Town | Japanese
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| Le Colonial Private Parties | Best | Top | Vietnamese | Gold Coast | Chicago
937 N. Rush St.
312-255-0088
You'll find both the beautifully decorated dining room, done in bamboo and live plants, and the Vietnamese food at much dressier than at Uptown storefronts. For example, Chef Chan Le serves appetizer portions of the beefy noodle soup pho, using only fresh noodles and slices of beef tenderloin.
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| Gold Coast | Vietnamese
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Las Tablas - Portage Park
4920 W. Irving Park Road
773-202-0999
Popular Colombian restaurant known for empanadas and steaks, with a side of live Latin music.
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| Portage Park | Steaks
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| West Loop | French
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La Cantina
71 W. Monroe St.
The Italian Village
312-332-7005
One of three restaurants in the historic Italian Village complex, opened in 1927 by Alfredo Capitanini, La Cantina offers Italian-American classics like calamari; chicken Vesuvio; veal; seafood pastas; shrimp de Jonghe and scampi. It's across the street from the Bank of America Theatre, and you can dine and leave your car with the restaurant's valet until after the show.
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| Loop / Downtown | Italian
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| Lincoln Park | American
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| River North | Vegetarian
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Kamehachi Ontario St.
240 E. Ontario St.
312-587-0600
Kamehachi of Tokyo was originally founded in Chicago in 1967 by Mrs. Marion Konishi, and is widely recognized as the first sushi bar in the city.
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| Streeterville | Japanese
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| River North | Indian - Pakistani
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Hai Yen - Argyle St.
1055 W. Argyle St.
773-561-4077
Hai Yen is a neighborhood jewel restaurant that offers guests a large selection of flavorful Vietnamese cuisine at value prices. Chef/Owner Hien Ngo founded her two Vietnamese restaurants (the original at 1055 W. Argyle Street, and a second, more contemporary location in Lincoln Park at 2723 N. Clark) on the principles of giving their dining customers, consistent and authentic Vietnamese cuisine, made from traditional family recipes, using quality ingredients. Hai Yen, which is an Asian expression for “good food, good life,” features an extensive menu comprised of several dozen appetizers, salads, dumplings, soups, noodles, and rice dishes, with a large selection of seafood, poultry, meat, and vegetable entrees served family style.Owner Hien Ngo believes her authentic, traditional Vietnamese cuisine is the recipe for success at Hai Yen. Whether it be a quick Pho lunch, and intimate dinner, or a night out with friends and family, Hai Yen has something for everyone, at value prices. Open for lunch and dinner everyday (except Argyle location closed on Wednesday), street meter parking; take out and north city delivery available.
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| Uptown | Vietnamese
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| Grotto Oak Brook Steak House | Private Parties | Top | Best | Italian | Oak Brook
3011 Butterfield Road
Promenade Shopping Center
630-571-5700
Good food, a great view and lovely service feature at this west suburban spot where Chef Chef Abraham Aguirre cooks up Italian classics like veal osso buco and chicken Vesuvio. A pond-side deck offers a great spot for summer drinks.
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| West Suburbs | Italian
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| West Town | American
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Greek Islands - Greek Town
200 S. Halsted St.
312-782-9855
Since 1971, this bustling restaurant has been serving fine Greek fare in the heart of Chicago's Greek Town. Owner Gus Couchell brings in many of the ingredients direct from Greece, including award-winning olive oil, herbs, honey, wines and seafood. Daily specials are good bets and a mix-and-match menu offers possibilities for creating your own combination plate.
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| Greek Town | Greek
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Goose Island Beer - Clark Street
3535 N. Clark St.
773-832-9040
Like the original brewpub on Goose Island, this Wrigleyville outpost offers a full range of company beers, seasonal brews, and a complete menu.
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| Wrigleyville | American
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Goose Island Beer - Clybourn
1800 N. Clybourn Ave.
312-915-0071
In 1900, Chicago had 60 breweries, making over 100 million gallons a year. For a city that once rioted over beer, whose first mayor owned a brewery and that still serves as home to one of the premier schools of zymurgy in the world to have no major beer manufacturer seems almost criminal. But at least we have Goose Island.
For many years Chicago's only brewery, Goose Island, small by national standards, remains the city's largest; its Fulton Street plant produces some 600,000 cases of Goose Island Beer annually for distribution throughout the Midwest. The company also makes root beer and orange-cream soda.
It all started in this Clybourn Avenue tavern in 1988, when John Hall, and his son Greg, who became the company brewmaster, opened Chicago's first brewpub. John Hall, who worked in the packaging industry, had read about boutique breweries in an airline magazine.
Here and at the
Wrigleyville location, you can sample the company's full range of products, as well as a variety of seasonal beers brewed on site. Besides the beer, there's a full menu, and the food goes beyond the celebrated Stilton burger and other pub grub to items like a veal sweetbreads "BLT" and a tilapia po'boy.
—Leah A. Zeldes
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| Clybourn Corridor | American
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Rio's d'Sudamerica
2010 W. Armitage Ave.
773-276-0170
An eclectic fusion of South American cuisine from Peru, Argentina and Brazil.
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| Bucktown | Latin American
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Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse, Chicago
Top | Italian | Steak | Parties
33 W. Kinzie St.
312-828-0966
Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse, named for the late Hall of Fame baseball announcer, opened on October 23, 1987, and has become one of the most nationally recognized restaurants in the Midwest. This legendary Italian steakhouse serves the finest steaks and chops; fresh seafood and Italian-American specialties in a truly warm "Chicago" atmosphere. It's one of a handful of Chicago steakhouses serving dry-aged and grassfed beef along with prime, aged steaks.
The building, an outstanding example of the Dutch Renaissance Revival style, was built for the Chicago Varnish Co. in 1895.
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| River North | American
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Tavern On Rush
1031 N. Rush St.
312-664-9600
Tavern on Rush is an upscale, contemporary American Steakhouse offering an extensive menu of Classic American fare, including USDA prime aged steaks and chops, fresh fish and seafood and unique daily specials.Tavern on Rush features a sprawling horseshoe shaped bar, multi-level seating, professional and attentive wait staff, an exciting open kitchen, a beautiful private dining room and a lively outdoor patio. Visitors, locals and celebrities all agree, Tavern on Rush is the premier spot to see and be seen when looking for upscale dining in downtown Chicago!
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| Gold Coast | Steaks
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| Topo Gigio Ristorante Italian | Top | Best | Private Parties | Chicago | Old Town
1516 N. Wells St.
312-266-9355
Friendly Topo Gigio offers authentic trattoria cuisine in Old Town and Lombard.
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| Old Town | Italian
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| River North | Mexican
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Turquoise Cafe
2147 W. Roscoe St.
773-549-3523
Turquoise Cafe showcases contemporary Turkish cuisine in an upscale setting.
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| Roscoe Village | Turkish
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Tuscany on Taylor Street
1014 W. Taylor St.
312-829-1990
Mouthwatering
Italian Dining
Located in Little Italy in Chicago as well as Oak Brook and Wheeling, Tuscany offers an extensive selection of unique Italian entrees, sure to tantalize anyone’s taste buds. Besides one-of-a-kind pasta dishes, we also offer the finest steaks and freshest seafood, as well as daily specials prepared to perfection by our executive chef. Tuscany is the ideal destination for revealing the rich virtues of a Tuscan village, even down to the very best wines Italy has to offer.
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| University Village | Italian
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