Restaurants

Two major Chicago chefs are vying for $1 million in America's Culinary Cup. Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya Antojería in Logan Square and Beverly Kim of Parachute HiFi and Anelya in Avondale are among 16 contestants.

Chicago's restaurant industry celebrated its own at a ceremony announcing the winner of the local Banchet Awards, which also honored Alinea's Grant Achatz with a lifetime achievement.

Judging from the restaurant designs up for recognition at Chicago's local Jean Banchet Awards, what we all seem to need right now is aspirational escape.

The James Beard Awards, a national recognition in the food and hospitality industry often compared to the Academy Awards, have announced 2026 semifinalists, and Chicago has one more than last year.

South Side + Friends, hosted by Dominque Leach of Lexington Betty Smokehouse, aims to bring some visitors and recognition to South Side businesses.

Two Yemeni coffee chains from Dearborn, Michigan have opened their first Chicago outposts along Kedzie, while two other new cafes also spotlight Turkish and Kurdish coffee and pastries.

The Japanese tradition of ōsōji, undertaken at the new year, is like spring cleaning on steroids, allowing for reflection and clearing out of the past year, as the owners of Omakase Yume show.

Over 500 participating restaurants in and around Chicago offer special menus at fixed prices during the 17 days of Chicago Restaurant Week. Here are restaurants that opened in 2025 that are taking part.

Semaphore Cafe aims to be a community gathering space in East Garfield Park. "I've never felt more welcome anywhere in the city," says the owner, a new resident.

Restaurants and chefs in Chicago are highlighting lesser-known regional cuisines and creatively incorporating global influences to broaden conceptions of what Indian food can be.

There are always new restaurants opening in Chicago, but it’s noteworthy to have two open in the same building at the same time – and to have two popular South Side spots expand across this segregated city to the North Side. 

Jennifer Kim's experiences dining, cooking, and shopping in Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods add layers of interest to the menu at Proxi, as is evident from Kim's generous and multifarious Chicago recommendations.

Ever look at a restaurant menu and wonder, “How do they get all those gorgeous, ripe heirloom tomatoes every week?” One answer lies in businesses like Chicago’s Midwest Foods.

How and why did Americans stop eating beef from dairy cows? It has something to do with Chicago's meatpackers and stockyards.

But biscuits aren't limited to the first meal of the day, as Hoosier Mama's Paula Haney makes clear. Plus, their history helps tell the "whole story of the country."