Restaurants

“I don’t think America is really up to speed on that yet,” says Mychael Bonner of Caribbean and African food, which he prepares with his decades of restaurant experience at his new Spice by CMB.

At West Town’s Dell’ Rooster, Chef Miguel Tenesaca cooks up a pan-Latin menu of colorful dishes for brunch and dinner daily. He shares some favorite Chicago places.

A husband-and-wife team with experience at Hogsalt, One Off Hospitality, and Galit have opened the wood-fired, seasonal restaurant Burl in Evanston, near where they live.

The Ravenswood cafe hosts community suppers where donations go to a food pantry while embracing sustainability through making nearly everything in house for its large menu, which includes Louisiana specialties and a line of gluten-free baked goods. 

The Chicago Way by James Beard Award-winning reporter Michael Gebert brings readers into the kitchens of the restaurants that made Chicago an acclaimed dining city.

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.