Restaurants

A few Chicago establishments make full use of their patios by inviting other restaurants to serve meals at a deal weekly – including a competition for the best hot dog. 

Restaurants' family meal or staff meal has been brought into the mainstream by The Bear. A new show uses it to allow the staff of a restaurant to share stories, advice, and an inside look. 

The owner and executive chef of the newly opened cozy neighborhood spot Carpenter Street in the West Loop share places to shop, eat, and drink in and around Chicago. 

Mike Payne opened the original Byron's Hot Dogs as a manager and soon hired an employee who still works there today, before eventually taking over as owner. Fifty years and a White House visit later, the stand continues on.

Za'atar croissants with labneh, sticky toffee date cake, and "sandweeshes" on flatbread are some of the inventive offerings at Seedo's Levantine Bakery. 

Ivan Valdez named his approachable restaurant after backyard taco parties he catered with his mom. He shares favorite spots in and around the city.

“I realized I'd just eaten an album,” says Ben Glover of his introduction to a tasting menu at Atelier in Chicago, “and I needed to write a full album that is basically a tasting menu for people to listen to.”

Nominations have been announced for the prestigious 2025 James Beard Awards that recognize people and businesses in the United States' food and hospitality industry. Chicago has five nominees this year.

As the threat of high tariffs on wine and alcohol from the E.U. and American whiskey in the E.U. loom, the beverage industry warns that, "It's going to hurt."

“It was not just that it was not represented, it was misrepresented,” says the restaurateur behind Ambar of the region as he opens his first location outside Washington, D.C. in the U.S.

Rendang Republic has a take on a Chicago dog featuring Indonesian flavors as well as its namesake rendang, one of Indonesia's national dishes, in the style of Italian beef. It's the first brick and mortar from a chef who has worked to popularize Indonesian food in pop-ups. 

A chef-testant on the latest season of Top Chef, Zubair Mohajir has various successful South Asian-inflected restaurants. He shares his favorite spots.

Peruvian street food, Mexican masa creations, a delectable burger: it's all availabe in the oft-overlooked Belmont Cragin, which has the largest Latino population of any neighborhood in the city.