Restaurants

Acclaimed for their beer and pizza, Middle Brow has begun applying its local, sustainable approach to wine, sourcing grapes from Michigan and experimenting with hybrid varietals tailored to the climate there. They're opening a second location in the state.

La Cantina inside Italian Village has been redesigned and updated into Sotto after decades of hosting memories like those made by Maggie Hennessy and her sister. Hennessy squares the new place against her traditions at the old. 

A few Chicago chefs and artisans shared what holiday gifts they’re giving their loved ones this year – many of which are ideal for the foodie in your life.

Wurst Behavior, from the couple behind Wicker Park's popular Pierogi Kitchen, features loaded brats, kielbasa, Chicago hot dogs, and more – all made daily in-house.

Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen is a beloved Chicago institution, serving massive corned beef and pastrami sandwiches alongside pickles, thick potato pancakes, and golden matzo ball soup for nine decades now.

Turkish breakfast features a teeming cornucopia of delights, from baked goods to olives to cheeses and eggs. A Thousand Tales in Mount Prospect offers one example.

Honey Butter Fried Chicken is cutting their losses on an expansion to the suburbs the same day that Temperance Beer Co. closes after more than a decade in business. 

Michael Lachowicz has received acclaim for his French food in Winnetka, but now he and his longtime partners Miguel Escobar and Sergio Angel are trying out a counter-service Mexican restaurant in the northern suburb.

While the Chicago area has a huge Polish community, many non-Poles only know Polish food via pierogi and pączki U Gazdy in Wood Dale serves more regional fare such as the blood sausage kiszka and "hunter's stew" bigos. 

Parachute re-opens as a listening bar focused on music paired with casual food and drinks. Lula Cafe debuts a creative space for various ticketed events. In an adverse environment, independent restaurateurs are experimenting with new ways to succeed and survive.

The South Shore Cultural Center was once a country club that excluded Black people. Now it's home to a soul food restaurant owned by a Black entrepreneur.

Plenty of convention business and hobnobbing takes place in the lobbies, bars, and restaurants of the luxury hotels like the Four Seasons where attendees stay. "I was kind of surprised by the amount of grilled cheese we sold," says the chef of the hotel's restaurant, Adorn.

The neighborhood of Dunning may be unofficially known as Chicago's other Little Italy, but new businesses serving Vietnamese-inspired beer, Turkish delights, and scratch-made tamales and tacos have recently sprouted up as well. 

The dishes at Cellar Door Provisions are constantly being tweaked and refined according to the fresh ingredients they have, in an effort to keep things hyper-seasonal and generate as little waste as possible. 

Juan Muñoz started working at Gene & Georgetti in 1979 as a busser. He learned English along the way, got his brother J.J. a job there, and worked his way up to server. He's still there, 45 years later.