Virtue, Band of Bohemia, Yassa, Laurel Room, and More: Now on the Resy Hit List

Following several weeks of solely feeding hospital workers, this acclaimed eatery reopened for carryout and sidewalk dining on the same day. Chef Erick Williams, a finalist in this year’s James Beard awards for Best Chef Great Lakes, cooks upmarket comforts that honor the Southern cooking experience. That means small and large plates that span gizzards with dirty rice, green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade, pork chops with Egyptian grains and ham jus, and succulent blackened catfish with barbeque carrots and Carolina gold rice. (Ahem, do not miss the catfish). While we’re at it, pastry chef Becky Pendola’s key lime pie is a must, too. 

Dining status: Patio is open for reservation only; curbside pickup is available.

This beloved minichain known for Quad Cities-style pizza, with its chewy, malty crust, has reopened patio dining, reupping its commitment to keeping diners and staff safe and anxiety to a minimum. (Signage requests everyone wear a mask and maintain distance inside, and new tabletop QR codes link to contactless menus and payment.) We’d suggest preceding your crumbled sausage pie — our fave — with crunchy-stretchy mozzarella sticks, and the excellent green goddess salad studded with broccoli and bacon. Or branch out with a chef collaboration pizza—we’re loving Lamar Moore’s (Swill Inn) Southern Homestyle pie, with pimento cheese, tomatillos, andouille, and chicken chorizo sausage.

Dining status: The West Town patio is open for reservations, as is the patio at Lincoln Square; curbside pickup and delivery are available.

About a month after pivoting to family meals and a virtual butcher shop, this posh steakhouse reopened its fenced-in patio, with vistas of iconic River North buildings to match its decadent steak, seafood, and sides. If you’re not ready to dine out, build a meal for two out of roasted Amish chicken or dry-aged porterhouse steaks, with decadent sides like whipped potatoes and creamed spinach. Affordable house wine and desserts round out meals. Or nab a 38-ounce tomahawk steak from the butcher shop and cook to your ideal temp at home. 

Dining status: Call (312) 726-7777 for reservations on the patio; curbside pickup and delivery are available.

One of the most anticipated reopenings since COVID ravaged Chicago’s diningscape, HaiSous is back for carryout, featuring à la carte faves like caramelized fish sauce chicken wings with shoestring fries, and chopped baby clams with toasted peanuts, plus family meal kits with summery Vietnamese spring rolls and nourishing chicken pho. Add a custom logo cloth facemask (made by owners’ Thai and Danielle Dang’s family in Vietnam) and the restaurant will donate one to a community member in need. 

Dining status: Takeout and delivery is being offered.

Expect fancified, nostalgic Italian dishes from Brendan Sodikoff’s luxe River North spot. Burrata with crisp-edged fennel bread, fat rigatoni sliced with spicy vodka sauce, and rolled lasagna bolognese are just a few comforts we’d recommend. Food-loving Italian wines run as little as $16 (we love the peppery Colosi nero d’avola for $18), so toss in a bottle and make it a date night.

Dining status: Curbside pickup is available.

One of a small handful of Senegalese restaurants citywide, this Bronzeville eatery evokes a sense of dining in someone’s home — with walls displaying bright murals, tables covered with African prints and guests who all seem to know each other. You can’t yet return to dine, but let Yassa’s restorative comfort fare transport you in the meantime. Think succulent grilled dibi lamb chops, and spicy, lemony Yassa fish cooked whole with onions and mustard — paired with generous sides like jollof rice. Consider throwing on a starter of fataya (battered salmon patties). You’ll have plenty left over for tomorrow’s lunch either way.

Dining status: Curbside pickup and delivery are available.

This family-run modern Mexican spot opened its coveted rooftop in recent days, offering soul-warming, Jalisco-inspired bites and its quenching, classic cocktails. Book a spot online, or join a mobile waitlist using the Resy app — just don’t show up till your table is ready. And then, once perched high above the West Loop, start with a gusano salt-rimmed mezcal margarita and halibut-peach ceviche dotted with hibiscus salt, followed by hand-pressed tacos filled with grilled adobado ribeye. If you’re ordering in, the parrillada family meal — with charred steak, chicken, chorizo, rajas poblanas, and grilled vegetables — feels just as celebratory.  

Dining status: The rooftop is open for reservation only; curbside pickup and delivery are available.

The city’s first Michelin-starred brewpub quietly returned last week, offering upmarket picnic packs that serve one to two, plus growlers of beer (we love the beguiling black lager with star anise and black lime) and wines by the bottle. Feast on poached salmon and walleye, sliced duck with duck rillettes or chilled asparagus and ratatouille tian. All baskets come with a hearty grain salad, house bread and butter, crudites and fruit. If you’re craving patio time, picnic at one of the standing pub tables in the brewpub’s parking lot.

Dining status: Curbside pickup is available.

Perched eight floors above its sibling Pacific Standard Time, this plant-filled oasis, also from Underscore Hospitality and One Off’s Paul Kahan, Donnie Madia Gianfrancisco, and Terry Alexander, is open for the season — by reservation only. Sip quenching cocktails, from bright house spritzes to juicy hibiscus margaritas, alongside chef Erling Wu-Bower’s coastal California-inspired small and large plates, like sweet-and-sour eggplant dip with roti, and fried fish with napa cabbage and jalapeno. Staying in? Downstairs at PST, to-go family meals for two or four center on wood-fired meats and hyperseasonal sides.

Dining status: The rooftop is open by reservation only.

One of the city’s largest, cheeriest patios is back, featuring a tight menu and taking safety precautions very seriously. Once you book a spot, you’ll arrive and check in, where you’ll get a temperature check and wash your hands. From there, chill in the sunshine with a cocktail and French dip or Buffalo chicken nuggets—which you order by scanning a QR code on your phone. And if you’re staying in? The taquitos de papa travel quite well.

Dining status: The patio is available for reservations only; curbside pickup and delivery are available.

A delivery-only chicken shop from Boka executive chef Lee Wolen, a 2018 finalist for James Beard Best Chef Great Lakes, popped up at the end of May, in a nod to the rotisserie shop he’d planned for Revival Food Hall, pre-COVID. The star is Wolen’s crispy chicken sandwich with cabbage and bread-and-butter pickles on a brioche bun slathered in spicy mayo. The streamlined menu is rounded out by roasted chicken with comfy sides, spicy cauliflower sandwiches, and hearty salads like kale and brussels sprouts with honey-lemon dressing. 

Dining status: Available for delivery only.