The 10 Restaurants That Defined Chicago Dining in 2024
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We asked our contributors to the Resy Hit List to share their top dining experiences in their cities this year — to choose 10 restaurants that define the state of great dining right now. Welcome back our Best of The Hit List for 2024.
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Sit down and take a look at top restaurants in Chicago this year, and two themes emerge: one is the resurgence of the tasting menu, as evidenced by the beef-centric omakase at chef Sangtae Park’s Bonyeon, Cariño’s enthralling Latin-inspired set menu, and the fine-dining folk cuisine at Atelier. These aren’t the stuffy tasting menus of yore — indeed, these restaurants are precise and refined, but they’re also personable and, dare we say, fun.
Then there are the restaurants that are foregoing ceremony altogether in exchange for the extravagance of giving diners everything they want, when they want it — an extension of the “treat yourself” culture that has made its way from our shopping carts to our tables. That’s the vibe for the rest of our picks, from Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark’s casual new Parachute HiFi to our top Chicago restaurant of the year, Mariscos San Pedro. Perhaps Chicagoans just love variety — and we live in a city that’s more than happy to accommodate. With that, here’s a look at the 10 restaurants that defined how we ate this year.
1. Mariscos San Pedro Pilsen
The cheeky cartoon fish on the front window provides a playful juxtaposition to the artful seafood dishes at this new favorite on the ground floor of Thalia Hall. While the food here was serious — the chefs made names for themselves with restaurants like Taqueria Chingon and Obélix — the vibes are decidedly fun. Perhaps that’s why on any given night, Mariscos San Pedro was packed, with diners digging into oysters with passionfruit mignonette, Baja fish tacos, and a beautiful whole dorade served with multiple salsas. Visiting for a quick meal before a concert? Sit up front by the bar, with casual seating, for a quick ceviche. Celebrating something special? Grab a group and head to the back, where you can catch the wood-fire grill in action.
2. Maxwells Trading West Loop
This year, the Kinzie Corridor welcomed Maxwells Trading, a new spot from James Beard finalist Erling Wu-Bower and Josh Tilden that pairs hyper-local cuisine (and we do mean hyper-local— there’s a massive rooftop garden) with a bright, airy space and a long bar for revelers. The menu exulted in the chefs’ upbringings — Wu-Bower is Chinese American and executive chef Chris Jung is Korean American — with everything from Japanese sweet potatoes with Thai green curry to clay pot mushroom rice and turbot with a briny kombu beurre blanc. Drinks were just as original, in the “interpreted classics” like an Old Fashioned lifted with a touch of five-spice powder.
3. Bonyeon West Loop
This year, chef Sangtae Park and his partner and wife Kate Park broadened our understanding of what omakase can be. Already known for their exceptional seafood-centric tasting menu at Michelin-starred Omakase Yume, the Parks proved that they can bring the same level of care to meat with the city’s first-ever “beef omakase.” With just 12 seats, diners could watch chefs artfully prepare each course, whether a delicate piece of marinated galbi or an artful take on bibimbap. Bonyeon means “original” in Korean, and the description is apt. The space itself is dark and elegant, with pops of gold and bright lights focused just above the chef’s counter, catching all the action.
4. Parachute HiFi Avondale
While it shares (most of) the same name as Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark’s beloved, now-shuttered restaurant, Parachute HiFi took a different approach. The attention to detail is the same, but the scene itself is a far cry from its predecessor’s fine dining vibes — and we’re here for it. The music sets the scene for a good time, with a DJ setup, vintage speakers, and wood panels lining the walls. The menu is a rotating mix of Korean, Chinese, Thai, and Japanese-influenced dishes: baked potato bing bread with sour cream butter, kimchi fried rice, tteokbokki pad Thai, and a burger (served cut in half, face down in Comte fondue). Pull up to the bar, order a cocktail (maybe the Greek Salad martini), and see where the music takes you.
No reservations, more info here.
5. The Duck Inn Bridgeport
The Duck Inn is the neighborhood gem of neighborhood gems. There’s a reason it’s been a Hit List regular, named an essential cozy locale, and is a must-visit even if you only have 72 hours in the city. Well, a few reasons. Let’s start with the intimate dining room, dimly lit with low ceilings and brick walls. Then the food, from chef Kevin Hickey: a duck-centric affair complete with rotisserie duck with duck fat fries (natch), a Chicago-style dog made with beef and duck fat on a buttery brioche poppy seed bun, and brunch dies like chile-braised duck sopes and rotisserie duck hash. There are also non-duck offerings, as well, like fried cheese curds, bay scallops over black garlic angel hair pasta, and barbecue braised short ribs over rosemary bourbon grits, should you so choose. Either way, it showed us perfectly how a neighborhood spot can be ever so much more.
6. Lula Café Logan Square
The restaurant industry as a whole continues to have something to learn from Lula Cafe. A neighborhood fixture since 1999, this Logan Square icon has managed to keep things interesting for diners while sticking to its virtues for a quarter of a century—no small feat. Much of it has been due to chef-owner Jason Hammel’s commitment to farm-to-table cooking, his ability to create a welcoming, convivial atmosphere, and his dedication to warm hospitality. While you can always stop by for a comforting, market-driven meal (think roast chicken with potato and bitter greens panzanella or rye casarecce with squash butter and melted leeks), also take a moment to check out upcoming events at LOULOU by Lula, Hammel’s latest venture, which hosts cookbook dinners, chef talks, and community-driven events supporting other members of the food world who are doing it right.
7. Sanders BBQ Supply Co Beverly
Chicagoans can be pretty precious about their barbecue, so when a newcomer arrives on the scene, we’re always curious to see if they’ll be embraced. With Sanders, there was no question. The casual operation already feels like a part of the neighborhood, with steady lines since it opened in June. No one seems to be complaining as they tuck into smoked meats including oxtail, wings, and enormous Texas-style beef ribs (there’s a banging smoked burger, too). Sides aren’t an afterthought, either—the sweet potato cornbread, creamy mac and cheese, and collard greens are uniformly excellent, along with the housemade (and self-serve) sauces. With so much love from the community, it’s clear that Sanders has made an excellent first impression — and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
No reservations. More info here.
8. Atelier Lincoln Square
Atelier is the kind of restaurant that shifts our understanding of what fine dining can be. Yes, it’s Michelin-starred, but it’s completely devoid of the stuffiness you might expect from such a designation. Chef and founder Christian Hunter, and his newly promoted executive chef Bradyn Kawack, have been inspired by everyday foods people like to eat, including tacos and dumplings, which are transformed into spiffy yet recognizable versions of themselves. While the menu changes with the season, you can always expect artfully plated dishes — perhaps red and green agnolotti stuffed with turkey confit, or a paw paw meringue pie — coming out of the open kitchen.
9. Cariño Uptown
When we’re discussing fresh takes on the omakase experience, we must also mention Cariño, the city’s latest hotspot, which offers both a Latin-inspired tasting menu and a taco omakase from chef Norman Fenton. This new Uptown gem has just 20 seats — the best being at the counter where you can watch the chefs at work — in a jewel-toned space that’s only out-matched by the vibrance of the dishes as they land on your table. Fenton’s play on chips and salsa takes the form of salsa verde jelly and tortilla crumble; and the ravioli has a creamy huitlacoche filling. Some Mexican traditions, however, remain intact — the restaurant nixtamalizes all of its own corn in-house, using the resulting masa in dishes like a lamb tartare tostada and wagyu taco. If you got in early to try this truly unique tasting menu, consider yourself lucky.
Call (312) 722-6838 for reservations. More info here.
10. Middle Brow Brewery and Winery Logan Square
It’s been hard to define Bungalow by Middle Brow. A brewery? Not qiute. All-day cafe? Nope. It’s not exactly a pizzeria or a coffee shop. It’s not quite a winery or a bread shop. And yet, somehow it is all of those things in one — which earned an easy spot on our list this year, as founder Pete Ternes and his partners continue to surprise and delight with their passion for all things fermented. A visit the casual and cozy space reveals just how much Middle Brow can do, from an excellent craft beer to a margherita pizza, an Italian beef sandwich, and a malted maple sourdough doughnut. All of the ingredients are sourced locally, including the Michigan grapes used in their wines.
