Eating your way around Chicago

Attendees at the National Restaurant Association Show may get quite full just nibbling on food samples handed out at the exhibit booths. Score a Nathan’s hot dog, and that takes care of lunch. But after walking the vast halls of McCormick Place, who doesn’t deserve a sit-down dinner at a nice restaurant? Or perhaps a special breakfast to power through those thousands of steps a day.

Chicago has always been a restaurant town, and this year, there are a number of new and notable additions to the multitude of great choices. But there are also some old favorites worth revisiting. Check out one or more of these 10 places for a meal or a drink.

Start the day off with a different kind of breakfast overlooking the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Miru in the St. Regis Chicago hotel offers traditional Japanese breakfast with grilled umami King salmon, dashi tamago, rice and miso soup. For those who prefer American classics, there’s everything from Eggs Benedict to bagels and lox, omelets, pancakes and avocado toast. Miru has two riverfront terraces if Chicago weather permits al fresco dining, plus plenty of indoor seating. Later in the day, guests can order Tokyo Lunch, sit at the sushi bar or enjoy an inspired Japanese dinner.

Husband and wife team Jenner Tomaska and Katrina Bravo are co-owners of Michelin-starred Esmé in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The seasonally-changing tasting menu at this fine-dining gem is created by Tomaska, who scored a nomination as a 2024 James Beard Awards finalist for Best Chef Great Lakes. Bravo oversees the rotating art installations and engaging service. Both work to immerse guests in Chicago’s rich culture and community. The dinner experience is luxurious with a price tag to match, but Bar Esmé offers a less expensive three-course meal and a la carte options, and walk-ins are welcome there.

Alinea is a tough-to-get reservation and the prix-fixe menu can soar to over $400 per person. But if you want to get a taste of another Grant Achatz restaurant at a much lower price point in a more laid-back setting, head to Roister on restaurant row in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. For eight years, Roister has been elevating rustic comfort dishes like fried chicken, roast duck, pastrami short rib and pastas with chef-driven techniques. These are large plates that can be shared, but there’s also a selection of small plates such as smoked cauliflower with charred pineapple, aged cheddar rillettes and fried potato wedges with aji amarillo. Roister is open for lunch, dinner and brunch and serves drinks as inspired as the food.

James Beard Award-winning chef Jonathon Sawyer came from Cleveland to Chicago to open Kindling in the Willis Tower last year. The relaxed atmosphere, live-fire open kitchen and chef Sawyer’s innovative wood-fired-infused dishes have turned the restaurant into a popular destination for lunch, dinner and happy hour. The menu offers something for everyone, with seafood, steaks, chicken, pastas and plenty of vegetarian options. The restaurant’s centralized Loop location is convenient to many hotels and there is lots of varied seating.

This new restaurant in Chicago’s massive Merchandise Mart overlooking the Riverwalk is operated by renowned restaurateur David Morton. It opened under his former company, DMK Restaurants, which was rebranded last month as Episcope Hospitality & Advisory. The high-tech space is designed as a co-working café that encourages lingering and group meetings. The Marshall’s Landing menu runs the gamut from breakfast to lunch and happy hour, with locally roasted coffees and craft cocktails taking beverage service up several notches. For private parties, the restaurant offers event venues and catering.

Tre Dita and Bar Tre Dita opened in March at the St. Regis Chicago in Lakeshore East. This Tuscan steakhouse is a collaboration between Los Angeles-based Chef Evan Funke (Funke, Mother Wolf, Felix) and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. “Tre dita” is Italian for “three fingers,” the thickness of a properly cut bistecca Florentina, which is cooked on the wood-fired grill. Expect handmade pastas out of the temperature- and humidity-controlled “pasta lab.” And the restaurant has sweeping views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.

Tre Dita boasts that it is the first restaurant in the U.S. to be certified as representing true Tuscan values by the Vetrina Toscana.

Asador Bastian  from the group Eat Well Hospitality opened last year as a homage to the grill houses (“asadors”) of San Sebastian, Spain. Chef/owners Doug Psaltis (RPM Steak and more) and Hsing Chen (Manresa, The French Laundry, Jean Georges Restaurants and more), who also co-own Andros Taverna, operate Asador Bastian in a historic two-story townhouse in River North. On the first floor is their Bar Room, and the upstairs main dining room also includes a 10-seat Chef’s Table. Look for the Txuleton, a thick-cut Spanish steak grilled on the bone over charcoal embers, and Chen’s caviar churros.

Gemini Grill is the newest from Ballyhoo Hospitality, which anchors the luxury residence tower One Chicago in River North. Inspired by Ballyhoo’s first concept, Gemini, in Lincoln Park, the new two-story grill has big windows and cozy clamshell booths. The bar overlooks the Holy Name Cathedral, perhaps adding to the religious experience of the signature cocktail called the Squirtsky (think citrusy vodka). The restaurant is open for lunch, and dinner and brunch are coming soon.

Ballyhoo was founded 15 years ago by Ryan and Anna O’Donnell, and other concepts include Coda di Volpe, Old Pueblo Cantina, Sophia Steak, Pomeroy, Buck Russell’s, Pizza by Sal, and DeNucci’s.

Sushi-San, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprise’s famed sushi spot, has a new location in Lincoln Park, the third for the concept. With a menu by master sushi chef Kaze Chan, look for signature maki, hand rolls, nigiri, sashimi, sizzling rice, noodles and robata dishes. There’s also a robust sake-by-the-glass program. It’s a lively, fun concept, described as “set to the tune of golden-era hip-hop.”

There are also two locations in River North, where the menu is slightly different. Be sure to try the Melted Tomato nigiri, which is mind blowing.

Nora Restaurant & Bar in the Streeterville neighborhood recently opened with a Mediterranean menu influenced by Sardinia. Nora was an ancient city on the Italian island that was once a center for cultural exchange. On the menu is suckling pig, a bone-in saffron lamb shank and fresh seafood. It’s open for lunch, dinner and brunch.

The executive chef is Andres Carmona. Nora is owned by Phil Siddu, who said the menu pays homage to family recipes, passed down through generations. “The region has influenced food in every corner of the world for thousands of years and we’re excited for guests to experience what we’re creating,” he said in a statement.