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A Chicago Food Crawl: Your Local Dining Guide

A photo of Red logo
by The OpenTable team
Updated 10 March 2019

You’re in Chicago for 48 hours, and you’re hungry. What’s the plan? We’ve rounded up the best spots to hit on your first trip to town: the breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and everything-in-between that will give you a definitive sampling of what the city has to offer. Let’s get to it.

A photo of Parachute restaurant
4.6
4.6 (1716)
$31 to $50
Korean
Avondale
About the restaurant
Parachute is one of Chicago’s most-talked-about restaurants, and it’s not hard to see why. Chefs Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark’s take on Korean-American food is singular and unique, with takes on classic dishes like bibimbap, mandu, and dukbukki that at once thoughtful, exciting, and new.
Top review
Anne
Dined on 22 Mar 2024
We LOVED everything we ate at Parachute. We shared the Korean fried chicken, haemul pajeon, 30 day dry aged bulgogi, yukgaejang, and s'mores patbingsu. The vibe ws really fun and our service was great. When they open again, I'm certain they will bring the same care and expertise to another excellent experience.
A photo of Girl & the Goat restaurant
4.8
4.8 (14775)
$30 and under
Contemporary American
West Loop
About the restaurant
Chef Stephanie Izard isn’t just the first female Top Chef winner—she’s also the lady behind one of Chicago’s most celebrated restaurants. Cuisine-wise, Girl and the Goat is probably best described as “global”—but labels don’t matter here. This is delicious, exciting food, the kind of stuff you’ll be thinking about the rest of the weekend.
Top review
Joelvip
Dined today
The food more than met our expectations. Culinary delight. The service was outstanding. Our waiter, Trevor, was superb and gave us an extraordinary experience. Our only criticism is the noise level was ridiculously loud. We could not hear each other across a small table. Please turn the music down and maybe somehow put sound dampening material around the room.
A photo of avec West Loop restaurant
4.8
4.8 (803)
$30 and under
Mediterranean
West Loop
About the restaurant
Chef Paul Kahan has some of the best restaurants in Chicago, and Avec is a shining example. You’re here for the chorizo-stuffed dates, the cheese-stuffed “deluxe” focaccia, and anything coming out of the wood-fired oven.
Top review
Sarah
Dined today
Our server was incredible, the entire staff was attentive and helpful.
A photo of Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse - Chicago restaurant
4.8
4.8 (8766)
$31 to $50
Steakhouse
Gold Coast / Streeterville
About the restaurant
We’re in the Midwest, after all—and if you’re eating steak in this town, you want to be eating it at Gibson’s. They even have a USDA grade named for them: USDA Gibsons Prime Angus. This is a steakhouse in every sense of the word, and it’s glorious.
Top review
Stephen
Dined 1 day ago
Our group of 4 were in town for a convention & celebrated our CEO's birthday here: the food was excellent, the atmosphere was top notch, and even though we sat down a few minutes after we were scheduled to (on a VERY crowded night) the service was outstanding!
A photo of The Publican restaurant
4.6
4.6 (5882)
$31 to $50
American
West Loop
About the restaurant
Since it opened in 2009, The Publican has been one of the most fun, boisterous spots in the city to eat pig, drink beer, and be merry. The food, to this day, is deliciously craveable, and the plentiful beer selection will ensure you’re drinking happily all night long.
Top review
Dave
Dined 2 days ago
My previous dining experiences have always been great at The Publican. Last night was no exception. The pork chop and bacon degustation were excellent. Our waiter was Blake and he directed us to some excellent Italian vino to accompany that. Dave Rambo Denver, CO
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