The Best Restaurants in Chicago

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The Publican follows a simple logic: (1) find the highest-quality oysters, fish and pork and (2) stay out of the ingredients’ way.

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It’s also homey-feeling—the kitchen takes centerstage in the space, and the room feels, as intended, like an off-shoot of the dinners they held in their apartment.

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Sushi here is the freshest fish around.

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Lula Cafe remains a highlight of Chicago’s culinary scene

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Fresh touch shapes an instant classic

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And, of course, you eat steak. Mastro’s wet-ages theirs for 28 days, cooks them in a 1,500-degree broiler, and serves them nude on sizzling 400-degree plates with nothing but clarified butter and parsley.

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Mercat is a great place for vegetarians to dine because the expansive tapas menu has such a strong vegetable selection

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But Kirkley can turn the humblest materials into eye-popping art

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Yoshi is still in the kitchen; Nobuko, his gracious wife, works the front desk, and the professional, telepathically attuned staff smoothly serves up creative cuisine at reasonable prices

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I will say this: If you can't stomach (ha!) the Tripe Florentine here, you are officially excused from having to try it again, ever. You probably won't find a better version anywhere.

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food that actually tastes good

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Neapolitan-style pizza fired in a tiled oven brought over from Italy.

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Nobody does Restaurant Week better than Naha

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The Michelin-starred restaurant gets a redo that plays it safe but expertly executes

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A warm blueberry-almond financier with a ginger-almond ice cream sandwich still haunts my dreams.