In the age of YouTube, sometimes people don’t want to read. So for those folks, I’ve compiled a simple Yes/No list, as in yes, you should eat there, or, no you should not eat there, of all the places I’ve eaten at in the last three years, which are also still open.
I wanted to keep this very black and white, so some restaurants that were a “maybe”, didn’t make this list. For example, Kyoten showed a lot of promise, but so far, for me, it’s not a yes at the prices they’re charging, but also it’s not a no.
This is not a comprehensive Chicago list, just a snapshot of places I’ve eaten at in the last three years. Restaurants that I should have gotten around to eating at, but haven’t, like say Hai Sous or Parachute or Bar Biscay are not on this list, because I have no idea about them.
Acadia or Goosefoot or Alinea etc. would probably make this list also, but I haven’t eaten at any of these spots in the last three years.
Finally, it’s interesting how few definitive “NO” spots there are. Turns out there would have been a lot more “NO” spots on this list, but a lot of the places I didn’t like, closed. I didn’t, of course, have anything to do with that.
I am sure I forgot some place.
| YES | NO |
| Aba | Budlong |
| Band of Bohemia | |
| Bayan Ko | Dutch and Docs |
| Bellemore | Ema |
| Billy Sunday | Free Rein |
| BLVD | Mini-Mott |
| Boka | Parson’s Chicken and Fish |
| Bonchon | Pearl’s Southern Comfort |
| Bonci | Potter’s Chicago Burger bar |
| Brown Bag Seafood | Prime and Provisions |
| Bunny Bakery | RPM Steak |
| Cabra | |
| Café Cancale | |
| Café Marie Jeanne | STK |
| Cellar Door Provisions | Tied House |
| Chiya Chai | Yugen |
| Coalfire | |
| Daisie’s | |
| Del Toro | |
| Dmen Tavern | |
| Duck Duck Goat | |
| El Che Bar | |
| Ella Elli | |
| Elske | |
| Entente | |
| Etta | |
| Funkenhausen | |
| Galit | |
| Giant | |
| GT Prime | |
| Hienie’s Shrimp House | |
| Honey Butter Fried Chicken | |
| Hoosier Mama Pie | |
| Imperial Lamian | |
| Ina Mae Tavern | |
| Income Tax | |
| Isla Pilipina | |
| Jeong | |
| Kimski | |
| Kubo | |
| Kumiko | |
| La Josie | |
| Lawry’s The Prime Rib | |
| Lena Brava | |
| Lola’s Coney Island | |
| Lonesome Rose | |
| Lost Lake | |
| Lost Larson | |
| Loyalist/Smyth | |
| Maple and Ash | |
| Monteverde | |
| Naoki | |
| Owen & Engine | |
| Pacific Standard Time | |
| Passerotto | |
| Paulie Gee’s Logan Square | |
| Petit Margeaux | |
| Piggie Smalls | |
| Proxi | |
| Publican Quality Meats | |
| Rainbow Thai | |
| Rosie’s | |
| Rubi’s at the Maxwell St. Market | |
| S.K.Y. | |
| Smoque | |
| Somerset | |
| Spacca Napoli | |
| Spiaggia | |
| Spinning J | |
| Steingold’s | |
| Tempesta Market | |
| Texican | |
| The Albert | |
| The Corned Beef Factory Sandwich Shop | |
| The Delta | |
| The Gundis | |
| The Jibarito Stop | |
| The Stop Along | |
| Tomatillo Tacoville | |
| Triple Crown Seafood |
