Chicago’s always had great restaurants and each year; the city tries to up the ante for the meticulous taste buds of locals and visitors alike. Despite the city’s reputation for offering some of the country’s tastiest and most unhealthy food; Chicago also shines when it comes to innovative cuisine and fine dining. In 2017 alone, the city boasts 26 Michelin-star restaurants with 1/3 of them gaining two or more stars. When you’ve had enough deep-dish pizza, hotdogs and Italian beef; put on that fancy dress and shoes and indulge at these Chicago Michelin star restaurants for a special night out.
Chicago Michelin Star Restaurants to try
Three Star
Grace
Honeydew Dish at GraceWhen you ask a Chicago foodie to name a restaurant known for elegance and sophistication; he/she will send you to Grace, Curtis Duffy’s masterpiece of a restaurant where diners boast about the food and the overall dining experience for days. The three-star restaurant offers two pre fixed, multi-course meals to choose from: flora, for the vegetarians, and fauna for those who aren’t opposed to sample everything. Some of the current items on the menu include Miyazaki beef with grains, hon shimeji, and kaffir lime and white asparagus with osetra caviar, potato and spring onion. For three years in a row, Grace holds the highest prestigious honor as one of Chicago Michelin star restaurants.
Alinea
Icefish at AlineaDespite its hiatus for much of 2016, Alinea, Grant Achatz’s world-renowned restaurant, managed to retain its three-star Michelin status this year. A true fine dining experience; guests will find themselves indulging on a dozen or so courses, that are both exploding with creativity and flavor. Located in a two-story house in Chicago’s posh Lincoln Park neighborhood; guests will fork several hundred dollars for the experience of sampling worldly delicacies such as Japanese icefish or a chicken liver mousse that the chef managed to create an entire cuisine around on.
Two Star
Oriole
Beausoleil Oyster at OrioleIt says a lot about a restaurant when in its debut, it was awarded one of the most prestigious honors in the industry. That’s exactly what Oriole did. Opened just last year, Noah Sandoval’s restaurant entered the club of Chicago Michelin star restaurants; earning not just one, but two of them with its dazzling menu, that includes Beausoleil oyster with mangalica consomme and a Scottish langoustine accompanied by a spring roll with a shio kombu, rhubarb and mint. A bargain with a price point starting at less than $200 for 15 courses; diners will get to sample a variety of flavors from around the world.
To complete your weekend of indulgence at Chicago Michelin star restaurants, consider staying at Chicago’s luxury accommodations such as The Drake or the Ritz-Carlton.