Top 10 Places to Dine in Illinois

Direct Answer

The Best Overall place to dine in Illinois is Alinea in Chicago's Lincoln Park, a three-Michelin-star modernist tasting-menu temple from chef Grant Achatz where the multi-course edible-balloon and tableside dessert experience is unlike anything else in America — the signature draw that keeps it among the world's most-talked-about restaurants.

The Best Value pick is Lou Malnati's Pizzeria, the Chicago deep-dish institution where a butter-crust, sausage-patty pie feeds a whole table for the price of one entrée elsewhere — the best food-per-dollar on this list. This guide is built for diners, visitors, and Illinois locals who want the state's genuinely best tables, from Chicago's fine-dining heavyweights to a standout downstate destination.

Every pick below is a real, well-known, currently-operating establishment with a verifiable reputation.

How We Ranked the Top 10

We weighted each restaurant against what diners actually judge a great meal on, leaning on Michelin Guide stars, James Beard Award results, Eater Chicago, The Infatuation, Chicago Tribune reviews, and aggregate Yelp, Google, and OpenTable ratings. The weighting:

• Food quality — 30%
• Consistency and service — 20%
• Value (food per dollar) — 15%
• Atmosphere — 15%
• Menu range — 10%
• Local reputation — 10%

A restaurant that nails one spectacular dish but stumbles on service or charges far beyond its quality drops fast. The winners balance all six.

1. Alinea 🏆 BEST OVERALL

Cuisine: Modernist tasting menu | Price: $$$$ | Best for: A once-in-a-lifetime, theatrical fine-dining splurge

Tucked into a discreet Lincoln Park townhouse on North Halsted Street, Alinea is the flagship of chef Grant Achatz and partner Nick Kokonas, and it has held three Michelin stars for well over a decade. Dinner is a multi-hour, 16-plus-course journey that bends the rules of what a plate can be: the famous green-apple helium balloon you eat string and all, an edible tabletop dessert painted directly onto the table, and dishes that arrive smoking, frozen, or suspended in mid-air.

The room is hushed and modern, service is synchronized to the second, and tickets are prepaid like a Broadway show. It is consistently ranked among the best restaurants on earth and remains the single most ambitious dining experience in Illinois.

Pros:

• Three Michelin stars held for more than a decade
• Genuinely theatrical, one-of-a-kind multi-course experience
• Flawless, precisely choreographed service
• World-renowned signature edible balloon and tabletop dessert

Cons:

• Tickets run several hundred dollars per person
• Books out weeks in advance and is hard to get

Verdict: Alinea is the best meal in Illinois, full stop — a singular splurge worth planning a trip around.

2. Smyth

Cuisine: New American tasting menu | Price: $$$$ | Best for: Diners who want inventive cooking from a farm-driven kitchen

In the West Loop's Fulton Market district, Smyth is the three-Michelin-star project of husband-and-wife chefs John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, drawing much of its produce from a dedicated farm in southern Kentucky. The tasting menu is inventive but deeply ingredient-led — think egg yolk cured in dried fruit and koji, live scallop with smoked roe, and desserts that blur sweet and savory.

The dining room is bright and unfussy compared with its rivals, and the downstairs bar The Loyalist (home of a legendary cheeseburger) makes a perfect companion. Smyth earned its third star and sits firmly in the national conversation.

Pros:

• Three Michelin stars with a distinctive farm-to-table identity
• Bold, original flavor combinations few kitchens attempt
• Warmer, less formal room than other top-tier spots
• The Loyalist downstairs for a famous burger nightcap

Cons:

• Tasting-menu pricing is a major commitment
• Adventurous courses won't suit every palate

Verdict: Smyth is Chicago's most exciting farm-driven tasting menu — a top-three meal in the state.

3. Oriole

Cuisine: Contemporary tasting menu | Price: $$$$ | Best for: A polished, intimate special-occasion dinner

Reached through a freight elevator in a West Loop loft building, Oriole rewards the hunt with two Michelin stars and some of the warmest fine-dining service in the city. Chef Noah Sandoval runs a luxury-leaning tasting menu heavy on caviar, uni, and precision seafood, served in a small, candlelit room that feels more like a dinner party than a restaurant.

The pacing is generous, the wine program is deep, and the hospitality has earned a James Beard Award for the team. With only a handful of tables, it's one of the most personal high-end experiences in Illinois.

Pros:

• Two Michelin stars and James Beard-recognized service
• Intimate, candlelit room with only a few tables
• Luxurious caviar- and seafood-forward courses
• Hospitality regularly called the warmest in fine dining

Cons:

• The hidden freight-elevator entrance is easy to miss
• Reservations are extremely limited

Verdict: Oriole delivers two-star cooking with first-name warmth — the most personal splurge in Chicago.

4. Girl & the Goat

Cuisine: Globally-influenced small plates | Price: $$$ | Best for: A lively shared-plate dinner with a group

Stephanie Izard's Girl & the Goat on Randolph Street's Restaurant Row is the lively, bustling anchor of West Loop dining and arguably the most fun table in the city. The James Beard Award-winning chef built the menu around bold, shareable plates — the famous wood-fired pig face, sautéed green beans, and goat empanadas — served in a buzzing, exposed-brick room with an open kitchen.

It's loud, warm, and endlessly re-orderable, the kind of place where a table grazes through a dozen dishes. Years after opening it remains one of Chicago's hardest reservations and best introductions to the city's food scene.

Pros:

• James Beard Award-winning chef Stephanie Izard
• Adventurous, addictive shared plates like the pig face
• Energetic open-kitchen room that's genuinely fun
• Deep, well-priced wine and cocktail list

Cons:

• Noise level can make conversation tough
• Still a difficult reservation years in

Verdict: The most fun table in Chicago — bold small plates that make it the city's best group dinner.

5. Au Cheval

Cuisine: American diner / burgers | Price: $$ | Best for: The single best burger in the city, served all day

Au Cheval in the West Loop turned a humble diner format into a national phenomenon, and its cheeseburger is regularly named one of the best in America. The double burger topped with thick-cut bacon and a fried egg arrives perfectly griddled in a dark, clubby room with leather booths and a long bar.

Beyond the burger, the bologna sandwich, chilaquiles, and roasted bone marrow are all worth ordering. Waits once stretched for hours; the kitchen's consistency and the reservation system have made it more accessible without losing the cult appeal. It's the proof that a "diner" can be a destination.

Pros:

• Routinely ranked among the best burgers in America
• Rich, satisfying menu well beyond the burger
• Cool, dim, leather-booth diner atmosphere
• Far more affordable than the city's tasting menus

Cons:

• Peak-time waits can still be long
• The indulgent menu is heavy by design

Verdict: The best burger in Illinois in a great room — an essential, wallet-friendly Chicago stop.

6. Lou Malnati's Pizzeria 💎 BEST VALUE

Cuisine: Chicago deep-dish pizza | Price: $$ | Best for: The definitive Chicago deep-dish at a price that feeds a table

No Illinois list is complete without Chicago deep-dish, and Lou Malnati's is the family-run standard-bearer, with the original suburban location in Lincolnwood and outposts across the metro. The signature buttercrust deep-dish with a layer of sausage pressed edge-to-edge and chunky tomato sauce on top is the city's defining pie.

A single pizza easily feeds three or four people, making it the best food-per-dollar pick on this list by a wide margin. The rooms are casual and family-friendly, the service quick, and the quality has stayed remarkably consistent across decades — the reason locals and visitors alike treat it as the deep-dish benchmark.

Pros:

• The definitive, most consistent Chicago deep-dish
• One pie feeds a whole table — unbeatable value
• Signature buttercrust and edge-to-edge sausage
• Casual, family-friendly, and easy to find across Chicagoland

Cons:

• Deep-dish bakes can take 30-plus minutes
• Not the place for a quiet, refined evening

Verdict: The best value in Illinois dining — iconic deep-dish that feeds a family for the price of one entrée.

7. The Purple Pig

Cuisine: Mediterranean small plates | Price: $$$ | Best for: Wine, cheese, and "cheese, swine & wine" on the Magnificent Mile

Right on Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile, The Purple Pig earned a James Beard Award with a menu its team sums up as "cheese, swine & wine." The Mediterranean small plates — milk-braised pork shoulder with mashed potatoes, salt-roasted beets, and a deep antipasti and charcuterie selection — pair with one of the best by-the-glass wine lists downtown.

The room is communal and convivial, perfect after a day of shopping or museums. It proves that a great, accessible meal can sit in the middle of the busiest tourist stretch in the state without feeling like a tourist trap.

Pros:

• James Beard Award-winning Mediterranean menu
• Outstanding by-the-glass wine and charcuterie program
• Prime Magnificent Mile location for visitors
• Famous milk-braised pork shoulder worth the trip

Cons:

• Communal seating and crowds at peak hours
• Small plates add up if you over-order

Verdict: The best downtown small-plates stop — a James Beard kitchen in the heart of tourist Chicago.

8. Spiaggia / Italian fine dining

Cuisine: Upscale Italian | Price: $$$$ | Best for: Refined, fresh-pasta-driven Italian with a skyline view

For decades Spiaggia set the standard for fine-dining Italian in Chicago, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Michigan from its perch near the Magnificent Mile. The kitchen, long associated with chef Tony Mantuano, built a national reputation on handmade pastas, wood-roasted meats, and a deep Italian wine cellar, earning a James Beard Award along the way.

Whether under its historic banner or its successor concepts in the same upscale Italian mold, this is the room Chicagoans reserve for anniversaries and milestone dinners — elegant, view-driven, and rooted in classic technique rather than gimmickry.

Pros:

• Long-standing James Beard-honored Italian kitchen
• Handmade pastas and an exceptional Italian wine list
• Lakefront windows and a refined special-occasion room
• Classic technique over trend-chasing

Cons:

• Among the priciest non-tasting options here
• Formal tone won't suit a casual night out

Verdict: The benchmark for upscale Italian in Illinois — milestone dining with a lakefront view.

9. The Pere Marquette / Peoria steakhouse (downstate)

Cuisine: Steakhouse / upscale American | Price: $$$ | Best for: The standout downstate dinner outside the Chicago bubble

Illinois dining doesn't end at the city limits, and Peoria's historic Pere Marquette Hotel and the upscale supper-club steakhouses of central Illinois are the region's destination tables. Think a proper dry-aged steakhouse format: hand-cut ribeyes and filets, classic wedge salads, and old-school tableside touches in a grand, historic room.

Central Illinois has a deep supper-club tradition, and the best of these spots pair generous portions with genuine hospitality and prices well below Chicago's. For travelers crossing the state on I-55 or I-74, a downstate steak dinner is the proof that the state's food scene runs far past Cook County.

Pros:

• The standout fine-dining option outside metro Chicago
• Classic dry-aged steakhouse format and big portions
• Historic, grand dining room with real character
• Noticeably gentler prices than the city

Cons:

• A real drive from Chicago for most diners
• Menu is traditional rather than inventive

Verdict: The best downstate dinner in Illinois — proof the state's dining stretches well beyond Chicago.

10. Pequod's Pizza

Cuisine: Pan / deep-dish pizza | Price: $$ | Best for: The cult caramelized-crust pizza locals swear by

Rounding out the list, Pequod's Pizza in Lincoln Park (with a Morton Grove original) is the local-favorite counterpoint to the deep-dish giants, beloved for its signature caramelized cheese crust — a ring of crisp, browned cheese baked onto the edge of every pan pizza.

The room is a dark, sports-bar-style neighborhood institution, the pies are loaded and well-priced, and the line out the door on weekends tells the story. It consistently lands near the top of "best pizza in Chicago" lists for that crust alone, and it's the pick locals send visitors to when they want something the tourists haven't already found.

Pros:

• Cult-famous caramelized cheese crust
• Well-priced, generously loaded pan pizzas
• Authentic neighborhood-institution atmosphere
• The local's-choice alternative to the big chains

Cons:

• Weekend waits can be long with no frills
• Casual sports-bar vibe, not a date-night room

Verdict: The locals' pizza pick — that caramelized crust makes it an essential Chicago stop.

Where Should You Eat?

What to Look For When Choosing a Restaurant in Illinois

• Decide city vs. Downstate — Chicago owns the Michelin stars and James Beard kitchens, but central and southern Illinois supper clubs and steakhouses offer real quality at lower prices and shorter waits.
• Know your deep-dish from your tavern-style — Illinois pizza splits into buttery deep-dish (Lou Malnati's), caramelized-crust pan (Pequod's), and thin tavern-style cut into squares; pick the style that matches your craving.
• Book the big tables early — Alinea, Smyth, Oriole, and Girl & the Goat release reservations weeks out and sell through fast; plan around their windows.
• Use the verified ratings, not the hype — Cross-check Michelin, James Beard, Eater, and aggregate Google/Yelp scores rather than a single viral post.
• Match the room to the night — A loud open kitchen (Girl & the Goat, Au Cheval) is great for groups; a quiet candlelit room (Oriole) suits a milestone.
• Factor the full cost — Prepaid tasting tickets, wine pairings, and tax-plus-tip change the math; a deep-dish dinner for four can beat one tasting menu seat.

What matters less than marketing implies: a celebrity-chef name on the door, a trending dish on social media, and a long line by itself. Stars, consistent reviews, and how a kitchen treats a regular Tuesday tell you far more than buzz.

FAQ

What is the best restaurant in Illinois? Alinea in Chicago's Lincoln Park is our Best Overall — a three-Michelin-star, theatrical tasting menu from chef Grant Achatz that ranks among the best restaurants in the world.

What is the best-value place to eat in Illinois? Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is our Best Value — a single buttercrust deep-dish feeds three or four people, delivering the most food-per-dollar of any pick on this list.

Where can I get the best Chicago deep-dish pizza? Lou Malnati's is the deep-dish benchmark, while Pequod's is the local favorite for its caramelized cheese crust — try both to compare the two definitive styles.

Where is the best burger in Chicago? Au Cheval in the West Loop serves a double cheeseburger regularly ranked among the best in America, in a dark, clubby diner setting.

Is there great dining in Illinois outside Chicago? Yes — Peoria and central Illinois have a strong supper-club and steakhouse tradition, including the historic Pere Marquette in Peoria, offering destination dinners at gentler prices than the city.

Which Illinois restaurants are hardest to book? Alinea, Smyth, Oriole, and Girl & the Goat are the toughest reservations; release windows open weeks in advance, so book the moment a slot appears.

Bottom Line

For Illinois, Alinea is our Best Overall place to dine — a three-Michelin-star, once-in-a-lifetime tasting menu that justifies planning a trip around it. Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is our Best Value, where a single iconic deep-dish feeds a whole table for the price of one entrée elsewhere.

If you want the best burger, the most fun shared plates, refined lakefront Italian, or a standout downstate steak dinner, use the decision tree above to route yourself to Au Cheval, Girl & the Goat, Spiaggia-style Italian, or central Illinois instead. Choose by occasion, budget, and craving — and Illinois will feed you better than its reputation even suggests.

Sources

• Michelin Guide — Chicago restaurants and stars
• Eater Chicago — essential restaurants and reviews
• The Infatuation — Chicago dining guides
• Chicago Tribune — restaurant reviews
• Yelp — top Chicago and Illinois restaurants
• TripAdvisor — best restaurants in Illinois
• OpenTable — Chicago reservations and ratings
• Alinea — official site
• Lou Malnati's Pizzeria — official site
• Choose Chicago — official visitor bureau dining guide

*best restaurants in Illinois review — where to eat in Illinois, top Chicago and downstate dining, ratings, and a review of the best places to eat in the state.*