The Time Out Chicago blog team

Every year, OpenTable pulls data from millions of diner reviews and reservation trends to reveal the most in-demand restaurants in the country. This year, Chicago made a strong showing with sixteen spots on the Top 100 list, five of which earned a standout score of 4.9. Wicker Park’s Valhalla has been drawing attention from the start. Chef Stephen Gillanders runs the kitchen with sharp focus, building an ever-changing tasting menu around seasonal ingredients and global flavors. The menu features fresh seafood, clever pairings and artful platings. The Scandinavian decor adds to the calm, intimate vibe that makes dining here feel special, but not pretentious. Right off Michigan Avenue, adjacent to the Ralph Lauren flagship store, RL Restaurant remains one of the city’s most reliable spots for a power lunch or date night. The space reflects Ralph Lauren’s signature style, mixing dark woods, leather seating and a clubby atmosphere. The menu is all about American classics, like crisp salads, steaks and a lobster rolls. The polished service and extensive cocktail list keep diners coming back. Noriko specializes in handrolls made right in front of diners. The room is small, the pace is quick and the rolls arrive one at a time so the seaweed stays crisp. The team sources quality fish and builds each roll with simple ingredients that highlight freshness. It's the whole package that offers a memorable experience unlike typical sushi spots. Set inside Lincoln Park with a postcard...

Only in Chicago—and apparently only on Roscoe Street, recently dubbed one of Time Out’s coolest streets in the world—could an animal-shaped dent in a slab of sidewalk inspire a civic meltdown of merch, memes and municipal pride. On January 10, 2024, the so-called “rat hole” became a landmark overnight—beloved precisely because it absolutely shouldn’t be. The thing had been lurking there for 20 to 30 years, according to researchers, minding its own business, until Chicago comedian Winslow Dumaine posted a photo of his “pilgrimage” to it. That was all it took to send X (Twitter forever in my heart) users—and, bewilderingly, the rest of the world—into a tizzy. But rodent experts say our concrete celebrity has been misunderstood from the start, and their explanation somehow makes the whole saga even stranger. RECOMMENDED: According to Time Out, these are the coolest streets in the world Dumaine’s post racked up millions of views, setting off the city’s most enthusiastic novelty craze since the heyday of beloved reptilian celebrity Chance the Snapper. The Chicago Rat Hole spawned merch, was graced with an altar and—because Chicago is nothing if not committed—one couple even got married on its square of sidewalk, according to Block Club. The hole now has its own Wikipedia page, as all distinguished urban icons apparently do. And after months of neighbors complaining about crowds forming to photograph it, the City finally removed the concrete slab altogether in April 2024. It now...

Chicago’s biggest country-music-meets-barbecue blowout just added another megawatt reason to block off your entire July. Windy City Smokeout announced that Blake Shelton will close out the 2026 festival on July 12, 2026, joining an already stacked lineup that includes nostalgic '90s acts and modern Nashville heavy hitters alike.  The five-day festival returns July 8–12, 2026, to its home outside the United Center, where the parking lots become a smoky, rowdy, star-packed sprawl that reliably sells out and has twice been named the Academy of Country Music’s Festival of the Year. This year kicks off with a Wednesday night concert headlined by Treaty Oak Revival, supported by Braxton Keith and Sterling Elza, while over 20 pitmasters from around the country prepare the slow-smoked lineup for the days ahead. From there, the headliners read like a crash course in country music across generations. Hootie & the Blowfish take over Thursday with a full-throttle '90s singalong. Friday brings reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson, while Jordan Davis joins the fun on Saturday night. And then Shelton closes the whole thing out on Sunday, bringing nine Grammy nominations’ worth of hits to what’s already billed as the festival’s biggest night. As always, the daytime hours are packed with rising stars and acts programmed to keep the music going from open to close. And Smokeout doesn’t stop at music: the festival leans into its food identity with special events like the...