The Time Out Chicago blog team

Chicago’s fine-dining flex just got international receipts. La Liste, the influential French guide that crunches reviews, guidebooks and online ratings from more than 1,100 sources into a single global ranking, has released its 2026 top 1000 restaurants list—and five Chicago spots made the cut. Leading the local pack is Ever in Fulton Market, scoring a lofty 96 out of 100. Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser’s tasting-menu temple is already a two-Michelin-star destination, but La Liste’s nod just confirms what anyone who’s stared down one of Duffy’s plates already knows: this is the ultimate “special occasion” spot. Right behind it is West Loop favorite Smyth, coming in at 95. Here, John and Karen Urie Shields lean into hyper-seasonal cooking, driven by a 20-acre farm south of the city, turning a lengthy, 2.5-hour tasting into something both comfortable and luxurious. One course might feature salted licorice-soaked egg yolk and another pristine yet simple seafood or vegetables. (Plus, the room feels more like a stylish friend’s home than a white-tablecloth temple.) Lincoln Park’s boundary-pushing Alinea lands a score of 93.5, tying with West Loop heavyweight Oriole. At Alinea, Grant Achatz’s famed helium balloons, tableside theatrics and multi-course mind-benders still make for one of the city’s most immersive nights out. Meanwhile, Oriole takes a quieter route to the same level of wow: guests slip in through a back alley, ride a freight elevator and then settle into a...

If the holidays have ever made you want to drop-kick a gift box or smash an ornament into festive oblivion, this is your moment. Pluto TV, Paramount’s free streaming service, is bringing its nationwide “Holidays Are Brutal” tour to the city and with it comes a free, one-day-only pop-up rage room built for anyone nursing seasonal stress. (You can thank them later, once you’re done pulverizing a wreath.) This Thursday, December 11, from 1pm to 10pm, the Angry Cactus Lounge at 2525 North Elston Avenue will transform into a holiday battlefield where you’re encouraged to unleash inner action-hero energy. The setup is inspired by Pluto TV’s new “Holidays Are Brutal” movie collection, a lineup of 70-plus action hits streamed for free, including Charlie’s Angels, Bad Boys, Rush Hour, The Expendables, Gladiator and more. Think of it as the anti-Hallmark holiday season, with fewer carols and more cinematic chaos.  Inside the pop-up, participants can step into themed smash bays that look like cheerful holiday scenes. You can “deck” the halls in the most literal sense by pounding on decorations, shattering ornaments, drop-kicking wrapping-paper disasters and generally behaving like you’re inside your own blockbuster fight sequence. The whole thing is Pluto TV’s tongue-in-cheek answer to the stresses of year-end travel, high prices and family dynamics. The experience is part of a multicity rollout hitting New York, L.A., D.C., Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Raleigh–Durham,...

Lodged in the heart of Bridgeport, Palmisano Park is a 26.6-acre green space offering scenic overlooks, bird-watching opportunities and a lush wetland habitat that feels worlds away from the surrounding neighborhood. It’s a hidden gem in every season, but winter is when Palmisano truly shines—glimmering like a star atop a Christmas tree. When fresh powder blankets Chicago, the park’s 33-foot Mount Bridgeport transforms into a Christmas Vacation–worthy sledding hill, its rare elevation a welcome novelty in the famously flat landscape. Families gather at the base, pulling sleds behind them, their laughter echoing off the icy slopes. The park’s winding walking paths become snow-capped trails that guide visitors through a serene winter wonderland, where cattails poke through frozen marshes and the quarries, glazed in ice, look like something lifted from a holiday postcard. Even on the coldest days, you’ll spot bundled-up birders scanning the stark branches for winter residents, adding to the quiet magic that makes Palmisano Park feel like Chicago’s own secret snow globe. RECOMMENDED: The very best parks in Chicago Photograph: Shannon ShreibakPalmisano Park boasts one of few prime sledding hills in Chicago's notoriously flat landscape. Palmisano Park stands as one of Chicago’s most impressive transformation projects. The site—once known as Stearns Quarry—was acquired by the Chicago Park District in 2013, but its history stretches far deeper. Long before it became a city...