The 26 best West Loop restaurants

Chicago is home to oodles of fine dining experiences, from big names like Alinea to relative newcomers Kasama and Esmé. But no foodie's checklist is complete without a meal at Oriole, chef Noah Sandoval's two-star Michelin Guide restaurant that's plastered with old concert flyers. The multi-course tasting menu—which costs $285 in the dining room and $325 at a kitchen table—is filled with clever, beautiful, indulgent bites that allow guests to be swept up in the experience. If you don’t have the cash to splurge on the full menu, you can reserve a spot at Oriole’s bar and lounge area and order a ham sandwich and one of Julia Momosé’s cocktails.

Sarah Grueneberg left Spiaggia to open her own restaurant in 2015, and while she brought along the masterful Italian techniques she honed there, she left the fine dining trappings on Michigan Avenue. Monteverde is warm and welcoming, making it ideal for an indulgent date night. It'd be a crime to visit and not try the housemade pastas—from spaghetti with roasted tomatoes to potato-filled zlikrofi with fresh shaved truffles. Balance out the meal with a few piattini (small plates) and stuzzichini (snacks); just be sure to save room for dessert.

Chef and owner Joe Flamm combines his Italian heritage with the bright flavors of Croatian cuisine at this Fulton Market spot named for his grandmothers and the herb native to both countries. You’ll feel like you’ve taken a trip to the Mediterranean sitting amidst the restaurant’s pale stone and blue tiles while dining on a seasonal menu of shellfish cooked on a custom charcoal hearth, housemade pastas and grilled meats. Pair your meal with a glass from the wine list, which emphasizes bottles from Italy and the Balkans, or a Golden Negroni made with Croatian pear brandy.

Eleven Eleven serves an eclectic menu blending Southern flavors like shrimp ‘n grits with Italian classics like cacio e pepe with wild mushrooms. Visit for happy hour to take advantage of half-price select bottles of wine and $8 cocktails—including gin or vodka martinis and a Blushing Gimlet made with pomegranate syrup—or linger in the evening on the terrace strung with lights and decorated with a colorful mural.

The old school vibe at this corner shop isn’t manufactured—the Graziano family has been doing its thing here since 1937. While it’s hard to go wrong with any of their sandwiches, the Mr. G—prosciutto, salami and sopressata, with biting aged provolone and marinated artichokes tucked into crackly-crisp bread anointed with hot oil and truffle mustard vinaigrette—claims house specialty status for a reason. Just be prepared to wait for your order, because the lunch rush is a very real phenomenon here.

Housed in the former Checker Taxi building, El Che Bar is Chef John Manion’s Argentine steakhouse, a love letter to his time traveling throughout the country. Locally sourced vegetables, grilled meats and whole seafood are cooked on custom-built grills and chapas in an open hearth. Menu standouts include grilled oysters topped with smoked onion aioli and bacon, quail served with red chimichurri and the Parrillada platter, which includes chorizo, sweetbreads, sirloin cap and marrow bone.

There are a few things you should know before visiting Avec. First and foremost: Prepare to give up any notion of personal space upon entering. The cozy, always-packed, Mediterranean-skewing West Loop restaurant offers communal seating and shared plates (fear not—you don't have to share with your neighbors). Whether it's your first visit or your 15th, you must order menu mainstays chorizo-stuffed medjool dates and the "deluxe" focaccia with taleggio cheese, airy ricotta, truffle oil and fresh herbs.

A large wood- and coal-burning oven in the open kitchen above LÝRA’s dining room fills the restaurant with the smells of cooking meat, building anticipation for the modern spins on Greek fare before they hit your table. While carnivores will delight in slow-roasted lamb gyros carved tableside and the deconstructed pastitsio with short rib ragu and black truffle bechamel, there are plenty of great vegan and vegetarian options like the thin-cut grilled florina peppers. The restaurant hosts DJs and serves large format cocktails after 11pm on weekends.

The latest project from the Boka Group and Chef Lee Wolen (Boka) takes over the former home of Bellemore, serving Italian dishes in an ornate space where diners sit under an arched pergola draped in greenery or flowing sheets of fabric that hang from the ceiling. You'll find crispy arancini, salads, homemade pastas, pizzas, meats and veggies on the menu—including Wolen's signature chicken parmigiana, topped with fire roasted tomato sauce and buffalo mozzarella. Lesser known Italian and West Coast Italian wineries are the focus of Alla Vita's bottle list—and there are cocktails (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) for those who don't need a glass of red or white with their meal.

Situated below The Publishing House B&B, the Press Room serves a seasonal menu of top-notch eats to pair with their lengthy wine list, including steak tartare with egg yolk jam, scallops with bacon marmalade and short rib with carrot hummus. Those looking to chit-chat the night away over bottles should order a cheese and charcuterie board that includes jamon serrano, aged gouda and housemade pickles.

Be forewarned: A trip to Proxi will undoubtedly leave you wanting more. It’s not that the menu is lacking; on the contrary, it’s rife with so many tough decisions that you’ll have to book a second visit to try it all. Sweet corn tamale or poached king salmon salad? Beef tartar or crab tagliolini? Wood-grilled pork tenderloin or lentil dumplings? It’s not for the indecisive, but Proxi has officially landed on the short list of restaurants we’d gladly frequent every weekend if we could.

Executive chef Saúl Román draws on his experience cooking in Mexico City and at Lincoln Square’s Artango Bar & Steakhouse for a menu of playful dishes including Korean sticky mushroom tacos, grilled skirt steak with crispy cactus, and lobster flautas. The bar offers a massive collection of mezcal and tequila you can try in a flight or as part of a cocktail like the Tijuana Unicorn Show (mezcal, lemon and prickly pear). Finish with the Churroulette, an assortment of housemade churros, one of which is laced with habanero.

Traditional Indian dishes are made with local ingredients and modern cooking techniques at ROOH Chicago, which has made its mark on Randolph Street since opening in 2019. While the menu has plenty of noteworthy meat dishes like tandoor-smoked pork belly with pandi curry, it’s especially friendly to vegetarians and vegans with options such as sweet potato chaat with kale tempura. ROOH's well balanced cocktails incorporate ingredients used in Indian food such as persimmon, cumin and turmeric.

The first Chicago restaurant devoted to okonomiyaki, Gaijin features both a 12-foot griddle at the chef’s counter and individual griddles on its tables to keep the savory cabbage pancakes warm. Start with a rotating selection of Japanese-inspired pickles from chef Paul Virant before digging into an Osaka-style okonomiyaki featuring shrimp tempura and crispy rice, or a Hiroshima-style layered pancake, which incorporates yakisoba noodles. Just be sure to leave room for a crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside mochi doughnut with a matcha-citrus or pandan-coconut glaze. 

Diners come to this megaproject from Paul Kahan for three things: to sample the massive list of brews while basking in the golden-hued, beer hall–like space; run through the current roster of impeccable charcuterie and oysters; or begin their weekend days with arguably the best brunch in town (think waffles with honey butter and jam and thick slabs of housemade bacon).

Sepia has become a bona fide West Loop stalwart for elegant dining. The warm and sophisticated room is a destination for dishes like Rohan duck breast with a cherry duck jam doughnut, turnip and root beer jus—not to mention a cocktail and wine program that sets the bar for Chicago. Combine the best of both by attending a four-course dinner featuring pairings from guest wine and spirit makers.

Hailing from Lodi, Italy, Federico Comacchio helms the kitchen at Gioia, showcasing a rotating menu of regional Italian dishes and housemade pastas including paccheri prepared tableside with fresh tomato sauce and aged parmesan. Especially hungry diners can order the Orecchia di Elefante for two, a breaded double veal chop served on a wood platter with roasted potatoes and arugula. Just make sure that you'll have enough room to sample the frozen tiramisu souffle paired with a glass of limoncello.

Chef de cuisine Nick Chaskin pays tribute to classic steakhouses of the 1950s while also offering some new twists on old indulgences with a menu including steak tartare with sriracha aioli, lobster bisque and steak frites with beef fat fries and bone marrow butter. The dining room also embodies the classic Hollywood vibe with chandeliers hanging over silvery pod-like booths perfect for a celebratory meal. 

The sister restaurant to Ēma in River North, Aba showcases chef CJ Jacobson's lighter style of Mediterranean cooking. The Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant features spreads and cold and hot mezze options including crispy short rib hummus, housemade stracciatella and crispy potatoes. Diners looking for substantive fare can enjoy slow-braised leg of lamb wrapped in eggplant and black garlic shrimp scampi. On the beverage front, expect summer-ready sippers like the Aloe? It's Me, a tantalizing blend of mezcal, aloe, green juice, lime and jalapeño.

If you need a break from the traditional (read: hoity-toity) fine dining experience, book a seat at Roister. There are no white tablecloths, the music is loud and you can totally get away with wearing jeans. Brunch is available, but you'll want to go for dinner, when you can fully appreciate the open-hearth kitchen and everything it has to offer. The whole chicken is a must for first-time visitors and includes flaky fried thighs, roasted breast, and housemade hot sauce. Toss in an order of truffled cheddar rillettes and yellowfin tuna sashimi, and you'll see what all the hype is about.

Few Chicago restaurants possess the staying power that Girl & the Goat has been able to maintain since 2010, when it opened on Restaurant Row in the West Loop. It's still tough to nab a reservation at Top Chef Stephanie Izard's flagship spot (she recently opened a satellite location in Los Angeles), where diners can nosh on wood-grilled broccoli, goat empanadas, duck tongues and wood-oven–roasted pig face.

Boka Restaurant Group's (Boka, GT Fish & Oyster and others) foray into Japanese fare is a huge success, with a variety of elegant raw fish dishes and other classics of the cuisine. Favorites include robata-grilled Mishima skirt steak seasoned with Japanese sea salt and beef fried rice with maitake mushrooms and soft-poached egg. You can also opt to have the chef choose a selection of sushi for you and spice it up with a bit of freshly-grated wasabi.

A family-owned Tennessee fried chicken restaurant dating back to 1973 has grown into a franchise with 35 locations across 14 states. Head to Fulton Market for a plate of hormone-free, never frozen chicken fried in peanut oil and served with baked beans, slaw and white bread to help you handle the heat. The tasty Southern fare doesn't end there—make sure to try fried green tomatoes and sweet potato pie with a bottomless cup of sweet tea.

When temperatures drop, many feel the urge to escape to somewhere remote and exotic. After some boozy slushies in this hidden oasis under Green Street Smoked Meats, you can almost pretend you’ve been transported to a gritty basement ramen shop in Tokyo. Reminiscent of the cautioning one might find from a buffalo wing-centric sports bar, the menu features a stern warning of how spicy the soup can be—and spicy it is, but worth the momentary pain. If you can’t take the heat, you can still get the classic High Five Ramen with half or even no spice or you can opt for one of the milder bowls like the shoyu ramen.