The Most Expensive And Luxurious Restaurants In Chicago, Illinois That Locals Actually Recommend
Chicago, Illinois is a city that takes food seriously. Locals here will happily argue about pizza, hot dogs, and tasting menus in the same conversation.
But when a birthday, an anniversary, or a big win at work rolls around, they head somewhere special.
Somewhere with tiny plates, quiet music, and a chef who explains every bite. Ready to see where the people who live here actually spend their money?
These ten spots are not cheap, and nobody pretends otherwise. Reservations open weeks ahead, and some fill in minutes.
Still, visitors keep saying the same thing afterward: it was worth it.
You get a meal that takes three hours, service that remembers your name, and dishes you will describe to friends for years.
Some places lean modern American. Others pull from Korea, Mexico, India, or a classic steakhouse playbook.
A few have Michelin stars stacked up.
All of them treat dinner like an event, not a rush. So if you have been working hard and skipping proper meals, consider this your permission slip.
Book a table, wear something nice, and let someone else do the cooking for once.
1. Valhalla
Picture yourself walking up a staircase inside a busy food market and finding a calm chef’s counter waiting at the top. That is Valhalla, sitting on the second floor of Time Out Market in Wicker Park.
Chef Stephen Gillanders serves an 11-course modern tasting menu built around seasonal ingredients from around the world. Seafood is where the kitchen really shines.
Guests talk about a crystal prawn noodle course dressed with lemon oil, plus a trio of kampachi hand roll, oyster, and clam ceviche.
Meat lovers get their moment too. Aged Midwestern beef arrives with caramelized carrot, miso butter, and charred brassicas.
Then dessert lands, and people lose it a little. Black truffle and white chocolate French toast sounds strange until you taste it.
A black marble pavlova with coconut and pineapple is the lighter option.
What makes it easy to love? The room stays warm and genuinely fun.
No stiff whispers, no stuffy rules. A small lounge with comfy chairs gives you a spot to relax before the meal starts.
Many visitors think it deserves Michelin stars already. You sit right in front of the cooks and watch every plate come together.
Hungry yet? You will find Valhalla at 2020 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622.
2. Jeong
Locals often call Jeong the fanciest Korean meal in Chicago, and they say it with a grin. Chef Dave Park runs the kitchen alongside his wife, Jen Tran, and the two have built something quietly special on West Chicago Avenue.
The tasting menu leans toward seafood and changes with the seasons. Traditional Korean flavors meet careful modern technique, so nothing tastes like a copy of anything else.
Start with the salmon tartare. It comes with doenjang yuzu gastrique, creme fraiche, and crunchy rice crackers that snap between your teeth.
Other courses pull from memory and comfort. Kimchi-braised octopus arrives in a sweet-and-sour peach sauce.
Tteokbokki and pork mandu show up in a cool cucumber sauce. The Australian Wagyu course has its own fan club.
The room helps a lot. Clean lines, soft light, curved-back chairs, and gray fabric with wood accents keep things serene.
It is quiet enough for real conversation, which makes it a smart pick for an anniversary.
Jeong holds a Michelin Plate and has earned steady praise from Chicago food critics since opening.
Craving something thoughtful tonight? Head to 1460 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642.
3. Hawksmoor Chicago
Fair warning: you will smell the grill before you see your table. Hawksmoor came to Chicago from London, and it brought a serious respect for beef cooked over live fire.
Steaks arrive charred and crusty outside, pink and juicy inside. Bone marrow gravy on the side is not optional in most people’s opinion.
Seafood options are strong too, so nobody at the table gets stuck.
Sundays are a whole different plan. The kitchen does a proper roast with towering Yorkshire puddings, the kind that makes you want a nap afterward.
Sides deserve their own paragraph. Beef Dripping Chips, Mushrooms Diane, and Lobster Mac and Cheese all get passed around and fought over.
Save space for the Atomic Sundae. Layers of roasted banana ice cream, cake, vanilla custard, and fresh fruit come stacked in one tall dessert.
The room feels very London: dark woods, cozy corners, comfortable seats. Founders Will Beckett and Huw Gott wanted careful sourcing, honest cooking, and staff who actually seem glad you showed up.
Service is polished but relaxed, with music playing at a friendly volume.
Big occasion coming up? Hawksmoor Chicago sits at 500 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654.
4. Smyth
Three Michelin stars usually means whispering and rigid rules. Smyth flips that idea completely.
Classic rock and 90s tracks play softly while some of the country’s most careful cooking hits your table.
Chefs John Shields and Karen Urie-Shields build a menu around whatever is best that week. Ingredients get sourced with real care, and some are foraged or gathered nearby.
Dishes stay creative without going overboard, letting flavors speak plainly.
Snacks can surprise you. A quail egg might show up looking like a tiny sculpture.
A lamb brain donut sounds wild, and adventurous diners rave about it.
The space stays warm and understated. Big open windows, honey-toned wood, bare tables with no cloths, vintage rugs, and soft lighting keep everything calm.
An open kitchen sits right there, so you can watch the quiet choreography.
The name comes from Smyth County, Virginia, where the chefs once spent their time. That easygoing spirit carries through the whole evening.
Guests often say they felt like a celebrity, thanks to small surprises spread across the night. Service is flawless and never cold.
Need a long, unhurried dinner? Smyth waits at 177 N Ada St #101, Chicago, IL 60607.
5. Alinea
Balloons you can eat. That single detail has sent thousands of people to Lincoln Park, and Alinea still delivers on the hype decades in.
Chef Grant Achatz calls his style maximalist modernist cooking. In plain words, that means scented vapors, hidden ingredients, tableside surprises, and courses that make grown adults giggle.
You choose your adventure. The Salon runs 10 to 14 courses.
The Gallery goes bigger, with 16 to 18.
Certain dishes are legends now. The black truffle explosion is a single ravioli that bursts with truffle jus in your mouth.
Then a team salt-roasts a potato and builds potato salad right in front of you. Simple food, wildly fun presentation.
Visitors describe the night as inventive, joyful, and full of curiosity.
The mood is lively, not hushed. Laughing is encouraged.
Every detail exists to make the evening unforgettable.
Been saving up for something once-in-a-lifetime? Alinea is at 1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614.
Book early, seriously.
6. Oriole
Finding the front door is part of the fun here. Guests ride a converted freight elevator inside an old warehouse, and the anticipation builds the whole way up.
Upstairs, Oriole holds just 28 seats. The open kitchen sits at the center, so you watch the team work while you eat.
Chef and owner Noah Sandoval blends French and Japanese ideas with Midwestern ingredients. The tasting menu runs around 20 courses and changes constantly.
Expect razor clam with ginger and sea buckthorn. Hudson Valley foie gras arrives with California fig, pink peppercorn, and anise hyssop.
Capellini with black truffle shows up in many happy photos, along with careful Dungeness crab preparations.
Beluga caviar in a creamy foam and a beet course with sake round out the surprises. Nothing feels heavy, which is a real skill across that many plates.
Two Michelin stars back up the reputation. Oriole has appeared on The World’s 50 Best Discovery list, and Sandoval won Best Chef: Great Lakes at the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Neutral tones, clean lines, and exposed brick keep your attention on the food. Many visitors call it a bucket list dinner.
Oriole is located at 661 W Walnut St, Chicago, IL 60661.
7. Ever Restaurant
Fans of the TV show The Bear may do a double take at this dining room. Ever’s stunning interior was used as a filming location, and it looks even better in person.
Chef Curtis Duffy runs an 8 to 10 course modern American menu on a quiet stretch of Fulton Market. Proteins from land and sea lead the way, joined by seasonal vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, and nuts.
Dishes look like art but taste light. Frosted hamachi rests on purple rice.
A Thai-inspired soup brings lemongrass, ginger, and poached chicken together. Duck may arrive with dumplings and onion.
The room is built for focus. Venetian plaster, dim lighting, and zero windows remove every distraction.
Tables sit far apart, and the carpet in gray and black tones softens every sound.
The kitchen works with almost no noise. Soft music fills the space instead.
Want a meal with total peace and zero rush? Ever Restaurant is at 1340 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60607.
8. Carino
Chips and salsa at a Michelin-starred restaurant? Carino does exactly that, and the salsa verde comes with a licorice twist that turns a familiar snack into something new.
Chef Norman Fenton opened this Uptown spot in 2024 and earned a Michelin star in under a year. He kept it in 2025.
His Mexican-inspired tasting menu runs about fourteen courses and shifts often.
He describes his cooking as a love letter to the cultures and places he cares about. Food should be fun or make you feel something, he says.
Standouts change, but visitors keep mentioning a bright aguachile with Ora King salmon, cucumber, and jalapeno. Silky huitlacoche ravioli with sweet corn and truffle is another crowd pleaser.
A chocolate dessert with dulce de leche closes things sweetly.
There is also a Taco Omakase option if you want a different path.
Nothing here feels stuffy. Sit at the Chef’s Counter and you watch Fenton and his team plate every course.
He often walks guests through the menu himself and shares the story behind each dish.
Awards keep stacking up, including Best New Restaurant at the 2025 Jean Banchet Awards.
Carino is at 4662 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640.
9. Esme
Every few months, the art on Esme’s walls changes, and so does the food. Chef Jenner Tomaska and his wife, Katrina Bravo, rebuild the tasting menu each quarter alongside a different local artist.
Dishes end up mirroring the artwork. Plates are served on whimsical, sculpted tableware made just for the restaurant by various artists.
The Lincoln Park room looks like a gallery, and that is on purpose. Blonde wood floors, white walls, and rotating abstract paintings keep the space bright and airy.
Only about 40 seats fill the room. That closeness lets guests, artists, and cooks actually talk to each other.
The modern American menu goes places you might not expect. Dover sole has appeared with sweet plantain, buckthorn, and vanilla.
Squab arrived with salsify and huckleberry. Meringue with tomato, peanut, and Osetra caviar sounds odd and works beautifully.
Then there is the Cheese Coral, a sculptural bite of airy cheese, honeycomb, and red Taiyaki pastry.
Esme holds a Michelin star, and it also runs philanthropic projects supporting the city. Your dinner does a little good beyond your table.
Curious what art tastes like? Esme can be found at 2200 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614.
10. Indienne
Vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, and meat eaters all get their own full tasting menu here. That kind of thoughtfulness is rare, and it is one reason locals send visitors straight to River North.
Chef Sujan Sarkar built Indienne around a simple idea: fresh ideas that all tie back to India in some way. Authentic Indian flavors meet exact French technique, and every menu changes with the seasons.
The accolades came fast. Indienne earned its first Michelin star in 2023 and held it through 2024 and 2025, making it Chicago’s first Michelin-starred Indian restaurant.
It was named Restaurant of the Year at the 2026 Jean Banchet Awards, and Sarkar picked up a James Beard nomination.
National magazines like Esquire and Bon Appetit have called it one of America’s best new restaurants.
The setting sits inside a renovated 19th-century printing warehouse. Dusty rose and green tones, exposed brick, floor-to-ceiling windows, and soft lighting make it spacious yet cozy.
Up-tempo music keeps the formality from feeling heavy. Warm light, calm service, and good storytelling do the rest.
Plates look elegant and still taste deeply familiar to anyone who loves Indian cooking.
Ready for a night that surprises you? Indienne is located at 217 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654.