John Kessler

When did Oriole become Chicago’s best fine-dining restaurant? Has it been so ever since chef-owner Noah Sandoval and his then-wife, Cara, opened it 10 years ago, channeling the punk energy...

The sushi Otto Phan serves at Kyoten is unlike what you’ll find anywhere else. His inochi-no-ichi rice is big and plump, and he acid-etches it with sharp red vinegar. He...

Chicago has plenty of tasting menus with luxury ingredients and intricate platings. Feld, which opened in 2024, is different. Chef-owner Jake Potashnick (pictured above) calls his approach “relationship-to-table,” which sounds...

What Ethan Pikas opened 12 years ago as a bakery and café has morphed into the most reliably innovative modern American bistro in town. He and his chef de cuisine,...

Getting a third Michelin star in 2023 put this elaborate tasting-menu spot in rare company and turned around its fortunes. The kind of people who fly all over the world...

“I can’t breathe.” — George Floyd. “I can’t jog.” — Ahmaud Arbery. “I can’t peacefully protest.” — Black people everywhere. Those messages, stenciled on Virtue’s windows, are chef-owner Erick Williams’s reminder of America’s...

There are now three branches of this purveyor of Michoacán-style carnitas, distinct cuts of pork slow-cooked in lard until each reveals its special texture and flavor. The Heart of Chicago...

In a traditional Chicago-style steakhouse, the grills and ovens are hidden behind swinging doors to the kitchen. Not so at El Che, from chef-owner John Manion. Here, the wood-fired grill...

After 10 years, there’s little wiggle room on Sarah Grueneberg’s brilliant menu. Fans would revolt if they made it through the reservation gauntlet and then couldn’t get their Burrata e...

This restaurant can’t seem to make up its mind what it offers. It serves lunch, then not, then brings it back again (it’s available on Saturdays). A happy hour, then...