The Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers in Chicago

1776 Restaurant

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Located in Crystal Lake, roughly an hour northwest of downtown Chicago, 1776 Restaurant earned Star Wine List recognition with a White Star designation in August 2022, signaling a wine program that outpaces the suburban norm. The kitchen's orientation toward sourced, ingredient-led cooking positions it in a growing cohort of suburban Chicago restaurants that treat provenance seriously. Worth knowing before you make the drive.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Acanto Restaurant & Wine Bar

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Acanto Restaurant & Wine Bar occupies a Michigan Avenue address at the edge of Millennium Park, holding a 3-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine & Lifestyle Awards. The room positions itself as a serious wine destination alongside its Italian-leaning kitchen, placing it in a different register from Chicago's tasting-menu circuit. Reservations are advised, particularly for weekend dining.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Alinea

Chicago, United States

2 Michelin stars

Alinea remains Chicago's defining modernist dining room: theatrical, technical and more concerned with changing the grammar of American fine dining than with repeating luxury-restaurant conventions.

Also recognized by AAA, Chef's Table, Forbes, James Beard Award

All Together Now

Chicago, United States

All Together Now on West Chicago Avenue operates at an intersection that few spots in the city manage convincingly: a working wine shop and fromagerie that doubles as a neighborhood bistro. The menu runs toward fresh, modern sandwiches and deli staples, with the retail shelves and counter service giving the room a dual-purpose energy that suits the Wicker Park–Ukrainian Village corridor it calls home.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Alpana

Chicago, United States

From Master Sommelier Alpana Singh, Alpana is a Gold Coast dinner destination where wine credentials shape every aspect of the evening. The room on N State Street offers a well-designed bar and table setting that positions it among Chicago's most wine-literate dining rooms. Expect a meal paced around the glass as much as the plate.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Astor Club: Chef's Table

Chicago, United States

Ten seats, one seating, and a tasting menu format that positions Astor Club: Chef's Table among Chicago's most intimate fine dining experiences. Set inside the Gold Coast's private Astor Club, the program runs communal-style with all guests seated and served together — a format that rewards advance reservations and suits guests who favour precision and theatre over à la carte flexibility.

Also recognized by Forbes

Avec

Chicago, United States

Avec brings French bistro cooking into Chicago’s contemporary casual dining tier, with Dylan Patel named as chef and a 2026 Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America ranking at No. 107. The stronger read is through wine: the format suits bottles, shared plates, and a meal paced around conversation rather than ceremony.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining

Bar Parisette

Chicago, United States

Bar Parisette on West Armitage Avenue occupies a specific position in Chicago's French dining conversation: not the white-tablecloth formalism of old-guard French-American establishments, but something more grounded and neighborhood-scaled. At a moment when the city's appetite for French cuisine has grown more discriminating, this Logan Square address makes a case for French cooking without the inherited ceremony.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, Wine Enthusiast

Bazaar Meat - Chicago

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Bazaar Meat Chicago operates in the upper tier of the city's steakhouse scene, ranked #383 on Opinionated About Dining's North America list in 2025 and holding. Located at 120 N Wacker Drive in the Loop, the kitchen runs under Chef Alex Pitts, with dinner service Monday through Saturday from 4:30 pm. The format leans toward a full-service steakhouse built for serious meat-focused dining.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

BLVD Steakhouse

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

BLVD Steakhouse on West Lake Street sits inside Chicago's West Loop, a neighbourhood that has consolidated its reputation as the city's most competitive dining corridor. The restaurant holds a White Star designation from Star Wine List, recognising the depth and curation of its wine program. For those who approach a steakhouse evening as a ritual rather than a transaction, BLVD earns its place in that conversation.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Star Wine List

Boka

Chicago, United States

1 Michelin star

Boka has held a Michelin star since 2010 and remains one of Lincoln Park's most consistent fine-dining addresses. Chef Lee Wolen's à la carte menu and hyper-seasonal tasting menu both draw on sharply sourced ingredients and technically precise cooking, set inside a dining room that manages to feel both elegant and genuinely welcoming.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, La Liste, Opinionated About Dining, Robb Report

Brass Tack

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Brass Tack belongs to Chicago’s Gold Coast hotel-dining circuit, where the ritual matters as much as the plate: arrival, pacing, room tone, and the choice between a drawn-out meal or a sharper pre-theatre stop. With little public-facing detail around chef, pricing, or awards, the smarter read is contextual: judge it as part of the neighborhood’s polished dining culture rather than as a chef-led destination built on public accolades.

Brindille

Chicago, United States

A Parisian bistro sensibility at the northern edge of River North, Brindille ranks among Chicago's most committed French kitchens. Chef Carrie Nahabedian's menu draws from classical technique — Dover sole meunière, almond clafoutis baked to order — and earns consistent recognition from Opinionated About Dining's North American rankings and a Michelin Plate. Dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 pm.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining

Bronzeville Winery

Chicago, United States

Bronzeville Winery sits at 4420 S Cottage Grove Ave in one of Chicago's most actively developing corridors, bringing a wine-focused operation to a South Side neighbourhood better known for jazz history and civic reinvention than for vine culture. As Bronzeville's food and arts scene consolidates its identity, the winery functions as both a gathering point and a signal of where the neighbourhood is heading.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Charlie Trotter's

Chicago, United States

Charlie Trotter's operated at 816 W Armitage Ave in Chicago's Lincoln Park from 1987 to 2012, earning a place in the World's 50 Best Restaurants every year from 2002 to 2008, peaking at #11. The restaurant helped establish the tasting menu as a serious American dining format and shaped the generation of chefs who now run Chicago's fine-dining scene. The Armitage Avenue address occasionally hosts pop-up events honoring its legacy.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, OpenTable, Robb Report, World's 50 Best

El Che Steakhouse & Bar

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

El Che Steakhouse & Bar brings an Argentine lens to Chicago's meat-heavy dining culture, holding a 2-Star Accreditation from the World's Best Wine Lists awards. Located in the West Loop at 845 W Washington Blvd, the kitchen works the live-fire format with a wine program serious enough to earn independent recognition. In a city full of steakhouses, the Argentine approach and wine depth set it apart.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Ever

Chicago, United States

2 Michelin stars

Two Michelin stars, a La Liste score of 96 points in 2026, and an AAA 5 Diamond rating place Ever among Chicago's most decorated fine dining rooms.

Also recognized by AAA, Esquire, La Liste, Opinionated About Dining

Fioretta

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Fioretta occupies a converted West Loop address at 318 N Sangamon St, earning a 1-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine & Dining Awards. The room signals its intentions through considered design before a dish arrives, placing it in Chicago's tier of destination restaurants where the physical space carries as much weight as the plate. It belongs in the same conversation as the city's most serious dining rooms.

Also recognized by World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Formento’s

Chicago, United States

Formento's occupies a prominent position on West Randolph Street, Chicago's most competitive dining corridor, holding a 2-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine & Dine Awards. It draws a reservation-forward crowd that treats the meal as an event rather than an occasion.

Also recognized by World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Galit

Chicago, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Galit holds a Michelin star and an Opinionated About Dining ranking of #71 in North America (2025) for its modern Middle Eastern prix-fixe on Lincoln Avenue. Chef Zach Engel works regional produce through an aromatic, produce-forward lens, with a beverage program built around wines from Armenia, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 PM, with a price point at the upper tier of Chicago's neighbourhood dining scene.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List, We're Smart World

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

On Rush Street since 1989, Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse is a Chicago institution that operates in a register most steakhouses have abandoned: loud, convivial, and unapologetically traditional. The house beef program runs across two distinct lines — Gibsons Prime Angus and Gibsons Grassfed Australian — and the dining room draws a cross-section of the city that few Gold Coast restaurants can match. Opinionated About Dining has ranked it in North America's top casual dining tier three consecutive years through 2025.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, World's Best Steaks

Italian Village

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Italian Village on Monroe Street has held its corner of the Loop since 1927, making it one of Chicago's longest-running Italian-American dining institutions. The room leans hard into mid-century kitsch — painted village scenes, low lighting, checkered tablecloths — and the kitchen follows the same conviction. If you want red-sauce classics without apology, this is where Chicago has been going for nearly a century.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

The Chicago outpost of Miami Beach's Joe's Stone Crab, open since 1913, brings Florida Stone Crab claws, prime steaks, and a 440-label wine list to the Near North Side. Ranked #13 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list in 2023 and #23 in 2024, it operates at a price point that undercuts most River North fine dining while drawing a serious wine and food crowd.

Also recognized by OpenTable, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Kinzie Chophouse

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Kinzie Chophouse occupies a grounded position in Chicago's River North dining corridor, where the American steakhouse format has long competed on cellar depth and cut quality rather than novelty. The address at 400 N Wells St places it squarely in one of the city's most dinner-driven neighbourhoods, making it a practical anchor for visitors building an evening around a serious meal and wine program.

La Grande Boucherie Chicago

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

La Grande Boucherie Chicago occupies 431 N Dearborn St in River North, bringing the French brasserie format to one of the city's most restaurant-dense corridors. The concept belongs to a broader American wave of classical European dining rooms reimagined at scale, positioned alongside Chicago's more progressive tasting-menu houses as a different kind of ambition.

Lobby Bar at the Peninsula

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Ranked #528 on Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America list, the Lobby Bar at the Peninsula operates within an Italian-Mediterranean framework overseen by Chef Andreas Block, with a wine program of 435 selections and 11,000 bottles in inventory. Open daily from 7am to 10pm, it sits inside one of Minneapolis's most recognized hotel dining addresses, with Wine Director Nebiye Kaya guiding a list with particular strength in Turkey and France.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Lush

Chicago, United States

A Roscoe Village wine institution that began as a neighborhood bottle shop two decades ago, Lush has grown into a three-location tasting room, wine bar, and bistro with a loyal following. Its Roscoe Street address anchors the format: approachable wine culture with genuine depth, positioned well outside Chicago's fine-dining circuit but drawing an equally committed crowd.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Maple & Ash

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Maple & Ash occupies a multilevel Gold Coast address where wood-fire technique meets the classic American steakhouse format. Led by two-Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant and holding a 2024 Michelin Plate, the restaurant pairs dry-aged cuts with a 2,500-label wine list overseen by a six-person sommelier team. The room, the wine program, and the fire-roasted menu place it firmly in Chicago's upper tier of destination dining.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Mon Ami Gabi

Chicago, United States

Operating out of the historic Belden-Stratford Building in Lincoln Park since 1998, Mon Ami Gabi brings French bistro cooking to one of Chicago's most established residential neighbourhoods. Steak frites, fresh seafood, and a format rooted in Parisian tradition make it a dependable anchor in a city whose fine-dining scene skews heavily toward tasting menus and creative American formats.

Also recognized by OpenTable

NoMI Kitchen

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

On the seventh floor of the Park Hyatt Chicago, NoMI Kitchen sits above Michigan Avenue at a remove that changes how the city feels. The menu combines French technique with Japanese-American influences, anchored by an ocean bar and a wine list of 2,905 selections weighted toward California and France. In warmer months, the rooftop NoMI Garden extends the experience outdoors with seasonal cocktails and city views.

Also recognized by Forbes

Osteria Langhe

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Logan Square osteria running since 2014, Osteria Langhe has held consistent recognition on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list — ranked 28th in 2025 — for its focused Piedmontese menu, house-made tajarin, and a 1,275-bottle wine program weighted toward the region. It holds a Michelin Plate and sits in the $$ meal price tier, making it one of Chicago's more serious Italian destinations at a moderate price point.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Osteria Via Stato

Chicago, United States

On North State Street in Chicago's River North, Osteria Via Stato occupies the Italian-American trattoria tier that sits between casual red-sauce joints and the city's tasting-menu circuit. The menu architecture leans on the communal logic of Italian dining — antipasti, pasta, secondi — rather than the chef-forward omakase model that dominates Chicago's fine-dining conversation. It draws a crowd that wants substance over spectacle.

Piccolo Sogno

Chicago, United States

Piccolo Sogno occupies a prominent corner on North Halsted Street in Chicago's West Loop-adjacent dining corridor, where Italian-rooted cooking meets a room that shifts noticeably in character between a relaxed lunch service and a fuller, more formal evening. The address places it within reach of the city's most competitive restaurant blocks, making it a useful reference point for how Italian-American dining has evolved in Chicago over the past two decades.

Pops for Champagne

Chicago, United States

For four decades, Pops for Champagne has occupied a distinct position in Chicago's drinking culture: a bar built entirely around sparkling wine at a moment when that format barely existed in American cities. Situated at 601 N State St in the heart of downtown, it has become the reference point against which the city's other champagne-focused programs are measured.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Prime & Provisions

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A grand-scale steakhouse on the Chicago riverfront, Prime & Provisions occupies the upper tier of the city's red-meat dining with a two-story wine tower, an on-site dry-aging room, and a wine list of 325 selections recognised by Star Wine List's White Star designation. Typical spend runs $66 and above per person for two courses, with California and French bottles anchoring a 3,900-bottle inventory.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Rootstock

Chicago, United States

Rootstock has held its position in Humboldt Park's west-side drinking scene long enough to earn the kind of following most wine bars never see. Located at 954 N California Ave, the bar draws a loyal local crowd with a wine program built around small-production and discovery-oriented pours. For Chicago drinkers who want depth over spectacle, it remains a reliable address.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Rosebud Steakhouse

Chicago, United States

A fixture on Chicago's Gold Coast since before the city's steakhouse scene fractured into celebrity-chef concepts and expense-account temples, Rosebud Steakhouse at 192 E Walton St operates with the confidence of a room that doesn't need to announce itself. The address alone positions it squarely in one of the city's highest-rent dining corridors, where the competition for a reliable, serious steak is stiffer than it looks.

RPM Italian Chicago

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

RPM Italian sits in Chicago's River North dining corridor as one of the Lettuce Entertain You group's most sustained Italian-format restaurants, drawing a dressed-up crowd for dinner and maintaining a wine list of 950 selections weighted toward Tuscany, Piedmont, and California. It operates at the upper mid-range price tier, with a sommelier program and wine director overseeing a cellar of approximately 4,750 bottles.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

RPM Seafood

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

RPM Seafood occupies a prominent position on Chicago's riverfront dining corridor, holding a 3-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine & Lifestyle Awards. The restaurant addresses a gap in the city's upscale seafood category, pairing a polished riverside setting with a program built for occasion dining. It sits comfortably alongside Chicago's broader fine-dining tier without the avant-garde format of the city's tasting-menu houses.

Also recognized by World's Best Wine Lists Awards

RPM Steak

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

RPM Steak in Chicago’s River North pairs a wide selection of beef cuts with seafood, a cold bar and classic steakhouse sides. The menu ranges from The Duke ribeye cap and dry-aged New York strip to steak frites and king crab.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

S.K.Y.

Chicago, United States

Stephen Gillanders’s S.K.Y. in Lincoln Park spans tuna tartare “lumpia,” Sichuan ricotta, bibimbap and prime rib. Dinner is served daily, with weekend brunch also listed.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Sepia

Chicago, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Set inside a converted 19th-century print shop on Jefferson Street, Sepia occupies Chicago's upper tier of contemporary American fine dining. Chef Andrew Zimmerman draws on Southeast Asian, Korean, and Mediterranean influences to push the format well beyond direct Continental territory.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Seville Chicago

Chicago, United States

Seville Chicago occupies a prominent address in the Loop at 243 S Franklin St, positioning it within one of the city's most concentrated corridors of ambitious dining.

Siena Tavern

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Siena Tavern occupies a lively corner of Chicago's River North, where the Italian-American tradition of aperitivo shapes both the bar program and the wider dining rhythm.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Stetsons Modern Steak + Sushi

Chicago, United States

Stetsons Modern Steak + Sushi occupies a commanding position along the Chicago River at 151 E Wacker Drive, pairing the city's appetite for serious beef with a Japanese-inflected raw bar program. The format places it in a distinct tier of hotel-adjacent dining rooms that draw both Loop business crowds and visiting guests seeking a single room that handles multiple occasions.

Sushi-san

Chicago, United States

Sushi-san on West Grand Avenue sits within Chicago's increasingly serious omakase tier, where the city's appetite for Japanese precision now rivals coastal markets. The River North address places it at the intersection of accessibility and ambition, drawing a crowd that treats nigiri as seriously as the tasting-menu circuit at Alinea or Oriole nearby.

Swift & Sons

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Set in a converted 1920s meat and produce warehouse in Chicago's Fulton Market District, Swift & Sons channels the city's meatpacking heritage through a contemporary steakhouse lens. USDA Prime beef, a 2,800-bottle wine list with strong California and French depth, and AvroKO's architecturally considered interior place it firmly in Chicago's upper tier of formal steak dining. Ranked #106 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list in 2024.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, World's Best Steaks

The Alston

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Opened in late May 2025 on North State Street in River North, The Alston arrives as Chicago's most discussed new luxury opening, combining a members' club with hotel accommodation inside a large, architecturally considered space. The property enters a Gold Coast-adjacent dining and hospitality scene that has been reshaping how the city defines premium all-in-one venues.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World Best Burgers

The Gage

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

With a 175-selection wine list managed by Wine Director Torrence O'Haire, European-leaning pub cuisine under Chef Francisco Narez, and a $$ price point that undercuts comparable Loop dining rooms, it occupies a specific and useful position in Chicago's mid-tier dining tier.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

The Oakville Grill & Cellar

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A wine-centric restaurant in Chicago's Fulton Market District, The Oakville Grill & Cellar holds a 3-Star Accreditation from the World's Best Wine Lists, placing it among a select tier of American restaurants where the cellar earns as much attention as the kitchen. The address at 163 N Green St puts it at the center of a neighborhood where serious dining has become the dominant register.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

The Omakase Room at Sushi-San

Chicago, United States

Inside River North's Sushi-San sits a counter-format omakase room that occupies a different category from its casual host restaurant — a small-footprint, reservation-driven experience within one of Chicago's most visited Japanese dining addresses. The room positions itself against Chicago's growing tier of chef-led tasting formats, including peers like Kasama and Smyth, where intimacy and sequence define the proposition.

Topolobampo

Chicago, United States

1 Michelin star

Topolobampo holds a Michelin star and a top-500 Opinionated About Dining ranking for its seasonally shifting Mexican menu in Chicago's River North. The kitchen draws on regional Mexican traditions, rotating through cuisines like Pueblan cooking with dishes built around masa, agave spirits, and slow preparations. Open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner, it occupies the upper tier of Chicago's fine-dining set.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining

Travelle at The Langham, Chicago

Chicago, United States

Tre Dita

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Tre Dita occupies a prime position inside the St. Regis Hotel on East Wacker Drive, where Chicago's river-meets-lakefront geography frames a dining room with genuine civic presence. The restaurant holds a 3-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine & Lifestyle Awards, placing it among a small tier of Chicago restaurants recognised at that level. For the East Loop hotel dining scene, that credential carries real weight.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Vino &

Chicago, United States

Vino & sits on East Ohio Street in Chicago's River North, a wine-anchored address in a neighborhood that has spent the last decade sharpening its fine-dining credentials. The ampersand in the name signals an open-ended proposition: wine paired with whatever the evening calls for. For visitors building a Chicago dining itinerary, it occupies a distinct niche in a city whose restaurant scene runs from austere tasting menus to loose, convivial wine bars.

Vivere

Chicago, United States

Vivere occupies the main floor of a Loop address that has long served as a reference point for Italian dining in Chicago. The room signals occasion from the moment you enter: the kind of space where anniversaries and promotions get marked, where the city's professional class has historically come to sit down properly. It positions itself in a tier of downtown Italian restaurants where the emphasis falls on ceremony and the full arc of a meal.