Star Wine List Restaurants 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

Adalina Prime

Chicago, United States

Adalina Prime at 360 N Green St plants an Italian-American steakhouse in the heart of Chicago's West Loop, a neighbourhood that has become the city's most competitive dining corridor. The format centres on prime cuts and coastal seafood read through an Italian lens — a combination that positions it squarely against the neighbourhood's higher-end casual-fine dining tier.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

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

Anelya

Chicago, United States

Anelya brings Eastern European cooking to Chicago's Avondale neighbourhood at a price point that makes serious technique accessible. The zakusky cart, green borsch with dill and nettles, and holubtsi stuffed with locally raised beef represent a tradition that rarely gets this kind of careful, product-focused treatment in an American dining room. A Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 confirms the kitchen's standing.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Avec River North

Chicago, United States

Avec River North carries the Chicago restaurant’s Mediterranean sharing style into a larger menu of hearth-baked small plates, pizzas, pasta and seafood. Chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates and Taleggio focaccia remain anchors, while lunch and weekend brunch have separate menus.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Avec West Loop

Chicago, United States

avec on West Randolph has held its place at the centre of Chicago's Mediterranean-leaning casual dining scene for more than two decades. Under a Michelin Plate recognition and consistent Opinionated About Dining rankings, the long wood-clad room draws crowds to its counter and communal tables for seasonal plates rooted in French bistro and Mediterranean tradition. The $$ price point makes it one of the West Loop's more accessible options with serious culinary credentials behind it.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

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

Bar Siena

Chicago, United States

Bar Siena on Randolph Street holds a White Star designation from Star Wine List, placing it among Chicago's more deliberately curated wine-and-dining addresses on the city's most competitive restaurant corridor. The recognition points toward a bar program taken seriously on an editorial level, in a neighbourhood where that kind of credential carries weight against a dense field of well-funded competitors.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Bar Tutto

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Bar Tutto on West Carroll Avenue operates as an Italian-inflected all-day cafe running breakfast through dinner, with a menu anchored by house pastas and porchetta. It sits in Chicago's rapidly shifting West Loop corridor, where the trattoria format now reads as a corrective to the neighbourhood's tasting-menu density. The kitchen leans into informality without apology.

Also recognized by Infatuation, Star Wine List

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

Brasero

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

At Brasero in West Town, chef John Manion cooks South American-inspired food over an open flame. Grilled seafood, picanha, Brazilian fried chicken and a South American wine list give the room its focus.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Star Wine List

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

Buttercup

Chicago, United States

Buttercup occupies a quietly confident position in Chicago's South Loop cafe scene, serving all-day Italian-leaning plates at 75 E 16th Street. The format suits the aperitivo hour as much as a working lunch, with small plates and a relaxed pace that sets it apart from the neighbourhood's more utilitarian options. A grounded alternative to the city's tasting-menu circuit.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Daisies

Chicago, United States

A Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient in Logan Square, Daisies operates across a generous, sunlit space on Milwaukee Avenue where vegetable-forward cooking and house-made pasta anchor a menu sourced largely from the chef's family farm. The room runs from a morning café into a full dinner service, with a bakery component that extends the offering further than most neighbourhood restaurants in its price tier.

Also recognized by Infatuation, James Beard Award, OpenTable, Opinionated About Dining

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

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

Giant

Chicago, United States

On a residential stretch of Logan Square, Giant runs a short, frequently changing menu of American bistro cooking that rewards closer reading than the format implies. Familiar formats — crab salad, pasta, ribs — arrive with enough technical precision and structural ingenuity to position the room well above its modest $$ price point.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Hawksmoor Chicago

Chicago, United States

Hawksmoor Chicago brings the acclaimed British steakhouse group's commitment to ethically sourced beef and serious wine to the River North neighbourhood at 500 N La Salle Drive. Recognised with a White Star on Star Wine List in December 2024, the Chicago outpost extends a transatlantic reputation built on traceable sourcing, whole-animal thinking, and a wine program that earns specialist attention. For beef-driven dining in Chicago, it occupies a distinct position in a city that takes the category seriously.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Il Carciofo

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Il Carciofo brings Roman-style pasta and pizza to Chicago's Fulton Market with a confidence that the neighbourhood's glossy dining scene increasingly demands. The menu leans into the restraint of Roman tradition while the room trades in West Loop energy. Located at 1045 W Fulton St, it occupies a sweet spot between accessible Italian and destination-grade cooking.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Star Wine List

Indienne

Chicago, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Indienne brings a tasting-menu-only approach to progressive Indian cuisine in Chicago's River North, earning a Michelin star in 2024 and an Opinionated About Dining ranking of #469 in North America (2025). Chef Sujan Sarkar draws on French technique alongside the breadth of the Indian subcontinent, with parallel vegan, vegetarian, and non-vegetarian menus served in a room that mixes warehouse bones with white tablecloths and rose-pink booths.

Also recognized by Esquire, James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

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

John's Food and Wine

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Michelin Plate-recognized American spot on North Halsted, John's Food and Wine operates without servers — diners order at the counter, then settle into a room defined by exposed white brick and a long banquette. The wine program earns its attention, the beef fat fries are worth the trip alone, and the kitchen turns out dry-aged steaks and lobster salad with the confidence of a place that knows exactly what it is.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Lardon

Chicago, United States

A Michelin Bib Gourmand salumeria on Chicago's North Side, Lardon operates from a historic California Avenue storefront and centres its entire identity on whole-hog butchery, house-cured charcuterie, and the European deli traditions behind them. Curing chambers visible from the dining room hold rows of soppressata, finocchiona, and Spanish chorizo. Weekend evenings shift toward bistro-style plates, but the charcuterie board remains the core argument for the visit.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

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

Monteverde

Chicago, United States

In Chicago's West Loop, Monteverde has built its reputation on a working pasta station visible from the dining room counter, where sheets are rolled, cut, and hung daily. Chef Sarah Grueneberg's cucina tipica program draws from Italian regional traditions while integrating influences from her wider travels. Ranked on Opinionated About Dining's North America list and holding a Michelin Plate, it sits in the upper tier of the city's serious Italian offerings.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining, Robb Report, Star Wine List

Nettare

Chicago, United States

Bar Nettare at 1953 W Chicago Ave belongs to a growing cohort of Chicago spots that move fluidly through the day — coffee in the morning, lunch plates by midday, cocktails and dinner by evening. Located in Ukrainian Village, it draws a loyal neighbourhood crowd who return for the format as much as the food. For those tired of single-purpose dining rooms, Nettare offers something more adaptable.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

Obélix

Chicago, United States

Obélix is a French restaurant at 700 N Sedgwick Street in Chicago. Chef-owner Oliver Poilevey works with executive chef Sam Handwerger, executive sous chef Olivia Fitzgerald and pastry chef Courtney Kenyon.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Perilla

Chicago, United States

Perilla brings a Modern British and Korean framework to downtown Chicago, operating from 225 N Wabash Ave with a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) and a Star Wine List #1 ranking (2025). Chef Ben Marks leads a kitchen that draws on Korean pantry traditions and British culinary structure, open Tuesday through Sunday with both lunch and dinner service available from Friday.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Pompette

Chicago, United States

Pompette on Bucktown's Damen Avenue has earned back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, making it one of the neighbourhood's most consistent critical performers at the mid-price tier. A three-chef kitchen helmed by Ashlee Aubin, Aaron Patten, and Katie Wasielewski drives a contemporary menu that punches well above its price point.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

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

RL Restaurant

Chicago, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

In a city that cycles through concepts at speed, RL Restaurant on East Chicago Avenue holds a different kind of position: the room that Chicago's established crowd returns to not for novelty but for consistency. The aesthetic is club-adjacent, the service formalized, and the cooking calibrated to a clientele that measures quality against a long personal history of dining well rather than against last week's opening.

Also recognized by Star Wine List

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

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

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

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 Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

Smyth

Chicago, United States

3 Michelin stars

Smyth belongs to Chicago's highest-stakes tasting-menu tier, where progressive American cooking is judged by sourcing discipline as much as technical range. John Shields and Karen Urie Shields bring a farm-driven lineage shaped by Charlie Trotter's and rural Virginia, now backed by Michelin three-star recognition, La Liste scoring, Star Wine List recognition, and a 2026 OAD North America ranking.

Also recognized by AAA, La Liste, Opinionated About Dining, Robb Report

Table, Donkey and Stick

Chicago, United States

Table, Donkey and Stick holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and brings Alpine cooking to Chicago's Logan Square with a rustic inn format that sits well outside the city's usual fine-dining orbit. Chef Alexis Ayala's menu leans into Central European technique — charcuterie boards, braised meats, sauerkraut preparations — while pushing the format into genuinely creative territory..

Also recognized by Star Wine List

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 Purple Pig

Chicago, United States

On Chicago's Michigan Avenue, The Purple Pig occupies a different competitive tier than the city's tasting-menu circuit.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List

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