Stuck in a rut when it comes to eating out? Good thing the Chicago restaurant scene gets an injection of new life almost every week. Whether you want to know where to go tonight or what opening to mark on your calendar, our guide to fresh feasting spots has all the details you crave.
Have you visited a new restaurant lately? Tell us what you think. Looking for somewhere to wash it all down? Check out our list of brand-new bars.
Ready to Digest
Filter is back, coffee fans celebrate
Fans of the former Filter coffee shop in Wicker Park's Flat Iron Building will be happy to see a return of the popular cafe. The new spot offers more space than the original, and roasts its own beans in a machine that runs on coffee oil (one of several "green" changes). There's also a full espresso bar, tea and smoothies.
Just like old times at Macello Ristorante
After a fire shuttered the place for a year, this popular Italian restaurant is back up and running in an old West Loop meat packing plant. Many of the old favorites return to the menu, including plenty of pasta, seafood and pizza options.
Karyn's on Green: Vegan never tasted this good
Famed vegan chef Karyn Calbrese adds to her meatless empire with the opening of this West Loop restaurant, which takes takes vegan and vegetarian dining upscale.
Paris Cafe: Food by day, dancing by night
This new French cafe serves up Parisian cuisine in River North all day, and gets a little swanky at night with a dance floor and DJs keeping the party going.
Get your Kitsch'n fix at The Fifth
The folks behind Kitsch'n on Roscoe open their fifth restaurant (hence the name) with contemporary American cuisine and quality cocktails in River North.
First Slice: Pie with a conscience
Take a break from Mag Mile shopping for sandwiches, salads and $3 slices of pie. The best part: Proceeds go to help the hungry.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Bagel on Damen!
It's all bagels, all the time at this Ukrainian Village cafe. Get about a dozen different kinds, with a dozen more spreads.
Balsan keeps it low-key in the Elysian
Compared to its more formal and serious Elysian Hotel counterpart, Ria, Balsan appears casual and loose. Make no mistake, though: These two are definitely still in the same fine-dining family. The difference is that Balsan is much cooler about it if you show up in jeans.
Go big at Epic
This new River North spot lives up to its name with a 200-seat, 14,000-square-foot space and a menu full of bold, contemporary American flavors.
Nohea Cafe makes you feel like family
This mother-and-daughter-owned cafe serves up salads and sandwiches in Roscoe Village. Sandwiches are made with Boar's Head meat and the place serves Metropolis coffee all day long. There are also a few dessert options.
Try a pie at Orvieto
Affordable Italian eats abound in this attractive, dark wood space within the popular Green Dolphin Street Club. The menu includes over a dozen pies (made in a state-of-the-art Moretti Forni oven) priced at $12 or less.
Pastries rule at Beard Papa's
The popular Japanese bakery chain makes its first appearance in Chicago at Block 37, offering a signature cream puff, along with other pastries and desserts.
Cure your Mexican cravings at Taqueria Don Diablo
When Fonda del Mar moved from Logan Square to North Center, it left behind a bare-bones version of the best the restaurant had to offer, a small shop full of Mexican small plates.
State Street Pizza Company gives slices on the go
The River North lunch and late-night crowd gets another quick-serve spot with this grab-and-go pizza place. The limited menu also features a menu of flatbreads, sandwiches and salads.
Say "oui" to Bistro Bordeaux
With just the right amount of suspension of belief, or perhaps just the right amount of table wine, one can transport themselves to France just by standing in this cozy little French bistro opened in the former Le Petite Amelia space in Evanston.
Come for the bread, stay for lunch at La Farine
Find pastries, baguettes and other sweet sensations at this West Town bakery.
Country and tacos rule at Big Star
Grab some tacos and beer (or whiskey) while you listen to country music in the old Pontiac Cafe spot in Wicker Park. The place gets packed, so try to get there early. But the wait for a table is pleasant, as the drinks and honky tonk flow like water.
Hot Off the Grill
Life On Mars
Find vegan dishes like seitan at this Logan Square cafe, which focuses mostly on take-out orders.
Buzz: Killer Espresso
As you can guess by the name, they're crazy about coffee at this Wicker Park cafe. Owned by two brothers, the place serves drinks from a variety of beans, including its house roast, MadCap Coffee. The baristas specialize in "latte art," and the place plans to have regular "barista challenge" competitions.
Prairie Fire
This new Loop restaurant from the owners of Prairie Grass Cafe is slated to open this week.
The Southern
Georgia native Cary Taylor offers Southern comfort food in the former Chaise Lounge space.
Klopa Grill & Cafe
Get some Serbian barbecue at this casual Lincoln Square BYOB which translates to "good food."
Izakaya Hapa
Get Asian-influenced fare at this lounge above Sushi Taiyo.
The Big Easy
Grab some Cajun cuisine and a cream-filled pastry at this restaurant bakery in Hyde Park.
Kitchen Sink Cafe
Two former Pause baristas take over the old space and add more seating and a bigger menu.
Paris in Chicago
This cafe brings a little bit of French love to Boystown.
The Purple Pig
Wine and cheese (and pork) for the Michigan Avenue tourist crowd.
Macku Sushi
The former chef/owner of Kaze in Roscoe Village opens this Lincoln Park sushi spot.
Cuna
This contemporary restaurant/bar opens in Lakeview with a casual, Mediterranean-inspired menu.
La Ciudad
Find classic Mexican dishes based on the food of Mexico City in this spacious Uptown restaurant.
Second City Subs
Quick-serve sandwich spot for DePaul students and other Lincoln Parkers.
Still Cooking
Leo's Coney Island
Detroiters will feel right at home in this classic hot dog cafe in Lakeview, opening by mid-February.
Forty Carrots
Bloomingdale's shoppers on Michigan Avenue will get a light and healthy lunch spot to recharge, when Forty Carrots opens in February.
Gilt Bar
Brendan Sodikoff's simple, fun restaurant in the old Aigre Doux space in River North will open later this month.
Arami
The owners of Small Bar are collaborating on this Japanese restaurant with a Hawaiian flavor, set to open in March.
Cumin
Nepali and Indian cuisine in the heart of Wicker Park, opening sometime in March.
Sable Kitchen & Bar
This 158-seat "gastrolounge" adjacent to the Hotel Palomar is set to open March 24.
Grahamwich
Famed local chef Graham Elliot Bowles opens his new project, a casual sandwich shop in River North, sometime this spring.
Epic Burger (Lincoln Park)
Epic Burger co-owner David Friedman opens a new location for the popular burger spot on the south edge of Lincoln Park sometime in spring.
Girl & The Goat
Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard opens this Italian-Mexican small plates restaurant in the West Loop sometime this spring.
Act One Cafe
Coobah chef/owner Jimmy Madla will preside over this restaurant in the same building as the Mayne Stage, opening sometime this spring in Rogers Park.
Flo & Santos
This South Loop pizzeria/bar plans to open sometime this spring.
BLT Steak
The New York steakhouse chain opens its first Chicago location in the new JW Marriott hotel in September.
Masada
The owners of Sultan's Market open this Logan Square Middle Eastern sit-down eatery later this year.
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