Twenty-three Chicago restaurants have received Michelin’s seal of approval for culinary excellence, the star list was announced Tuesday.
Michelin’s coveted award is based on a number of factors, from the restaurant’s cuisine to the chef’s techniques.
Of the group collecting stars, Alinea topped the list with three – the highest possible rank – for the 12th straight year. Chef Grant Achatz’s Lincoln Park restaurant is the city’s only three-star restaurant.
The squad also welcomed four newcomers to the one-star scene: Claudia, Esmé, Galit and Kasama.
“MICHELIN Guide inspectors have found that Chicago chefs and restaurant teams still maintain a high level of quality and creativity in fine dining experiences, even though carrying out their duties over the past year has been an unprecedented challenge,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide , said in a press release.
The following restaurants earned the title “excellent cuisine, worth a detour” with two stars:
- Always, 1340 W. Fulton Market
- Moody Tongue, 2515 S. Wabash Ave.
- Oriole, 661 W. Walnut St.
- Smyth, 177 N. Ada St.
The following restaurants received Fine Dining, Worth a Stop one-star status:
- Boka, 1729 N. Halsted St.
- Claudia, 1952 N Ladies Ave.
- EL Ideas, 2419 W. 14th St.
- Elizabeth, 4835 N. Western Ave.
- Elske, 1350 W. Randolph Ave.
- Esme, 2200 N Clark St.
- Galit, 2429 N Lincoln Ave.
- Goosefoot, 2656 W. Lawrence Ave.
- Kasama, 1001 N Winchester Ave.
- Mako, 731 West Lake St.
- Next 953 W. Fulton Market
- North Pond, 2610 N. Cannon Dr.
- Omakase Yume, 651 W Washington Blvd.
- Porto, 1600 West Chicago Ave.
- Schwa, 1466 N Ashland Ave.
- Sepia, 123 N. Jefferson St.
- Temporis, 933 N Ashland Ave.
- Topolobampo, 445 N. Clark St.
Seven Chicago restaurants earned a spot in the Michelin guide’s Bib Gourmand series earlier this week for their affordability and culinary excellence. The Michelin Guide Chicago has also selected 23 restaurants from a variety of popular restaurants across the city and left them esteemed reviews from recognized culinary inspectors.