MICHELIN Guide Inspectors spend all year on the road uncovering the best restaurants to recommend—and what they've found is too good to keep a secret. Whet your appetite with a sneak peek of the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Chicago—three new additions spread across the Windy City.
Besides Chicago-style pizza, Michael Jordan, and the Chicago Cubs, the Windy City is also home to some of the most flavorful restaurants in the nation. Don't believe us? Check out our latest additions to find out for yourself what we mean.
Craving Eastern European? Anelya delivers with standout dishes like green borsch with dill, stuffed cabbage, and a zakusky cart loaded with small bites like sunflower seed hummus, all in a charming atmosphere.
In the mood for Lebanese? Beity hits the spot with mezze like parsley hummus and falafel, plus creative takes on traditional dishes, all within a cozy, stone-walled space.
Want a blend of Filipino and Cuban flavors? Bayan Ko offers dishes like calamansi-buttered lobster and grilled wagyu beef with black bean puree, served in an intimate setting.
If that doesn't sound appetizing, we don't know what does.
Anelya
Cuisine: Eastern European
Named for his grandmother, Chefs Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim bring the flavors of Eastern Europe to Avondale. Throw back a shot of horseradish-infused vodka or sip a glass of Balkan wine in the bar before moving to the cozy dining room. The menu takes a product-focused approach to traditional specialties. An array of hors d'ouevres is displayed on the zakusky cart loaded with the likes of sunflower seed hummus, tart roe tarts, and carrot salad. Green borsch is enhanced with dill and nettles, stocked with boiled egg and slices of fingerling potato, while the freshly baked, butter-glazed, challah-like pampushky bread is a perfect pairing with the soup. Stuffed cabbage, or holubtsi, features finely ground locally raised beef.
Bayan Ko
Cuisine: Filipino/Cuban
Husband and wife team Lawrence Letrero and Raquel Quadreny are raising the stakes at their intimate restaurant in Ravenswood. In a departure from the usual family-style dishes, they offer a tasting menu in a quest to celebrate their Cuban and Filipino heritages on their own terms. Black rice and lobster poached in calamansi butter come together for their version of arroz caldo. Vaca frita translates here to grilled wagyu beef with black bean and plantain purees. Smeared in mojo and sporting a fine crust, pork belly is a recent highlight. The new format is far from stuffy, thanks to a relaxed dining room and a zippy menu, but those wanting to go casual for the likes of lumpia or pork adobo can visit the couple’s diner next door.
Beity
Cuisine: Lebanese
Stone walls, an arched ceiling, and an intimate lower level fit with its own fireplace? Chef Ryan Fakih makes it easy to forget that his tables reside in the Fulton Market District. Drawing on his Lebanese heritage and on family recipes, he makes a strong impression with a mezze of parsley hummus with lamb, falafel in yogurt sauce, and generously charred pita. Such a spread shows both heart and refinement. The tasting menu riffs from there with more stylized interpretations of sayadieh (fish and rice) and mograbieh (chicken stew) and concludes with a flurry of small, sweet bites. A seat at the ever-busy bar offers a casual experience with a limited selection of snacks and thoughtful cocktails made with the likes of arak, Aleppo, and tahini.
Hero image: Nick Podraza / Beity
Thumb image: Anelya
