The MICHELIN Guide has added four One MICHELIN Star restaurants to Chicago’s roster of Starred eateries, as well as seven new Bib Gourmand recipients, highlighted for their particularly interesting value.
Altogether, 23 restaurants made the list, including Alinea, led by chefs Grant Achatz and Douglas Alley, which has earned Three MICHELIN Stars and maintained its exceptional level of quality since the first edition of the MICHELIN Guide Chicago in 2011.
“MICHELIN Guide inspectors found that Chicago chefs and restaurant teams still maintain a high level of quality and creativity in fine dining experiences, even as pursuing their activity has been an unprecedented challenge during the past year,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. “We are pleased to welcome four new One MICHELIN Star restaurants and seven new Bib Gourmand restaurants and celebrate all 23 MICHELIN Starred establishments in this 2022 selection.”
Here are the new One MICHELIN Star restaurants, with inspector notes on each:
Claudia (Bucktown/Wicker Park; contemporary cuisine)
After years of searching for a brick-and-mortar home, Chef Trevor Teich landed upon this welcoming Bucktown location. Named after his mother, Claudia is über cool and contemporary. In this special place, you can enjoy an intensely creative prix-fixe. The bento box — featuring the likes of a scallop cracker with preserved egg yolk, squid ink madeleines, yellowfin tuna nigiri stuffed with foie gras, and a caviar-topped potato beignet — sets the stage for an exquisite and memorable meal.
Esmé (Lincoln Park; contemporary cuisine)
Together with his wife and co-owner, Katrina Bravo, Chef Jenner Tomaska lays bare lofty ambitions at this airy atelier. The minimalist, well-lit space evokes an art gallery, complete with a high-concept tasting that's aimed at blurring the boundaries between art and dining: The multi-course meal features a variety of creative and unexpected dishes, each offered on custom pieces made by local artists.
Galit (Lincoln Park; Middle Eastern cuisine)
Chef Zach Engel brings his experience to bear on this personal brand of modern Middle Eastern cuisine. His prix-fixe allows diners to make their own selections from a range of options, but sharing is key to cover the most ground. Kick things off with salatim (spreads and pickles) accompanied by flame-kissed pita. Even familiar dishes offer surprising depth, like creamy hummus or crackling-crisp falafel with mango labneh.
Kasama (Bucktown; Filipino cuisine)
Chefs Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, both former members of the Oriole kitchen, have branched out on their own with this restaurant, which opened at the height of the pandemic in 2020. It has evolved to represent the true vision of what the couple had in mind for Kasama, with a dinner tasting menu that emphatically displays this talented team's training, experience and heritage for an experience that is ambitious, clever and distinct, mixing Filipino traditions with contemporary notes.
Seven new Bib Gourmand
This year, the MICHELIN Guide’s inspectors have discovered seven new spots offering a particularly interesting value: Apolonia, Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, Dear Margaret, Lardon, Sochi, Superkhana International, Tortello Pastificio.
Two Special MICHELIN Awards revealed this year
In addition to the highly anticipated Bib Gourmand and Star awards, the Guide announced two special awards. Sommelier of the Year, presented by Wine Access, was awarded to Bonhomme Group wine director Colin Hofer, for his work at Porto. The Exceptional Cocktails Award was awarded to Julia Momosé, mixologist at Kumiko.
The MICHELIN Guide Star Revelation event is presented with the support of Capital One.
The selections will be available on the MICHELIN Guide iOS and Android app. Through integrations with our official booking partners – including OpenTable, Resy and SevenRooms – app users can make reservations directly within the app.
Download the app to explore all the Michelin-selected restaurants across the globe and book the world’s most unique and exciting hotels. App users can also create and share their own restaurant and hotel wish lists.