This year, since we’ve eaten so much amazing food, I’ve decided to do two Top Five Restaurant lists – one for Chicago, and one for around the world. This year, the Top Five list for Chicago is going to be really steak heavy, but it’s all leading up to my Top Five Chicago Steakhouses list, which I hope to publish sometime in 2025. We ate really well here in Chicago this year, and I’m looking forward to another year of spectacular cuisine here in Chicago! Cheers!

5. Francois Frankie

I was so excited to go to Francois Frankie and rediscover my favorite cheeseburger in Chicago, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Francois Frankie has a very cool bistro vibe, and is great for a pre-theater meal. Excellent cocktails, delicious French favorites, and one of the best burgers around makes FF my number five restaurant in Chicago this year! Check out my full review here!

4. Bazaar Meat/BarMar

The fourth spot is a tie between Bazaar Meat and BarMar, Jose Andres’s dual seafood and Spanish Steakhouse joint in the Loop. Both places are astoundingly delicious in their own way, with diverse menus that will satisfy anyone if you are looking for either seafood or meat. I love the decor at both of these restaurants, and the service is always excellent. You can also rack up quite a few “InKind” points here in order to make your next meal a little less pricey. I’m so excited every time I have a reservation here, and you shouldn’t hesitate to book. Read my love letter to Jose Andres and my restaurant reviews here!

3. Boka

We came to Boka very early in the year for restaurant week, and after our experience, there was no doubt in my mind why Boka is consistently (the most consistently in Chicago!) awarded a Michelin Star. This restaurant gets absolutely everything right: from the heavy Chicagoist decor, impeccable service, and absolutely perfect food. We definitely need to come back here to experience their full menu, but you can read about our more petite experience here in my review!

2. Asador Bastian

Asador Bastian is one of the most talked about and most difficult to get a reservation restaurants here in Chicago these days, but my husband managed to snag a res for my Birthday this year! This steakhouse did not let us down, despite our massively high expectations. The place was small and intimate, the steaks perfect, and all of the rest of the Spanish food, including some of our favorite Basque Country pintxos were all exquisite. Please check out my full review here, and don’t hesitate to grab a reservation – if you can!

1. Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf

Just as difficult to score a reservation as Asador Bastian, is Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf, my pick for my number one restaurant experience in Chicago of 2024. We came here for absolutely no reason except to have a nice little date night at one of the best steakhouses in the world, and, after 12 years, they still consistently put out the best steaks and sides in the city. Our reservation was at 4:30pm on a Monday, and the place was completely jammed by 5pm, creating a really fun, casual-yet-sophisticated atmosphere full of folks who were there to enjoy a really incredible steak.

That said, the menu here goes far beyond steak, and it’s always difficult to choose what to eat, since everything looks so amazing. Don’t skip the mushrooms with sherry sauce, nor the gargantuan slice of carrot cake. I will keep coming back to Bavette’s for any occasion, or for no reason at all. It’s simply the best! Make sure you check out my full review here!