Most expensive restaurants in Chicago: Top 20 list ranked

Most expensive restaurants in Chicago: Top 20 list ranked

Along with world-famous sports facilities, architecture and museums, Chicago’s restaurants are one of its primary tourist attractions. The city boasts several James Beard Award-winning restaurants with reservation waitlists for over six months. This article highlights the most expensive restaurants in Chicago if you do not mind settling a 3-figure dining bill.

Expensive restaurants in Chicago
Here are Chicago's most expensive restaurants. Photo: @arunsthai, @thedininggypsy, @le_rooftop_ (modified by author)
Source: UGC

Chicago’s restaurants offer a variety of dishes from many different cultures, including Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Spanish and French. Therefore, for an unparalleled dining experience, visit these top-notch restaurants. Just make sure to bring your wallet along for the ride.

What are the most expensive restaurants in Chicago?

Chicago has a strong culinary tradition with a long list of legendary restaurants. From Bavette’s Steakhouse to Oriole, here are some of the city’s restaurants with the highest average price per person:

1. Alinea Restaurant ($355)

What is the restaurant in Chicago where the servers are rude to you?
Alinea is located between the Ranch Triangle and Old Town Triangle neighborhoods in Chicago. Photo: Juan Naharro Gimenez
Source: Getty Images

One of the only restaurants to receive three Michelin stars both in the city and the world, Alinea is a multi-faceted dining experience designed to stimulate all your senses.

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It was named the world’s best restaurant by Elite Traveler and the best in North America by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

2. Brindille ($295)

How expensive is ever restaurant in Chicago?
Brindille's dishes include lobster in butter flavoured with vanilla and coral and a rack of rabbit garnished with veal sweetbreads. Photo: @girl.and.the.goat on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

Chef Carrie Nahabedian designs the hotel’s menu to translate the spirit of Autumn time to food. Brindille’s significant features include French-style cuisines, which you can enjoy beneath hand-carved wooden fixtures as you peruse a strong wine list.

3. Ever Restaurant ($285)

Most expensive restaurants in Chicago
The Ever Restaurant is one of the few restaurants in Chicago with two Michelin-star chefs. Photo: @chewbeezie on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

How expensive is Ever restaurant in Chicago? For a $285 price per person, this fine dining establishment offers between eight and ten courses of delicately handcrafted appetizers, entrees and desserts. It reflects a modern and sleek ambience.

4. Smyth ($265)

How expensive is ever restaurant in Chicago?
Smyth's specialities include a brioche doughnut with aged beef garnished with horseradish and roasted strawberry jus. Photo: @finediningnyc on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

If you have $265 to spare, why not spend it at one of Chicago's most distinctive dining restaurants? John B. Shields serves as the hotel’s executive chef alongside his wife, Karen Urie Shields, who is the executive pastry chef.

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5. Mastro’s Restaurant ($250)

How expensive is ever restaurant in Chicago?
This restaurant reflects a modern and sleek ambience. Photo: Santi Visalli
Source: Getty Images

This restaurant’s main feature is the 28-day wet-aged steak, USDA Prime, with signature crab legs, oysters, shrimp, and more seafood towers. It aims for a more laid-back atmosphere, featuring hand-made cocktails and live entertainment at the bar in the dining room.

6. Bavette’s Steakhouse ($250)

Expensive restaurants in Chicago
Order the Maude’s Tower to make your time at this hotel unforgettable. Photo: @bavettessteakhouse on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

When you walk inside this restaurant, you might feel transported to a different time. Although its gentle incandescent lighting harkens to simpler times, the food here is modern and refined.

7. Maple and Ash ($239)

How expensive is ever restaurant in Chicago?
One of the restaurant’s signature menu items is the fire-roasted seafood tower. Photo: @venetian.art on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

The recipient of Michelin Stars, Chef Grant, runs this famous steak house. It has accolades and awards to its name, and among them is that it has one of the most outstanding wine lists in the world.

8. Oriole ($215)

What is the restaurant in Chicago where the servers are rude to you?
Chicago’s restaurants offer a variety of dishes from many different cultures. Photo: @carinaz2.0 on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

If you cannot resist the siren call of a Michelin star, then head down to Oriole, one of the fanciest restaurants in Chicago. This restaurant, owned by Noah Sandoval, offers a romantic setup for your next date.

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9. LH Rooftop ($200)

What is the restaurant in Chicago where the servers are rude to you?
LondonHouse is a luxury lifestyle hotel with 452 rooms. Photo: @le_rooftop_ on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

LondonHouse Rooftop gives you a bird’s eye view of the epic Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan while you enjoy a five-star meal.

The bubbly and elegant ambience gets the hotel packed; therefore, a reservation is needed before visiting. It offers small plates to share and large entrees like chicken steak and fish.

10. EL Ideas ($195)

Expensive restaurants in Chicago
Interestingly, the restaurant does not offer reservations, so you must arrive on time. Photo: @a_starward_journey on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

Up next is this high-end restaurant owned by Chef Philip Foss. With over a decade in the game, this dining establishment prides itself in experimental tasting menus served as a 10-course meal at communal tables.

11. Cherry Circle Room ($180)

Fanciest restaurants in Chicago
Chicago’s restaurants offer a variety of dishes from many different cultures. Photo: @laurarn163, @eat.drive.sleep on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

Cherry Circle Room is best known for serving dishes based on your preference and dietary restrictions. Apart from granting your wish for the tastiest meal, this restaurant allows you to wear that dress you have been saving for a special day.

12. Blackbird ($175)

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High end restaurant
Exterior view of the Blackbird restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Interim Archives
Source: Getty Images

If you want to taste some of the award-winning chef Paul Kahan’s specialties, get down to this celebrity hotspot on West Loop. Although its menu is ever-changing, expect to see such dry-aged Slagel striploin with farm beets, sturgeon grilled in banana leaf and mustard greens.

13. Next Restaurant ($175)

What is considered the most expensive restaurant in the world?
The restaurant is located in West Loop. Photo: @restaurant_ecoutieres, @bethlang4 on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

Founded by Chef Grant and Nick Kokonas, this restaurant offers themed menus that are a lesson in history and an artistic feel. Their delicious meals have earned the hotel a James Beard Award and Michelin stars three years running.

14. Graham Elliot Bistro ($163)

Fanciest restaurants in Chicago
For an unparalleled dining experience, visit this top-notch restaurant. Photo: @gebistro on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Renowned chef Graham Elliot is the man behind the next entry to our list. With accolades such as two Michelin stars, three stars from the Chicago Tribune and a nomination for the James Beard Award, this restaurant ranks as one of Chicago’s finest.

15. The Signature Room at The 95th ($150)

How expensive is ever restaurant in Chicago?
Chicago has a strong culinary tradition with a long list of legendary restaurants. Photo: @amirahaulaqi, @lacagno on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

This establishment’s showstopper is the Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, served with a black mission fig chutney. In addition, it offers breathtaking views over Lake Michigan. Breakfast is served daily at 10.30 a.m to start your day on a high note.

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16. Vie Restaurant ($125)

What is the restaurant in Chicago where the servers are rude to you?
This restaurant is located in Western Springs. Photo: @thedininggypsy on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

A recipient of a Michelin star, this hotel features an extensive menu card with an 8-course meal. Aside from the perfect food, the customer service is also top-notch, with the staff around to cater to your needs.

17. Arun’s Thai ($125)

What is the restaurant in Chicago where the servers are rude to you?
Arun’s Thai has provided a culinary experience for over two decades. Photo: @arunsthai on Instagram (modified by author)
Source: UGC

The restaurant’s menu consists of several different sections. The main course has options such as crab cakes with roasted red pepper coulis and lemongrass grilled sea bass with sweet chilli sauce.

18. Tapolobampo ($110)

How expensive is ever restaurant in Chicago?
Chef Rick Bayless at the New York City Food Network & Cooking Channel Festival. Photo: Gustavo Caballero
Source: Getty Images

Chef-owner Rick Bayless has assembled a first-class, seven-course menu for your delight. Located at Clark St, Chicago, Tapolobampo emphasizes top-tier customer treatment worth the amount charged at the eatery.

19. Girl & The Goat ($100)

How expensive is ever restaurant in Chicago?
View of the Girl & the Goat restaurant in the West Loop neighbourhood, Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Interim Archives
Source: Getty Images

With its mix of classic cuisine and cutting-edge delicacies, Girl & The Goat’s extensive menu is guaranteed to have something to please everyone. Set within a stunning loft, an iron fireplace and a fresh oak bar, this is a special treat for the eyes as it is for the stomach.

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20. Palm Court ($100)

How expensive is ever restaurant in Chicago?
The restaurant offers breathtaking views. Photo: Johannes Schmitt
Source: Getty Images

Famously known for its exclusive afternoon teas, Palm Court treats its customers to tiers of delectable bites such as chicken salad tarts. It offers seasonal menus, so prepare for surprises and savor every moment you visit this fancy hotel.

What is considered the most expensive restaurant in the world?

Sublimotion in Ibiza, Spain, is the world’s most expensive restaurant, costing an eye-watering $2,380. It allows 12 diners to partake in garment cuisine prepared by a team of 10 Michelin-star chefs.

What is the restaurant in Chicago where the servers are rude to you?

Ed Debevic’s is Chicago’s most famous retro-themed diner. The hotel prides itself in having ill-mannered servers.

DISCLAIMER: This article is not sponsored by any third party. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

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This list of the most expensive restaurants in Chicago will wow you. It represents the crème de crème of the city’s finest eateries offering prestigious cuisines.

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Authors:
Ruth Gitonga avatar

Ruth Gitonga (Lifestyle writer) Ruth Gitonga has a background experience in Mass Communication for over six years. She graduated from the University of Nairobi with a degree in Mass Communication in December 2014. In 2023, Ruth finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. She has worked for Briefly.co.za for five years now. She specializes in topics like lifestyle, entertainment, travel, technology, and sports. Email: gitongaruth14@gmail.com.

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