When Chicago Tribune food critics Louisa Chu (@louisachu1) and Nick Kindelsperger (@nkindelsperger) began sketching out plans for a new list of the best restaurants in Chicago and the suburbs, it became clear just how many questions the process would pose. While their predecessor, Phil Vettel, could build off his existing Phil’s 50 list and decades of dining, our critics recognized how extensively the pandemic has reshaped experiences at nearly every restaurant, not just in Chicago, but globally. It wouldn’t be fair to judge based on pre-2020 experiences, before social distancing rules, smaller staffs and soaring food costs affected everyone, from humble hot dog stands to fine-dining institutions. So, they said, we’ll start from scratch. If it makes the list, we will have visited it in the After Times. Everybody gets a clean slate. But Chicago alone has hundreds of restaurants, and a wealth of great ones. New concepts are consistently bursting onto the scene, and there are vibrant options in the suburbs deserving recognition. While our critics will keep whittling away at the list of best restaurants, both old and new, click the link in our bio for the 25 best new restaurants, with a fairly generous “new” defined as opening in 2020 or later. Expect a larger list in early 2023. --------- The caviar at Kasama (@kasamachicago) by Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune.
November 16, 2022
When Chicago Tribune food critics Louisa Chu (@louisachu1) and Nick Kindelsperger (@nkindelsperger) began sketching out plans for a new list of the best restaurants in Chicago and the suburbs, it became clear just how many questions the process would pose.
While their predecessor, Phil Vettel, could build off his existing Phil’s 50 list and decades of dining, our critics recognized how extensively the pandemic has reshaped experiences at nearly every restaurant, not just in Chicago, but globally.
It wouldn’t be fair to judge based on pre-2020 experiences, before social distancing rules, smaller staffs and soaring food costs affected everyone, from humble hot dog stands to fine-dining institutions.
So, they said, we’ll start from scratch. If it makes the list, we will have visited it in the After Times. Everybody gets a clean slate. But Chicago alone has hundreds of restaurants, and a wealth of great ones. New concepts are consistently bursting onto the scene, and there are vibrant options in the suburbs deserving recognition.
While our critics will keep whittling away at the list of best restaurants, both old and new, click the link in our bio for the 25 best new restaurants, with a fairly generous “new” defined as opening in 2020 or later. Expect a larger list in early 2023.
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The caviar at Kasama (@kasamachicago) by Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune.
While their predecessor, Phil Vettel, could build off his existing Phil’s 50 list and decades of dining, our critics recognized how extensively the pandemic has reshaped experiences at nearly every restaurant, not just in Chicago, but globally.
It wouldn’t be fair to judge based on pre-2020 experiences, before social distancing rules, smaller staffs and soaring food costs affected everyone, from humble hot dog stands to fine-dining institutions.
So, they said, we’ll start from scratch. If it makes the list, we will have visited it in the After Times. Everybody gets a clean slate. But Chicago alone has hundreds of restaurants, and a wealth of great ones. New concepts are consistently bursting onto the scene, and there are vibrant options in the suburbs deserving recognition.
While our critics will keep whittling away at the list of best restaurants, both old and new, click the link in our bio for the 25 best new restaurants, with a fairly generous “new” defined as opening in 2020 or later. Expect a larger list in early 2023.
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The caviar at Kasama (@kasamachicago) by Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune.
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