80 IL Restaurants Earn 2022 Wine Spectator Awards: See Which Ones

ILLINOIS — Chicago and its surrounding suburbs have always provided a wealth of culinary options for local foodies and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that more than two dozen area restaurants have been singled out for their offerings.

Especially for those who enjoy a good glass of wine with dinner.

Wine Spectator unveiled the 2022 Restaurant Awards winners, which honor the world's best restaurants for wines. This year's awards program recognized 3,169 dining destinations from all 50 states and in more than 70 countries worldwide.

In Illinois, 80 restaurants earned recognition. Since 1981, the Restaurant Awards have had three distinct levels: The "Award of Excellence," the "Best of Award of Excellence" and the "Grand Award."

Only 97 restaurants around the world have received the coveted Grand Award. While none of the restaurants in Illinois were chosen for that category by Wine Spectator’s judges, there was no shortage of award-winning establishments to choose from the next level down.

Then there's the Award of Excellence, given to restaurants that carefully choose their wine lists to have 100 or more selections, containing both quality and diverse wines, according to the magazine. There was 1,782 Award of Excellence winners this year.

The Best of Award of Excellence is given to restaurants that "go the extra mile," with lists of 350 or more selections from top producers, with a wide variety of regions and vintage depths. These restaurants might also carefully design the presentations of the list, train their staff to assist diners with the list, and have curated wine dinners, according to Wine Spectator. Worldwide, 1,290 restaurants received the Best of Award of Excellence award.

Here are Illinois’ 2022 winners:

Best of Award of Excellence

Acanto (18 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Italy
• Cuisine: Italian, Regional

Adalina (912 N. State St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Piedmont, Tuscany, California, Italy, France
• Cuisine: Italian

Bar Mar (120 N. Wacker Dr., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Spain
• Cuisine: Seafood

Bazaar Meat By Jose Andres(120 N. Wacker Dr., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Spain
• Cuisine: Steakhouse

Brass Tack (Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 11 E. Walton, Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Burgandy, California, Bordeaux, Rhone, Champagne
• Cuisine: American, French

Café Lucci(609 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview)

• Wine strengths: California, Piedmont, Tuscany, Italy
• Cuisine: Italian, Regional

Cherry Circle Room (Chicago Athletic Association, 12 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Burgandy, California, Champagne, Italy, Germany, Loire, Oregon, Austria
• Cuisine: American

City Winery (1200 W. Randolph St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: California, France, Italy, Spain
• Cuisine: American

Esquire by Cooper’s Hawk (58 E. Oak St., Chicago)

Wine Strengths: California, France, Italy

Cuisine: American

Gibson’s Italia (233 N. Canal St., Chicago)

• Wine Strengths: California, Italy, France
• Cuisine: Steakhouse

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab(60 E. Grand Ave., Chicago)

• Wine Strengths: California, France
• Cuisine: Seafood, Steakhouse

Kinzie Chophouse (400 N. Wells St., Chicago)

• Wine Strengths: California, France
• Cuisine: American, Steakhouse

La Cantina Enoteca (71 W. Monroe St., Chicago)

• Wine Strengths: Tuscany, Piedmont, Italy
• Cuisine: Italian

Les Nomades(222 E. Ontario St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Burgundy, Bordeaux, France, California, Rhone, Champagne
• Cuisine: French

Maple & Ash (8 W. Maple St., Chicago)

• Wine Strengths: California, Burgundy, France, Italy, Spain
• Cuisine: American, Steakhouse

Mastro’s Steakhouse (520 N. Dearborn St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: California, France, Italy
• Cuisine: Steakhouse

Morton’s (65 E. Wacker Pl., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Napa Valley, California, France, Italy
• Cuisine: Steakhouse

Prime & Provisions (222 N. LaSalle, Chicago)

Wine Strengths: California, France

Cuisine: Steakhouse

RPM Seafood (321 N. Clark St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Burgundy, Rhone, France, Italy, California
• Cuisine: Seafood

RPM Steak (66 W. Kinzie Ave., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: California, Bordeaux, Rhone, Burgundy, Italy, Washington, France
• Cuisine: Steakhouse

Sepia (123 N. Jefferson St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: California, Champagne, France
• Cuisine: American

Smith & Wollensky (318 N. State St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: California, France, Italy
• Cuisine: Steakhouse

Swift & Sons (1000 W. Fulton Market St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: California, France, Italy
• Cuisine: Steakhouse

The English Room (The Deer Path Inn, 255 E. Illinois Rd., Lake Forest)

• Wine strengths: California, Burgundy, Bordeaux, France
• Cuisine: American, British

The Tavern (519 N. Milwaukee, Libertyville)

• Wine Strengths: California, France, Italy, Washington, Australia, Spain
• Cuisine: American, steakhouse

The Village(71 W. Monroe St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Tuscany, Piedmont, Italy
• Cuisine: Italian

Vivere (71 W. Monroe St., Chicago)

• Wine strengths: Piedmont, Italy
• Cuisine: Italian

Award of Excellence

• 1176 Restaurant (397 Virginia St., Crystal Lake)
• 20s Hideout Steakhouse (2602 Wanda Dr., Marion)
• Andros Taverna (2542 N. Milwaukee, Chicago)
• Angelo’s Wine Bar (3026 W. Montrose, Chicago)
• BLVD Steakhouse (817 W. Lake, Chicago)
• Bobby’s Deerfield (695 Deerfield Rd, Deerfield)
• Che Figata (Hotel Arista, 2155 Citygate Ln., Naperville)
• Coda di Volpe (3335 Southport Ave., Chicago)
• Connected (3218 N. Dries Ln., Peoria)
• Eddie V’s Prime Steakhouse (521 N. Rush St., Chicago)
• El Che Steakhouse and Bar (845 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago)
• Fogo de Chao (5460 Park Place, Rosemont)
• Fogo de Chao (Oak Brook Commons, Oak Brook)
• GT Prime (707 N. Wells St., Chicago)
• Geja’s Café (340 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago)
• Jaleo by Jose Andres (500 N. Clark St., Chicago)
• Le Colonial (57 E. Oak St., Chicago)
• Mandrake Small Plates & Libations (101 W. Van Eammon St., Yorkville
• Morton’s (1470 McConnor Parkway, Schaumburg)
• Morton’s (9525 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont)
• Morton’s (699 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook)
• Morton’s (1751 Freedom Dr., Naperville)
• Osteria Langhe (2824 W. Armitage, Chicago)
• Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille (5 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook)
• Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille (1780 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg)
• Porter’s Steakhouse (Doubletree Hotel, 1000 Eastport Plaza Dr., Collinsville)
• Rare Chop House (224 S. 10th St., Mt. Vernon)
• Rose Mary (932 W. Fulton St, Chicago)
• STK Chicago (9 W. Kinzie St., Chicago)
• Seasons 52 (1770 E. Higgins Rd., Schaumburg)
• Seasons 52 (3 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook)
• Siena Tavern (51 W. Kinzie St., Chicago)
• Soif Wine Lounge (2456 N. California Ave., Chicago)
• Suzette’s Creperie (211 W. Front St., Wheaton)
• Testaccio, 2456 N. California Ave., Chicago)
• The Capital Grille (633 N. St. Clair St., Chicago)
• The Capital Grille (87 Yorktown Center, Lombard)
• The Capital Grille (5340 N. River Rd., Rosemont)
• The Capital Grille (2000 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg
• The Dawson (730 W. Grand Ave., Chicago)
• The Florentine (JW Marriott Hotel, 151. W. Adams, Chicago)
• The Gage (24 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago)
• The Palm (323 E. Wacker Dr., Chicago)
• Truluck's (9860 Berwyn Ave., Rosemont)
• Truluck's (41 E. Chestnut St., Chicago)
• Valor (667 Vernon Ave., Glencoe)
• Victory Italian (434 W. Ontario St., Chicago)
• WoodWind (259 W. Erie St., Chicago)

Find more info on all 2022 Restaurant Award Winners from Wine Spectator.