23 Chicago Restaurants Earn Prestigious Michelin Guide Stars Ratings

CHICAGO — Twenty-three restaurants earned prestigious Michelin stars for culinary excellence, one fewer than last year.

Chicago's place in the Michelin Guide was again led by chefs Grant Achatz and Douglas Alley's Lincoln Park fine-dining spot, Alinea — the only restaurant in town to earn a top three-star rating, which it has earned every year since it opened in 2011.

Four restaurants earned a one-star rating for the first time, including West Town's Kasama, Claudia in Bucktown, and Lincoln Park's Esme and Galit.

Michelin Guide inspectors found Chicago chefs and restaurant groups maintained a "high level of quality and creativity in fine dining experiences, even as pursuing their activiity has been an unprecedented challenge during the past year," Michelin Guids international director Gwendal Poullennec said.

Chicago's restaurant scene lost four starred restaurants that permanently closed due to the coronavirus crisis — two-star Acadia, along with one-star restaurants Yugen Entente and Spiaggia. Michelin Guide inspectors also withheld a star from Parachute in Avondale while the Korean-American restaurant is closed for remodeling.

Seven new Chicago restaurants — Apolonia, Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, Dear Margaret, Lardon, Sochi, Superkhana International, Tortello Pastificio— were added to Michelin's Bib Gourmand list of casual dining spots that offer good values.

The tire company's guide to good eating in Chicago also included special awards for the city's bar scene. Sommelier of the Year was awarded to Bonhomme Group wine director Colin Hofer at Porto. And the Exceptional Cocktails Award was awarded to Kumiko mixologist Julia Momosé.