This IL Eatery Is Among Esquire’s Best New Restaurants In America

ACROSS ILLINOIS — Maxwells Trading in Chicago has made Esquire’s exclusive 2024 list of the Best New Restaurants in America, which was released Tuesday.

The list of 35 restaurants includes eateries that punch above their price point, are romantic enough for date night, or just a great place for a boozy, delicious night out with friends, Esquire said.

According to Esquire, chefs Erling Wu-Bower and Chris Jung collaborated on the menu for Maxwell's Trading with this theme in mind: "Let's cook what we want to eat."

Here's what Esquire had to say about the culinary results.

"If naan and green-onion pancakes had a baby, and that baby was dunked into a creamy dip inspired by French-onion soup, that’d be one delicious baby. Good news: Said spawn exists in real life, and you can find it at Maxwell’s Trading in Chicago’s West Loop," according to Esquire's review.

California and New York each had eight mentions on the list, including the “Restaurant of the Year,” Four Kings in San Francisco, and the “Comeback of the Year,” Le Veau d’Or in New York City.

Other states with restaurants on the list include Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas, with two each, and Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington and the District of Columbia, with one each.

Maxwells Trading is located at 1516 W Carroll Ave in Chicago and is open 4:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday and from 4:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Reservations can be made online.