Chicago is a shopper’s paradise and a diner’s delight. Our city is full of fantastic stores and restaurants. Here are our recommendations for the ten best restaurants in the West Loop.
There are several good Japanese restaurants in the West Loop — Sushi Dokku, High Five Ramen, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ — but we recommend Momotaro. Chicago Magazine named it Best New Restaurant of the Year in 2015, and if anything, they’ve improved since then. TimeOut Chicago called it elegant and delicious. It’s been named Chicago’s best restaurant for omakase.
Girl & the Goat is one of the most popular restaurants in the West Loop. Celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, whom you may have seen on Bravo’s Top Chef, has created a menu with bold tastes and unexpected combinations of flavors and ingredients. They actually have goat on the menu — goat carpaccio with trout roe, confit goat belly with lobster, crab, and fennel, goat empanadas with miso-blue cheese aioli — in addition to more expected fare like escargot ravioli and milk braised pork shoulder with pickled gooseberries. At least, at the Girl & the Goat those dishes are expected.
Avec started as a wine bar, and still has an excellent cellar, but now it’s a restaurant that combines fresh Midwestern ingredients with Mediterranean flair. One of their most popular items is the chorizo-stuffed medjool dates; another is the paella with confit chicken. Their lunch menu has several wonderful sandwiches: cod brandade on seed bread, slow roasted pork on ciabatta, chorizo-and-beef burger.
The Infatuation says “While Bar Siena serves solid food, a trip here is really more about the atmosphere as a whole.” We respectfully disagree: while the atmosphere is fun, we go to Bar Siena for the pasta and pizza. Whether you’re in the mood for agnolotti, gnocchi, lasagna, or ravioli, their pasta is sure to tempt your appetite.
If you’re craving Cuban cuisine, Ronero is the place to go. It’s a Latin restaurant and rum bar that focuses on Cuban food, but also has dishes from the Caribbean, Central, and South America. Chose from traditional dishes like arroz con pollo, Argentinian empanadas, and pescado frito (fried red snapper with rice and fried plantain).
Duck Duck Goat promises “reasonably authentic Chinese food,” and they deliver on that promise. A comfortable atmosphere combines with such menu items as goat belly lo mein, chicken chow fun, and moo shu pork to create a delicious dining experience. Try the shrimp won ton soup in a blueberry broth.
Viaggio Ristorante offers dishes from all over Italy, rather than focusing on just Tuscan or just Sicilian cuisine. The pasta dishes are hearty, with generous portions, and the service is friendly and attentive. Try the meatball salad; it’s one of their most popular dishes.
There’s an old joke that vegetarian is the Native American phrase for bad hunter. Bad Hunter isn’t a purely vegetarian restaurant — they do have some meat dishes — but they call themselves “veg-forward.” Their menu emphasizes dishes where the vegetables are the main ingredient, and the meat is more of an accent.
Au Cheval is “a diner-style bar and restaurant with a passion for eggs.” It’s a great place for a beer and a sandwich. Bon Appétit magazine named their cheeseburger the best in the country. The cheeseburger is their most popular item, but we’re partial to the toasted open-faced ham and cheese fondue with fried egg sandwich.  Be warned: you may have to wait to get a table.
For suggestions on where to go in Chicago, contact us. We’ll help you find interesting places to visit, and we’ll help you find affordable parking.
