The tiny Uptown restaurant has made an immediate mark on Chicago's dining scene. It's BYOB, and there are only 18 seats, so it has the intimate feel of a dinner party. Just, you know, one where your hosts, chef Jake Bickelhaupt and GM Alexa Welsh, have earned two Michelin stars their first year in business.
This was a delicious year of eating and drinking in Chicago, as we covered hundreds of restaurants, bars, breweries and basically anywhere you can get something to eat or drink. Out of these, 48 were starred reviews of new restaurants and bars, which were wide-ranging this year, from a tiny fine dining restaurant in Uptown to a huge new restaurant and music venue in Hyde Park.
So what stood out as the best openings of the year? Some are thoughtful concepts that reflect the food a chef grew up with, while others fill a gap we didn't know we were missing. Others present a new way of looking at ingredients, classic dishes or even restaurants themselves. But all of these restaurants (and one bar) think about food and drink differently, and all are places worth returning to again and again.
RECOMMENDED: Complete list of the best of 2014
