While good food is always important, a respectable beverage program is just as crucial to a dining experience. That’s why Wine Spectator has just released its 2024 Restaurant Awards list, which honors the world’s best restaurants for wine.
Launched in 1981, the awards are divided into three tiers: The Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence and the Grand Award, with 2,150, 1,531 and 96 winners from more than 75 countries this year in each respective category.
Dozens of Chicago spots made the cut, including several new recipients. First-time winners of the Award of Excellence were Aba, Adorn, Brasero, Frontera Grill/Topolobampo, Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House, Indienne, Lyra, Miru, RL Restaurant and Summer House. These restaurants offer wine lists of at least 90 selections and “deliver sufficient choice to satisfy discerning wine lovers.”
Oakville Grill & Cellar and Tre Dita were the new additions to the Best of Award of Excellence winners. This distinction is for places offering 350 or more bottles, and are “destinations for serious wine lovers, showing a deep commitment to wine, both in the cellar and through their service team.”
In total, the city and surrounding suburbs are home to 79 restaurants with award-winning wine programs.
Although Chicago does not have any Grand Award restaurants, four new spots from across the globe joined Wine Spectator's most distinguished club: Grasing’s in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, CA, Le Bistro de l’Hôtel in Beaune, France and The Yeatman in Porto, Portugal.
Check out the full list of Chicago winners here, and for more great vino lists, consult our guide to the best wine bars in Chicago.