Best contemporary American restaurants in Chicago

Michael Kornick and David Morton (DMK Burger Bar, Fish Bar) are behind this hybrid cocktail bar–restaurant. The room is lovely, and so is the food: the deep-fried black-eyed peas are the perfect drinking snack, and Chef Joanna Stachon's light touch with steak (dressed in nothing more than brown butter), salads and even doughnuts makes sense with the food-friendly cocktails coming from behind the bar.

This nationally acclaimed small-plates spot looks like a sauna, has communal seating, doesn’t take reservations and is loud as hell. But it remains a must-eat spot for foodies in the know. Chef Perry Hendrix mostly sticks to the Mediterranean formula that original chef Koren Grieveson put into place (and has wisely held on to her most famous dishes, such as the chorizo-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates). The addition of brunch has meant two things: one more meal to enjoy Avec's cuisine and the ability to eat bacon-wrapped dates in the morning.

This popular Bucktown restaurant has matured, from its stronger than ever cocktail program to its desserts. We have a hard time moving away from the signature dishes, like the salad of heirloom apples and the devastatingly delicious egg-and-ricotta–filled raviolo, but it’s worth it to try the unusual, always-changing daily specials, from marinated beef tendon salad to cold-smoked salmon with bacon-dill dumplings.

The ladies who lunch have seriously been holding out on us: This restaurant on the second floor of Chicago’s most exclusive boutique is a gem. Blackbird alum Christopher Sullivan’s dishes are bright and beautiful, from the complimentary olives and bite-size gougéres that begin the meal to the creamy housemade ice creams that complete it. In between, main courses—such as a perfectly cooked salmon set atop snap peas, spring onions, fava beans and radishes in spring—overflow with the bounty of the season.

Owner Amy Morton and chef Nicole Pederson (C-House and Lula Cafe) have given Evanston the restaurant it’s been searching for: a place that’s casual (and relatively affordable) enough for Northwestern students seeking a sandwich and a beer and yet civilized enough for suburbanites wanting a three-course meal. Whether you like the found object–inspired decor is a matter of personal preference, but Pederson’s thoughtful, unfussy food (small plates like juicy lamb meatballs with pistachios, entrées like oven roasted pork chop with sweet potato mash) has universal appeal.

Thought this was just a bar to belly up to with a Belgian brew in hand? One bite and you’ll know there’s much more. Our perfect night involves sampling the drafts at the bar while slurping down the famous ale-steamed mussels, but you could also class it up, grab a proper table and dig into seasonal rotations such as wood-roasted spring chicken with morels and favas. Beer geeks know this is the place in town to school their palate on craft brews, and they do come in droves, but the addition of an adjacent space helps keep the place from feeling like a sardine tin.

Breakfast is dinnery at Jam: It starts with an amuse-bouche, and can continue with sophisticated dishes such as a breakfast sandwich featuring pork shoulder topped with plum preserve. Lunch is also a high-low experience: Homey soups are poured tableside, and what would otherwise be a basic B.L.T. is elevated by boar belly. Blue Plate specials read like diner staples and for dessert, there’s pie. What’s not to like?

The menu changes often, but includes inventive dishes like beef tallow beignets or a wild boar sloppy joe. Pastry chef Jeremy Brutzkus (formerly of the defunct Coco Rouge) ends on the kind of indulgent notes best appreciated with a fork in one hand and whiskey in the other (think chocolate ganache terrine with flavors of caramel, espresso and brown butter chestnut). Too full to leave? Inquire about one of the six rooms in the high-design inn upstairs.