All 8 on the map
Every spot in The best new restaurants in Chicago from summer 2026, pinned where it actually is. Tap a marker to see which one it is.
The summer's openings, three months on
A restaurant's first summer is its loudest. By fall you can tell which rooms were a moment and which ones are staying, and these are the ones we still send people to.
Restaurants
- Crying Tiger — River North · Thai & Southeast Asian · $$$. Thai Dang's energetic Thai/Southeast Asian restaurant with cocktails, bold flavors, and group-dinner energy. Book on OpenTable
- All Well — West Loop · New American · $$$. From the Oriole team, a more relaxed West Loop restaurant with polished food and a strong bar program. Book on Tock
- Creepies — West Loop · Creative bistro · $$$. Offbeat bistro from the Elske team with a more creative, food-driven West Loop feel. Book on OpenTable
- Bar Tutto — Fulton Market · All-day Italian cafe · $$. Joe Flamm's all-day Italian cafe/restaurant with coffee, pastries, panini, pasta, and wine. Book on OpenTable
Bars
- Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club — River North · Cocktail lounge · $$$. Cocktail lounge beneath Crying Tiger with a polished, late-night, martini-and-small-bites feel. Book on OpenTable
- Cerdito Muerto — Pilsen · Mexican bar & restaurant · $$. Pilsen Mexican bar/restaurant with cocktails, intimate lighting, and a neighborhood-first feel. Book on Resy
- Bar Bambi — West Town · Cocktail bar · $$. Katie Renshaw's colorful cocktail bar with playful classics, walk-in energy, and a stylish room.
Coffee & bakeries
- Guillotine Bakery — West Town · French bakery · $$. French bakery focused on laminated pastries, baguettes, croissants, and serious morning-line energy.
Building a night out of them
Two of these are one address: dinner at Crying Tiger, then downstairs to Kitty's for a martini. In the West Loop, All Well and Creepies are a short walk apart, with Bar Tutto just north in Fulton Market for coffee and pastry the next morning.
Guillotine Bakery and Bar Bambi are both walk-in, which makes them the easy anchors for a Saturday when nothing else is booked.
The other 17
The rest of the summer pack includes a Hawaiian plate-lunch counter in the Loop, Indonesian cooking on Argyle, a Puerto Rican rum bar tucked below another Logan Square bar, pan pizza in Lakeview and a revived neighborhood tavern with supper-club touches. All of them are in the app.
Common questions
What were the best new restaurants in Chicago in summer 2026?
Is there a good bar near Crying Tiger?
What are the newest Chicago restaurants right now?
All 25, on your own map
The Chicago Summer 2026 pack puts every one of its 25 spots on your map in Whosly, ready to turn into a plan your friends RSVP to from a text. Seasonal packs are included with Planner Pro.
Get Whosly — free on iPhoneOr search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
“Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs”.
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