Illinois Restaurants

The cooks at Avenue Ale House plate casual American bar fare, including burgers, steaks, and chops, as bartenders pour fermented libations from their lengthy beer list. Bottles and pint glasses brim with Belgian brews, German pilsners, and British ales, along with porters, stouts, and seasonal hop juices. As servers fill tables, the sunshine, table umbrellas, and discussions about whether or not to put up the table umbrellas fill the rooftop patio during summer months. The restaurant hosts live music, which tickles tympanic membranes every Wednesday, and disc-jockey playlists encourage merriment each Friday.

In Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles' Oak Park location, the ambient light from low-hanging chandeliers illuminates a menu of 14 specialty waffles, 22 Cajun- and Southern-inspired entrees, and hearty portions of soul food. Trinidad-born chef Carolyn Johnson has crafted a smorgasbord of time-honored dishes with a modern twist unforeseen by Chubby Checker. Entrees, which can be paired with BYOB sips from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday–Thursday, and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, include traditional chicken and waffles, catfish dinners with collard greens, and fried chicken gizzards. The swanky restaurant hosts jazz bands Thursday–Saturday, and lavishes its customers with-exposed brick walls, high-backed booths, hyperchic décor, and spontaneous baths of sweet tea.

There is a huge gap between what parents want to eat and what their kids do. Between picky eating habits and the lure of shiny plastic toys, it can seem impossible to get kids to eat out without having to scarf chicken nuggets yourself. Two Wilmette fathers grew tired of this cycle and the poor quality of food their kids were craving, so they decided to create a restaurant where they, their wives, and their kids could all get an enjoyable meal. 

The result was Gilson’s, an American bistro that uses sustainably caught and locally grown ingredients that adults value, and couches it in a friendly atmosphere complete with a children’s menu that accommodates picky eaters without plying them with processed junk food. The bistro reflects its two identities with an outdoor patio and exposed-brick dining room, with a more upscale wine bar that caters to guests wanting to sip international vintages in a more intimate space. 

For the adults, chefs specialize in seafood. They accent shrimp and ahi tuna with layers of mango salsa and wasabi mayo to create complex flavor profiles without boiling up a rubik's-cube reduction. House specialties such as the fish tacos and Wyoming bison burgers get pared down to create smaller lunch portions, alongside a selection of organic sandwiches and salads.

Leonardo Toia “desperately discouraged” his kids from going into the family business, but their passion won him over, and now they help run numerous locations of the family-friendly neighborhood pizzeria. While adults peruse a menu of American and Italian favorites, such as half-pound burgers or housemade pastas smothered in tomato sauce or cheese and bacon, children 8 and younger pick anything from a free menu. Clients who wish to dine inside the comfort of their own home or submarine can have Leona’s food delivered within 60 minutes of ordering.

Byron?s Hot Dog Haus slings Chicago-style hot dogs, Polish sausages, and steak burgers at its two Chicago locations, but its most distinguished dining room may have been the White House lawn. Tapped to represent the Midwest at the 2010 White House annual congressional picnic, Byron?s? cooks moved into the kitchen of the nation?s most famous home and filled soft poppy seed buns with the same all-beef dogs, vegetables, relish, and mustard stripes that have earned them a loyal following back home. While Byron?s stays true to the traditional Chicago method of hot dog preparation, the eatery also serves up fish sandwiches, Philly cheese steaks, and veggie burgers that are guaranteed not to bite back.

Built by high-school sweethearts Maurie and Flaurie Berman in 1948 and still owned and operated by the Bermans, along with their children and grandchildren, Superdawg Drive-In serves up its take on the classic American hot dog alongside a menu of original drive-in favorites that have earned it feature spots on the Travel Channel and Food Network. The namesake Superdawg vanquishes hunger with an all-beef Chicago-style hot dog flanked by sidekicks of mustard, piccalilli, kosher dill pickle, chopped spanish onions, and hot peppers. Each Superdawg arrives on a poppy-seed bun with the signature fresh crinkle-cut Superfries. In classic drive-in style, Superdawg Drive-In eases the treacherous hiking associated with most dining experiences by allowing customers to order from their cars, with a swift carhop making edible deposits. Both locations feature the iconic Maurie and Flaurie rooftop hot-dog statues, still flirtatiously winking at one another and begging for fries after all these years.