Chicago’s restaurant scene is constantly changing, but sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with every new opening. With the Eater Chicago Heatmap, editors and contributors do the heavy lifting for you — identifying the newest, most exciting restaurant openings to know in the past six months or so that could just become your new favorite restaurant or future fixture on the Eater 38.
As of October 2026, we’ve added the”Third Coast contemporary” Hooligan, London favorite Berenjak, Thai wine bar Taan, and newest neighborhood hangout the Logan Inn. Departing spots that served their six-month stint on the list include Da Local Boy, All Well, Fatback Butcher, and Shorty’s 312 at Desert Hawk. Find them on the Eater app and create your very own maps and guides or trade notes with fellow restaurant fans.
— Additional reporting by Brenna Houck
The Logan Inn
2003 North California Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60647, United States
(872) 314-2200
The Logan Inn, a cafe, cocktail bar, and 28-room inn, had its grand opening on Friday, September 11. The inn serves as an expansive neighborhood cafe during the day — pastries from pastry chef Meg Galus and chicken Caesar salad sandwiches — and a cocktail bar at night. The drinks menu will focus on classic cocktails, with an emphasis on martinis. A 28-room inn occupies the floors above the cafe and bar.
Hooligan
Kentucky caviar service at Hooligan. | Bambi Guthrie Photography
2528 North California Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60647, United States
Hooligan, a new neo-Midwestern bistro from acclaimed chef Christian Hunter and restaurateur Tyrone Redic Jr., opened at the beginning of October in Logan Square. The menu draws on Hunter’s upbringing in Kentucky and melds it with Midwestern ingredients and French technique. Look out for dishes that encapsulate that culinary mix like cornbread with pimento cheese and chicken liver mousse. Hooligan also offers a four-course tasting menu for two that includes wine and dessert for $199.
Bad Butter
Tastes as good as it looks. | Brenna Houck/Eater Chicago
1655 W Cortland St, Chicago, IL, 60622, US
Pandemic Instagram sensation-turned Emily Hotel pop-up, Bad Butter, opened in May 2026. The bakery, founded by Daniel Koester, is attracting substantial (we’re talkin’ 60-plus-minute) lines — seemingly a feature, not an anomaly of Chicago bakeries lately — so plan to get there early before all the lavish croissants, Danishes, and breads disappear. And they do sell out. Don’t miss the savory monkey bread, which in recent months has appeared variously laced with harissa and salsa macha.
Berenjak
Fans of Persian cuisine can expect the cherished staples: rods of charcoal-grilled meat skewers, cauldrons of lamb khoresht, and platters of spiced mezze. | Sean Hazen
113-125 North Green Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
This stylish Persian restaurant opened its doors at Chicago’s Soho House in October with succulent chicken kababs and platters of hummus. Don’t sleep on the drinks — the salted yogurt doogh is a refreshing palate cleanser, and the spicy mezcal margarita is a flavorful complement to the meal.
Mazor
485 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60654, United States
312-238-9792
This unassuming counter-service Guatemalan Mexican restaurant’s menu centers on preparations of fresh nixtamalized corn masa. With a kitchen led by chef Cristian Orozco, options range from a crisp and generously dressed tostada de atun with lovely floral and microgreen garnish to an ultra-cheesy blue corn quesadilla with your choice of protein. Don’t overlook the guacasalsa, which provides a spicy kick on chips or as an addition to whichever items you choose on the menu. A tasting menu option is available for $50. To drink, there are bottled sodas and refreshing agua frescas in the fridge.
Guillotine Bakery
1711 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60622, United States
This French-ish bakery opened in West Town in 2026. While the bakers have backgrounds in French patisserie, they’re not married to tradition. Find everything from crisp baguettes to Brie sandwiches to sugar-coated kouign amann on the menu. The bakery does tend to draw a line, but once inside, there’s a decent amount of space to spread out with your pastry haul and sip a coffee — perhaps at one of the booths gazing into the glass-enclosed baking room. Note that since opening, there’s been enough demand that the bakery placed a four-per-person limit on pastries, but thankfully this doesn’t apply to the sandwiches and breads.
Gilda
Basque cheesecake from Gilda. | Chelsea Ross
1421 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60642, US
Basque-style pintxos bar, Gilda — led by chefs Jeremy Leven, Rafael Esparza, and Anthony Baier, as well as beverage and culture director Inés de Haro — opened in July 2026 in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. The menu includes bites like cod croquettes, those eponymous gildas (skewered anchovies, pickled peppers, and olives), and cheesecake. To drink, there are cocktails such as the Generalissimo, featuring jamón fat-washed mezcal and Basque Scotch. Reservations are required most days, but on Mondays it’s walk-in only.
The Alley Cat
Pork skewers at the Alley Cat. | Melanie Ahn/Good Life PR
2013 W Division St, Chicago, IL, 60622, US
The Alley Cat, a Jazz Age and Art Deco-style bar, is the first project from the new Tung & Cheek Hospitality Group. The bar opened in May, and features $12 cocktails — a welcome respite in this economy — and tight food menu that includes (gluten-free!) fish sticks; pork skewers glazed in tamari, garlic, and dukkah; and crispy taters with green curry aioli and chives. There’s even a Girl Dinner combo with a spread of pickled vegetables, cheese, bread, and a Gibson martini for $26.
Beaumont’s American Tavern
2020 North Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614, United States
773-377-8276
The team behind Pilsen Yards and the Alderman has revived the former Beaumont space with a new restaurant: Beaumont’s American Tavern, a 200-seat restaurant anchored by an upstairs steakhouse called the Bull Moose. Executive chef Johnny Besch leads a menu centered on classic American fare, including fresh pastas, shrimp and grits, charcoal-fired steaks, seafood, and a really impressive pub burger with Gruyere, Jarlsberg, red onion relish, and Dijonnaise. Top off the meal with a sticky toffee pudding for the table.
Muhajir
Dishes from Chicago’s Muhajir. | Muhajir
2630 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60614, US
(773) 360-7114
The duo behind Lilac Tiger, Coach House, and more opened this hotly anticipated Lincoln Park restaurant in July. Muhājir aims to tell the stories of migration through food with a menu that blends coastal flavors spanning India, the Philippines, Morocco, and more, for dishes such as mussels with calamansi vinegar and a thaali filled with dips paired with focaccia and papadum. The signature dish is a more than 900-year-old recipe for crispy lacquered duck breast accompanied by a rice dressed in decadent duck confit. Behind the kitchen, keep the evening going at vibey Filipino cocktail bar Bobo.
Garuda
1046 1 @ W 2 St, Chicago, IL, 60640, US
773-564-9100
One of only a handful of Indonesian restaurants in Chicago, Garuda is a new family-owned restaurant in Uptown that specializes in homestyle dishes. The menu features flavor-packed dishes such as fall-off-the-bone ayam bakar (grilled chicken with spices and a sweet soy sauce) and tender, spicy, and intensely beefy rendang that’s stewed in coconut milk and spices.
Taan
2759 West Augusta Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60622, United States
(773) 360-1292
Taan, a new Thai restaurant and wine bar, opened in Humboldt Park in September. Current fan favorites include the bone marrow fried rice, makwaen fish sauce caramel wings, and green curry mussels. In lieu of traditional noodle dishes, Taan focuses on fish, meat, and vegetables cooked in traditional Thai sauces. The small wine list, which includes bottles from Logan Square’s Middle Brow, rotates alongside the food and includes reds, whites, and sparkling wines.
Dining and Cooking