Business Insider just released a list of the 50 best restaurants in America, and Chicago is all over it.
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The website took six other lists and assigned a numerical ranking from where those restaurants placed, nine right here at home.
Data came from several prominent food critics: The Daily Meal’s 101 Best Restaurants in America 2017, OpenTable’s 100 Hottest Restaurants in America, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the James Beard Foundation’s 2017 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists, Eater’s The National 38, and the Michelin Guide.
They offer a complete breakdown of their methodology; some of the restaurant rankings tied, which led to looking up reviews, price and even some Business Insider editorial decisions.
Since the list is essentially a compilation of other lists, a few of these are no surprises to locals, like Alinea, the current keeper of three Michelin stars (and pictured above), taking the #1 spot, along with other visionary Chef Grant Achatz-led spots Roister and Next.
The list also shows the range of Chicago restaurants over time, with Everest and Topolobampo, both open since the 1980s, all the way up to Oriole, which only opened last year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTrXwWIlmio/?tagged=oriolechicago
While ‘best’ is always a subjective word, in terms of fine-dining, it’s hard to dispute Chicago restaurants are and will continue to be a place worth saving your pennies for.
You can read the full list on Business Insider, and congrats to our finalists!:
#50: Next
#49: Grace
#42: Roister
#41: Everest
#30: Spiaggia
#27: Blackbird
#25: Oriole
#19: Topolobampo
#01: Alinea