The Best Restaurant Openings in Chicago - October 2026

One of the year’s most anticipated restaurants has finally arrived. Chef Christian Hunter, who helped the now-closed Atelier earn a Michelin star, has returned with a concept rooted in his own story. At the 50-seat Hooligan, Hunter describes his cooking as “Third Coast contemporary,” combining his Kentucky roots and Midwestern perspective with French technique. The resulting neo-Midwestern bistro plays freely with high- and low-brow ingredients and preparations.

Starters include oysters dressed with rutabaga and barbecue spice; jambon et melon, or city ham with compressed melon; chicken liver parfait with Southern-style hot water cornbread and pimento cheese; and a Kentucky caviar service featuring paddlefish roe. Small and large plates range from boeuf tartare with eggplant caviar and perch boudin with gumbo z’herbes to butcher’s steak bordelaise and roasted half chicken served in its jus or with sauce persillade. Every table receives a seasonal amuse-bouche, because that’s how we do Midwestern hospitality.

Residents and workers in Fulton Market were surprised when Lettuce Entertain You announced the closure of the popular Beatrix Market. That news quickly came with a consolation prize: The restaurant behemoth would replace it with Pizzeria Gabbo.

An old-school neon sign at the entrance announces Gabbo’s devotion to two styles of thin-crust pizza: Chicago thin and crispy, also known as tavern style, and New York crispy, an extra-crisp take on a traditional New York pie. Beyond pizzas with a variety of toppings, the 60-seat, light-filled space features Art Deco chandeliers and serves pastas, salads, and antipasti, including pepperoni chips and prime beef meatballs. The full bar devotes an entire section to spritzes, while the Italian wine list focuses primarily on small, family-owned producers.

A classic Chicago chef is back in a classic Chicago restaurant space. Mauro Mafrici and his wife, Kimberly, previously operated the acclaimed Pelago Ristorante just east of Michigan Avenue in the Raffaello Hotel. They have now taken over the former Spiaggia space, where chef Tony Mantuano ran one of the country’s most celebrated Italian restaurants.

The Mafricis have filled the dining room with reds, blues, and golds, along with chandeliers reminiscent of Chihuly glass, while preserving its stunning floor-to-ceiling views of Lake Michigan. As expected, the menu features the elevated Italian cooking for which Mafrici became known: maccheroni with saffron veal ragù; a trio of risottos featuring tomato, garden vegetables, and saffron; roasted rabbit with ’nduja Calabrese sauce; and monkfish filet in a tomato-and-bay-leaf broth.

The latest splashy spot to open along the Chicago River, Carlyle Club comes from the team behind Deliz and brings together the somewhat disparate worlds of steak and sushi. It occupies a glamorous setting inside the Reid Murdoch Building, complete with broad river views. The 100-seat dining room and 72-seat, bilevel riverfront patio feature marble and quartzite, burgundy wraparound booths, white leather seats, crystal chandeliers, and a gleaming glass-enclosed wine room.

Start with oysters, tuna tartare, caviar, or beef carpaccio before moving on to a crab cake, roasted oysters, or an array of sushi. From there, it’s either A5 Wagyu offered in four-ounce servings, larger steaks such as a 22-ounce Prime bone-in rib eye dry-aged for 40 days, or seafood such as Galician turbot. Add a global cellar of 2,000 bottles developed by Master Sommeliers Ken Fredrickson and Fernando Beteta with Wine Director Amy Lutchen, and you’ve got a good night ahead.

Along a quiet stretch of Lawrence Avenue, chef Chris Nugent and his wife and business partner, Nina, built Goosefoot into a cult favorite and earned the restaurant a Michelin star. After 12 years, they closed it to relocate a short distance away, reopening this month in the busier heart of Lincoln Square.

Named for a family of plants that includes Chioggia beets and Swiss chard, Goosefoot now occupies a classic-yet-modern dining room while continuing to offer seasonal tasting menus grounded in French technique. Diners can choose between the $225 multicourse “surprise” chef’s tasting menu and the $135 four-course “loosefoot” menu. Formerly BYOB, Goosefoot now has a global wine list available by the glass or bottle, along with optional pairings.

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar brings Northern Thai cooking to this pocket of Old Town. Taking over the former Adobo Grill across from Second City, the restaurant emphasizes the spice, heat, and tingle associated with the region’s cuisine. Yes, you’ll find crab rangoon and pad Thai, but dishes can be ordered at escalating heat levels, from mild to medium to Lanna hot, which the restaurant’s website describes as “for the bold.”

Dig into green curry with slow-braised beef, Thai eggplant, basil, and Thai chiles; crispy whole snapper topped with herbs, lemongrass, chiles, and a spicy dressing; or Ka Prow Sam Chan Tod, crispy pork belly stir-fried with basil, garlic, and chiles.

Celebrated pitmaster Dominique Leach brought her acclaimed barbecue from Pullman to Hyde Park in late September with Little Betty Smokehouse, a fast-casual offshoot of Lexington Betty Smokehouse on the University of Chicago campus. A frequent guest on competition shows such as Chopped, Leach previously worked under Tony Mantuano and Sarah Grueneberg at Spiaggia and cooked at the Four Seasons Chicago.

The brisket, pulled pork, and smoked chicken that brought Leach national recognition are all available here, along with two additions. Betty’s Beef is an Italian beef sandwich offered off-menu in Pullman, while smoked meat tacos come with barbecue sauce, tomatillo salsa, pickled red onions, and cotija cheese. Leach says the tacos pay homage to the Mexican vendor that previously occupied the food-hall stall.