The extended shutdown for Covid, the minimum wage requirements, and the crime in the city has definitely been a one-two-three punch for the restaurant industry in the city. You can check the BYOB list here on WB for options. We try to keep it up to date. The list is here.
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Very sorry to hear that. It has been a little bit difficult to find places I want to eat. Reminds me about how some want to put Chicago into the conversation for the #2 best restaurant in the U.S. behind NYC of course. For me it is solidly LA. I can think of 100 places off the top of my head I want to eat. I think Nashville has even eclipsed Chicago for 4th behind NYC / LA / SF.
Will report back. I am extremely excited about Kasama.
Hit Kasama for breakfast. Was a tad underwhelmed with the famous breakfast sandwich. The pastries were very good.
Followed that with a quick visit to MCA.
Did Lao Peng You for lunch and really loved it! Excellent, small, almost all German wine list!
Hit Vin Chicago afterwards, cool store. I was informed that I have had almost two cases of wine there for over three years! Ha! Not the first time I have heard thatâŠ
An opening at Corbett vs Dempsey followed by a Riesling reset at East Does It.
Then Cellar Door Provisions for dinner and then the main event Gilles Peterson!
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We ended up stopping into to Easy Does It. What a fantastic wine list. Turns out I also had a bottle of Keller Abtserde there that I had bought a couple of years ago! We had a rousing bottle of Jonas Dostert Chardonnay! And picked up a bottle of Ganevat for Gilles as he loves light Jura reds.
Followed Easy Does It with a quick stop at Parachute Hifi Bar. Cool place. Very small wine list with a casual menu.
Then dinner at Cellar Door Provisions!!! Damn!!! This was impressive it reminded us of The Four Horsemen or Brawn. Incredible meal. The wine list was a bit tough. I wonder if they allow corkage?
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We did Boonies for lunch yesterday. It was nice and corkage was $25. It lacked a bit of intrigue for me.
For dinner we hit Kasama a restaurant that has been on my short list of U.S. restaurants to try for a few years. It was overall outstanding. I really enjoyed their interpretations of classic Filipino dishes. The size of portions and overall pacing was perfect. Small wine list. We BYOâd two bottles. The aforementioned 20 Keller Abtserde was stunning with the meal. An Enderle and Moll Pinot and a ThĂ©venet Gamay purchased from the list also paired well.
Up next a must go to recommendation from Damon Locks of Black Monument Ensemble Sugar Moon Bakery and the we must decide on our final lunch spot!
Edit:
Sugar Moon Bakery was outstanding.
You Chicagoans donât seem to have much pride in your city 
Not a single recommendation or commentâŠ
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Robert - Saw your IG pics last night and just saw this thread. Iâve only been to Cellar Door once a couple years ago. Food was very good but the wine list was not. I asked in advanced if they allowed BYO but they did not at the time. We were recommended a couple subpar natural wines so it sounds like nothing has changed 
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Weâre all sheltering in place because of all the crime.
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Your pre arrival statement that we arenât what we used to be food wise kept me quiet. There are a ton of terrific restaurants here. And the crime thing is nonsense. Iâve lived here 40 years and havenât been killed yet (or robbed, or beaten, etc)
Went to Big Jones (Cajun, Creole) for brunch yesterday and had a fine meal
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Enjoyed a wonderful lunch at QXY Dumplings. Outstanding dumplings, hospitality and BYOB. And to be clear we had an incredible time in Chicago. The art and music community is alive and well and they come out to support each other. We had several great meals.
I never said anything about crime. All I said was a lot of restaurants closed. That could be said for many cities. And that it was hard putting together an itinerary. I have a fool proof method of researching that I use for all of my trips and just to be honest Chicago was difficult, and this thread proves my point. I always respond with any help I can in the LA, NYC, SF or Paris threads or anywhere else where I can be helpful.
Anyway I was so inspired by Chicago I am thinking of returning for another music and riesling event. My first at Dorians remains one of my favorites.
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Would love details on your foolproof method!
I start with World of Mouth which are reviews from either Chefs or expert reviewers (mostly food writers) and Opinionated on Dining (OAD) also serious food reviewers. I compile a list from these sources then I contact Chefs and restaurant friends who live in the city and serious food people that have recently visited. I am an expert reviewer on World of Mouth and have reviewed for OAD in the pastâŠboth were unpaid and I have no economic stake just want to help others find great restaurants.
One thing that works really well for me when I find a spot I know is great (based on the aforementioned sources) I look at the geotag on instagram and see if any serious food people have visited recently and then check out where they went to get a recent take or to find new spots.
A few other little tricks here and thereâŠ
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When I was there in the fall we went to Warlord. Did the tasting (branded as Enemy at Warlord). Highly recommended. And very reasonable corkage.
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One major problem with WarlordâŠâŠthe chef/owner is a raging POS and Iâll leave it that or for people to google. Loved it when I visited there two years ago, then found out about those running it and I wouldnât touch it either a 10-foot pole now
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Bingo. As did the comment that Nashville has leapt us.
WOW!! Frankly, I have never heard of the restaurant, but now that I see this, I wonât be trying it. That kind of behavior is no longer acceptable in a kitchen.
That comment wasnât directed to you, Robert, but rather a local who did make the comment. Glad you had a nice experience. Expected nothing less
Right to point that out. I should have done so in my post. Definitely something that people should be aware of and make a decision for themselves about.
I found this review from May 2025 to have a nuanced take on things and helped me make a decision that I would visit it. Of course others will make a different decision.
My comment had to do with Robertâs statement about a lot of restaurants having closed, which is absolutely true. There are several very well documented reasons for this, based on comments of people in the business. Many smaller restaurants in Chicago are struggling to make a buck and get people in, but many are also doing well.
Robert, next time youâre in town, give Johnâs Food and Wine a try. Iâve found their food to be excellent and the owners are really nice folks.
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Damn - I did not know about this and finally just went for the first time a couple months ago. I guess we wonât be going back now