Chicago’s 7 hottest restaurant openings of 2023

Fioretta means “little flower” in Italian, but there’s nothing modest about this swanky supper club-inspired restaurant that opened in April. DineAmic Hospitality Group (Prime & Provisions, Lyra) dialed the lavish vibes all the way up via touches like jewel-toned mohair booths and crystal chandeliers. The Italian American steakhouse fare comes with a side of live entertainment on weekends, and a roving cart prepping Caesar salad tableside adds to the throwback atmosphere. So does the food, which includes caviar-studded zeppole and steaks cooked over a custom-built hearth. There is no shortage of solid steakhouses in this city, but this perpetually packed stunner stands out for its mid-century glam.

Thattu started as a beloved pop-up by wife-and-husband team Margaret Pak and Vinod Kalathil before landing an Avondale space in April. The neighborhood gem serves hard-to-find coastal dishes from Kerala on India’s southwestern coast (where Kalathil was born). The homey vibes are strong here thanks to exposed brick interiors and deeply flavorful dishes like fried yucca balls and fish steamed in banana leaves. Chicagoans didn’t need The New York Times to declare this new restaurant was all that, but they couldn’t be happier to see Thattu on its recent list of 2023’s best restaurants.

Itoko’s soothing Japan-meets-Scandinavia backdrop is a great match for chef Gene Kato’s imaginative sushi and robata menu. Kato is also the chef at the Boka Group’s award-winning Japanese restaurant Momotaro, but serves a more easy-breezy experience at this Southport Corridor spot, which opened in March. That doesn’t mean he skimps on creativity: Expect innovative dishes like tom yum hand rolls, beef tsukune wrapped in bao buns, and doughnuts for dipping in matcha semifreddo. It adds up to a casual but high-quality meal, and it’s no surprise Itoko is one of the eight new restaurants to have scored a spot on MICHELIN’s Chicago guide this year.

Smoque BBQ founder Barry Sorkin said goodbye to luxe steakhouse conventions when he opened this rustic meat market in April. But don’t confuse the lack of glam for less-than-stellar steaks. At Smoque, they get the oak treatment followed by a low-and-slow cooking technique, then seared to order with garlic butter in a cast-iron skillet. If you’re drinking, the move is a martini—there are eight different kinds to pick from, including one sweetened with maraschino liqueur. Sorkin’s unpretentious approach to meat means Smoque’s warehouse-like space is filled to capacity almost every night, so be sure to reserve well in advance for your night out here.

Ummo made a splash by reimagining Italy’s greatest hits when it opened its doors in August. The brave new red-sauce restaurant comes from the group behind popular Northern Mexican spot Tzuco and is led by acclaimed Mexican chef Carlos Gaytán, who isn’t afraid of remixing Mediterranean classics. Cases in point: burrata is wrapped in thin avocado slices, lasagna is layered with asparagus ragu, and there’s a knockout raspberry compote dessert designed to look like a tomato that practically has its own following.

When chef and owner Bridgette Flagg moved her adored Southern food spot and celeb magnet Soulé to larger digs in Lawndale in January, the restaurant’s West Town fans were concerned. Luckily, Flagg returned to the neighborhood with a brand-new look—and name—in August. The rebooted menu is an ode to Soulé’s well-loved faithfuls and takes a tapas-driven approach to Creole hits like jerk wings and fried green tomatoes, while also introducing newbies like catfish sliders. Judging from the steady stream of big-name regulars, including WNBA and NBA stars, Flagg’s second act is another West Town hotspot in the making.

When it came to inspiration for a new restaurant, James Beard Award winners and Parachute co-owners Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim didn’t have to look far. Anelya opened in October after starting as a pop-up to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and is named for Clark’s Ukrainian grandmother. The menu is filled with modern riffs on traditional staples like pickled fish and vegetables and borscht—Clark’s revamped version is made with duck, smoked pears, and cultured cream. In addition to turning heads for its pitch-perfect dishes, Anelya also made a solid first impression for employing a kitchen staff composed almost entirely of Ukrainian refugees. Chicago has America’s second-largest Ukrainian population, and Clark’s latest project is an attempt to showcase his heritage, just like Kim does at Parachute.