The 5 Warmest Restaurants Right Now

Wine bar. Tiki bar. Cocktail bar. Get in here.

By The Editors
January 27, 2015 9:00 am

Because every Chicagoan needs to eat, and occasionally that includes more than just hot dogs, we present Table Stakes: a recurring series that answers a man’s eternally recurring question (“Uh, what’s new?”) and happens every lunar cycle or so. Get it.


Winter may be frigid around here, but it’s when Chicagoans get to know each other.

Huddled inside, sharing a meal, having a drink (and sometimes having another).

That’s why, for this month’s Table Stakes, we’ve pulled together our favorite five new restaurants that also happen to be toasty warm.

To compile this list, your correspondent dined on some pungently delicious dry-fried Chinese long beans while drinking in a 1930s-inspired tiki den.

Realized he still has much to learn about wine.

Then tasted Nonna’s meatballs and decided, yes, they are very delizioso.

Also inside:

  • A new date spot from two of the city’s best sommeliers

  • Succulent rotisserie duck off the beaten track in Bridgeport

  • A dashing upscale tavern in Fulton Market

And more. Dine on and drink well.

Enjoy the guide.

EMAIL IS THE NEW HAPPY HOUR

Join America's Fastest Growing Spirits Newsletter THE SPILL. Unlock all the reviews, recipes and revelry — and get 15% off award-winning La Tierra de Acre Mezcal.