The 31 best wine restaurants in Chicago 2025
Chicago's food scene is buzzing, with plenty of amazing wine spots to discover.
Here, Star Wine List's Chicago Ambassador Torrence O'Haire selects the wine bars and restaurants with the best wine lists in the city.
Explore them all with our guide, below.
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Phone: +1 (312) 372-4243
Address: 24 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Over the past 15 years, The Gage has become known for its welcoming staff, seasonal menu of globally-inflected bistro fare, and fortuitous proximity to tourist hotspots like the Art Institute and Millenium Park. Euro-chic touches come courtesy of its Irish ownership, with a large collection of spirits and a cocktail menu composed of modern revisions of the classics. The wine list aims to provide a lesson in curation, rather than ostentation. It’s not huge, but precisely constructed and carefully priced to offset its downtown location. As an added level of interest, the wine program (titled...
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Phone: +1 (312) 725-1724
Address: The St Regis Hotel, 401 East Wacker Drive, Chicago
Tucked into The St. Regis hotel on the river in downtown Chicago, Tre Dita is a sparkly bauble adorning the shortlist of high-end downtown dining options – and sparkly it is, for certain. From the dramatic entrance to the stunning view, to the absolute glam of the bar and lounge area, Tre Dita is not a place to arrive in casual dress – so lean into it and have fun. Their white-jacketed bar team is exceptional, their service staff perfectly professional, and their menu of fine Italian dishes bucks tradition for sheer luxury. The wine list is triumphant for size alone but, under W...
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Phone: +1 (312) 300-4535
Address: 2211 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
What fortune it is for us that the best cheese shop in Chicago also happens to be a fantastic wine bar and café, at which one can easily lounge oneself into a health condition by spending hours alternating Brillat-Savarin with Vin de Savoie – truly a place of the best kinds of indulgence (provided you’re not dairy-avoiding). A Beautiful Rind’s food menu is expectedly geared toward exceptional cheese and charcuterie, with a great selection of conservas (tinned fish), pickles, and similar offerings. In addition, they have a selection of thoughtful sandwiches, plus a great happy hour where...
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Phone: +1 (312) 955-0072
Address: 2829 West Armitage Avenue, Chicago
I find that in a food-centric city like Chicago, opening a new French restaurant is a challenge. On the one hand, yet another steak-tartare-and-garlic-escargot offering is reaching maximum capacity to the point of ‘jumping the shark,’ no matter how cute the new place is. On the other hand, ‘French-inspired’ wanton creativity that doesn’t in any way read as French food (aside from being overly fussy) is almost always disappointing. Let’s hope that future French spots take a lesson from Bar Parisette’s perfect balance on the tightrope of classic vs. modern. The beautifully designed corner spot...
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Phone: +1 (312) 888-3041
Address: 1020 West Madison Street, Chicago
Chicago has so much Italian food. And even if we rule out a hundred restaurants as mediocre ‘red sauce’ copycats, that still leaves dozens of really excellent Italian meals of every style and subregion. Therefore, to list yet another Italian restaurant, I always think something new needs to be offered – as a comparison, if anything. We’ve got ‘luxe Italian,’ ‘traditional Italian,’ ‘fashion Italian,’ but now we visit the West Loop’s hot spot Monteverde and I would be remiss not to highlight this as ‘cool Italian.’ Monteverde has been a highlight of Chicago’s dining scene for almost a dec...
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Phone: +1 (773) 360-8213
Address: 2965 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
When I was asked how I’d describe Dear Margaret, I struggled to come up with something more clear and concise than “sort of French, just really good.” Now, as I’m expected to write something more illuminatory, I realise that may in fact be the best way to describe it: sort of French; really good. Dear Margaret describes itself as “a love letter to Midwestern ingredients, written in honest and elevated French-Canadian cuisine,” which gives one somewhat more of a picture. The food is obsessively from scratch, extremely focused on seasonality and local produce, with touches of French influence t...
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Phone: +1 (773) 697-9443
Address: 2375 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
One of the newer favourites on the Chicago scene is the delightful Logan Square pasta temple, Daisies: a bright, friendly room with low-key café vibes and surprisingly serious food. The food menu supports a fun, multi-course meal full of things that the whole table will want to share, with an obvious emphasis on the chef’s passion for pasta, both classical and inventive. Don’t skip dessert – it’s always stellar. For wines, the list is concise and well-organised, with interesting options from around the world and an obvious lean toward Italian and Italian-style wines; all extremely food...
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Phone: 312-236-9300
Address: 225 N Wabash Ave
One of Chicago’s newer spots, Perilla sells itself as a “Korean-American steakhouse,” and it’s truly great fun. Locations in both the West Loop and downtown offer a stylish setting and really excellent Korean and Korean-influenced food – heavy emphasis on the grilled meats, but a very rounded menu including great snacks and classic Korean stews. The beverage program is an absolute romp, including knowledgeable lists of soju and makgeolli, Asian-influenced cocktails, Asian beer, and a lovely tea selection. The wine list is delightfully thorough, aimed with skill at supporting the someti...
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Phone: +1 (773) 799-8072
Address: 1960 North Damen Avenue, Chicago
As someone who enjoys cooking for himself on the regular, living in a city with hundreds of incredible dining options to choose from on the occasion I don’t feel like cooking, it takes a pretty special spot for me to visit routinely. Pompette is that spot. The words ‘charming neighbourhood gem’ seem twee and insincere when you recognise the thoughtfulness that went into putting together something so impeccably curated that one simply enjoys being there. The food is both precise and relaxed, with balanced, modern flavours that absolutely beg for wine pairing. The wine list is clever and co...
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Phone: +1 (312) 466-1950
Address: 565 West Randolph Street, Chicago
Proxi has retained its love from Chicago locals for years, and with great reason. The space is radiant, open, and stylish – bustling enough to be vibrant without seeming noisy. The menu of ever-changing global fusion has such a subtle and creative hand that one dares to even use the often-triggering phrase ‘global fusion’ – as the restaurant’s team puts it, it’s “inspired by travel, but still at home in Chicago”. Alex Ring’s top-notch wine list relaxes here in comparison to Proxi’s excellent fine-dining sister-restaurant, Sepia – trading in Sepia’s luxe finery for a sparkl...
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Address: 2114 North Halsted Street, Chicago
One of Chicago’s newest wine darlings, John’s Food and Wine has become a hotspot for oenophiles and gastronomes alike. This no-reservations counter-service charmer excels at balancing fine-dining (from a Michelin-accredited chef) with a relaxed neighbourhood vibe. The warm, personal hospitality is more like one would expect from a corner pub than somewhere with such top-notch modern cuisine and a stellar wine list. That list excels both in pedigree and wine nerdery – plus the tongue-in-cheek bonus of its clever design and Jungian descriptive prose.
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Phone: +1 (773) 348-4600
Address: 2008 West Roscoe Street, Chicago
Everyone loves a great neighborhood bar, and one of my favorites happens to be the excellent low-key wine bar Volo, in Roscoe Village on the northwest side of downtown Chicago. For starters, anywhere that has a $1-oyster happy hour is already a prime target on my list, and if I can drink bargain-priced Pol Roger while I drown myself in bivalves, I’ll be a regular for sure. Volo’s low-key neighborhood charm is complimented by a friendly staff, a concise and clearly wine-pairing-focused food menu, and a generous and often-changing by-the-glass list. The beverage program is rooted in an excel...
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Phone: +1 (773) 252-1558
Address: 1558 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
People love to talk about their favorite “hidden gem” or “hole-in-the-wall” wherein they’ve had some of their favorite dining experiences. For me, that’s Taxim. No, it’s not the new-kid-on-the-block, yes their website is a little wonky, but get a reservation (or roll the dice - it’s a neighborhood fave, so often packed) and make sure to sit on the rooftop deck for some of the best traditional Greek food you’ll ever have. We’re not talking about some downtown gyro stand or colorless “grandma’s moussaka” - from the house-made grilled sausages to the wild fennel-filled pastries, to the mastic-sp...
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Phone: +1 (312) 475-1100
Address: 115 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago
Chicago is full of hot, new, trendy locations, creative concepts, and the hippest variations on wine/beer/cocktails from the most unusual corners of the world. But sometimes, you just want it done right, in an old-school way. That’s when you visit RL Restaurant. Yes, that Ralph Lauren - but this Gold Coast standard is a benchmark in its class. You won’t find much modernism or invention, but that’s far from a criticism; what they do, they do impeccably well - perfect Dover Sole, crab-stuffed avocado, a killer grilled veal chop - straight out of a 1970s country club, served by excellent waitst...
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Phone: +1 (312) 291-9427
Address: 217 West Huron Street, Chicago
Best Short List of the Year International Open 2024
One of Chicago’s newer and more exciting additions is the fine-dining tasting-menu-only Indian concept from Chef Sujan Sarkar. Clean, charmingly mid-century decor provides a delicate canvas for really excellent meals that provide a unique expression of both traditional and modern Indian cuisine. The wine program is an absolute delight, led by their glittering wine director, who’s designed one of the more unique menus in the city, themed not on region or raw material, but on artistic movements. Explore “Pop Art” for fun sparkling and chillable reds, or “Impressionism” for something subtler an...
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Phone: +1 (312) 265-1130
Address: 845 West Washington Boulevard, Chicago
In the meatpacking city of Chicago, copycat steakhouses are on every corner. El Che stands out as an Argentine gem, and frankly, one of the best spots in the city for a wine and food experience - especially (but not exclusively) if you’re in the mood for beef. The menu is lovingly South American, with stellar empanadas, expectantly excellent steaks, and plenty of other grilled options for those searching beyond the cow - their house-made Morcilla (blood sausage) is exceptional. The wine list here is a true magnum opus - reportedly the only 100% South American list in the country. It spans th...
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Phone: +1 (312) 377-2002
Address: 615 West Randolph Street, Chicago
Put in the simplest words: Avec was one of the first restaurants I ever visited in Chicago back in my college years. Avec is still one of my favorite spots, now that I live here some 15 years later. The bright, golden location provides that charming combination of warm and stark that can only say “wine bar”. Situated just outside the main Fulton Street Market area (which can be a bit of a yuppie-bermuda-triangle on a busy night), it benefits from a little quieter city block - but certainly can be just as impossible to find a seat without a reservation on the weekends. The menu is unabashedly...
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Phone: +1 (312) 464-1744
Address: 444 Michigan Avenue, Chicago
A rather hidden gem on the “Magnificent Mile” of downtown Chicago, Purple Pig sits at the back of a main-drag retail front as a welcome sanctuary from the throngs of shoppers. It’s definitely easy to miss, and yet its reputation ensures it’s always bustling. The Purple Pig claimed its style as a salumeria/charcuterie specialist, and they indeed do that remarkably well, though their full menu - tapas-style small plates from around the Mediterranean meant for sharing - is diverse and delicious. It’s a delight to find a menu in a pizza-soaked area known for catering to families and tourists tha...
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Phone: +1 (312) 222-1888
Address: 52 West Illinois Street, Chicago
California Wine List of the Year International Open 2024
Sometimes, you want a cozy hole-in-the-wall to snuggle up to a pizza, solo. Other times, you want RPM Italian. I’ll admit, I dragged my feet visiting RPM, originally - so many downtown Chicago restaurants are all style, no substance. Meaningless glamour with thoughtless food and a massive bill for a forgettable evening. RPM Italian’s glamour is all substance, though, and it’s become a personal favorite when I’m looking for a glitzy night on the town or a celebration. The food is a unique combination of gorgeously elegant and purely Italian - a difficult balance to achieve with a cuisine whos...
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Phone: +1 (312) 332-7005
Address: 71 West Monroe Street, Chicago
Italian Village is an experience in its own right, for certain. Turn the kitsch-factor up to eleven, color everything in 1970’s Italian-American technicolor, and ignore any diet goals for an evening of red sauce and melted cheese, in the best, most low-key hedonistic way. As you’re burrowing through your lasagne, be prepared to be thoroughly impressed by one of the largest wine collections in Chicago, with 1,300 primarily Italian listings of truly impressive breadth and depth. This is a true history of Italian wine - no modernists allowed. Libraries of reserve wines, all the famous names fro...
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Phone: +1(773) 292-1616
Address: 954 North California Avenue, Chicago
A quick stop west of downtown, one of the gems in the Humboldt Park neighborhood is this long-standing wine bar with a massive local following. The vibe is exactly what a cozy neighborhood hole-in-the-wall should be, with dim lighting, low ceilings, and significant kitsch-factor in the decor, but the menu is anything but ordinary. The wine program leans into the trendy “natural wine” movement but without dogma or pretention. A generous list of crunchy options highlighting the bar’s nerd-chic style - Jura, Basque cider, sherry, orange wine, and ancestral method sparklers all share strong place...
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Phone: +1 (773) 486-8525
Address: 2728 West Armitage Avenue, Chicago
I’ll try to write this as professionally as I’m able, because I adore Table, Donkey, and Stick. Consider even that the subtitle of this small, rustic bistro & wine bar is “crusty bread, brandy, fire” - how could it not be exceptional? Table, Donkey, and Stick is tucked into the Logan Square neighborhood, a short jaunt from downtown Chicago (and a fun area for trendy new food and drink options). Their menu is gently alpine-themed, with an excellent selection of cheeses and charcuterie, and a regularly changing array of small plates. A few (very delicious) entrées are on offer, but the menu cle...
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Phone: (773) 281-8888
Address: 2232 West Roscoe Street, Chicago
Originally a local-darling of a wine shop started 20 years ago, Lush has since evolved into a tasting room/wine bar/bistro with three locations and a dedicated following of passionate partakers. The Roscoe Village wine retail room is a veritable theme park of bottles of all levels, price points, and rarity (all of which are drinkable on-site with a minor corkage fee), and the large bar area and pretty patio offer guests a great spot to sit and wax poetic about the world of wine. The menu offers a wide range of fairly classic (but great quality) glass pours, with an open array of flight optio...
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Phone: +1 (773) 661-1599
Address: 2119 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago
All Together Now is a fun neighborhood spot that does an excellent job acting as both retail (a funky wine shop and carryout deli/fromagerie) and bistro, with a fresh, modern menu of great sandwiches, vegetable-heavy small plates, and some of my favorite cheese-and-charcuterie boards in the city. The well-priced wine program invites exploration: they offer a creative glass-pour list, and for a very reasonable $10 to $ 15 corkage fee, they’ll serve any of the 150 bottle options they offer in their wine shop. They feature predominantly modernist (some might say verging on “hipster”) wines, with...
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Phone: +! 3122667677
Address: 601 North State Street, Chicago
40 years of popping bottles has enshrined Pops for Champagne with a title of “Chicago standard,” undoubtedly. Situated on a busy corner in the heart of downtown Chicago’s shopping district, visitors are delighted to find a charming, unpretentious (though clearly high-end) champagne bar that speaks directly to locals and wine nerds, not just crowds of tourists. Boasting one of the best champagne collections I’ve ever seen, one is invited to dive as deeply into sparkling-wine-obsession as their interest (and pocketbook) allows. The atmosphere is comfortable, the staff knowledgable and welcomin...
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Phone: +1 (312) 624-8055
Address: 831 North State Street, Chicago
The newest restaurant from local Master Sommelier Alpana Singh, Alpana is a beautifully designed dinner spot in Chicago’s glamorous Gold Coast. Take a seat at the gorgeous bar or book a table and enjoy a creative menu of globally influenced, Italian-inspired cuisine, with options like tagliatelle and romesco sauce or “butter chicken meatballs” - both delicious. Earning my “best wine-list writing” award (for what it’s worth), the wine list truly shines, demonstrating wine director Singh’s expertise, as well as the skill of her team. Each wine is well-described in a concise, welcoming blurb th...
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Phone: +1 (312) 578-0763
Address: 18 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago
On the main Millenium Park drag in downtown Chicago, things can get eye-rollingly touristy pretty quickly. But, in a desert of chain restaurants, deep-dish pizza, and food-truck hot dogs, a cozy, charmingly Italianate, upscale wine bar like Acanto is an oasis. Honor dictates that I disclose this restaurant is a part of the group I work for personally, but it’s also the restaurant I visit the most in my free time, so reader, take that as you will. With a bustling downtown clientele, Acanto’s buzz in their dimly lit dining room, their direct-from-Milan marble bar, or their lush sidewalk patio...
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Phone: +1 (312) 441-1920
Address: 123 North Jefferson Street, Chicago
Fine dining can be a hotly debatable concept - one diner values ostentation, another precision, and another innovation, each arguing which restaurant is “better”. In contrast to fussier or more luxurious locations, Sepia sits comfortably in my esteem as simply “impressive.” Sepia is a plush, gorgeous location tucked into downtown’s “Printers’ Row” (hence the print-themed name and decor) that has held an esteemed spot among Chicago fine dining for fifteen years. The cuisine is clean, modern, and excellently composed - with some of my favorite desserts in the city - and the service is warmly pro...
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Phone: +1 (312) 944-8888
Address: 8 West Maple Street, Chicago
The jewel of the luxurious Gold Coast neighborhood north of downtown is certainly Maple + Ash, a huge, glamorous steakhouse lead by a two-Michelin-starred chef, and boasting what has been lauded as one of the “world’s best wine lists.” Everything about this spot is over-the-top, from their 100+ page wine list to their “I don’t give a f*@k” option on their dinner menu, where, for a large chunk of cash, they parade food out to your table all night. The raw bar is excellent, and, while there are some lovely composed entrees, the steaks and chops are clearly the emphasis here. The wine list is o...
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Phone: +1 (312) 877-5348
Address: 700 North Sedgwick Street, Chicago
"Near downtown, Obélix is a new location from the owners of the local favorite French spot Le Bouchon. An upgrade in cosmopolitan style, apropos of the spendy River North neighborhood, Obélix retains its French style, but with a slightly more modernist, global culinary touch (think: duck breast with miso, steak tartare with kombu). They also have a lovely variety of raw-bar options, perfect to take advantage of alongside their champagne collection. The wine list is nearly exclusively French (with a dozen U.S. bottles provided mostly for the stubborn), and they do it very well. The generous of...
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Phone: +1 (773) 309-2300
Address: 163 North Green Street, Chicago
Tucked into the heart of the trendy Fulton Market District is one of Chicago’s newer wine-centric restaurants: The Oakville Grill and Cellar. In a neighborhood that can often be more style than substance, The Oakville boasts a surprising amount of both. With two gorgeous levels including a beautiful outdoor top-floor patio, and a dinner menu of fresh, seasonal, “California-style” cuisine, The Oakville is an Instagram influencer’s dream. The wine program pulls zero punches - it does a commendable job of balancing the expected index of famous Napa names with plenty of delightful surprises (when...
