At the Table · Chicago

Smyth, West Loop

No. 1, North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026

The dining room at Smyth, Chicago — Photo: Jackie Gillum, courtesy of Smyth

Chicago is home to the best restaurant in North America. Smyth, the West Loop dining room of husband-and-wife chefs John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, took the top spot on North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, rising from fourth on the inaugural list a year earlier.

It already held three Michelin stars, the only restaurant in Chicago to do so. The menu is a tasting menu, built on ingredients from the farms the Shields work with across the country and paired with a celebrated natural wine program.

Below it, The Loyalist serves a more casual menu, and one of the city's most famous burgers.

Reserve at Smyth →

Issue 01 · October 2026

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