Michelin Recognizes 54 Chicago Restaurants on 2020 Bib Gourmand List

Bridget Hallinan

With the 2019 James Beard Awards and World’s Best Restaurant Awards come and gone, you might think that award season has slowed down in the culinary industry—not so, as the Michelin Guide is just kicking off its 2020 (yes, 2020) selections in the U.S. The guide announced in August that the lists for Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City would debut over the course of Mid-September and October, split up into Bib Gourmand and starred restaurants. Now, the first selection is finally here in the form of the 2020 Chicago Bib Gourmands, recognizing restaurants that serve “high-quality food available at a reasonable price.” While last year’s list honored 58 restaurants, this year’s selection has dropped down to 54—14 are newcomers, showing that several restaurants have dropped off since the 2019 edition.

Chicago’s Wicker Park and the West Loop neighborhoods saw the most recognition. In Wicker Park, three restaurants made the cut—Funkenhausen, which blends German and Southern food; Etta, where ingredients are cooked “via live fire;” and Ina Mae Tavern, known for its New Orleans cuisine. West Loop, too, gained three Bib Gourmands, and two of them are at the Hoxton Hotel. Cabra, a Peruvian restaurant from Stephanie Izard, opened in April 2019 to bring plenty of ceviche and a three-fold beverage menu (tonics, chilcanos, and sours) to the hotel’s rooftop—inspectors wrote “the food leans Peruvian, but chef Izard takes delicious liberties.” Cira, on the other hand, is in the lobby and skews Mediterranean, offering the likes of bite-sized Turkish manti dumplings and lamb tagine with Sardinian couscous. And the third West Loop Bib Gourmand is Jose Luis Barajas’ La Josie, which Michelin recognized for its tacos—think lobster, beer-battered mahi-mahi, pork belly, and more.

Other restaurants Michelin called out include Avlí Taverna in Lincoln Park, Virtue in Hyde Park, Nella Pizza e Pasta in Hyde Park, Birreria Zaragoza in Pilsen, Ghin Khao in Pilsen, Kie-Gol-Lanee uptown, Flat & Point in Logan Square, and County Barbecue—the latter reopened after a fire. Check out the full list of recognized restaurants below, courtesy of Michelin, and stay tuned as the Chicago stars are announced on September 26.

Michelin Guide Chicago 2020 Bib Gourmands

  • Arami

  • Avec

  • Avlí Taverna (NEW)

  • Birrieria Zaragoza (NEW)

  • Cabra (NEW)

  • Ceres’ TAble

  • Chilam Balam

  • Cira (NEW)

  • County Barbecue (NEW)

  • Daguan Noodle

  • Daisies

  • DeCOLORES

  • Dos Urban Cantina

  • The Duck Inn

  • etta (NEW)

  • Fat Rice

  • Flat & Point (NEW)

  • Frontera Grill

  • Funkenhausen (NEW)

  • Ghin Khao (NEW)

  • Giant

  • Gilt Bar

  • Girl & The Goat

  • GT Fish & Oyster

  • HaiSous

  • Herb

  • Ina Mae Tavern (NEW)

  • Jam

  • Kai Zan

  • Kie-Gol-Lanee (NEW)

  • La Josie (NEW)

  • Lonesome Rose

  • Longman & Eagle

  • Lula Café

  • Mango Pickle

  • Marisol

  • mfk.

  • Mi Tocaya

  • Mott St.

  • Nella Pizza e Pasta (NEW)

  • Pacific Standard Time

  • Passerotto

  • Pizzeria Bebu

  • Pleasant House Pub

  • Proxi

  • The Purple Pig

  • San Soo Gab San

  • Smoque BBQ

  • Sol de Mexico

  • Table, Donkey and Stick

  • True Food Kitchen

  • TWO

  • Untitled Supper Club

  • Virtue (NEW)