Cushioned in a northern corner of Lincoln Square is a truly unique restaurant, Jibek Jolu, where the menu highlights Krygyz cuisine and takes diners on a culinary tour of Central Asia. more ›

As if dating in this city isn't treacherous enough, finding a restaurant with the right "romantic night out" feel complicates matters even more. Luckily for you, Chicagoist is always on the lookout for intimate spots that will sweep you and your hot date off your feet. Cyrano's Bistrot is one of those rare spots that provides a foolproof date night. It was warm, it was cozy, they had live music, and the food was fantastic. Paris might be the city for lovers, but Cyrano's makes us believe that Chicago has at least a fighting chance. more ›

Lao You Ju, the newest member of Tony Hu's restaurant empire, looks like a late-night fantasy of a 1980's business power restaurant. Red leather, curving lines, chandeliers and a gold accent wall covered with projecting sculpture. A bar which lovingly spotlights each bottle of Patron Silver completes the image, which is sort of fun despite how over the top it is. The food is solid, but the drinks and service, sadly, aren't quite up to the flashy standards of the decor. more ›

Two of your favorite Chicagoist foodies, Roger and Caitlin, combined forces and visited the newly opened Maude’s Liquor Bar to find out if it lives up to its hype. Roger: I loved it. Caitlin: I flippin’ hate this place. more ›

When we walked into Eivissa, the Wells Street Art Festival was booming outside, the bar was four-deep with revelers and the giant front windows were opened onto the patio. The new Old Town tapas joint couldn’t have picked a better time to open, but we were more concerned with the food than the scene. We sheepishly begged for a seat in the back, and the hostess led us into a cool, cozy space, with giant wooden beams covering the ceiling. It evokes the feeling of a much older restaurant, the kind of hidden space that diners long to curl up in with a drink. more ›

Like many Chicagoans, we cried a little in 2006 when the Berghoff restaurant closed its doors after 108 years in the loop. While the Berghoff was never known for its “gourmet” cuisine, it did serve up hearty portions of German cooking and nostalgia for old Chicago. We were delighted to see that part of the Berghoff legacy would carry on “17/West at the Berghoff.” more ›

One of the more anticipated restaurant openings in recent weeks has been Takashi, which opened its doors December 30th at 1952 N. Damen in Bucktown. more ›

In a follow-up to a story we ran yesterday, Toni Falvo, NBC-5’s Director of Research, Programming and Press says that she sees no impropriety in accepting free meals from the restaurants featured on the station’s “Good Eats” segments, though such a practice is outside of the journalistic standards used by other local food critics and reporters in both the print and broadcast media. more ›

Hey, have y'all been using our new "Recommend this" feature at the bottom of each post? This week we're bringing you the "Most Recommended" posts from across the -ist world, as well as recommending some of our own. more ›

Yesterday, the hipster kids' favorite spot for comfort food, Hilary's Urban Eatery, shut the doors at its Division Street location with plans to reopen at an as-of-yet unofficial location in the Wicker Park neighborhood—though Chicago Magazine is reporting that fans should look for it sometime in the fall three blocks west between Ashland and Western Avenues. Moves such as Hilary's aren't uncommon, especially when you consider how popular it has become. Interestingly enough, our friends... more ›