Diners' Choice: Best Value restaurants in Chicago

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for the best value restaurants in Chicago? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Slightly Toasted

5.0

5 (3)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

West Loop

About the restaurant

Award-winning cocktail and bourbon bar that is home to one of largest whiskey collections in Chicago with over 900 selections, 30+ private barrels, and 200+ vintage and rare bottles. Also home to 18 taps & 80+ cans of craft beer, and chef-driven comfort food.

Top review

Dmitriy

Dined on Nov 21, 2024

Great place! Great whiskey selection! John & Tyler (and the rest of the staff) are very knowledgeable and also very helpful and attentive, adding to the welcoming atmosphere!

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Experience

Pappy New Year!!

Experience

Pappy New Year!! Preview Night

Rollapalooza

4.9

4.9 (362)

$30 and under

Sushi

Lakeview / East Lakeview

About the restaurant

COZY AND WARM RESTAURANT. FRESH AND DELICIOUS RESTAURANT. WE ARE NOT NO.1 RESTAURANT. HOWEVER WE DO OUR BEST TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS.

Top review

Connor

Dined on Nov 24, 2024

It was great!!! Definitely going back. Staff was friendly and food was terrific

AJI

4.9

4.9 (89)

$50 and over

Japanese Speciality

Lakeview / East Lakeview

About the restaurant

Discover an unforgettable dining experience at one of OpenTable's top restaurant destinations for ambiance, led by the talented Chef Kristian Cho. Recently named a 2024 Diner's Choice winner, our restaurant offers a 15-course omakase menu that pairs perfectly with our intimate, cozy setting—ideal for anniversaries, special occasions, or a memorable date night out. With over 30 years of collective expertise, our team is passionate about delivering exceptional service and a warm, inviting atmosphere, complete with a charming backyard for a unique evening. Join us and create lasting memories with those you love.

Top review

Alexandra

Dined 2 days ago

What a fantastic dinner! I highly recommend. All my fiancée wanted for his birthday was an omakase dinner so I took him here. It was incredible! They even wrote his name on their special board and did a birthday candle for dessert. I’ve barely tried sushi and don’t usually like fish but I decided to be adventurous and it sure was worth it! The food is truly so so good! Go to AJI, it’s worth it!

Taste 222

4.9

4.9 (268)

$30 and under

American

West Loop

About the restaurant

Taste 222 is the storefront showcase of Cleveland Avenue, a venture capital and consulting firm that invests in remarkable food, beverage and restaurant concepts.

Taste 222 is a restaurant and event space focusing on unique experiences with an upscale vibe. We are a full-service restaurant with rich beverage and culinary offerings set in a beautiful space reminiscent of home.

We provide “Cheers”- like service. We know our customers’ names, their orders...we HUG! With a family-like atmosphere, Taste 222 provides great service, and delicious, comforting food in a warm and sophisticated environment.

Top review

CorwinVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Great food and service with a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Centennial Crafted Beer & Eatery

4.8

4.8 (400)

$30 and under

Gastro Pub

River North (Chicago)

About the restaurant

At Centennial, our passion is craft beer and our focus is simple: to celebrate craft beer. Beer can bring people together on a common ground and has the ability to create a community. Beer can elevate food. Beer is culture.

We feature 56 taps with a selection of 36 rotating craft beers. In addition to our taps, we feature a high volume of beers available in bottles and cans, as well as a curated selection of craft spirits and wines.

Centennial also features chef-driven food with an emphasis on craft beer. The menu focuses on beer pairings and incorporating beer as an ingredient. Centennial also features smoked, char grilled, and wood-fired ingredients.

Top review

Charlie

Dined 3 days ago

Good times and it was great food. We didn’t drink but I’m sure beer was great too.

Franco's Ristorante

4.8

4.8 (653)

$30 and under

Italian

Bridgeport

About the restaurant

If your preferred time is unavailable please call for possible openings.

Franco's Ristorante is the perfect combination of old world Italian classics and your new favorite pasta dishes. We've been around for over 27 years and have perfected our craft. Some of our most famous dishes include whipped ricotta tuffo, sausage and peppers, eggplant parmigiana and gnocchi.

Our great food and atmosphere helped us earn the honor of being named the Chicago Reader's 2016 "best place for a cheap date" and "best local restaurant."

You will be wowed when you step inside our bright, airy and modern restaurant. You can enjoy a drink at our new marble-topped bar or cozy up to tables with bright red-leather chairs and banquettes in the dining room. In the summer we are happy to offer outdoor seating that allows dogs.

Top review

Jeffrey

Dined 4 days ago

Very friendly, exceptional service and value. Will return again

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4.8

4.8 (36)

$50 and over

Italian

Old Town

About the restaurant

Discover modern, Tuscan-inspired cuisine in the heart of Chicago's Old Town at Topo Gigio. This cozy, charming eatery has been a local favorite for over 35 years, topping "Best of" lists consistently. The menu at Topo Gigio is a feast for the senses, with fresh, flavorful food, expertly prepared and artfully plated. It includes fabulous antipasto plates and crispy calamari appetizers, fresh, hearty salads, soups, pastas and traditional Tuscan favorites with a modern flair. Topo Gigio's extensive wine list features the perfect pairing for every single plate, including many wines straight from Tuscany's most venerated wineries. The restaurant offers catering services as well as comprehensive banquet packages, ideal for corporate events, private receptions, large groups and more.
*OUR OUTSIDE IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE!*

Top review

Karin

Dined 2 days ago

Delicious food in a super cozy atmosphere! Highly recommend!

Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co.

4.9

4.9 (2640)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Lincoln Park

About the restaurant

WE ARE NOW OPEN FOR DINE-IN BUSINESS. WELCOME BACK
This year marks the 50th-year anniversary of the one and only Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co. Since opening their doors in 1972, CPOG has been serving its unique style of pizza, the Pizza Pot Pie- an original- baked in a bowl filled with cheese; homemade sauce from scratch (each batch takes 10 hours of prep and cooking time); large fresh mushrooms and topped with a triple raised Sicilian bread-type dough; then inverted ceremoniously at your table. Six mouth-watering gargantuan Oven Grinders, several colossal salads with distinctive, original homemade dressings and the Mediterranean Bread round out its menu.
In the heart of Lincoln Park in Chicago, this cozy restaurant is housed in a historical building. Set across the street from the site of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, this three story brownstone is claimed to have been used as a look out for Al Capone’s gang during the legendary hit back in 1929.

Top review

Katrina

Dined 3 days ago

The service was great and the food was delicious per usual!

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4.9

4.9 (211)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

Pilsen

About the restaurant

Winner of the 2022 Jean Banchet Award for Best Bar, THE ALDERMAN is an intimate, 16-seat cocktail bar tucked away, behind closed doors, within Pilsen Yards. The cocktail list rotates some of its original cocktail features, while the twists on American classics are staples of the cocktail list.

With a plush velvet banquette and a 4-seat counter, it’s the perfect room for a night cap, a date, or a casual evening of one to several astonishingly good cocktails.

Top review

Raul

Dined on Nov 30, 2024

it was a personable experience. Loved it and the drinks

Frida Room - Pilsen

4.9

4.9 (64)

$30 and under

Breakfast

Pilsen

About the restaurant

A LOCALLY-OWNED CAFÉ OFFERING AN ARRAY OF MODERN MEXICAN & AMERICAN BREAKFAST AND LUNCH FAVORITES. A PREFERRED WEEKEND BRUNCH SPOT WITH STAPLES LIKE CHILAQUILES, PANCAKES, AND PANINIS.

Top review

Xavier

Dined on Dec 8, 2024

Staff was attentive, but not overbearing even with a full house. Food came hot and quickly. Free street parking on the Sunday makes it a easy stop. The Molletes and Azteca guarantees that I’ll be back again. 5/5

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