Ruxbin may not get as much press as it used to, but it’s still excellent. A must hit for a quiet meal.

Mott Street, a restaurant on Ashland near Wicker Park, serves interesting, delicious Asian-influenced food.

Flo is a Mexican-American restaurant best saved for the weekends, because the weekends are when you eat Huevos Rancheros & Fruity Pebbles French Toast

Charlatan feels like a designer hunting lodge. Come for the beers and pastas, stay for the pig head.

An upscale brewpub that's brewing their own beer and making quality food to go with it.

You need more taco places in your life. Traspasada can be one of them.

So many farm-to-table restaurants, zero farms around. Homestead changes that a bit by growing vegetation on site.

The Winchester is a neighborhood spot in Ukrainian Village that we like to hit for brunch.

Whisk serves breakfast & brunch seven days a week, and then mostly burgers for dinner after 5 pm. It's a good BYOB spot to have on the radar.

Shaman is a small plates Mexican BYOB spot from the same people who brought you Chilam Balam, and it's one of the better BYOB restaurants around.

The patio and BYOB policy alone are worth repeat trips, but the simple Italian food isn't a guarantee hit.

Frontier is a restaurant in Noble Square serving rustic food.

Mana Food Bar in Noble Square is casual, interesting, and a great spot to try some new things that don't have meat in them.

Green Zebra in West Town is a great place to eat vegetarian food in a more formal and sophisticated setting. It's even good for a date.