Restaurants in Chicago

Contemporary American food includes succulent chops from local farms, dry aged steaks, innovative garden pea and coconut curry soup and ricotta dumplings, all presided over by award-winning chef Kevin Hickey. It's located on the seventh floor of the Four Seasons Chicago hotel, so you can take in magnificent views as you tuck into dinner amid sophisticated surroundings.

Gibson's is a favourite for native carnivores, tourists and celebrities like Michael Jordan. A friendly staff serves steaks smothered with any combination of blue cheese, onions, crushed pepper, mushrooms, garlic or Cajun rub. Portions are laughingly large: potatoes almost the size of footballs, humongous desserts and beef portions so huge, the only thing missing are the horns and the tail.

The brainchild of celebrity chef Rick Bayless, Topolobampo serves a tasting menu of exquisite Mexican fare created with top-notch ingredients and presented with style. Book ahead to get a table in the casual dining room lined with Bayless' personal art collection.

With high ceilings and grey and white décor accented by vibrant green plants, this high-end restaurant offers a seasonally changing menu of vegetarian and vegan tapas. As with all good vegetarian cooking, the dishes showcase vegetables rather than creating meat-free substitutes, and include ravioli with goat cheese, hazelnut and dates, or parmesan caraway gnocchi.

Folks flock to the Kit Kat for inexpensive martinis and a good time watching the drag show cabaret. The food is solid too, with dishes named after 1940s and 50s entertainers: the Carmen Miranda is a penne pasta dish spiced with andouille sausage and shrimp.

The Park Grill is located on the Michigan Avenue side of Millennium Park, and is a decent bet in an area plagued by touristy restaurants. Outdoor summer dining is replaced with an ice rink in winter. Considering the restaurant is situated within one of Chicago's most popular tourist attractions, dishes like the pork tenderloin are surprisingly tasty and reasonably priced.

The retro trend is alive and well at this eatery adjacent to the Goodman Theatre. White tablecloths, semi-circular red booths and caricatures of famous Chicagoans, like Harrison Ford (who grew up in the Chicago suburbs), decorate the walls, while Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald can be heard in the background. Tuxedoed waiters serve classic Italian fare, as well as steaks and roasts.

Burger and dog lovers in the know head to The Wiener's Circle, a no-frills stand in Lincoln Park. The meat is chargrilled and should to be ordered with 'the works', as locals do: mustard, relish, onions, sliced pickles, peppers, tomato and a dash of celery salt. The employees are infamously surly, particularly in the early hours.

Fish and meat glow in the visible ovens, grills and rotisseries of this 1940s-style supper club. Wood, stone, rounded banquettes, martinis and swing music create the mood. The chopped salad is big enough for two, and you can't miss with anything that is crusted - clams, steak, mussels or fish. Reservations recommended.