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A dining room filled with tables for two lit by candles.
The elegant jewel-toned dining room at Adalina is one of the most romantic spots for dinner in Chicago.
Adalina

The Most Romantic Restaurants in Chicago

These spots show your partner you’re trying

by Samantha Nelson and Eater Staff Updated
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The elegant jewel-toned dining room at Adalina is one of the most romantic spots for dinner in Chicago.
| Adalina
by Samantha Nelson and Eater Staff Updated

Romance is different for everyone. For some of us, it’s a quiet meal at home. For others, it’s a pizza on the couch with the person they love best. White Castle fulfilled an unexpected craving when it introduced its special white tablecloth Valentine’s dinners. But many are still traditionalists: romance is an experience outside the ordinary, either extraordinarily luxurious food, or an extravagant setting that provides an opportunity for two people to be alone in public. Or, preferably, both of these things. Here are 20 Chicago restaurants that fit the bill.

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Superdawg Drive-In

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Please, name a place that is more private and romantic than the front seat of a car. This is the very definition of American romance, immortalized in countless pop songs. At Superdawg, that’s the dining room, just you and your sweetie eating hot dogs, sipping one shake through two straws, watched over by Superdawg’s founders and high-school sweethearts Maurie and Flaurie Berman, reimagined as hot dogs eternally in love. Is that not paradise by the dashboard light? There’s a second location in Wheeling.

6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 763-0660
(773) 763-0660
A drive in restaurant’s parking lot at night with two giant fiberglass wiener’s and plenty of neon. Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Also featured in:

Little Madrid Tapas-Café

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For those who equate romance with dim lighting, Little Madrid may be the most romantic restaurant in Chicago: a tiny storefront dining room illuminated only by tabletop candles. But the tapas, pintxos, and paella are all exquisite; the wine is abundant; and the service is friendly and makes you feel cared for, all the things necessary for romance to flourish.

5661 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660
(312) 973-0462
(312) 973-0462

Also featured in:

Brass Heart

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Brass Heart sometimes slips under the radar when it comes to Chicago’s great restaurants. This small 20-seat tasting-menu restaurant in Uptown features food from Schwa alum Norman Fenton. The restaurant features an eight-course menu in a social environment that’s comfortable and never stuffy. 

4662 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 564-9680
(773) 564-9680

Also featured in:

Bistro Campagne

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This spot on Lincoln Avenue has one of the most exquisite patios in the city, shaded by abundant trees during the day and lit up by twinkling fairy lights after dark. The intimate indoor dining room is lovely, too, and the menu offers a selection of reasonably-priced French bistro classics, from French onion soup to tarte au citron, with vol-au-vent and steak frites in between.

4518 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 271-6100
(773) 271-6100

Also featured in:

Wherewithall

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The intimate Avondale spot founded by Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark of Parachute with a kitchen led by chef Tayler Ploshehanski updates its four-course prix fixe menu and wine pairings weekly based on which ingredients are available. The dishes that show up on the table are invariably beautifully composed and delicious.

3472 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 692-2192
(773) 692-2192

Also featured in:

North Pond

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A trip to North Pond requires a stroll into Lincoln Park, green in the summer, snowy in the winter, always with a view of the Lincoln Park lagoon. Inside, windows let in light and views of the park, and fireplaces keep diners warm. The menus, both dinner and brunch, change with the seasons, but tables are always reserved and attire is always business casual, which certifies this as a special occasion restaurant.

2610 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 477-5845
(773) 477-5845

Also featured in:

Geja's Cafe

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A popular date night destination since 1965, Geja’s Cafe hosts couples in curtained nooks around the candlelit dining room. Listen to live flamenco music while sharing a fondue dinner, dipping vegetables and bread in cheese, sizzling steak and shrimp, and then finishing with marshmallows and strawberries smothered in chocolate. Add on wine pairings or share a bottle of bubbly.

340 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 281-9101
(773) 281-9101

Also featured in:

Boka

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The flagship of one of the city’s most acclaimed restaurant groups serves a rotating seasonal menu, devised by James Beard-nominated chef Lee Wolen, in a luxurious dining room, lined with greenery and whimsical portraits, or on a lovely tree-shaded patio. Order a la carte from the menu of seasonal fare from local farms or splurge on a seven-course tasting menu that changes daily.

1729 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 337-6070
(312) 337-6070

Also featured in:

Adalina

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Decked out with floral designs and jeweled hues, Adalina offers a gorgeous space to enjoy Italian fare such as charred octopus with horseradish goat cheese or handmade mafaldine with artichokes. For a really special meal, try the brand new seven-course tasting menu from Michelin-starred executive chef Soo Ahn. Keep the night going by heading to the Rose Lounge speakeasy for an after-dinner cocktail. They recently launched a tasting menu.

912 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 820-9000
(312) 820-9000

Also featured in:

Beatnik West Town

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Romance doesn’t just mean love and courtship — it can also be a fantasy, or a yearning for far-away places. Beatnik in West Town, an homage to the hippie trail of the 1950s and ’60s, is opulently furnished with antiques and green plants. The Mediterranean-inspired menu similarly evokes a time and place that’s warmer, more colorful, and romantic than the present.

1604 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 929-4945
(312) 929-4945

Also featured in:

Shanghai Terrace

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Located in the luxurious Peninsula Hotel, Shanghai Terrace has an outdoor patio with views of the Chicago skyline. The 1930s Shanghai-inspired indoor dining room isn’t too shabby, either. The menu, meanwhile, is filled with food from all over China, but with a focus on Shanghainese, Cantonese, and Sichuan classics.

108 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 573-6744
(312) 573-6744

Also featured in:

Piccolo Sogno

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With its marble-topped bar and sunny patio, Piccolo Sogno evokes an Italy of long, lazy afternoons on the piazza, perhaps followed by a ride through the city on a Vespa. The food continues the mood, with antipasti, salads, pizzas, and pasta, though there are also heavier meat and fish entrees for the colder months.

464 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 421-0077
(312) 421-0077

Also featured in:

Bavette's Bar & Boeuf

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Bavette’s dim lighting, marble-topped tables, cozy red-leather booths, and gilt-edged mirrors are an entire mood. That mood calls for rich, fatty bone marrow and steak and one of the extravagant seafood towers, all washed down by a bottle or two from the extensive wine list. Finish the decadent evening with an old fashioned and a giant slice of carrot cake.

218 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 624-8154
(312) 624-8154

Also featured in:

Aba

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Offering views of the Loop skyscrapers, Aba’s all season rooftop patio is one of the loveliest places in the city. The views inside are lovely too, with the dining room illuminated by a skylight and lamps hanging from olive trees. The Mediterranean-California small plates encourage closeness among diners: everything is meant to be shared.

302 N Green St 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607
(773) 645-1400
(773) 645-1400

Also featured in:

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés

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José Andrés waited a long time before opening restaurants in Chicago. Bazaar Meat is worth the wait near the river on the second floor of Bank of America’s Chicago headquarters. This dim room is full of sultry reds, from the carpeting to the furniture. An open kitchen shows the flames used to cook a variety of meats. This is a collaboration with Gibsons, and the attention to detail is apparent. 

120 N Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 820-6601
(312) 820-6601
Garrett Sweet/Eater Chicago

Also featured in:

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Sepia

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Sepia takes its heritage as a former print shop seriously: the space is filled with antiques and old prints. But chef Andrew Zimmerman’s prix fixe four-course menu is thoroughly modern, offering new interpretations of the classics.

123 N Jefferson St, Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 441-1920
(312) 441-1920

Also featured in:

Chez Joel Bistro Francais

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Yes, the stereotype of a romantic restaurant is a French bistro, but stereotypes exist for a reason, right? This French bistro is located in Little Italy; run by a Moroccan-born chef, the eponymous Joël Kazouini; and it specializes in the cuisine of southern France, though if you must have the coq au vin, that’s there, too.

1119 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-6479
(312) 226-6479

Also featured in:

Bronzeville Winery

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This newish South Side spot brings upscale dining to Bronzeville in an accessible way. The a la carte menu has both small bites and large plates allowing diners to enjoy their meals on their own terms. There’s also live music or a DJ on most days which ups the vibe.

4420 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL 60653
(872) 244-7065
(872) 244-7065

Also featured in:

Virtue Restaurant

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Many of the restaurants on this list were designed to take diners somewhere they’ve never been. Virtue is about where chef Erick Williams has already been: the American South. Williams’s menu pays homage to his mother, his grandmother, and his aunts, and the whole tradition of Black cuisine. Which isn’t romance, exactly, but it’s love.

1462 E 53rd St, Chicago, IL 60615
(773) 947-8831
(773) 947-8831
A colorful cauliflower dish sits inside a grey bowl on a light wood table. Nick Fochtman/Eater

Also featured in:

Solazo

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This family-owned Mexican restaurant renovated and applied a small name change by dropping the demonstrative adjective to become simply Solazo. Bringing some of the attitude from their younger West Loop restaurant, La Josie, this Southwest Side Mexican spot serves beautiful shrimp, moles, and more. There’s also a deep agave selection and some sensational cocktails.

5600 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60629
(773) 627-5047
(773) 627-5047
A minimalist dining room and bar space with white subway tile walls Solazo

Also featured in:

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Superdawg Drive-In

6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646

Please, name a place that is more private and romantic than the front seat of a car. This is the very definition of American romance, immortalized in countless pop songs. At Superdawg, that’s the dining room, just you and your sweetie eating hot dogs, sipping one shake through two straws, watched over by Superdawg’s founders and high-school sweethearts Maurie and Flaurie Berman, reimagined as hot dogs eternally in love. Is that not paradise by the dashboard light? There’s a second location in Wheeling.

6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 763-0660
(773) 763-0660
A drive in restaurant’s parking lot at night with two giant fiberglass wiener’s and plenty of neon. Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Little Madrid Tapas-Café

5661 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660

For those who equate romance with dim lighting, Little Madrid may be the most romantic restaurant in Chicago: a tiny storefront dining room illuminated only by tabletop candles. But the tapas, pintxos, and paella are all exquisite; the wine is abundant; and the service is friendly and makes you feel cared for, all the things necessary for romance to flourish.

5661 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660
(312) 973-0462
(312) 973-0462

Brass Heart

4662 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640

Brass Heart sometimes slips under the radar when it comes to Chicago’s great restaurants. This small 20-seat tasting-menu restaurant in Uptown features food from Schwa alum Norman Fenton. The restaurant features an eight-course menu in a social environment that’s comfortable and never stuffy. 

4662 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 564-9680
(773) 564-9680

Bistro Campagne

4518 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

This spot on Lincoln Avenue has one of the most exquisite patios in the city, shaded by abundant trees during the day and lit up by twinkling fairy lights after dark. The intimate indoor dining room is lovely, too, and the menu offers a selection of reasonably-priced French bistro classics, from French onion soup to tarte au citron, with vol-au-vent and steak frites in between.

4518 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 271-6100
(773) 271-6100

Wherewithall

3472 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

The intimate Avondale spot founded by Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark of Parachute with a kitchen led by chef Tayler Ploshehanski updates its four-course prix fixe menu and wine pairings weekly based on which ingredients are available. The dishes that show up on the table are invariably beautifully composed and delicious.

3472 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 692-2192
(773) 692-2192

North Pond

2610 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614

A trip to North Pond requires a stroll into Lincoln Park, green in the summer, snowy in the winter, always with a view of the Lincoln Park lagoon. Inside, windows let in light and views of the park, and fireplaces keep diners warm. The menus, both dinner and brunch, change with the seasons, but tables are always reserved and attire is always business casual, which certifies this as a special occasion restaurant.

2610 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 477-5845
(773) 477-5845

Geja's Cafe

340 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

A popular date night destination since 1965, Geja’s Cafe hosts couples in curtained nooks around the candlelit dining room. Listen to live flamenco music while sharing a fondue dinner, dipping vegetables and bread in cheese, sizzling steak and shrimp, and then finishing with marshmallows and strawberries smothered in chocolate. Add on wine pairings or share a bottle of bubbly.

340 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 281-9101
(773) 281-9101

Boka

1729 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614

The flagship of one of the city’s most acclaimed restaurant groups serves a rotating seasonal menu, devised by James Beard-nominated chef Lee Wolen, in a luxurious dining room, lined with greenery and whimsical portraits, or on a lovely tree-shaded patio. Order a la carte from the menu of seasonal fare from local farms or splurge on a seven-course tasting menu that changes daily.

1729 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 337-6070
(312) 337-6070

Adalina

912 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610

Decked out with floral designs and jeweled hues, Adalina offers a gorgeous space to enjoy Italian fare such as charred octopus with horseradish goat cheese or handmade mafaldine with artichokes. For a really special meal, try the brand new seven-course tasting menu from Michelin-starred executive chef Soo Ahn. Keep the night going by heading to the Rose Lounge speakeasy for an after-dinner cocktail. They recently launched a tasting menu.

912 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 820-9000
(312) 820-9000

Beatnik West Town

1604 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Romance doesn’t just mean love and courtship — it can also be a fantasy, or a yearning for far-away places. Beatnik in West Town, an homage to the hippie trail of the 1950s and ’60s, is opulently furnished with antiques and green plants. The Mediterranean-inspired menu similarly evokes a time and place that’s warmer, more colorful, and romantic than the present.

1604 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 929-4945
(312) 929-4945

Shanghai Terrace

108 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611

Located in the luxurious Peninsula Hotel, Shanghai Terrace has an outdoor patio with views of the Chicago skyline. The 1930s Shanghai-inspired indoor dining room isn’t too shabby, either. The menu, meanwhile, is filled with food from all over China, but with a focus on Shanghainese, Cantonese, and Sichuan classics.

108 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 573-6744
(312) 573-6744

Piccolo Sogno

464 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60642

With its marble-topped bar and sunny patio, Piccolo Sogno evokes an Italy of long, lazy afternoons on the piazza, perhaps followed by a ride through the city on a Vespa. The food continues the mood, with antipasti, salads, pizzas, and pasta, though there are also heavier meat and fish entrees for the colder months.

464 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 421-0077
(312) 421-0077

Bavette's Bar & Boeuf

218 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60654

Bavette’s dim lighting, marble-topped tables, cozy red-leather booths, and gilt-edged mirrors are an entire mood. That mood calls for rich, fatty bone marrow and steak and one of the extravagant seafood towers, all washed down by a bottle or two from the extensive wine list. Finish the decadent evening with an old fashioned and a giant slice of carrot cake.

218 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 624-8154
(312) 624-8154

Aba

302 N Green St 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607

Offering views of the Loop skyscrapers, Aba’s all season rooftop patio is one of the loveliest places in the city. The views inside are lovely too, with the dining room illuminated by a skylight and lamps hanging from olive trees. The Mediterranean-California small plates encourage closeness among diners: everything is meant to be shared.

302 N Green St 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607
(773) 645-1400
(773) 645-1400

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés

120 N Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606

José Andrés waited a long time before opening restaurants in Chicago. Bazaar Meat is worth the wait near the river on the second floor of Bank of America’s Chicago headquarters. This dim room is full of sultry reds, from the carpeting to the furniture. An open kitchen shows the flames used to cook a variety of meats. This is a collaboration with Gibsons, and the attention to detail is apparent. 

120 N Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 820-6601
(312) 820-6601
Garrett Sweet/Eater Chicago

Related Maps

Sepia

123 N Jefferson St, Chicago, IL 60661

Sepia takes its heritage as a former print shop seriously: the space is filled with antiques and old prints. But chef Andrew Zimmerman’s prix fixe four-course menu is thoroughly modern, offering new interpretations of the classics.

123 N Jefferson St, Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 441-1920
(312) 441-1920

Chez Joel Bistro Francais

1119 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607

Yes, the stereotype of a romantic restaurant is a French bistro, but stereotypes exist for a reason, right? This French bistro is located in Little Italy; run by a Moroccan-born chef, the eponymous Joël Kazouini; and it specializes in the cuisine of southern France, though if you must have the coq au vin, that’s there, too.

1119 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-6479
(312) 226-6479

Bronzeville Winery

4420 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL 60653

This newish South Side spot brings upscale dining to Bronzeville in an accessible way. The a la carte menu has both small bites and large plates allowing diners to enjoy their meals on their own terms. There’s also live music or a DJ on most days which ups the vibe.

4420 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL 60653
(872) 244-7065
(872) 244-7065

Virtue Restaurant

1462 E 53rd St, Chicago, IL 60615

Many of the restaurants on this list were designed to take diners somewhere they’ve never been. Virtue is about where chef Erick Williams has already been: the American South. Williams’s menu pays homage to his mother, his grandmother, and his aunts, and the whole tradition of Black cuisine. Which isn’t romance, exactly, but it’s love.

1462 E 53rd St, Chicago, IL 60615
(773) 947-8831
(773) 947-8831
A colorful cauliflower dish sits inside a grey bowl on a light wood table. Nick Fochtman/Eater

Solazo

5600 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60629

This family-owned Mexican restaurant renovated and applied a small name change by dropping the demonstrative adjective to become simply Solazo. Bringing some of the attitude from their younger West Loop restaurant, La Josie, this Southwest Side Mexican spot serves beautiful shrimp, moles, and more. There’s also a deep agave selection and some sensational cocktails.

5600 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60629
(773) 627-5047
(773) 627-5047
A minimalist dining room and bar space with white subway tile walls Solazo

Related Maps