IL · Lunch
The 10 best lunch spots in Chicago.
A good lunch gets two hours of your afternoon back. A bad one costs three and you spend it wishing you'd eaten at your desk. Harry has done the triage: only places that are actually open at lunchtime, ranked by Harry Score.
Chicago does lunch the way it does everything — without fuss and at scale. The Italian beef is not a sandwich, it is a lunch philosophy. Get it properly dipped. The Polish diner in the Ukrainian Village that has been open since before you were born is the other option. Both are correct.
How Harry ranks lunch
A great dinner restaurant is not automatically a great lunch.| Weekday lunch | Open by 12:30 and still open at 2pm on at least three weekdays, going by the listed hours. A dinner room that opens at six doesn't qualify, however good it is. |
|---|---|
| Harry Score 70+ | The same composite as everywhere else, from Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor and critic signals, adjusted for tourist skew. Seventy is the floor. |
| Lunch prices | Top-price-tier rooms, tasting menus, bars and anything Harry rates paying for the scene are left out. Lunch shouldn't cost dinner prices. |
Harry's ten — Chicago
Ranked by Harry Score.- 01Waffle Vibes
breakfast · acai-shop — 315 W North Ave Ste 1, Chicago
5.0 across 176 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; punches well above its price point.
Great ValueHarry
96
Worth It
85
- 02Curry Kitchen
indian — 5304 W Devon Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 442 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; priced about right for what you get.
Smart SpendHarry
92
Worth It
81
- 03La Cocina de Irma
4224 W 31st St, Chicago
4.9 across 538 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; a sensible spend, nothing wasted here.
Smart SpendHarry
92
Worth It
81
- 04SeoulSpice
619 N State St, Chicago
4.9 across 302 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; fairly priced for what it is.
Smart SpendHarry
92
Worth It
81
- 05Serena's Grill (Gold Coast, Chicago)
greek · gyro — 13 W Division St, Chicago
4.9 across 443 Google reviews; more than you'd expect at this price.
Caveat: Google is the only voice on this one yet; treat the number as an early read.
Great ValueHarry
91
Worth It
82
- 06Tribu Caffe
breakfast · brunch — 3856 N Ashland Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 300 Google reviews; unusually good for what you'll pay.
Caveat: Only Google has weighed in so far — a single source, so read the score as provisional.
Great ValueHarry
91
Worth It
82
- 075800 North Cafe
brunch · breakfast — 5800 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 1.4k Google reviews; fairly priced for what it is.
Caveat: Only Google has weighed in so far — a single source, so read the score as provisional.
Smart SpendHarry
91
Worth It
81
- 08Dell' Rooster Restaurant & Bar
1825 W Chicago Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 632 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; priced about right for what you get.
Smart SpendHarry
91
Worth It
81
- 09Harding Cafe
breakfast — 4347 N Harding Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 415 Google reviews; omelettes & pancakes, plus burgers, sandwiches & Tex-Mex specials in a low-key venue.
Caveat: One source so far (Google) — the score firms up as the others report in.
Harry
91
Worth It
80
- 10RASA INDIAN CUISINE AND BAR
2763 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
4.9 across 166 Google reviews; fairly priced for what it is.
Harry
91
Worth It
80
How this list is built Places across Chicago with a Harry Score of 70 or more that serve weekday lunch: on their listed hours they're open by 12:30 and still open at 2pm on at least three weekdays. Tasting-menu rooms, bars and anything Harry rates paying for the scene are left out. Chains with several branches get one entry. Ranked by Harry Score. No restaurant pays to appear. Scores last recomputed .