The 10 best restaurants in Lincoln Square

Lincoln Square restaurants line Lincoln Avenue between Lawrence and Montrose, run up Western Avenue and spill west along Lawrence, most of them within walking distance of the Western Brown Line stop. This ranked list is for anyone choosing where to eat in Lincoln Square, whether the night calls for a tasting menu or a quick bowl of pho.

The picks favor kitchens that critics and inspectors keep naming, and the cooking ranges across French, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Italian, Polish, Nepali and Thai menus. Prices run from bratwurst at $6.99 a pound to a $225 tasting menu, and at the casual spots on this list many plates cost less than $30.

How we chose

The ranking starts with outside recognition. Goosefoot’s Michelin star history and Boonie’s two Bib Gourmand awards put those restaurants first and second. Below them, the order follows years in business and how many independent outlets have covered each kitchen, among them The Infatuation, whose Lincoln Square guide was updated August 6, 2026, along with WBEZ, Time Out Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Michelin Guide. Every place was checked against a 2025 or 2026 source to confirm the doors are open, and restaurants that have closed were dropped.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Goosefoot

Chris and Nina Nugent closed the original Goosefoot on Lawrence Avenue in 2024 and reopened in 2026 at 4520 N. Lincoln Ave., about two and a half blocks south of the Western Brown Line stop. The format is still the tasting menu, built on French technique and produce from small farms: a $225 chef’s surprise menu Thursday through Saturday, or the four-course loosefoot menu for $135 on Wednesdays. The move ended the old BYOB policy, and a $140 wine pairing is available with the bigger menu. Goosefoot ranks first on a Michelin record: inspectors gave the restaurant one star in the 2019 guide. Reservations are required, so book well ahead.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 4520 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• The restaurant first opened in 2011, and the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Goosefoot held Michelin stars in 2021 and 2022 before losing the rating in 2023.
• Dinner service at the new address began quietly in March 2026, ahead of a grand opening on October 10, 2026.
• A 22% service charge and tax are added to the menu prices.
• Limited parking sits behind the restaurant, and the dress code is business casual.

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Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant

Michelin’s inspectors describe Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant as a homey spot that began as a food stall, where the smell of garlic rice fills the small dining room. Order Bundok’s fried chicken, served with grated green apple and chili, or the tocilog, griddled pork belly over garlic fried rice with a lime and chili sauce, and save room for halo halo. The address, 4337 N. Western Ave., is just south of Montrose Avenue, but NBC 5 and the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce both count Boonie’s as a Lincoln Square restaurant. Two Bib Gourmand awards put Boonie’s second. Reserve online, since the room is small.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 4337 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

Why they made the list

• The Michelin Guide named Boonie’s a Bib Gourmand, the Michelin award for good cooking at a good value, in the 2025 guide.
• NBC 5 reported in November 2023 that Boonie’s was among five Chicago restaurants added to the Bib Gourmand list that year.
• During North Side Restaurant Week, February 26 to March 8, 2026, Boonie’s ran a three-course dinner for two priced at $70 to $81.
• The Michelin Guide lists Boonie’s at two dollar signs and notes that credit cards are accepted.

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Bistro Campagne

Since 2002, Bistro Campagne has cooked French bistro food at 4518 N. Lincoln Ave., on the same block as Goosefoot. The menu sticks to the dishes Time Out Chicago singled out: onion soup, mussels steamed in Belgian ale, roast chicken and hanger steak with frites. Those are the plates to order on a first visit. More than two decades of dinner service on Lincoln Avenue put the bistro third, right behind the two Michelin-recognized kitchens. Book a table online through the restaurant’s site, and take the Brown Line if you can, since the Western stop is a short walk north.

Hours: Tue-Thu 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5 to 9 p.m.; Sun 5 to 8:30 p.m. (last seatings); closed Monday

Address: 4518 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• During North Side Restaurant Week in 2026, Bistro Campagne served a three-course dinner for $48.
• Time Out Chicago rates the bistro two out of four on the outlet’s price scale.
• Bistro Campagne also appears on Windy City Magazine’s list of the best romantic restaurants in Chicago.
• The kitchen stays open a half hour after the last seating, according to the restaurant’s site.

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LC Pho

The pho at LC Pho comes with a choice of cuts, fatty tendon and thin flank steak among them, and The Infatuation rates the restaurant 8.4 out of 10 in a review updated April 2, 2025. That review sends readers there for Vietnamese soup, grilled meat and seafood, so add banh xeo, shrimp and pork spring rolls or the grilled pork chop over rice. The dining room is at 2739 W. Lawrence Ave., a few blocks west of Western Avenue. A high critic’s score and steady coverage since 2022 place LC Pho fourth. LC Pho does not run a website, so call (872) 208-7606 with questions before you go.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 2739 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• LC Pho appears in The Infatuation’s guide to the best restaurants in Lincoln Square, updated August 6, 2026.
• Razor clams with tamarind sauce are on the menu next to the soups.
• The Infatuation first reviewed LC Pho on July 29, 2022.

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Dancen

A small Korean bar at 5114 N. Lincoln Ave., Dancen grills fire chicken over an open flame behind the bar until the chili marinade chars. The Infatuation calls the dish the first thing to order and scores the bar 8.2; the plate costs $23, or $26 with melted cheese, and comes with a cabbage slaw in Thousand Island dressing to cut the heat. WBEZ contributor Maggie Hennessy suggested adding seafood pancakes and shrimp and pork kabobs. Praise from two separate outlets at bar-food prices puts Dancen fifth. Solo diners can take a counter seat by the grill, and groups should plan to walk in, since WBEZ reported the bar takes no reservations.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 5114 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• Bu-dae stew, the Korean army stew, costs $36 on the current menu.
• WBEZ’s January 2024 happy hour roundup recommended Korean lager by the liter bottle and makgeolli, a rice wine.
• Dancen made The Infatuation’s August 2026 guide to the best restaurants in Lincoln Square.
• Pickup orders can be placed through the bar’s website.

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Capriccio

Chef Guillermo Paolisso built Capriccio around Roman-style pizza by the slice, focaccia sandwiches and an Italian-style coffee bar at 4771 N. Lincoln Ave. The order is the Focaccia Capriccio, mortadella with pistachios and stracciatella, and The Infatuation’s reviewer wrote that after one, “you’ll wish every future lunch included it.” The margherita, with bright tomatoes and pesto, is the pizza that review recommends. Capriccio is newer than most places here, but a 2025 review that singled out the sandwich and a spot in The Infatuation’s 2026 neighborhood guide earn the cafe sixth place. Go at lunch for the sandwiches.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 4771 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• A breakfast panini costs $12.95 and is served daily.
• Newer focaccia sandwiches include La Verde, La Florentina and La Caruso.
• The restaurant’s site says Chicago magazine named Capriccio one of the 10 hottest restaurants in Chicago in September 2025.
• The Infatuation gave Capriccio a 7.8 in a review dated September 24, 2025.

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Gene’s Sausage Shop & Delicatessen

Shoppers come to Gene’s Sausage Shop & Delicatessen for more than 40 kinds of house-made, naturally wood-smoked sausage, plus imported cheese and cured meat sold by the pound. The Infatuation describes Gene’s as a traditional Polish deli, and in summer the action moves upstairs to a rooftop beer garden with grilled sausages and picnic benches. Michigan cherry bratwurst sold for $6.99 a pound on a recent specials list. Gene’s is a market first and a restaurant second, which holds the shop at seventh, even though Gene’s comes first in The Infatuation’s Lincoln Square guide. The rooftop is seasonal, so check before planning a visit around it.

Hours: Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (store; rooftop hours vary by season)

Address: 4750 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• Block and Barrel beef pastrami sold for $11.99 a pound on the same specials list.
• The shop takes holiday orders by phone, including Thanksgiving turkeys and Easter hams.
• Time Out Chicago noted that Gene’s moved into the former home of an older Lincoln Square delicatessen.
• The Western Brown Line stop is a short walk from the store.

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The Warbler

Opened in January 2018 at 4535 N. Lincoln Ave., The Warbler serves lunch every day and dinner from 4:30 p.m. Chef Ken Carter’s menu runs from a $16.50 burger and fries to grilled Thai salmon at $26 and house-made pastas, including the whole wheat cacio e pepe The Infatuation mentions. The Infatuation’s review says nearly any order on the menu is a safe bet. Seven-day lunch and dinner service puts The Warbler eighth as the list’s everyday option. Families should look at the weekday supper club, a $35 family-style dinner from 4:30 to 6 p.m. where kids nine and under eat free.

Hours: Mon-Thu noon to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 4535 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• Online reservations cover parties of up to six, and larger groups should call (773) 681-0950.
• Lunch carryout runs seven days a week until 3 p.m.
• Kalbi egg rolls cost $15.50 and steamed Thai mussels are $16 on the appetizer list.
• The Warbler made The Infatuation’s August 2026 guide to the best restaurants in Lincoln Square.

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Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen

At 2701 W. Lawrence Ave., Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen cooks Nepali and Indian food, and chef Ramkrishna Adhikari took over the kitchen in May 2025 with a refreshed menu. Start with momo, steamed dumplings served with achar, or jhol momo in a tomato-based broth. The Thakali bhojan is a full platter for one: rice, stir-fried mustard greens, dal, vegetable curry, papadum, yogurt and dessert. ABC7, WTTW and the Chicago Reader covered the restaurant in 2019, and the spot still appears in The Infatuation’s 2026 guide, enough for ninth place. The Infatuation calls the restaurant BYOB, so bring a bottle.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 2701 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• The Infatuation recommends kwati, a nine-bean soup, and C momos in a spicy sauce.
• Tikka masala and lamb vindaloo cover the Indian side of the menu.
• Dine-in, pickup, delivery and catering are all available, according to the restaurant’s site.
• Garlic naan was a recommended side in The Infatuation’s 2019 review.

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Madame Puffs & Thai Bistro

The front counter at Madame Puffs & Thai Bistro, 4825 N. Western Ave., sells stuffed pastry puffs to go, with savory fillings such as curry chicken with spiced potatoes, basil chicken and shredded spicy pork. The Infatuation, which reviewed the restaurant in May 2025, liked the pineapple sweet puff best. In the dining room, the review pointed to lemongrass-scented Thai fish cakes and khao soi topped with fried noodles. The puffs, which no other kitchen on this list makes, earn the tenth spot. Order a few to go even if you eat in.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 4825 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Why they made the list

• Panang curry with ribeye arrives in a pitcher and is poured over the beef and vegetables.
• The restaurant sits on Western Avenue just north of Lawrence Avenue.
• Online pickup orders run through the restaurant’s website.
• Phone orders go to (312) 995-4647, the number listed on the restaurant’s site.

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