Best Chefs Table Restaurants in Gold Coast & Old Town (60610)
4 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: January 2026
Our Top Pick
Astor Club Chicago
A hidden, speakeasy-style setting that turns cocktails and a tasting lane into a full night out.
Notable Picks
8.8
A cocktail-driven, coursed Chef’s Table experience that leans savory-luxe and tightly paced, with bar craft and kitchen technique sharing the spotlight. Best for a planned night where you want a guided progression and don’t mind letting the kitchen set the tempo.
Must-Try Dishes:
Chef's Table Tasting Menu, Caviar Service, Seasonal Crudo
What makes it special: A hidden, speakeasy-style setting that turns cocktails and a tasting lane into a full night out.
#2
SHŌ
8.6
A small omakase room built around a chef-led, coursed sequence with a true counter focus and a clear, modern Japanese-American point of view. Go in ready to follow the chef’s arc and keep the night centered on the counter rather than add-on sprawl.
Must-Try Dishes:
Corn cream croquette with jalapeño and yuzu, Sukiyaki-inspired wagyu hand roll, Tonkotsu ramen with Iberico ham
What makes it special: Music-driven omakase that blends serious technique with interactive, DIY hand rolls.
8.2
A Peruvian-leaning Nikkei kitchen that performs best in a curated, chef-guided sequence—especially when you treat it as a prix-fixe/tasting-style meal rather than a wide à la carte sweep. Build the table around one bright raw dish, one wok/heat-driven main, and a clean finish.
Must-Try Dishes:
Ceviche, Lomo saltado, Smoked duck breast rice
What makes it special: Peruvian-Japanese flavors in a small, high-energy room.
8.1
A long-running sushi bar where the closest “chef’s table” move is posting up at the sushi counter and letting the chefs steer a tight run of nigiri and a couple of signature rolls. The menu is broad, so the best meals come from choosing a lane—sushi-forward plus a few classic hot starters.
Must-Try Dishes:
Crouching Tuna Hidden Crab roll, Spicy Tuna Deluxe roll, Kamehachi Combo
What makes it special: Long-running Old Town institution where generations of Chicagoans had their first sushi.