The best Chicago restaurants, according to restaurateur Kevin Boehm
Kevin Boehm was just 10 when he told his mother he wanted to open a restaurant. “There was something about the social aspect that drew me in—like wow, I can just throw a party every single night, a bunch of people come, they make a mess, we clean it up, and do it again the next day?” he says. “I wasn’t that far off.”
In the last 30 years, Boehm has opened a whopping 40 restaurants across America. As co-founder of the Boka Restaurant Group (along with partner Rob Katz), he’s the force behind acclaimed chef-driven places like Boka, Girl & the Goat, and Alla Vita. The OpenTable advisory board member and James Beard Foundation Award winner is also a writer and speaker, having delivered keynote speeches for the National Restaurant Show, New York City Food & Wine Festival, and more.
Even though Boehm spends time in Los Angeles and New York City, where the Boka Restaurant Group has expanded in recent years, he lives—and eats—in Chicago. Here are 10 of his go-to restaurants in his hometown.
OpenTable advisory board members are compensated for their time and expertise, but all the restaurant selections are their own.
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