Chicago’s Hottest Asian Restaurants

Chicago is bursting at the seams with Chinese and Asian restaurants – read on for our edit of the city’s wok stars.

Riffing on New York’s iconic Chinatown original, industrial-tinged Mott Street has become an Asian street food mainstay in Chicago's trendy Wicker Park. Snaking queues for inventive, twisted bites like kimchi empanadas, panko-crusted beef tongue and calamari bokum, grow even longer in warm weather when the vibey rooftop patio becomes the place to eat and be seen.

If you have any foodie friends in Chicago, you’ll have no doubt heard them extoll the praises of quirksome Korean firecracker Parachute. Since opening in 2014, Top Chef victor Beverly Kim has been delighting K-ficionados with funky dishes like softshell crab in black-bean sauce, fried tapioca coated in truffle furikake, and baked potato bing bread – the latter is utterly life-changing.

Straight-up pho joint this ain’t – Viet kitchen HaiSous touches on some of the nation’s lesser-known renditions, using homemade speciality garnishes like spicy beef jerky, confit aubergine and crispy shallots. Although the canteen boasts various buzzy communal areas, we love the open-kitchen for its wok theatrics. Be sure to order the prawn summer rolls.

To immerse yourself in the full-on Nippon experience, stride over to mammoth, multi-storey grazer Momotaro, complete with sushi counter, robata grill, a rowdy, retro-tinged izakaya, and an entire floor dedicated to so-Tokyo private dining. Sit counter-side and watch the action unfold before your eyes, or keep it cosy in a leather-lined booth and pair your pickings with craft drafts.

Stephanie Izard, the first woman to bag Top Chef, keeps the victories coming at vibrant, Chinoise character-packed Duck Duck Goat. Tempting mains span Sichuan eggplant and goat sausage, grilled beef and broccoli, and Taiwanese three-cup chicken. There’s always a goat and duck dish of the day but beware quackers run out quick. Can't score a table? Pay a trip to the take-out window.

Heavy is the head that wears the ‘Chicago’s best Chinese restaurant’ crown (Zagat), but The Peninsula’s Shanghai Terrace makes it look easy with its seamless service, sublime Cantonese delicacies, and Art Deco supper-club atmosphere. As well as crowd-pleasers like dim sum and Peking duck, ST has its own specialities like a punchy peanut-laden Kung Pao Chicken and beef tenderloin in a black pepper sauce. Secure a spot on the viewy rooftop for cocktails after.

Mott Street / 1401 N Ashland Ave / Wicker Park / +1 773 687 9977 / dinner Mon-Sat, brunch Sun / mottstreetchicago.com

Parachute / 3500 N Elston Ave / Avondale / +1 773 654 1460 / dinner Tue-Sat / parachuterestaurant.com

HaiSous / 1800 S Carpenter St / Pilsen / +1 312 702 1303 / dinner Mon-Sat, brunch Sat-Sun / haisous.com

Momotaro / 820 W Lake St / West Loop / +1 312 733 4818  / dinner daily / momotarochicago.com

Duck Duck Goat / 857 W Fulton Market / West Loop / +1 312 902 3825 / dinner daily, dim sum brunch Sat-Sun / duckduckgoatchicago.com

Shanghai Terrace / 4/F / The Peninsula  / +1 312 573 6695 / dinner daily / no res for alfresco dining / peninsula.com