Warlord

The room is a small, loud, fire-lit space at 3198 N Milwaukee Avenue in Avondale, with the grill at its center and seats close to the heat. It is the opposite of a hushed tasting room — communal energy, an open hearth and a no-frills counter feel.

It impresses precisely because it isn't a steakhouse cliché: a client who has done the white-tablecloth circuit remembers a Michelin-listed kitchen cooking 14-day coppa over open fire. The shared, large-format plates give a table something to rally around, and the room's energy carries a conversation.

Not for a quiet, formal dinner or a guest who wants table-side polish — this is a tight, loud, fire-driven room where the food, not the service ceremony, is the show.

Who are the chefs at Warlord? Warlord is run by chef-partners Emily Kraszyk, John Lupton and Trevor Fleming, who cook over a live wood fire in an open kitchen. The team focuses on preservation and dry-aging, and the restaurant was added to the Michelin Guide in 2024 within its first couple of years in Avondale.

What should I order at Warlord? The dry-aged burger and the 14-day aged pork coppa are the dishes regulars come for, both built on the kitchen's aging program. The rest of the menu runs to embers-cooked duck, king salmon and scallops, and it changes with what is available, so trust the day's large-format plates.

How much does dinner cost at Warlord? Plates are à la carte and the menu shifts with the kitchen's deliveries. A full dinner with a few large-format plates and drinks generally runs around $150 a head, though a lighter visit at the bar can cost considerably less. There is no fixed tasting menu.

Where is Warlord and how do I book? Warlord is at 3198 N Milwaukee Avenue in Avondale, on Chicago's Northwest Side, and serves Friday through Monday. Reservations are released through its booking page; a handful of bar seats are kept for walk-ins, so arriving early on a quieter night is the surest route in.