RFK Rankings · Chicago
Best Tasting Menus Under $200 in Chicago 2026
Chef's tasting menus under $200 · Chicago · 6 tables ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 23, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Six Chicago tasting menus still come in under $200 a head, and every one of them holds a Michelin star or is run by a cook who does. Michael Carlson has held a star at Schwa since 2011; Rick Bayless, Sujan Sarkar, the Poseys and Phillip Foss each plate a full menu for $138 to $165 before wine. This is the city's serious value end, the rooms where the bill stops short of the $300-plus marquee names. Here is who each table suits, what to order, and how to book it. Six, ranked on the cooking, the value and the room rather than the price tag alone.
1.Schwa
A one-star BYOB that has run on its own rules since 2005. Book it for a loose, irreverent night with seriously precise food.
Schwa is chef-owner Michael Carlson's 26-seat room on Ashland Avenue in Wicker Park, open Wednesday through Saturday and pouring no wine of its own — it is BYOB, and always has been. The 15-course tasting menu runs about $160, and Carlson's truffle and quail-egg raviolo, the dish that made his name when it debuted 20 years ago, still turns up alongside things like tea-cured trout with chili crunch. Schwa earned its Michelin star in 2011 and has held it every year since.
This is the booking for diners who want the cooking of a fine-dining kitchen without the hush, in a room where the chefs talk to the table. Reserve well ahead, bring the bottles you want, and expect the night to run long.
Book on the Schwa site; bring your own bottles and let the kitchen set the pace.
2.Topolobampo
Rick Bayless's one-star Mexican tasting and its 'Perfect 7' menu. Book it for the most food and the deepest flavor on this list for the money.
Topolobampo is Rick Bayless's fine-dining Mexican room at 445 N Clark Street in River North, a one-star kitchen in the 2025 Michelin Guide. The 'Perfect 7' tasting menu runs about $165 and gathers the room's signatures — a dark, deep sopa azteca and a soft-shell crab ahogada among them — given the full tasting-menu treatment with optional pairings.
This is the table for a guest who wants regional Mexican cooking taken as seriously as any French room in the city, with a long, generous menu. Reserve two to three weeks ahead and ask the floor to walk you through the moles.
Book on the Topolobampo site; take the Perfect 7 and ask about the mole flight.
3.Indienne
The first Chicago Indian restaurant to win a Michelin star. Book Sujan Sarkar's seven-course for modern Indian cooking with French technique.
Indienne is chef Sujan Sarkar's progressive Indian room in a converted River North printing warehouse, and the first Indian restaurant in Chicago to earn a Michelin star — awarded in 2023 and held for 2024, 2025 and 2026. The seven-course tasting menu is $145 (the vegetarian and vegan versions $135), and a few signatures recur, led by the chicken gustaba poached in yogurt gravy and parmesan rind, finished in parmesan foam and shaved truffle.
This is the booking for a guest who wants ambitious Indian cooking rather than the familiar curry-house template. Reserve on Tock two to three weeks ahead and tell them which of the four menus you want.
Book on Tock; choose your menu (non-veg, pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan) when you reserve.
4.Elske
Anna and David Posey's one-star New Nordic room on Randolph. Book it for restrained, smoke-and-preservation cooking at a fair price.
Elske is the West Loop room of married chefs Anna and David Posey, at 1350 W Randolph Street, a one-star kitchen in the 2025 and 2026 Michelin Guide. The tasting menu is $140 and leans New Nordic — think lamb tartare on rye and duck-liver tart — ending on the room's signature sunflower-seed parfait with sour honey and licorice.
This is the table for a couple who want a calm, ingredient-led tasting without theatrics, in one of the city's most likable dining rooms. Reserve two to three weeks ahead and take the pairing if wine is part of the night.
Book on the Elske site; save room for the sunflower-seed parfait.
5.EL Ideas
Phillip Foss cooks a nine-course in his own home, one seating a night. Book it for the most personal tasting menu in the city.
EL Ideas is chef Phillip Foss's one-star tasting room at 2419 W 14th Street on the West Side, a warehouse space where Foss lives upstairs and seats everyone at once for a single nightly service. The nine-course menu is $140 and changes constantly, but the signature French fries and Frosty — an homage to his kids — never comes off. It holds a Michelin star in the 2025 and 2026 guide, and it is BYOB with no corkage.
This is the booking for a guest who wants to stand next to the cooks, wander the pantry and treat dinner as a party. Email the restaurant for reservations and bring whatever you want to drink.
Email [email protected]; bring your own wine, no corkage.
6.North Pond
A one-star Arts-and-Crafts room on the Lincoln Park pond. Book it for seasonal cooking and the best view on this list.
North Pond sits at 2610 N Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park, a former ice-skaters' warming shelter turned one-star restaurant with waterfront views of the pond and the skyline beyond. Chef Cesar Murillo cooks with the seasons and layers in Latin and Asian notes, and the five-course seasonal tasting menu is $138, the softest landing on this list.
This is the table for a daytime or early-evening celebration where the setting matters as much as the plate. Reserve a week or two ahead and ask for a window table by the water.
Book on OpenTable; ask for a table by the pond.
Over the line
Brilliant, but not under $200
Alinea, Smyth, Ever and Oriole. All four are Chicago's marquee tasting rooms, and all four run well past $300 a head before wine. Save them for a milestone night; this list is for the sub-$200 tables.
Kasama and Mako. Both are excellent and both crossed the line in 2025 — Kasama's 13-course is $215, Mako's omakase $215. Worth it, but over the ceiling here.
How to book a Chicago tasting menu
Most of these release tables on Tock or Resy 30 to 45 days out, and the one-star rooms sell their weekend seatings first. Book three to four weeks ahead, put any dietary needs in the notes, and arrive on time — several seat the whole room at once.
Schwa and EL Ideas are BYOB, so bring the bottle you want; the others run pairings around $95. For the softest landing on the wallet, North Pond at $138 and Elske at $140 are the picks; Topolobampo and Indienne give you the most food for the money.
Frequently asked
What is the best tasting menu under $200 in Chicago?
Schwa holds our top spot. Chef-owner Michael Carlson has kept a Michelin star since 2011, and his roughly $160, 15-course menu in Wicker Park pairs the cooking of a fine-dining kitchen with a loose, BYOB room. Book three to four weeks ahead, bring your own wine, and expect a long, hands-on night.
How much does a tasting menu cost in Chicago?
On this list, a full chef's tasting menu runs $138 to $165 a head before wine, with North Pond ($138) and Elske ($140) at the low end and Topolobampo (~$165) at the top. The city's marquee rooms — Alinea, Ever, Smyth and Oriole — run well past $300, which is why they sit outside this guide.
Which Michelin-starred Chicago restaurants have tasting menus under $200?
Schwa, Indienne, Elske, EL Ideas, Topolobampo and North Pond each hold a Michelin star and keep their tasting menus under $200, from $138 at North Pond to about $165 at Topolobampo. Kasama and Mako also hold stars but crossed $200 in 2025, so they fall outside this list.
Do these Chicago tasting menus require reservations?
Yes. All six are reservation-only and book on Tock, Resy, OpenTable or by email 30 to 45 days out, with weekend seatings going first. EL Ideas takes bookings by email and seats one service a night, so plan furthest ahead for it. Put dietary needs in the booking notes.
Which Chicago tasting menu is the best value?
North Pond at $138 and Elske at $140 are the lowest sticker prices, while Topolobampo and Indienne give you the most courses for the money at $145 to $165. Schwa and EL Ideas are BYOB, so skipping a pairing saves you another $90-plus on the night.
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