Smyth + The Loyalist
Smyth + The Loyalist sits at twenty-five because it occupies two different definitions of greatness simultaneously — and Chicago's only remaining three-Michelin-star restaurant is upstairs.
After Alinea's demotion in 2025, Smyth is the only three-Michelin-star restaurant left in Chicago. John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, who trained at Alinea, Tru, and Charlie Trotter's, built a daily-changing tasting menu on the upper floor that sources from North American farmers and makers operating at peak season, then transforms those ingredients into courses that are seasonal in the deepest sense — not trend-following, but genuinely governed by what is ready and why. The menu does not repeat; Shields gathers new inspirations and rebuilds.
Downstairs, The Loyalist operates as a French-focused elevated bar with a burger that has earned its own cult. The two rooms share a kitchen and a philosophy but not a price point, making Smyth + The Loyalist the rare address in Chicago where the highest and the most accessible versions of excellent cooking coexist under one roof. The three stars belong to Smyth; the loyalty belongs to both.
- Smyth daily tasting menu
- The Loyalist smash burger
- Farm-driven bar snacks downstairs
