{"id":324126,"date":"2025-10-22T15:15:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T15:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/324126\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:15:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T15:15:36","slug":"chicagos-best-young-chefs-on-their-favorite-restaurants-bars-and-cafes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/324126\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago\u2019s Best Young Chefs on Their Favorite Restaurants, Bars and Cafes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Time Out’s 2025 class of Best Young Chefs,\u00a0Javauneeka Jacobs, Josh Mummert and Meghan McGarvey, are three of Chicago’s most exciting rising talents, all under the age of 30. They helm Michelin-starred kitchens,\u00a0and in less than a decade, have made an immense impact on the city’s dining scene.<\/p>\n

We sat down with the chefs\u00a0to find out what restaurants they’re loving right now, which spots they’re most excited about, and the best dishes they’ve eaten this year. From comfort food and carb-heavy pastries to neighborhood bars and old-school sandwich shops, their favorites cover all the bases\u2014and offer a well-rounded list of recommendations for curious diners. <\/p>\n

Here’s what they told us.<\/p>\n

Favorite hidden gem in Chicago?<\/p>\n

Lao Peng You<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Lao
\nPhotograph: Courtesy Lao Peng You <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re great for noodles and comfort food, which is usually what I want to eat on the weekends.\u201d – Meghan McGarvey<\/p>\n

Queen Mary Tavern<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"queen
\nPhoto: Christina Slaton for Queen Mary Tavern <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not new, and not necessarily a hidden gem, but I adore Queen Mary, and I go there frequently.\u201d – Josh Mummert<\/p>\n

Fontano\u2019s Subs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A
\nPhotograph: Jaclyn Rivas <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know, you know.\u201d – Javauneeka Jacobs\u00a0<\/p>\n

Favorite dish in Chicago?<\/p>\n

Za\u2019atar bagels from\u00a0Mindy’s Bakery<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA ton of cream cheese and a lot of carbs is my thing\u2014I love it.\u201d -MM<\/p>\n

Soup dumplings from Hing Kee<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"hing
\nPhotograph: Nick Murway <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve ordered 30 soup dumplings just for myself. That\u2019s my comfort food.\u201d -JM<\/p>\n

A burger from Redhot Ranch<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Red
\nPhotograph: Jaclyn Rivas for Time Out <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was something I had when I was in culinary school. It\u2019s so nostalgic.\u201d -JJ<\/p>\n

Favorite restaurant in Chicago?<\/p>\n

Zarella<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"zarella\"
\nPhotograph: Courtesy Zarella\/Nick Podraza <\/p>\n

\u201cI went there recently and had a bunch of pizza. It was amazing.\u201d -MM<\/p>\n

Oliver\u2019s<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Half
\nPhotograph: Maggie Hennessy <\/p>\n

\u201cThe half chicken with dill was perfectly cooked. If you can roast a chicken well, then you\u2019ve got my attention.\u201d -JM<\/p>\n

Boka<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Boka\"
\nPhotograph: Martha Williams <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always consistent, the price isn\u2019t crazy, and the service is exceptional. I love their food.\u201d -JJ<\/p>\n

Most exciting new restaurant, bakery or cafe in Chicago?<\/p>\n

Del Sur Bakery<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI waited in line for about 20 minutes, and it was totally worth it. The pastries are so cool.\u201d -MM<\/p>\n

Milli by Metric<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Milli
\nPhotograph: Lauren Brocato for Time Out <\/p>\n

\u201cThe space is gorgeous, the coffee is phenomenal, and the pastries are incredible. It was one of my most anticipated openings.\u201d -JM<\/p>\n

The Oakville Grill & Cellar<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Oakville's
\nPhotograph: Lindsay Eberly <\/p>\n

\u201cI love getting a fancy wine and\u00a0talking with the sommelier. It\u2019s always exciting, and the food is consistent.\u201d -JJ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Time Out’s 2025 class of Best Young Chefs,\u00a0Javauneeka Jacobs, Josh Mummert and Meghan McGarvey, are three of Chicago’s…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":324127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[10633,960,5386,1818,10634,988],"class_list":{"0":"post-324126","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-categories-restaurants","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois","12":"tag-news-eating","13":"tag-restaurants"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115418479741995453","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}