CHICAGO – Chicagoans don’t have to travel far to experience one of the most highly-rated restaurants in the country. That’s because the city is home to not one, but two restaurants on Yelp’s “Top 100 US Restaurants 2022.”
The ninth annual list seeks to highlight some of Yelp’s highest-rated eateries, based on suggestions provided by Yelp users from coast to coast. This year, restaurants from 35 different states and Washington, D.C. made the cut, with cuisines ranging from Afghan to Vietnamese and everything in between.
In the Windy City, that list includes Oriole in the West Loop, which claimed the #4 spot, and 016 Restaurant and Sandwich Shop in Lincoln Square, which cracked the top quarter at #25.
Oriole first opened in 2016 as a different kind of fine dining experience. With less than 30 tables and no dress code, their roughly 16-course tasting experience has earned the restaurant a two MICHELIN star rating. The famed travel guide describes it as, “one of Chicago’s greatest restaurants.” Claim a reservation for this $285 per person journey through tock.
016 Restaurant and Sandwich Shop is far from fine dining, yet it is still an experience to be sure. The Serbian-centric food stop first opened its doors in late 2019, “focused on classic dishes from the city of Leskovac, Serbia with emphasis on Midwest seasonality,” according to its website. It is named after the area code of Leskovac which is known for hosting one of the largest grilled meats festivals in the world and that tradition is reflected in its menu. See the offerings or make a reservation.
So where must you travel to experience the coveted #1 of the 2022 list? Cocina Madrigal, a Mexican eatery can be found in Phoenix, Arizona. Highlights from their menu include scratch-made tortillas, grilled-romaine salad and “fall-apart beef birria enchiladas,” according to Yelp. The restaurant also boasts a 4½-star rating on the site, based on nearly 2,400 reviews.
The country’s top 10 restaurants in America, as judged by Yelp and Yelp’s reviewers, are below.
- Cocina Madrigal — Phoenix, Arizona
- Aracosia-McLean — McLean, Virginia
- Fermentation Farm — Costa Mesa, California
- Oriole — Chicago, Illinois
- Bird Bird Biscuit — Austin, Texas
- Jackrabbit Filly — Charleston, South Carolina
- Junkyard Bistro — Salmon, Idaho
- The Goodwich — Las Vegas, Nevada
- OSH Restaurant & Grill — Nashville, Tennessee
- The Riv — The Dalles, Oregon
A complete list of Yelp’s “Top 100” restaurants of 2022 can be found at the site’s blog.
In order to compile this year’s list, Yelp first solicited suggestions from users. The submissions were then ranked by their ratings, their number of reviews, and the number of times they were suggested by Yelp users. The rankings were further narrowed down with the help of Yelp’s own Community Managers (i.e., Yelp team members from different regions of the country) and a “Trend Expert.”
“The resulting list is collaborative and passion driven — an accurate reflection of the Yelp Community itself,” Yelp wrote in an emailed statement.
