When Michelin started awarding stars to Chicago restaurants in 2011, the city was one of the most exciting places to eat in America. Grant Achatz had recently opened his evolving restaurant concept, Next, and chefs like Laurent Gras and Graham Elliot were cooking wildly ambitious dishes. It was the country’s most high-end experimental dining city.
But the tide is turning in the Windy City. According to an Allied x Zillow 2021 Magnet States Report, Chicago led U.S. cities in outbound moves in 2021. Residents were most likely to head to warmer places with better housing such as Phoenix and Houston.
Likewise, Chicago is quietly losing Michelin star power. On April 5, the restaurant guide announced its star rankings for the city. There’s still just one three-star dining room in town: Alinea, owned by Achatz and Nick Kokonas. (In the inaugural Chicago guide, Gras’s L20 also earned three stars.)
