One Chicago restaurant was just crowned among the best new restaurants in America for 2024 by Esquire Magazine.
The annual list is released by Esquire editors after eating at dozens of eateries across the country throughout the year. From there, 35 restaurants were selected, editors said, "that check every box."
While a number of the restaurants on the list were located in California or New York, several were located in the Midwest, including Mexican joint Vecino in Detroit, and Vietnamese spot Viani in Minneapolis.
In Chicago, one restuarant was lauded: Maxwell's Trading, located at 1516 W. Carroll Ave. in the West Loop.
"If naan and green-onion pancakes had a baby, and that baby was dunked into a creamy dip inspired by French-onion soup, that’d be one delicious baby," Esquire editors wrote. "Good news: Said spawn exists in real life, and you can find it at Maxwells."
The restaurant, which opened in late 2023, earned a spot on Chicago's Michelin Guide. In 2024, it was also named to a list ranking the "Best New Restaurants in America," from luxury review site Robb Report.
Maxwells takes inspiration from Japanese, Chinese and Thai influences, the Michelin guide says. But don't try to put a label on it.
"Their cooking is hard to define and impossible to label," Esquire said. "Maybe you get a funky sea-bass tartare fortified with lemongrass, chile, and nasturtium from their rooftop garden, or maybe you realize that those tortellini happen to be soup dumplings."
In 2023, two Chicago restaurants made Esquire's list of "America's Best New Restaurants" -- River North chophouse Asador Bastian, and Warlord in Avondale.
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The full report from Esquire for 2024 can be found here.
