A suburban Chicago favorite and a swanky fine dining hot spot in northwestern Illinois have landed on two new "Traveler's Choice" lists from Tripadvisor that ranks the top rated restaurants across the country and around the world.
As part of Tripadvisor's Traveler's Choice Award Series, the travel guidance platform recently released a handful of lists dubbed as the "2022 Best of the Best" as rated by travelers -- from "Top 10 Fine Dining Restaurants," to the "Best Hidden Gems in the U.S."
And while eateries from Illinois didn't land on every list, it did rank on two: "Top 10 Places for a Quick Bite, and Top 10 Date Night Restaurants in the U.S.
"Like searching through a big menu for the perfect meal, recommendations can be helpful in decision making, and our community's guidance makes choosing from the wide array of restaurants easier," Said Lauren Murphy, Vice President, GM of Hospitality Solutions at Tripadvisor in a press release. "Tripadvisor's Best of the Best Awards, decided by people who visited and reviewed these places in the past year, offers authentic recommendations for the best places to eat no matter the occasion!"
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Coming in at No. 9 out of 10 on the list of restaurants for "Top 10 Best Quick Bites" is city and suburb and favorite Portillo's Hot Dogs, with nearly 7,200 Tripadvisor reviews and an overall rating of 4.5 stars.
"Had to try the staple hot dog," one review says. "And for someone who isn't a huge fan of hot dogs, it was great."
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According to Tripadvisor, restaurants who made that list fall into the fast-casual category.
The other Illinois restaurant that earned recognition is a bit fancier, and about 170 miles outside the city.
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Coming in at No. 5 on Tripadvisor's "Top 10 Date Night Restaurants in the U.S." is Goldmoor Dining in Galena.
With a 4.5 star average and more than 500 reviews, the restaurant, according to one review, is "A little paradise in Illinois' Alps."
According to Tripadvisor, the lists are calculated "based on the quality and quantity of reviews and ratings for restaurants on Tripadvisor collected from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, specific to each award subcategory, as well as an additional editorial process."