The No. 1 best restaurant in North America is right here in Chicago, according to a new report.
The report, titled “50 Best North America Restaurants,” is part of the acclaimed “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list from the 50 best organization. Winners were revealed at at the 2026 awards ceremony in New Orleans Thursday night, with New York’s Atomix grabbing the No. 1 spot in 2025.
For 2026, Smyth, at 177 N. Ada St. #101 in the West Loop, landed at No. 1. The 10-year-old, farm-to-table restaurant, known for its elaborate tasting menu, pairings and natural wines is also Chicago’s only three-star Michelin rated spot.
“It’s an absolute honor to be named No. 1 on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026,” a social media post from the restaurant said.
Editor’s wrote that Smyth partners with farms across the U.S., “ensuring the highest quality ingredients land on diners plates.”
“Marrying both consistency and creativity, dishes on the multi-course tasting menu are rooted seasonality and the flavours of the Midwest, with intriguing pairings and unique takes on ingredients all part of the experience,” Smyth’s winning entry read.
Smyth in Chicago is named The Best Restaurant in North America at the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, held in New Orleans on May 28th.
The restaurant was also named by the organization as The Best Restaurant in Midwest USA 2026.
The agency said the North America 50 Best Restaurants awards “aim to bring global recognition to well-deserving restaurants and their teams across the USA, Canada and the Caribbean.” Restaurants are voted on by an academy of 300 people, made up of restaurant experts, chefs, restaurateurs food journalists and gourmets.
“The ranking provides an annual snapshot of the opinions and experiences of 300 experts,” organizers said, with Academy members taking into account quality of food, service, surroundings, atmosphere, social impact and price.
What constitutes ‘best’ is up to each voter to decide – as everyone’s tastes are different, so is everyone’s idea of what constitutes a great restaurant experience,” editors said.
According to the organization, the full list of 50 restaurants span 20 cities, including 14 restaurants from Canada and 26 from the U.S.
The full list of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants can be found here.
