If you follow many Chicago food social-media accounts, you’ll always know when Creepies introduces a new dish. Avid local diners love being the first to post images of, say, the celeriac gratin with escargot or the slender reimagining of a croque monsieur, all crunch and ooze. It’s a beautiful thing to see fans get so passionate about this funny French restaurant that suggests the American Midwest is a region somewhere between Périgord and Provence. Owners David and Anna Posey (of Elske next door) and chef de cuisine Tayler Ploshehanski (pictured below) have unleashed so much personality that you can’t help but get swept up in the whirlwind of this noisy, perpetually packed bistro. Who could’ve imagined that jammy eggs drenched in runny pools of green and red mayonnaise could bring so much joy, or that a tavern-style tarte flambée would make perfect sense? Creepies follows its own daffy logic, and it’s thrilling. 

Price: $$$
Address: 1360 W. Randolph St.
Website: creepieschicago.com