GILT BAR Gilt’s popular good-times vibe may finally break this space’s long-held jinx. Then again, we said that when Aigre Doux opened, too. 230 W. Kinzie St.; 312-464-9544
LONGMAN & EAGLE Overheard at this throbbing Logan Square porkopolis: “How long’s the wait?” “@#$%ing long, man.” 2657 N. Kedzie Ave.; 773-276-7110
M BURGER Lettuce’s cutesy burger counter takes its cues from In-N-Out on the West Coast and Shake Shack on the East. 161 E. Huron St.; 312-254-8500
THE PURPLE PIG All things pig have been king for a couple of years now, but this smart pub has the guts to call a swine a swine. 500 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-464-1744
LEO’S CONEY ISLAND Could this be the first time Chicagoans have knowingly embraced a Detroit tradition? 3455 N. Southport Ave.; 773-281-5367
EPIC A grandiose name for River North’s latest hipster magnet, but the space is so cool, we can live with it. 112 W. Hubbard St.; 312-222-4940
ISACCO KITCHEN Retro fancy dinners gain serious traction in the western suburbs to a Bob Marley soundtrack. It’s a party. 210 Cedar St., St. Charles; 630-444-0202
BALSAN The eclectic menu (throwback cocktails, burgers, charcuterie) basically taps into every current trend. Elysian Hotel, 11 E. Walton St.; 312-646-1400
XOCO Bayless timeline: Frontera Grill, casual (’87); Topolobampo, white tablecloths (’89); Frontera Fresco, cafeteria line (’05); Xoco, street food (’09). What’s next? Flan from a pushcart? 449 N. Clark St.; 312-334-3688
PRAIRIE FIRE Stegner and Bumbaris caught the same lightning in a bottle that makes Prairie Grass a North Shore hit. 215 N. Clinton St.; 312-382-8300