Maple & Ash Chicago

Maple & Ash is on West Maple Street, a five-minute walk from the Magnificent Mile. The dining room carries a smart and elegant register, and the kitchen focuses on grills and South American flavors. The venue holds a Wine Spectator Excellence Award.

Most grills in this part of Chicago lean into a utilitarian aesthetic, but this space commits to the theater of classic dining. While the proximity to Water Tower Place brings a transient, shopping-heavy crowd, the menu manages to avoid the tourist-trap trappings common to the district. It is a more deliberate choice than the steakhouses lining the nearby blocks, trading traditional wood-paneled stoicism for a room that feels unapologetically dressed up. If you are choosing between the reliable staples of the area and a kitchen that prioritizes the wine list as much as the flame, this is the pick.