Restaurant in Chicago, United States
Easy booking, honest Southern food, fair price.
Ina Mae is Wicker Park's most practical call for New Orleans-style cooking at an honest price — $$ with a 4.2 rating across 1,200+ reviews. The bar-forward layout and late-night energy make it the right pick when you don't want to plan weeks ahead. Nashville Fried Chicken and Gumbo Ya-Ya are the orders to make; beignets close it out well.
Yes — and more directly: if you want New Orleans cooking done with genuine commitment at a price point that won't require justification the next morning, Ina Mae on North Wood Street is the right call. At $$, it sits in a different category entirely from the $$$$ tasting-menu circuit that dominates Chicago's national reputation. That's the point. This is a neighborhood tavern with a serious kitchen, not a fine-dining showcase, and it performs that role with enough consistency to earn a 4.2 from over 1,200 Google reviewers.
The question worth asking isn't whether Ina Mae is ambitious enough — it's whether it matches what you actually want on a given night. If the answer involves fried chicken, a po'boy, gumbo, and a bar that's still moving at a good pace after 10 PM, book it.
Ina Mae occupies a corner position in Wicker Park that gives it the kind of presence casual restaurants rarely earn: a wide interior, a bar stacked deep with drinkers, and a dining room that runs on professional-but-approachable service. The bar up front is the social engine of the place , it fills early and stays full, making it a workable option for solo diners or two-tops who didn't plan ahead. The dining room behind it is less chaotic, better for conversation and groups.
The kitchen draws from New Orleans tradition , Gumbo Ya-Ya built with shrimp, chicken, and crawfish; NOLA po'boys across several variants; beignets and a rotating bread pudding to close. The standout on the menu, at least by staff consensus, is the Nashville Fried Chicken. That combination , NOLA framework, Nashville heat as a signature move , tells you something useful about how the kitchen thinks: it respects the source material while making clear decisions about where to push.
For food enthusiasts coming from outside Chicago, Ina Mae makes sense as a comparison point for how Southern cooking translates to a Northern urban setting. For comparison: Olamaie in Austin takes a more refined, plated approach to Southern food, while Arnold's Country Kitchen in Nashville is the cafeteria-line, no-pretense end of the spectrum. Ina Mae sits between those two poles , more casual than Olamaie, more considered than Arnold's.
This is where Ina Mae earns its distinction in the Wicker Park dining roster. The bar-forward layout and the energy of the room make it a practical destination when you're arriving after a show, after drinks somewhere else, or simply after the 9 PM window when most Chicago restaurants are thinking about last seating. The kitchen's menu , built around fried proteins, rich stews, and deep-fried pastry , holds up late. Gumbo doesn't suffer from being ordered at 10:30 PM. Beignets, dusted in powdered sugar and arriving hot from the fryer, are exactly what the end of a late evening calls for. The scent of frying dough and spiced broth that moves through the room as food passes from kitchen to table is not incidental , it's what the space is built around, and it does its job.
If you're building a late-night Chicago itinerary, check our full Chicago bars guide for what to do before or after, and our full Chicago restaurants guide if you need a broader picture of the city's dining options across price points.
Booking at Ina Mae is easy by Chicago standards. You do not need to scramble three weeks out the way you would for Kasama or Oriole. A few days ahead is usually sufficient for a dinner reservation in the dining room. For a Friday or Saturday night when you want a specific time and a table rather than bar seating, 48–72 hours notice is a reasonable buffer. Walk-ins at the bar are genuinely possible midweek and often on weekends if you're flexible about timing. If you're visiting Chicago primarily for the tasting-menu scene , Alinea, Smyth, or Oriole , Ina Mae is a low-friction option for the nights when you want something different without planning six weeks in advance.
For accommodation planning around Wicker Park, see our full Chicago hotels guide.
At $$ pricing, Ina Mae doesn't require much justification. The comparison that matters isn't against the $$$$ set in Chicago , that's a different purchase entirely. The comparison is against other casual Southern or comfort-food options in the city, and on that basis Ina Mae wins on consistency and execution. The 4.2 rating across 1,293 reviews is a useful signal: at this price tier, that volume of positive feedback usually means the kitchen delivers reliably rather than occasionally. You're not rolling the dice on a good night versus a bad one.
For reference, Virtue on the South Side offers a comparable Southern-focused commitment at a similar price tier, with a more polished dining room but less late-night energy. Which you prefer depends on what you're optimizing for: Virtue for a quieter, more composed dinner; Ina Mae for a room with more movement and a bar you can actually use.
Travelers building broader food itineraries can also compare against standout Southern and American venues elsewhere in the country: Emeril's in New Orleans for the source-city version of this cooking, or higher-ambition American restaurants like Le Bernardin, Lazy Bear, The French Laundry, Single Thread Farm, or Providence to anchor where Ina Mae sits on the national spectrum. It's not competing with those venues, but knowing that spectrum helps frame the decision: Ina Mae is where you go when the goal is a satisfying, well-executed meal at an honest price, not a statement dinner.
See also our Chicago experiences guide and Chicago wineries for broader trip planning.
Quick reference: $$ pricing, Wicker Park, bar-forward layout, easy booking (48–72 hrs out), strong late-night option, 4.2/5 across 1,293 reviews.
Ina Mae doesn't compete directly with Chicago's $$$$ tasting-menu set, so the comparison that matters is whether it's the right call within its own tier. Against Virtue, which takes a Southern approach with more dining-room formality, Ina Mae is the better pick for late-night flexibility and bar-seat availability. Virtue wins if you want a quieter room and a more composed experience from start to finish.
If you're in Chicago specifically for the tasting-menu circuit, Alinea, Smyth, Kasama, Next Restaurant, and Moody Tongue are all $$$$ operations requiring advance planning weeks out and a serious per-head spend. Ina Mae is what you book for the other nights , the ones that don't need a reservation strategy or a budget conversation. The booking ease alone makes it a useful anchor in a multi-day Chicago itinerary built around harder-to-get tables.
On pure value, Ina Mae is the easiest yes in this peer set. It's not offering the technical ambition of Smyth or the theatrical experience of Alinea, but at $$ with a 4.2 rating and over 1,200 reviews, it delivers more consistently than most casual options in the city. If you're a food enthusiast who wants to understand Chicago's dining range rather than just its headline restaurants, Ina Mae belongs on the list.
For most nights, 48–72 hours is enough. Weekend prime-time slots fill faster, so book Thursday for a Friday or Saturday dinner. Walk-ins at the bar work well midweek. This is one of the easier bookings in Wicker Park , nothing like the weeks-out planning required for Kasama or Oriole.
At $$ pricing, yes, without much qualification. A 4.2 rating across more than 1,200 reviews at this price tier indicates reliable execution rather than occasional excellence. You're not paying tasting-menu prices, and you're not getting tasting-menu ambition , but you're getting well-executed Southern cooking in a room that functions well. Compare it against Virtue for a similar price point with a different room feel.
The staff-cited standout is the Nashville Fried Chicken. Beyond that, the Gumbo Ya-Ya (shrimp, chicken, crawfish, potato salad) is the menu's anchor dish, and the NOLA po'boys cover the midday and lighter-appetite cases. End with beignets or the rotating bread pudding , both are worth ordering. The bread pudding changes, so ask what's current when you arrive.
No. Ina Mae is an a la carte tavern, not a tasting-menu operation. If a tasting-menu format is what you're after in Chicago, Alinea, Smyth, or Kasama are the right destinations. Ina Mae is for when you want to order what you want, eat in your own time, and leave having spent $$ rather than $$$$.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ina Mae | Southern | $$ | Straddling a bustling corner, this New Orleans-style tavern feels right at home in vibrant Wicker Park. The interior is vast, with a humming bar up front where patrons line up three-deep behind stools. Beyond that, find a casual dining space buzzing with an amiable, but professional staff. Named for Executive Chef Brian Jupiter’s great-grandmother, Ina Mae, the menu ticks off many NOLA classics. Come for lunch or dinner for staples like their Gumbo Ya-Ya with shrimp, chicken, crawfish, and a scoop of potato salad, or their NOLA po'boys with a variety of options, but don't miss the staff favorite—their Nashville Fried Chicken. End with beignets or their rotating bread pudding offerings.; Straddling a bustling corner, this New Orleans-style tavern feels right at home in vibrant Wicker Park. The interior is vast, with a humming bar up front where patrons line up three-deep behind stools. Beyond that, find a casual dining space buzzing with an amiable, but professional staff. Named for Executive Chef Brian Jupiter’s great-grandmother, Ina Mae, the menu ticks off many NOLA classics. Come for lunch or dinner for staples like their Gumbo Ya-Ya with shrimp, chicken, crawfish, and a scoop of potato salad, or their NOLA po'boys with a variety of options, but don't miss the staff favorite—their Nashville Fried Chicken. End with beignets or their rotating bread pudding offerings. | Easy | — |
| Smyth | Progressive American, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Alinea | Progressive American, Creative | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Kasama | Filipino | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Next Restaurant | American Cuisine | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Moody Tongue | Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
A few days ahead is usually enough — this is not a hard-to-get reservation. Ina Mae operates at $$ pricing with a wide interior and a bar that absorbs walk-in overflow, so you are not competing with the weeks-out scramble required for spots like Kasama. For weekend dinner, book 2-3 days out to be safe; weeknight visits are generally easier.
At $$ pricing, yes — straightforwardly. The menu covers New Orleans classics including Gumbo Ya-Ya, po'boys, and Nashville Fried Chicken, and the kitchen is named for Executive Chef Brian Jupiter's great-grandmother, which signals genuine ownership of the food. You are not paying a premium for atmosphere or cachet; you are paying a fair price for cooking that takes the cuisine seriously.
Start with the Gumbo Ya-Ya — shrimp, chicken, crawfish, and a scoop of potato salad — which covers the NOLA baseline well. The Nashville Fried Chicken is the staff's own recommendation and the dish most cited alongside the restaurant. Finish with beignets or the rotating bread pudding; the bread pudding rotation is worth checking before you visit.
Ina Mae does not operate a tasting menu format — it is a casual New Orleans-style tavern at $$ pricing with an a la carte menu of Southern classics. If a structured multi-course format is what you are after, Kasama or Smyth are the relevant Chicago alternatives. Ina Mae's value case is built on accessible ordering and a bar-forward room, not a set progression.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
