S.K.Y.

Is S.K.Y. worth booking in Chicago?

Yes; and it rewards repeat visits more than most restaurants in its price range. S.K.Y. sits at the $$ price tier for globally minded contemporary cuisine, holds a Michelin Plate (2024), and ranks #89 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual in North America list (2024); credentials that put it well above its price point. If you've been once and wondered whether to return, the answer is go back and work through the menu systematically. The kitchen at 2300 N Lincoln Park W keeps a rotating roster alongside reliable classics, which makes the second and third visit as purposeful as the first.

The Room

S.K.Y. now operates from the first floor of the Belden-Stratford apartment complex in Lincoln Park. The room reads formal enough for a special occasion but relaxed enough that you won't feel out of place in smart-casual clothes. Tall ceilings and dim lighting define the space, it's the kind of room where the lighting does real work, keeping the atmosphere intimate without making it feel cramped. If you're returning after the previous location, the physical setting has changed but the cooking sensibility has not.

What the Kitchen Is Doing

Chef Stephen Gillanders runs a globally informed menu that doesn't stay confined to a single culinary tradition. Roasted lamb meatballs with tikka masala butter sit alongside bibimbap with charred vegetables and mushroom bulgogi, dishes that draw from South Asian and Korean technique without forcing a fusion narrative. This is cooking that takes reference points seriously rather than using them as decoration. The menu has both evolved signatures and newer additions, which is exactly the dynamic that makes a multi-visit approach worthwhile.

How to Plan Your Visits

First Visit: Establish the Baseline

On your first visit, anchor around the kitchen's classics. The banana budino has staying power on the menu for a reason, order it. Build the savory portion of the meal around one of the globally inflected mains, the lamb meatballs being the obvious entry point given how well the tikka masala butter works as a framing device for what the kitchen is trying to do. This visit tells you whether the cuisine's cross-cultural approach clicks for you.

Second Visit: Push Into the Newer Menu

The kitchen adds new dishes alongside the classics, the second visit is where you stress-test them. Newer dessert constructions, like strawberries and champagne with pistachio cake, strawberry ice cream, crémant, are worth prioritizing here. The format rewards diners who are willing to let the menu evolve rather than defaulting to the same order each time. Ask your server which dishes are recent additions; at a place like S.K.Y. that question gets a useful answer.

Third Visit: Brunch

Saturday and Sunday brunch (10 am–2 pm) is a different experience from dinner and one that Lincoln Park regulars tend to underuse. The same kitchen, a lower price pressure, a room that reads differently in daylight. Moving from Highly Recommended in 2023 to a ranked position in 2024 suggests a kitchen that's trending upward, not coasting. At $$, S.K.Y. punches above its price category against Chicago peers that charge significantly more for comparable or lesser cooking.

Practical Details

Reservations: Easy to book, no weeks-long wait required, which is unusual for a Michelin Plate restaurant in Chicago. Book a few days out for weekends, walk-in availability may exist mid-week. Hours: Monday–Thursday 5–10 pm; Friday–Saturday 5–10:30 pm; Saturday–Sunday brunch 10 am–2 pm; Sunday dinner 5–10 pm. Address: 2300 N Lincoln Park W, Chicago, first floor of the Belden-Stratford complex. Budget: $$ price range makes this one of the better-value credentialed restaurants in the city. Dress: Smart casual is the standard; the room's dim lighting and tall ceilings read as a dressed-up space, but there's no formal requirement. Group size: Works well for two or four; larger groups should confirm table configurations when booking.

How It Compares

See the comparison section below for how S.K.Y. stacks up against Chicago's other leading tables.

Pearl Picks: More Chicago Dining

If S.K.Y. is on your list, these are worth knowing: Boka and Elske operate in similar contemporary New American territory but at higher price points. Girl & The Goat is the casual alternative if you want a livelier room with a lower commitment. For something more experimental and intimate, EL Ideas is worth the research. Alinea remains the ceiling for progressive American cooking in Chicago if budget isn't a constraint.

For broader planning: see our full Chicago restaurants guide, our full Chicago hotels guide, our full Chicago bars guide, our full Chicago wineries guide, and our full Chicago experiences guide.

If you're benchmarking S.K.Y. against contemporary American cooking in other cities, relevant comparisons include Lazy Bear in San Francisco, The Wolf's Tailor in Denver, and Sons & Daughters in San Francisco. For fine dining at significantly higher price points, Le Bernardin in New York City, The French Laundry in Napa, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, Providence in Los Angeles, and Emeril's in New Orleans provide useful calibration for what the best of the category looks like.