Michelin Announces its 2024 Stars and Bib Gourmands for Chicago

Cariño, which opened in November 2023 in Uptown, has earned a Michelin star in its first year of operation. It’s a stunning achievement for chef Norman Fenton, a Detroit native whose tasting menu shows off Mexican and Central American flavors with delicate items like a huitlacoche ravioli and Ora King salmon with a spicy and calming cucumber-jalapeño aguachile.

“Honestly for me, at 11 months in, it’s one — it’s a great, big validation of what we’ve been doing at 4662 N. Broadway,” Fenton says. “I feel really honored to bring a coveted star back to that address in Chicago and to that neighborhood, specifically a neighborhood that’s definitely off the beaten path.”

Fenton and his crew received the news on Monday night during Michelin’s award ceremony in New York. Cariño’s ascension was the main Chicago storyline. The number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago decreased in 2024, going from 21 in the previous year to 20. Cariño was the only addition as two restaurants that appeared on the 2023 list, Temporis and Porto, have closed.

The only other movement came from Moody Tongue, often cited as the only Michelin-starred brewpub in the world. The brewery, located near McCormick Place, has been a two-starred restaurant since 2021. This year, inspectors dropped the restaurant to a single star. They did the same with Omakase Yume in West Loop.

There was clamor that Oriole, chef Noah Sandoval’s tasting menu restaurant in the West Loop, was on the cusp of three stars, following the template set last year with Smyth leaped from two to three. Smyth kept its three-star rating and Oriole kept its two stars. Smyth joins chef Grant Achatz’s Alinea as the only three-Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago.

The stars are the highlight of the Michelin Guide, an honor chefs dream of, even though there’s no such thing as a “Michelin-starred chef.” It’s a team honor for the entire staff at the restaurant. Stars often recognize fine dining restaurants and Michelin dedicates another list, its Bib Gourmands, to more affordable restaurants offering quality cooking.

Chicago’s Bib Gourmands saw 11 fewer restaurants with places like One Off Hospitality Group’s Avec, the new Etta, and Stephanie Izard’s Cabra falling off the list. There are 37 Chicago Bib Gourmands in 2024 compared to 48 last year. The only new selection was Sifr, the Middle Eastern restaurant in River North from the owners of Chicago’s only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, Indienne.

“Overall, I just feel relieved and very happy for the team and how hard they worked and what efforts they put into it — and the dedication and just coming in, day in and day out on the daily grind,” Fenton says. “They understand that it’s hard work, but push through to see through our goals.”

The honor is one of redemption for Fenton who was the chef at Cariño’s predecessor, Brass Heart. Fenton didn’t open the restaurant and found himself cooking at the restaurant in the middle of the pandemic with fewer eyes on fine dining restaurants. Brass Heart would close and give Fenton an opportunity. He convinced his business partner, Karen Young (Young employed Fenton at a restaurant in Mexico called Wild Tulum) to take a chance on him in Chicago. The result was Cariño. Before Brass Heart, the space was home to Michelin-starred 42 Grams.

Fenton says he’s hopeful the award will provide further proof of concept, so they can become a “recogonizable force.” While Fenton says the award should continue to provide them the “fuel and motivation to continue pushing,” he laughed when asked what was next for him and his staff.

“We gotta go to work on Wednesday,” he says.

Chicagoans factored in four other awards. For the second straight year, Daisies in Logan Square won a Green Star for its continued efforts toward sustainability. They were the only Chicago restaurant that earned the award. Inspectors also awarded Scott Stroemer of Galit with the Michelin Sommelier Award while Tim Flores and Genie Kwon of Kasama with the Outstanding Service Award. Michelin also awarded one of three 2024 Young Chef Awards to Josh Mummert of Kumiko. He joined the Japanese-inspired cocktail bar three years ago and was formerly at Elske.

Check out the lists of Chicago’s Michelin winners below.

*Denotes new for 2024

Three Stars

Alinea

Smyth

Two Stars

Ever

Oriole

One Star

Atelier

Boka

*Cariño

EL Ideas

Elske

Esme

Galit

Indienne

Kasama

Mako

Next

Moody Tongue

Schwa

Sepia

Topolobampo

*Denotes new for 2024

Birrieria Zaragoza

Boonie’s

Cellar Door

Chef’s Special Cocktail bar

Chilam Balam

Ciccio Mio

Daisies

Dear Margaret

The Duck Inn

Frontera

Ghin Khao

Giant

Gilt Bar

Girl & The Goat

HaiSous

Kie-Gol-Lanee

Lardon

Longman & Eagle

Lula Cafe

Mama Delia

mfk

Mi Tocaya

Mott St

Munno Pizzeria

Nella

Perilla

Pleasant House Pub

Pompette

Proxi

Purple Pig

*Sifr

Sochi

Sol de Mexico

Superkhana International

Table, Donkey and Stick

Tortello

Union

Virtue

Yao Yao