How to book Smyth

Smyth is a tasting-menu restaurant at 177 N. Ada St. in Chicago's West Loop, run by the married chefs John Shields and Karen Urie Shields^1,2. The two met at Charlie Trotter's, John was a sous chef on the opening team at Alinea, and the couple later ran Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia; Smyth takes its name from Smyth County there². It opened in 2016, a month after The Loyalist, the burger-focused bar downstairs².

Recognition came quickly. Smyth earned a Michelin star in 2017 after six weeks of service, a second in 2018 and a third in November 2023³. In May 2026 it was named the No. 1 restaurant in North America by 50 Best, the year of its tenth anniversary^2,6.

The cooking is built around North American farmers, fishermen and producers at the peak of their season, and the menu changes constantly¹. Michelin's inspectors call it a "highly personal and ingredient-driven tasting menu"⁴, and John Shields has described it as "farm on a plate"³. Produce comes from growers such as Froggy Meadow Farm in Beloit, Wisconsin, with herbs and flowers from a rooftop garden². Guests eat in a room built around an open kitchen⁶.

There are two menus: the Smyth Menu at $420 per person, lasting about two and a half to three hours, and a longer Chef's Menu at $550 with extra courses, some presented by the chefs¹. From November 5, 2026 the restaurant moves to the extended Chef's Menu only, with full prepayment and tables released on a rolling 90-day basis at noon Central time¹. Wine director Louis Fabbrini offers pairings of small-production, low-intervention wines¹. In September 2026 Smyth named Conor Dalton, formerly head chef at Skof in Manchester, as head chef, working alongside the Shieldses⁵.