NEW RESTAURANTS & BARS.
166 Chicago restaurants and bars have been licensed in the last 90 days. Each one is listed below with the result of the health inspection the city carried out before it opened — 130 passed, 29 passed with conditions and 7 failed.
What counts as a new restaurant here
Chicago does not publish a restaurant opening date. What it does publish is the reason for every health inspection — and when that reason is a licence inspection, the business is applying for a new food licence or renewing one, almost always before it serves a customer. That makes a licence inspection the closest thing the public record has to an opening announcement.
This page lists every Chicago restaurant and bar whose most recent inspection was a licence inspection filed within the last 90 days — currently 2026-05-08 through 2026-08-04. It is not a best-of list and contains no reviews. It answers a narrower question that no restaurant guide answers: what just opened, and did it pass?
78% of these recently licensed establishments passed outright. A short inspection record here means a business is new, not that it has been avoiding inspectors — and a first-inspection failure is usually an equipment or plumbing problem caught before opening, not a reason to write a place off.
Where Chicago is opening right now
Neighborhoods with the most newly licensed restaurants and bars in the last 90 days.
Every newly licensed restaurant & bar, newest first
New Chicago restaurant inspections FAQ
How do you know which Chicago restaurants are new?
The City of Chicago records why every inspection happened. When the reason is a licence inspection, the business is applying for a new food licence or renewing one — normally before it serves a single customer. This page lists every Chicago restaurant and bar whose most recent inspection was a licence inspection filed in the last 90 days. Chicago publishes no opening-date field, so this is the closest signal the public record offers to a new opening.
Is this a list of the best new restaurants in Chicago?
No. This is a record of which establishments were recently licensed and how they did on inspection. It contains no reviews, ratings or recommendations. For opinions on which new restaurants are worth visiting, publications like Chicago Magazine, Eater Chicago and The Infatuation cover that; this page answers a different question — what just opened, and did it pass.
Does a licence inspection mean the restaurant has opened?
Not necessarily. A licence inspection usually happens shortly before opening, so a business appearing here is typically days or weeks from serving customers, and occasionally already open. It is a signal that a business is about to begin operating, not a confirmed opening date.
Can a brand-new Chicago restaurant fail its first inspection?
Yes. Licence inspections are real inspections and can result in a Fail or a Pass with Conditions — most often for equipment, plumbing or facility problems found before opening. Of the 166 recently licensed places on this page, 130 passed, 29 passed with conditions and 7 failed. An establishment that fails is re-inspected and must pass before it can operate.
Does a short inspection history mean a restaurant is unsafe?
No. A new business simply has not been inspected many times yet. A short record here means the establishment is recent — not that it has been avoiding inspectors.
How often does this list update?
It rebuilds from the City of Chicago's Food Inspections feed, which the city updates on an ongoing basis. The most recent licence inspection listed is dated 2026-08-04.