SMYTH
CHICAGO

IN LATE NOVEMBER, MICHELIN AWARDED THREE STARS TO SMYTH FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR. THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, I WALKED THROUGH ITS DOORS TO SEE WHAT THE REVERANCE WAS ALL ABOUT.
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SMYTH DELIVERED.
Smyth does not announce itself loudly. It unfolds.
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The room is calm and warm, more atelier than theater, and the meal follows that same sensibility — seasonal, deeply considered, but not performative. Dishes come and go with an ease that feels smooth yet hyper-deliberate.
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The menu moves between water and land, often circling the same ideas. Trout shows up more than once. Quail egg, too. Pumpkin runs through the meal in different forms. Instead of feeling repetitive, it feels focused.
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There are moments of luxury — caviar, truffle, uni — but they’re folded in, not framed. Even the most playful dishes borrow from familiar ground: a donut, malted milk bread, pumpkin pie. Smyth uses those references to pull you in, then quietly elevates them.
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Smyth isn’t trying to blow your mind. It’s trying to earn your trust.
By the end of the night, it’s done both.


















