With 2026 just around the corner, the writers and editors of the Tribune food section have taken some time to reflect on our favorite bites and drinks from 2025. From pizza to pasta salad to pie, here are the dishes that stood out.
— Kayla Samoy, food editor
Short rib hummus from Avec
The combination of silky chickpea hummus with tender and juicy yet crispy short rib atop a pillowy and warm piece of pita ($24) was a standout of the meal at this restaurant in the West Loop. The creaminess of the hummus balanced out the indulgent savory flavors of the sumac-glazed short rib perfectly. — K.S.
615 W. Randolph St., 312-377-2002, and 141 W. Erie St., 877-298-0592, avecrestaurant.com
Dying The Honey Pink pie slice from Blame Butter
Baker and chief pie officer Asa Balanoff Naiditch created not just one of the best things I ate this year, but an artful and poetic experience. Dying The Honey Pink ($13) at Blame Butter in River North, a pop-up residency at the back of a poke shop, was the title of her signature pie. Each slice held a compelling salty and sweet burnt honey custard, infused with tart sumac, under a dark pink floral orange blossom glaze finished with edible petals and leaves, plus a flourish of Maldon sea salt. Balanoff Naiditch used fragrant, organic, handpicked Palestinian sumac from Middle East Bakery & Grocery in Andersonville. “This pie is a tribute to Palestine,” she said. “To call resistance through food.” — Louisa Kung Liu Chu
168 W. Huron St., blamebutter.com (Note that the residency is set to close at the end of December, but a pie supper club is planned for January.)
Paratha “smash burger” from Cafe Bethak
I had seen an Instagram clip of the “viral Dubai paratha smash burger” (Dubai certainly has a knack for virality) — a beef patty smashed between two roti rounds instead of a burger bun. It’s an interesting fusion of Indian and American fast food, popularized by a few spots in Dubai, including Klay by Karak House.
A paratha is a flaky, layered flatbread made daily in many Indian and Pakistani households. The parathas my mom makes are thin, flat and soft, which wouldn’t work well in a smash concept. You need an extra flaky variety where the flakiness is achieved through a specific layering and folding technique similar to puff pastry.
At Cafe Bethak in Lombard, the parathas are made in-house, and you can tell because each seam of the flattened dough is stretchy, chewy and crispy. The burger patty itself is flavored with warm South Asian spices and topped with caramelized onions, a piece of crunchy romaine lettuce and the cafe’s version of an orange and pink-hued “secret sauce.” It’s a really satisfying bite. The burger ($10) wasn’t just one of the best bites flavor-wise I’ve had this year, but also the most interesting combination of two of my favorite foods. — Zareen Syed
471 E. Roosevelt Road, Lombard, 630-656-1481, cafebethak.com.
Summer Sucker cocktail from Central Park Bar
I’m fighting off the firm cold grasp of winter by thinking back on all the great warm summer nights we had this year, and nothing screams summer more than this seasonal cocktail from Central Park Bar in Avondale, topped with a gummy peach ring. Made with El Jimador Blanco Tequila, prickly pear and strawberry liqueur, Gabriel Boudier Crème de Pêches de Vigne, lemon juice and agave nectar, it was my favorite sweet cocktail to sip this summer. — K.S.
2924 N. Central Park Ave., 773-698-6063, centralparkbarchicago.com
That Jerk sandwich from The Corned Beef Hideout
Chef and owner India Jenkins makes a sandwich packed with meat, heat and history. That Jerk ($18) at The Corned Beef Hideout in Romeoville infuses her house-made jerk spice into not only the meat, but a secret sauce too. My memory burns from that first bite, despite hundreds of sandwiches in nearly 10 years on the corned beef beat. Its intensity will surprise you, given the dramatic draping of layers made with the care of a couturier. When it comes to corned beef sandwiches, Jenkins is that girl. — L.K.L.C.
175 Highpoint Drive, Romeoville; 815-743-2603; thecornedbeefhideout.com
Calamansi chamomile bun from Del Sur Bakery
As a Filipina, calamansi is one of my favorite flavors — I even have a small calamansi tree in my office. When I bit into this calamansi chamomile bun ($8.50) from Del Sur in Lincoln Square, I was transported back to my childhood, picking calamansi from my great aunt’s trees with my cousins. These buns, a cross between a croissant and a muffin, are generously filled with a delicious curd that beautifully captures the tartness of my favorite citrus. The pastry is flaky with a lovely crisp on the outside and the perfect amount of sweetness with the light sprinkling of sugar. — K.S.
4639 N. Damen Ave., delsurchicago.com
Trini doubles from Diaspora
Chasing down chef Rob Carter III’s progressive, Black fusion cuisine pop-up across Chicago was one of my highlights of this year. His Caribbean street food-inspired doubles ($12) are fried flaky flatbreads topped with curried chickpeas, cucumber salad, cilantro and mango scotch bonnet sauces, with an additional topping of rum-braised oxtail that was sold out when I first tried to get them. Of course, I made it my mission to go back to get them with the oxtail. These handheld pockets of flavor deserve more love in Chicagoland. Though the pop-ups get me out to alluring, creative spaces that are new to me in Chicago, I selfishly wish he’d open a brick-and-mortar so I can sample his thoughtful, delicious creations any time. — Lauryn Azu
@diaspora_chicago on Instagram
Dill pickle pasta salad side from Funeral Potatoes
Chef Alexis Rice named what began as a virtual restaurant after the cheesy potato casserole that’s brought comfort and carbs to generations of Midwestern potlucks marking life and death milestones. The dill pickle pasta salad ($6) at Funeral Potatoes, now at Moonflower bar in Portage Park, is its cool, crunchy cousin. Designed as a side dish, it’s a main character as far as I’m concerned. “It’s basically a ranch pasta salad with Vargo pickles, cheddar cheese and cheese curds,” said Rice. There’s nothing basic about it, though, with fat al dente shells, golden chunks of cheese and crisp briny bites of garlic dill pickles, G. Dilla by Vargo Brother Ferments. — L.K.L.C.
4359 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-647-1942, moonflowerbar.com
Twice-cooked garlic with senbei crackers at Gaijin
I’m of the opinion that there is no such thing as “too much garlic,” especially when handled with care. The twice-cooked garlic ($10) from Gaijin in River North is a popular appetizer for good reason. Whole garlic cloves are roasted and then deep-fried lightly until sweet and caramelized. It’s served alongside a umami-rich soy sauce and crunchy, house-made rice crackers. I loved the whole experience texturally and flavor-wise: snappy and sweet, mellow, savory, creamy and tastebud-tingly. — Z.S.
950 W. Lake Street, Chicago, 312-265-1348, gaijinchicago.com
Duck “Out of the Jar” from Longman and Eagle
One of my favorite plates of 2025 came early in the year, at Longman and Eagle’s 15th anniversary dinner in January. Chefs Brian Motyka and Alex Swieton created a 10-course tasting menu that revisited classic dishes served at the Logan Square spot. This reimagined take on a 2014 dish presented each element — heart, rillette, liver mousse and pastrami — in a different manner and highlighted the restaurant’s various menu offerings over the years. — K.S.
2657 N. Kedzie Ave., 773-276-7110, longmanandeagle.com
Lillet Pad cocktail from North Pond
Bartender Kat Alexandria creates the drinks for chef César Murillo’s highly local and seasonal menu. The Lillet Pad ($16) at North Pond in Lincoln Park has to be the cutest complex cocktail anywhere. Alexandria floats a teeny nasturtium leaf lily pad dotted with a tiny clear glucose water droplet for your own personal Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in a coupe. They mix a strong yet balanced drink with sweet Lillet Blanc, sparkling wine and passion fruit liqueur that’s an echo of summer. — L.K.L.C.
2610 N. Cannon Drive, 773-477-5845, northpondrestaurant.com
Half pepperoni, hot honey and jalapeño with half cheese pizza from Pizz’amici
Cecily Federighi co-owns what’s become a cultural center for the new movement of Chicago-style thin-crust tavern cut pizza in the city. It’s still the toughest table to book in town, so takeout from Pizz’amici in West Town may be the best and easiest way to score a coveted pie. Federighi’s favorite toppings marry delicately cupped pepperoni, whisper-thin jalapeño, a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey and a feathery finish of pecorino romano. I highly recommend getting a half pepperoni, jalapeño and hot honey with a half lovely cheese only ($28) to best appreciate the crackling masterpiece. — L.K.L.C.
1215 W. Grand Ave., 312-285-2382, pizz-amici.com
Mexican everything bagel from Rosca
When Friday bagel sales at my elementary school rolled around, I remember pilfering my dad’s wallet for $2 to buy a poppyseed bagel that came out of a giant brown bag, along with a squeeze tube of Philadelphia cream cheese. As a bagel-loving adult today, these memories come flooding back at Rocsa in Pilsen, where chef Felix Zepeda’s dough creations are gems to behold. Try the Mexican everything bagel ($5) with labneh, a tart, strained yogurt, for a unique twist. I’ve never had labneh on a bagel before, but it totally works here. Zepeda’s bagels are fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, and packed with flavor and spice. The everything bagel was described as “everything you’d find in our cabinets,” with a touch of heat. Rosca shows that 2025 was the year the bagel got its groove back in Chicago, which is definitely something worth waking up for. — L.A.
1857 W. 16th St. (inside Hoste event venue), bkdrosca.com
Capirotada from Santa Masa Tamaleria
At the start of 2025, I wrote about how Santa Masa Tamaleria, the Dunning neighborhood labor of love from chefs Jhoana Ruiz and Daniel Espinoza, exposed me to new methods of enjoying Mexican comfort food. Their capirotada ($13), which is a Lenten treat in Mexico, leans into Ruiz’s background as a pastry chef, and totally exceeded my expectations with its flavor, creativity and presentation this summer. The dish is small yet mighty and beautifully executed. Three neat cubes of seared banana pudding were topped with caramelized bananas, pepitas, mandarin oranges, powdered sugar and drizzled with salted caramel. My sister and I battled for every bite when we split the dish. — L.A.
7544 W. Addison St., santamasa.com, 312-982-9306
Chaotic Good nonalcoholic drink at void
Bartender Amanda Figueroa somehow concocted one of the most delicious nonalcoholic drinks I had this year with an ode to the bitter booze we love to hate. The Chaotic Good ($12) at Void in Avondale is a sippable snow cone with cold brew espresso, grapefruit, Demerara sugar and house-made No-Lört. That is, in fact, a Malört-inspired creation no one asked for, yet available by the shot and bottle, with the warning or assurance, “We have successfully removed Malört’s only redeeming feature.” — L.K.L.C.
2937 N. Milwaukee Ave., 872-315-2199, voidchicago.com
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