Virtue Restaurant

"James Beard Award-winning chefs Erick Williams and Damarr Brown offer a taste of Southern hospitality at this unpretentious Hyde Park restaurant. The celebration of Black cuisine and culture features biscuits with light and creamy pimento cheese, gizzards with dirty rice, and a short rib with creamed spinach perfect for a cold night. Make a reservation through OpenTable." - Samantha Nelson

"Chefs Erick Williams and Damarr Brown have both won James Beard awards for their work at this Hyde Park restaurant, which has elevated the Chicago’s Southern cuisine to new heights. It also earned a spot on Eater’s list of the best restaurants in Chicago for highlighting heritage recipes with modern twists. For dessert, don’t miss pastry chef Becky Pendola’s classic banana pudding studded with vanilla wafers and topped with housemade Cool Whip. Make a reservation through SevenRooms." - Serena Maria Daniels

"A Southern cuisine restaurant in Hyde Park, known for its well-executed dishes." - Kevin Chau

"Many of the restaurants on this list were designed to take diners somewhere they’ve never been. Virtue, a multi–James Beard Award-winning restaurant, is about where chef Erick Williams has already been: the American South. Williams gives way to protege Damarr Brown (another Beard winner), and his menu pays homage to his mother, grandmother, and aunts, and the whole tradition of Black cuisine. Which isn’t romance, per se, but it’s love. And delicious too with dishes ranging from warm biscuits and gumbo to blackened catfish with Carolina Gold rice." - Lisa Shames, Samantha Nelson

"Chicago restaurant veteran Erick Williams has finally launched the restaurant he’s been dreaming of opening. Williams is intent on smashing all expectations for Southern food, and hopes to give diners a new perspective on Black cuisine. If customers want lighter fare, there are dishes like cauliflower with cashew dukkah and root cellar vegetables. For richer appetites, the beef short ribs with creamed spinach and crushed potatoes satisfy. Williams won the James Beard Award in 2022 for Best Chef: Great Lakes. One of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in 2019, Virtue has claimed its place as an iconic Chicago eatery. As Williams takes a step back to manage other restaurants, he’s trusted Virtue to protege Damarr Brown. All Brown did in 2023 was win the James Beard Award for emerging chef." - Ashok Selvam