Grant Achatz' West Loop restaurant remains one of the hottest tickets in town. And we mean it literally – you need a ticket to dine at Next, which operates like a time machine. It started by serving an eight-course French meal from 1906 Paris, but every three months the whole thing changes: new era, new country, new menu, new decor.

Sign up for tickets at the website as early as possible. Prices vary by date, time and menu (early weekdays cost less than prime-time weekends), and you pay when you book. Check the Facebook feed for possible last-minute seats.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chicago attractions

1. Mars Gallery

0.23 MILES

This pop-art gallery is pure fun, from the colorful, cartoony prints and paintings to the building's offbeat history (it was an egg factory and then a…

2. Kavi Gupta Gallery

0.29 MILES

Gupta represents contemporary, mid-career artists who work in various mediums, including painting, sculpture, collage and film. Intriguing new exhibitions…

3. Carrie Secrist Gallery

0.29 MILES

Secrist's contemporary gallery has been around for more than a quarter century. The big, open space hosts about six different exhibitions per year, both…

4. Haymarket Square

0.42 MILES

The odd bronze statue of guys on a wagon marks the spot where the world’s labor movement began. So the next time you take a lunch break or go home after…

5. Mary Bartelme Park

0.49 MILES

The neighborhood's stroller-pushing families and dog-walking hipsters get their exercise in Mary Bartelme Park. Five off-kilter stainless-steel arches…

6. Batcolumn

0.56 MILES

Artist Claes Oldenburg – known for his gigantic shuttlecocks in Kansas City and oversized cherry spoon in Minneapolis – delivered this 96ft, baseball-bat…

7. Old St Patrick’s Church

0.63 MILES

A Chicago fire survivor, this 1852 church is one of the city’s oldest. Old St Pat’s is best known for its World’s Largest Block Party, a weekend bash in…