Twin Anchors Restaurant & Tavern

The basics: An Old Town fixture since Old Town was young, this handsome barroom has been quietly serving up some of Chicago’s finest baby back ribs for nearly a century. Old-fashioned fish fry, slow-roasted chicken, stellar BBQ wings, and melt-in-your-mouth hand-pulled pork add some color to the downhome Midwestern nostalgia.
What the experts say: “I really think Chicago is on the rise, and that’s not with more barbecue restaurants,” McKenna clarifies with a nod to this humble eatery’s long standing yet understated grip on the city. “It’s more about the people in Chicago and tourists [visiting] Chicago becoming more aware of how great the scene is here.” Helping to set that scene are the legendary ribs, which Bruns calls fall-off-the-bone tender and “super saucy.”
How to book: Call 312-266-1616 for reservations.