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One single raviolo on a white plate with black truffle microplaned atop.
Joe’s Imports’ truffle raviolo.
Joe’s Imports [Official Photo]

Where to Eat Truffles in Chicago This Fall and Winter

From white to black, where to try the terrific tuber

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Joe’s Imports’ truffle raviolo.
|Joe’s Imports [Official Photo]

The elusive underground tuber that grow on the roots of oak and hazelnut trees, truffles—both white and black—are one of the world’s most beloved, and blingy ingredients. A fungus prized for its earthy, musky, and sometimes garlicky aroma and flavor—depending on the season and market availability—white truffles can fetch upward of $3,600 per pound when purchased directly from an importer, while black truffles are relatively more affordable, running upward of $900 per pound. During North America’s fall to winter, truffles from Europe (Italy, France, Spain) come into season.

Thanks to their delicate flavor, truffles are best accentuated with simple butter or cream-based dishes, and certainly—for the breakfast of champions—they dazzle atop eggs. Below, a number of top Chicago restaurants are embracing the winter season by serving a variety of white and black truffles, either paired with a specific plate, or offered as a supplement atop the diners’ choice of dish.

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Lee Wolen, the kitchen commander at Michelin-starredBokain Lincoln Park, just rolled out white truffle service. From now through January, Wolen will shave Alba white truffles atop any pasta dish at cost ($MP).

This month,ettain Wicker Park added a white truffle supplement ($MP) to its new American menu. Sourced from Alba, add truffles to dishes like a soft egg scramble orcacio e pepe.

A rolled omelette with some greens, toast, and white truffles shaved atop.
White truffles at etta
埃特(官方Photo]

Spiaggia

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Longtime Gold Coast Italian stapleSpiaggiais getting ready for truffle season. Newly-appointed executive chef Eric Lees is once again rolling out the restaurant’s white truffle-garnished ricotta gnocchi ($40), which has been on the menu during truffle season for the last 35 years. He’s also planning to add a few other truffle options, and guests can also order truffles shaved tableside onto any dish, 5 grams for $80.

A white plate holding gnocchi topped with shaved black truffle.
Spiaggia’s ricotta gnocchi.
Spiaggia [Official Photo]

Café Marie-Jeanne

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Humboldt Park industry favoriteCafé Marie-Jeanne曾黑鬆露鵝肝醬(2美元嗎6) for three years straight. Chef Michael Simmons explains that he usually offers black winter truffles as a supplement to any dish when in season ($MP). “Most often they end up in our foie gras terrine, which is a brightly tinted cured foie gras pate studded with black and gray little bits of cognac drenched black truffles.” While the terrine is served year-round, the truffle supplement is typically offered in the winter, with house-made brioche, seasonal fruit, house-made jams, mustard, and pickles.

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Country pâté.

A post shared byCafé Marie-Jeanne(@cafe_marie_jeanne) on

Joe's Imports

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West Loop wine barJoe’s Importsoffers its raviolo ($22), the singular bit of pasta dough filled with a duck egg, ricotta, spinach, and cloaked in brown butter, crowned with Umbrian black truffles. Listed on the menu since the restaurant opened last February, the dish pairs well with fizzy Lambrusco Grasparossa, according to wine director Joe Fiely. When Italian truffles are out of season, the team swaps in summer truffles.

One single raviolo on a white plate with black truffle microplaned atop.
Joe’s Imports’ Raviolo
Joe’s Imports [Official Photo]

Oriole

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Those who sign up to try chef Noah Sandoval’s $215 tasting menu atOriole, his two-Michelin-starred fine dining den in the West Loop, score black Burgundy truffles. While the dish has undergone various iterations since the restaurant opened in 2016, the current version calls for capellini pasta with yeast and puffed wheat, plus microplaned Burgundy truffle on top.

A bowl holding capellini pasta with black truffle shaved atop.
Oriole’s Capellini with Burgundy truffle
Oriole [Official Photo]

Kumiko/Kikko

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When West Loop’s Kumikodebuted one year ago, one of the Japanese-style cocktail bar’s standout dishes was chef Noah Sandoval’s (Oriole) sweet-savory Japanese milk toast ($8) with shaved Burgundy truffles. Now that the team has unleashed lower level omakase spot Kikko, both are offering the dish — toasted milk bread with butter and sugar, fermented honey ice cream, and microplaned truffle.

A rectangle piece of milk bread on a white plate with a scoop of ice cream and microplaned black truffle.
Kumiko’s truffled milk toast
Sammy Faze Photography

West Loop new American eateryBLVDis going vegan with truffles. Executive chef Johnny Besch chooses to shave his French black truffles over a veggie risotto ($24), made with Carolina Gold rice, maitake mushrooms, pickled vegetables, and cashew butter.

一段時間bowl holding vegetable risotto, with a hand shaving truffles atop.
BLVD’s Vegetable Risotto
BLVD [Official Photo]

Eden Chicago

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Throughout truffle season,Michelin-recognizedWest Loop new American eatery Eden is plating black truffle ravioli ($24), with the option to add white truffles for $10 per gram. Executive chef Devon Quinn makes his ravioli in-house, stuffed with a filling made from fresh goat’s milk, black Burgundy summer truffle, and white shoyu. The ravioli sit in a broth made from whey cooked with herbs like lemon thyme, and bay leaf.

A bowl holding four ravioli, topped with greens, Parmesan cheese, and white truffle.
Eden’s Black Truffle Ravioli
Eden [Official Photo]

Smyth

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Chef John Shields’ Michelin-starred contemporary fine dining restaurant,Smythin Fulton Market, added a new truffle dish to the menu last week. It’s on his longer Omaha tasting menu ($235), and involves lamb shoulder glazed in black truffle — or sometimes white truffle, when they have it — with hazelnut oil and eucalyptus. “We salted truffles (black and white) from last year, which adds a sour funk,” Shields said. He then combines the preserved truffle with fresh black or white truffle.

Elske

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When chef David Posey introduced a celeriac “risotto” with candied hazelnuts, black truffle, and apple ($22) to his Michelin-starred Nordic-inspired eateryElskein the West Loop in 2016, the dish became an instant favorite. Every winter since then, he reintroduces the dish, which is now on offer through January.

View this post on Instagram

jugs + neon @elskerestaurant // photo by @galdophoto

A post shared byElske(@elskerestaurant) on

Boka

Lee Wolen, the kitchen commander at Michelin-starredBokain Lincoln Park, just rolled out white truffle service. From now through January, Wolen will shave Alba white truffles atop any pasta dish at cost ($MP).

etta

This month,ettain Wicker Park added a white truffle supplement ($MP) to its new American menu. Sourced from Alba, add truffles to dishes like a soft egg scramble orcacio e pepe.

A rolled omelette with some greens, toast, and white truffles shaved atop.
White truffles at etta
埃特(官方Photo]

Spiaggia

Longtime Gold Coast Italian stapleSpiaggiais getting ready for truffle season. Newly-appointed executive chef Eric Lees is once again rolling out the restaurant’s white truffle-garnished ricotta gnocchi ($40), which has been on the menu during truffle season for the last 35 years. He’s also planning to add a few other truffle options, and guests can also order truffles shaved tableside onto any dish, 5 grams for $80.

A white plate holding gnocchi topped with shaved black truffle.
Spiaggia’s ricotta gnocchi.
Spiaggia [Official Photo]

Café Marie-Jeanne

Humboldt Park industry favoriteCafé Marie-Jeanne曾黑鬆露鵝肝醬(2美元嗎6) for three years straight. Chef Michael Simmons explains that he usually offers black winter truffles as a supplement to any dish when in season ($MP). “Most often they end up in our foie gras terrine, which is a brightly tinted cured foie gras pate studded with black and gray little bits of cognac drenched black truffles.” While the terrine is served year-round, the truffle supplement is typically offered in the winter, with house-made brioche, seasonal fruit, house-made jams, mustard, and pickles.

View this post on Instagram

Country pâté.

A post shared byCafé Marie-Jeanne(@cafe_marie_jeanne) on

Joe's Imports

West Loop wine barJoe’s Importsoffers its raviolo ($22), the singular bit of pasta dough filled with a duck egg, ricotta, spinach, and cloaked in brown butter, crowned with Umbrian black truffles. Listed on the menu since the restaurant opened last February, the dish pairs well with fizzy Lambrusco Grasparossa, according to wine director Joe Fiely. When Italian truffles are out of season, the team swaps in summer truffles.

One single raviolo on a white plate with black truffle microplaned atop.
Joe’s Imports’ Raviolo
Joe’s Imports [Official Photo]

Oriole

Those who sign up to try chef Noah Sandoval’s $215 tasting menu atOriole, his two-Michelin-starred fine dining den in the West Loop, score black Burgundy truffles. While the dish has undergone various iterations since the restaurant opened in 2016, the current version calls for capellini pasta with yeast and puffed wheat, plus microplaned Burgundy truffle on top.

A bowl holding capellini pasta with black truffle shaved atop.
Oriole’s Capellini with Burgundy truffle
Oriole [Official Photo]

Kumiko/Kikko

When West Loop’s Kumikodebuted one year ago, one of the Japanese-style cocktail bar’s standout dishes was chef Noah Sandoval’s (Oriole) sweet-savory Japanese milk toast ($8) with shaved Burgundy truffles. Now that the team has unleashed lower level omakase spot Kikko, both are offering the dish — toasted milk bread with butter and sugar, fermented honey ice cream, and microplaned truffle.

A rectangle piece of milk bread on a white plate with a scoop of ice cream and microplaned black truffle.
Kumiko’s truffled milk toast
Sammy Faze Photography

BLVD

West Loop new American eateryBLVDis going vegan with truffles. Executive chef Johnny Besch chooses to shave his French black truffles over a veggie risotto ($24), made with Carolina Gold rice, maitake mushrooms, pickled vegetables, and cashew butter.

一段時間bowl holding vegetable risotto, with a hand shaving truffles atop.
BLVD’s Vegetable Risotto
BLVD [Official Photo]

Eden Chicago

Throughout truffle season,Michelin-recognizedWest Loop new American eatery Eden is plating black truffle ravioli ($24), with the option to add white truffles for $10 per gram. Executive chef Devon Quinn makes his ravioli in-house, stuffed with a filling made from fresh goat’s milk, black Burgundy summer truffle, and white shoyu. The ravioli sit in a broth made from whey cooked with herbs like lemon thyme, and bay leaf.

A bowl holding four ravioli, topped with greens, Parmesan cheese, and white truffle.
Eden’s Black Truffle Ravioli
Eden [Official Photo]

Smyth

Chef John Shields’ Michelin-starred contemporary fine dining restaurant,Smythin Fulton Market, added a new truffle dish to the menu last week. It’s on his longer Omaha tasting menu ($235), and involves lamb shoulder glazed in black truffle — or sometimes white truffle, when they have it — with hazelnut oil and eucalyptus. “We salted truffles (black and white) from last year, which adds a sour funk,” Shields said. He then combines the preserved truffle with fresh black or white truffle.

Elske

When chef David Posey introduced a celeriac “risotto” with candied hazelnuts, black truffle, and apple ($22) to his Michelin-starred Nordic-inspired eateryElskein the West Loop in 2016, the dish became an instant favorite. Every winter since then, he reintroduces the dish, which is now on offer through January.

View this post on Instagram

jugs + neon @elskerestaurant // photo by @galdophoto

A post shared byElske(@elskerestaurant) on

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