12 Illinois restaurants among Open Table’s 100 most romantic eateries in America

Romance abounds in Illinois when it comes to dining out, according to OpenTable.

The online restaurant reservation giant has released its list of the “100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America” for 2020, and Illinois tops the list with 12 establishments.

Each year, the list is curated from over 80 million diner reviews of more than 30,000 restaurants across the country. Illinois boasts the most restaurants on this year’s list, followed by California and Pennsylvania, with eight apiece.

The Illinois dozen includes:

OpenTable

Aba, 302 N. Green; Mediterranean cuisine from Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece

Boka, 1729 N. Halsted; seasonal American cuisine

Cafe Ba-Ba-Re-Bam 2024 N. Halsted; tapas, authentic Spanish cuisine

Gibsons Italia, 233 N. Canal; high-end Italian steak and pasta

Girl & The Goat, 809 W. Randolph; small plates

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, 60 E. Grand; classic steak, seafood and signature stone crab claws

Le Colonial, 57 E. Oak; upscale French-Vietnamese fare

Maple & Ash, 8 W. Maple; steakhouse and seafood

RL Restaurant, 115 E. Chicago; American classics

RPM Italian, 52 W. Illinois; pasta, steaks, seafood

OpenTable

RPM Steak, 66 W. Kinzie; chophouse, raw bar

Steak 48, 615 N. Wabash; prime meats, American fare

Some tips from OpenTable for making Valentine’s Day restaurant reservations:

• The most popular time for dinner reservations is 7 p.m. Grabbing a 6 or 9 p.m. spot allows for ample time to enjoy your meal and get into the hot spot you have your eye on.
• Forget the 20-Course Tasting Menu: Upscale restaurants experience a huge spike in reservations for Valentine’s Day. Opting for your favorite go-to spot is a great workaround, saving the tasting menu for another Friday night.
• Go on a double date. In 2019, 83 percent of Valentine’s Day reservations on OpenTable were made for two people. Grab your best friends for a double date and lock in that more available four-top!