Open-kitchen cheese bar
The fourth location of Chicago’s popular wine and cheese shop, Pastoral, is its biggest yet at 3,800 square feet. While some of the previous shops have had sandwich counters or a wine bar, this location is the first with a full restaurant inside. What’s winning: In addition to the good-size wine bar, there’s a separate “cheese bar” for overflow. It’s got the most open-kitchen feel in the place—it butts up to the cheese-and-charcuterie station—and there’s a window to peer into the full kitchen. There’s waiter service there, too, so it’s the full restaurant experience with a bit of show as well.