Girl & the Goat
Stephanie Izard's loud, wood-fired West Loop flagship of shared, adventurous small plates.
The call
Worth it if you're watching the budget and you only have one day.
Short answer
Is Girl & the Goat worth it?
Girl & the Goat deserves a place on most first itineraries. Go early or reserve ahead. Crowds are part of the cost.
The answer depends on your budget, time and travel style; the breakdown below shows who gets the most value.
Why
- 01
A roaring open kitchen, communal energy, and a menu that leans into goat, offal, and bold global flavors.
- 02
The room is genuinely fun and genuinely loud — not the place for a quiet conversation.
Is it a fit?
Go if
You're watching the budget
Girl & the Goat earns the spend, even on a tight budget.
You only have one day
Short trip or not, keep Girl & the Goat.
You're traveling as a couple
As a couple, Girl & the Goat is an easy yes.
You're traveling solo
Solo, Girl & the Goat is an easy yes.
Think twice if
You're traveling with kids
With kids, Girl & the Goat needs the right timing and tolerance.
You want something active
Girl & the Goat offers some adventure, but not enough to make it the reason to go.
The night matters
Girl & the Goat offers some nightlife, but not enough to make it the reason to go.
You prefer local life to spectacle
Girl & the Goat offers some local authenticity, but not enough to make it the reason to go.
The plates that decide it
- The sauteed green beans — cashews and fish-sauce vinaigrette — the dish even regulars order every visit
- Goat empanadas and the wood-oven-roasted pig face — the kitchen's most-talked-about plates; the menu is seasonal, so they rotate
- Over-ordering up front — plates are rich and arrive fast — pace yourself or you'll over-order
Plan it well
- Cost
- $$$ — shared plates add up quickly
- Timing
- Early or late seatings are easier to land
- Booking
- Reserve well in advance via the website
- Allow
- 1.5–2 hours
- Accessibility
- Vegetarian options exist but the menu leans meat-forward
Sources and method (2)
- Stephanie Izard won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes (2013) for her work here; she was the first woman to win Bravo's Top Chef en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Opened in the West Loop in 2010 with Boka Restaurant Group partners Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz; ~130 seats, nose-to-tail menu bokagrp.com ↗