Trust is the only asset a city guide has. Here is exactly how Encore Chicago picks, checks and updates what we publish.
We visit, we pay, we return
Every restaurant, bar or experience we recommend has been visited by someone on the team, paying full price like any guest. For ranked lists, the top picks get at least two visits before publication. When we cannot verify a claim first hand, we either leave it out or say so explicitly.
No pay-to-play
We do not accept money, free meals, drinks or hosted stays in exchange for coverage or placement. Venues cannot buy their way into a list or out of a criticism. If we ever publish a sponsored piece, it will be labeled as such at the top, and sponsored links carry the appropriate rel attributes.
Updates and corrections
Chicago moves fast: rooms close, chefs move, cover charges change. We re-check our most-read guides on a rolling basis and date our updates. Spotted something wrong or recently closed? Tell us and we will fix it, usually within days.
What we do not do
We avoid quoting exact prices, hours and phone numbers that rot quickly; venue websites are the source of truth for logistics. We do not use review aggregators as a substitute for visits, and no text on this site is published without human editing and verification.