The 13th annual Restaurant Week is descending upon the Windy City Friday, January 24, offering up prix fixe menus for brunch and lunch (both $24) and dinner (either $36 or $48) until February 9. This year’s is the largest ever, with more than 400 restaurants participating, including more than 80 first-timers and over 50 suburban eateries.
Making it easier for you, we’ve rounded up a handful of MICHELIN-recommended restaurants offering up some killer menus—so make the most of it and take Chicago Restaurant Week by storm.
Arami
"Come to this bamboo-clad izakaya, with its comfortable sushi bar and soaring skylights, for impressively rendered small plates and specialty cocktails featuring Japanese spirits," inspectors state. The Bib Gourmand-designated eatery is offering dinner for $48 per person. Dish options include kare korokke (Japanese yellow curry croquettes with chili soy) and tantanmen (spicy sesame ramen with numbing spice meatball). Vegetarian and gluten-free menus are also available with dishes like eno-kyuri (enoki mushroom with cucumber and yuzu chile dressing). Sake pairings are available for an additional cost.Bar Biscay
Head here for dinner for $48 per guest and you'll find that "you’ve landed at one of the trendiest places in town," per inspectors. Some of the plates to choose from include oxtail croquettes with apple mostarda; braised short ribs with beef jus and apple-fennel salad; and pot au crème with chantilly cream. Is your mouth watering yet?Big Jones
"Laissez les bon temps rouler!" it reads on the Restaurant Week $36 dinner menu at this establishment, signaling New Orleans influences on the offerings during the event. Dishes include gumbo z'herbs, jalapeño cheese cornbread, gumbo-fat fried chicken and winter bread pudding. Let the good times roll!Blackbird
There are both lunch and dinner specials available at this one-MICHELIN-starred restaurant from chef/owner Paul Kahan. Dinner options include Bar Harbor mussels with American pale ale; crumbed skate wing with sunchoke kimchi; braised pork with fish sauce and coriander; and chocolate-banana cheesecake for dessert.Cabra
"Tucked into the 12th floor of the hip Hoxton hotel, this light-soaked and plant-draped stunner overlooks the city's skyline," inspectors state. Offering brunch, lunch and dinner, there are plenty of opportunities to visit this Peruvian Bib Gourmand-designated restaurant from Stephanie Izard. Dinner brings lots of food for diners to feast on as they are offered a choice of ceviche, dip, empanada, anticucho (meat skewers), vegetable, main and dessert.Ina Mae Tavern & Packaged Goods
"Named for executive chef Brian Jupiter’s great-grandmother, Ina Mae, the menu ticks off many NOLA classics," our inspectors say. So for $36 per person at dinner, Jupiter is offering dishes such as blackened cauliflower; grillades and gravy short rib with cheese grits and pan gravy; and praline beignets. Sign me up.Marisol
"Despite its location in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Marisol is so much more than a museum food court," inspectors share of this Bib Gourmand-designated restaurant. The week's offerings include lunch for $24 and dinner for $48 per diner, with an optional wine pairing for $30. Dinner dishes include parsnip and almond bisque with crab, butter and chive; risotto with cauliflower, yuzu, pine nuts and rosemary; and panna cotta with winter citrus and cashew.Sushi Dokku
"Creatively adorned, Americanized nigiri is the featured attraction at this hip sushi-ya that’s all wood planks, stainless steel, chunky tables and hefty benches," inspectors state. The special $48 dinner menu features six courses and starts with an oyster shooter with ponzu, quail egg, tobbikko, chile sauce and green onion; then chilled green soba noodles with charred shrimp, sesame oil, chile soy and garlic; and followed by a selection of nigiri bites, seared scallops, a maki rolle and dessert.Topolobampo
Rick Bayless's one-MICHELIN-starred Mexican restaurant has increased the price of it's lunch offering to $36 per person. Sample dishes include sopa Azteca (pasilla broth, chicken, crispy tortillas, avocado, local cheese, crema); carne asada (wood-grilled natural-raised flank steak, inky mole negro, roasted beets, beef tenderloin chicharrón); and cajeta brownie sundae (Mexican vanilla-milk chocolate ice cream, Mexican chocolate brownies, cajeta, whipped cream, meringue).Photo courtesy of Cabra/Facebook.
