Where to Have a Blast on New Year’s Eve in Chicago
Chicago has oodles of options for New Year’s Eve, some calm and sophisticated, others wild and raucous, even a few that are a combination of both. Here are seven Chicago restaurants that provide a range of NYE experiences, special menus for the holiday, sometimes live action and dancing to keep the night exciting.
Daisies. For New Year’s Eve, Daisies is offering a prix-fixe menu of “classic party snacks, house-made pastas and special items” available only for this one holiday event. Hor d’oeuvres will be passed all night long, and there’s a NYE cocktail party, if perchance you’d care for a libation. Maker and Yazi the DJ keep things moving.
Le Bouchon. Okay, you want to celebrate the new year (which may be better than the past year, but who knows?), but you don’t seek a lot of hullabaloo. Le Bouchon offers a special New Year’s Eve menu, featuring Duck Wellington and Whole Roasted Oxtail, and there’s also plenty of fish if you’re feeling like you’ve had enough over-indulgence for one year. Bouchons are traditionally tightly packed, lively places to dine, with traditional Gallic food-focus and gentility. You’ll have a good time, you won’t be tempted to put a lampshade on your head, and you will put a lot of good food in your belly.
Yugen. Recently opened Yugen has a range of inventive dishes, including Binchotan Grilled Octopus and Miyazaki Wagyu done shabu shabu style, as well as some of the best sashimi you will ever have. As you welcome in the new year, it seems right to have that celebration at a new place like Yugen…but hurry, seating is going fast for this one.
North Pond. Sedate, serious and serving some of the very best locally sourced produce and protein in Chicago, North Pond is a beautiful place to enjoy pleasant conversation and a magnificent meal. Bruce Sherman, North Pond owner and Chef since Day One, turns out French-inflected and gorgeously arranged plates of vegetables (which always seem the star of the show) and perfectly cooked meat and fish. Memorable.
Geja’s Café. The epitome of romantic dining in Chicago, Geja’s stands alone, as it has done for decades, as the place to go with your SO. We’re not sure why there’s something romantic about a big pot of bubbling cheese, but whatever it is, it works. A magnificent wine cellar complements your fondue dinner, the lighting is low, and the tones somewhat hushed. If you want a quiet evening with the one you love (or just like a lot), Geja’s is the place to go.
The Dawson. Relaxed and hip, the Dawson on New Year’s Eve is serving from its traditional menu with a few holiday specials – Caviar Deviled Eggs, Grilled Skull Island Prawn – to give you the energy you’re going to need to bust a move on the second floor. DJ Genghis Won starts spinning at 10pm…and get this: no entry and complimentary midnight bubbles to toast the new Year.