Seven MORE of the Best Chicago Restaurants to Visit During Restaurant Week

There are over 400 restaurants participating in Chicago’s Restaurant Week, and this is the second – and last – listing of seven restaurants that we at Chicago’s Best Restaurants will be providing. We could go on, of course, but we want to give you just one more taste of what’s in store for you between January 25 and February 7, 2019.

 

Multi-course prix fixe menus -- $24 for lunch/brunch and $36 and/or $48 for dinner (plus tax, beverage and gratuity) – prove an excellent way to get a sampling of some of Chicago’s finest restaurants. Heck, at these prices, you can go to several of the participating restaurants every day, save some bucks, and still not begin to cover one-tenth of all the places available during Restaurant Week.

 

For those of us who live to eat, Chicago Restaurant week is a longed-for annual event.

 

Raised, An Urban Roof Bar. On the hip n’ happening west side of Chicago, Raised, an Urban Roof Bar is a mainstay, practically an institution. It is also much more than just a bar on a roof. During Restaurant Week, Raised is serving dinner, and it’s looking good: a Frites Tasting (why not?!), entrées including Lemon Shitake Pappardelle, and for dessert, Currant Orange Mousse Dome.

 

Cindy’s. Perched atop the Chicago Athletic Association, Cindy’s offers one of Chicago’s most spectacular views (even in winter time). They’re only serving lunch as part of Restaurant Week, but as they’re in the heart of Chicago’s business district, that makes sense. On the menu, the hurried mid-day diner will find Squash & Parsnip Soup, Chicken Parmesan and S’mores Baked Alaska – just right for a power lunch between meetings.

 

Acanto Restaurant & Wine Bar. A beautiful location across from Grant Park and an award-winning wine list have made Acanto Restaurant & Wine Bar a preferred location for Chicagoans who like Italian food (and that’s most of us). During Restaurant Week, Acanto will be serving Sicilian Octopus Salad, Italian Wedding Soup, and Roasted Striped Bass. Atsa nice, eh?

 

Blackbird.  One of the premier fine dining restaurants in Chicago, Blackbird is the kind of place you almost feel obligated to go during Restaurant Week. During this big week, Blackbird will be serving from lunch and dinner menus, including such dishes as shrimp confit with bacon, pickled walnut and nutritional yeast (it’ll be great, believe us) and pork pave with red ponzu butter and nori. Blackbird is a restaurant that continually surprises.

 

Longman & Eagle.  Aside from Longman & Eagle, it’d be challenging to find another gastro pub/whisky bar with a Michelin star. With the food coming out of the kitchen every bit as good as the beer coming out of the tap, Longman & Eagle serves up some delectable drinking food for Restaurant Week, including Salt Baked Apple, Turkey Reuben, and Wild Boar Sloppy Joe. It’s a casual place, with some of the best food you will find in Logan Square. Plus beer. And whiskey.

 

Celeste.  Celeste, the American Contemporary restaurant in River North, is serving dinner during Restaurant Week, and they’ve got some classic items planned. Start with pear or beet salad, move on to steak frites (a 10 oz. skirt steak) or salmon (with chermoula and crispy maitake mushrooms), and end up with apple tartlet or chocolate mousse. For all that, just $36, not bad.

 

Francesca’s on Chestnut.  Offering dinner during Restaurant Week, Francesca’s on Chestnut is serving up some beautiful oldies but goodies, dishes that reflect the very best of Italian – and Italian-American – traditions. Included on the dinner menu are Bruschetta alla Romana, Fettucine alla Carbonara, and Tiramisu. All old school items, but the reason they’re old school is that people have loved them for a long time.