Best Chicago Restaurants for Easter Dinner…or Brunch

The end of Lent means it’s time to cut loose and eat all those things you’ve been denying yourselves since Mardi Gras. Fortunately, Chicago is not at a loss to provide you with many options for indulging in some of the best food in the world.

 

There are a lot of options breaking your Lenten fast, including casual bistros and high-end temples of gastronomy, spectacular brunch displays as well as carefully crafted presentations from award-winning chefs. If you find yourself in Chicago during the Easter holidays, you have a lot of choices that will make you very happy.

 

Here are six of the best Chicago restaurants for Easter dinner…or brunch.

 

Daisies. Executive chef Joe Frillman has turned pasta-focused Daisies in Logan Square into a very approachable, affordable and attractive dining option for those looking for a hip and casual environment to enjoy delicious and creative food. For Easter, Daisies is offering a three-course, family-style brunch with a selection of starter pastries ($39). You can enjoy a classic carbonara with bacon, egg yolk, and black pepper or rhubarb pancakes, appropriate for a celebration of springtime.  

 

Acadia. With two Michelin stars, Acadia under the direction of Chef Ryan McCaskey has entered the rarified atmosphere of some of the finest restaurants on the planet. For Easter, there’s an open house buffet with multiple stations ($85), giving you the opportunity to sample some of the foods that have helped propel Acadia to the top of the Chicago dining scene. An Easter brunch at Acadia may not only be the best Easter brunch you and your family have ever had, it might be the best brunch – or even meal -- that you’ve had.

 

Café Robey. At the Six Corners intersection separating the ultra-hip neighborhoods of Bucktown and Wicker Park, Café Robey’s recently renovated menu features comfortable favorites in a family style format. On Easter, brunch will be served all day with, starting at 5pm, dinner specials including beet salad, oysters, duck rillette, whole bass, and spring pea succotash. In the Lounge, there will be an Easter egg hunt (kids only!). Afterwards, consider stopping by Up Room, an upstairs lounge offering craft cocktails and a truly spectacular panorama of the city.

 

Bistronomic. Named by the Michelin Guide one of the ten best French restaurants in Chicago, and by the Tribune one of the city’s top 50 restaurants, Bistronomic is offering Easter Brunch with a French inflection. The three-course prix fixe menu ($45) features spring velouté, salmon gravlax and seasonal mushroom omelet prepared under the direction of Gallic master chef Martial Noguier.

 

 Dos Urban Cantina. Dos Urban Cantina was dubbed by Phil Vettel of the Chicago Tribune “the most important Mexican restaurant since [Rick Bayless’ landmark] Topolobampo.” This year, back by popular demand, Dos Urban Cantina is serving an Easter brunch ($28), giving you a chance to try many dishes that have made this restaurant the go-to for River North Mexican cuisine. Do you like tequila? Good, there will be tequila. Lots.

 

Café des Architectes. In the stylish lobby of the Hotel Sofitel, Café des Architects offers an equally stylish brunch. John Taus, Executive Chef, blends classic French culinary technique with modern trends and locally sourced ingredients. For Easter brunch, expect to see provincial French tradition combined with more homey Mediterranean influences to create a range of deliciousness and a proper Gallic salute to the end of Lent and the beginning of eating as usual.