New Year's Eve Dining and Drinking Guide 2017

New Year's Eve is not only one of the craziest holidays of the year, right up there with St. Patrick's Day, but it's one of the most popular nights for dining and drinking, usually with reckless abandon. Celebrators are out in full-force this year, looking to end 2017 on a high note and beckon the new year in the best way possible. Here's where to make that happen in Chicago this year:

 

Momotaro
Momotaro; photo by Huge Galdones

Izakaya at Momotaro: Starting at 9:00 p.m., Momotaro’s subterranean izakaya will offer a premium bar package featuring a variety of beer, wine, sparkling and cocktails, along with passed small bites and a Champagne toast at midnight. A tarot card reader will be in attendance to help attendees predict the future for the year to come. Noise-makers, hats and beads will be provided as well. Tickets are $125 per person and can be accessed here: https://momotaronye2018.brownpapertickets.com/

Salero: Travel to Spain via the West Loop with a special four-course menu on New Year’s Eve. There will be a variety of options for each course, with dishes ranging from Jamon Serrano and scallop crudo to churros. Chef Ashlee Aubin will also be preparing a special version of paella with black truffles and lobster. At midnight, guests will get a complimentary glass of Cava and partake in the Spanish “12 Grapes of Luck” tradition, which entails eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to bring 12 months of good luck for the year to come. The dinner costs $75 per person, with wine pairings for an additional $35. An open bar option will also be provided. Reservations can be made for anytime between 5:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. online or by calling Salero. 

Formento’s: Grammy-winning jazz musician Frank Catalano will be in attendance at Formento’s for an extra special New Year’s Eve event this year. Taking place in the West Loop restaurant’s second floor loft space, Catalano and his band will be paying new compositions focused on the fusion of jazz and electronic music, dubbed “jazztronica.” The crew will play two sets from 10:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., and tickets to the event include passed bites and a complimentary Champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here

Little Goat Diner: It may be turning 2018, but Little Goat is whisking guests back to the ’70’s for a fun and funky spin on New Year’s Eve. A disco ball, dance floor and DJs will help set the pace for the nostalgic evening, complete with several bars, food stations and hors d’oeuvres. It all takes place from 8:30 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. Tickets are $150 per person and can be accessed here

BOKA: Two tasting menu seatings will take place at BOKA on New Year’s Eve, starting with a five-course menu from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., followed by a seven-courser from 7:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. The first costs $120 per person, while the latter goes for $150 per person. Optional wine pairings are $55 per person for standard and $125 for reserve selections. No a la carte options will be available for the evening. Reservations can be made on BOKA’s website. 

Dusek’s Board & Beer: In Pilsen, two dinner seatings will be offered at Dusek’s Board & Beer, courtesy of executive chef Michael Galen. The first seating takes place at 6:00 p.m. and features five courses, including roasted pumpkin salad, chestnut gnocchi, beef short rib and cream punch-soaked cake. The second seating begins at 9:30 p.m. and consists of seven courses, with additional dishes like veal torchon and beetroot-cured salmon. The five-course menu costs $65 per person and the seven-course menu is $95 per person. For reservations, call Dusek’s or email sam@thaliahallchicago.com. 

BLVD: For its first New Year’s Eve, BLVD is going big. The ’50’s-era Hollywood-inspired restaurant gets glamorous with a three-course prix fixe for the occasion, available from 5:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. The first seating, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:15 p.m., is $85 per person with dishes like hamachi and pomegranate; heirloom cauliflower with honey yogurt and lampang sauce; and “minute steak” with potatoes with herb pistou, chile oil, pommes sable and micro cilantro. Seafood towers, caviar service and Pat LaFrieda’s 22-oz. dry-aged bone-in prime ribeye will be available for additional cost. The second seating runs from 8:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. and costs $125 per person, including a Champagne toast at midnight. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant. 

Top