Want to get a taste of Chicago’s top dining experiences without breaking the bank? Chicago Restaurant Week is the perfect excuse to start checking off your foodie bucket list. Enjoy special menus for a set price of just $30 for brunch/lunch and $45 or $60 for dinner.
This year’s Chicago Restaurant Week, which runs from Jan. 23 – Feb. 8, 2026, features a record-breaking 500+ restaurants — including some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the city.
This year’s line-up includes a number of previous James Beard Award winners and nominees. These prestigious awards, which take place in Chicago each spring, honor the best and the brightest of the culinary world.
These celebrated spots are sure to book up fast, so make your reservations now and get ready to sample some of the city’s best dishes during Chicago Restaurant Week.
Experience acclaimed restaurants during Chicago Restaurant Week 2026
American Contemporary, Food & BeverageGiant
What this buzzy restaurant lacks in space, it makes up for in flavor. In Logan Square, chef Jason Vincent (a James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Chef) serves familiar dishes with a creative twist. During Chicago Restaurant Week, enjoy a four-course menu of vegetable dumplings, prawns with fermented rice, beef cheeks, and soy sauce ice cream.
Food & Beverage, VietnameseHaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen
The kitchen at this modern Vietnamese restaurant is run by Thai Dang, a former James Beard nominee for Best Chef. During Chicago Restaurant Week, feast on traditional dishes like chopped clams, braised pork cheeks, and poached prawns. Or opt for the vegetarian menu featuring papaya salad, grilled eggplant, and more.
American, Food & BeverageLula Cafe
A recent winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality, Lula Cafe is a neighborhood restaurant that draws diners from every corner of the city. The Chicago Restaurant Week menu features an array of cozy winter dishes, including squash soup with black truffle, pappardelle with mushroom-walnut bolognese, cider-braised pork shoulder with miso butter, and toasted rice pudding with local cherries.
Food & Beverage, SouthernVirtue Restaurant & Bar
Experience the heartwarming cuisine of the American South at Virtue Restaurant & Bar, which has received back-to-back James Beard Awards wins for its lauded chefs Erick Williams and Damarr Brown. This Chicago Restaurant Week, choose from dishes like shrimp and grits, jambalaya with confit duck leg, and banana pudding.
American Contemporary, Food & BeverageMaxwells Trading
Chef Erling Wu-Bower, a four-time James Beard Award finalist, brings his unique flavor combinations to his newest venture in the West Loop. Maxwell Trading will showcase many of its most popular dishes on this year’s Chicago Restaurant Week menu, including the whipped ricotta with local honey and griddle bread and the viral Japanese sweet potato with red curry.
Food & Beverage, MediterraneanApolonia Chicago
A recent Jean Banchet nominee for Chef of the Year, Stephen Gillanders continues to wow diners at his South Loop restaurant. Apolonia’s minimalist space creates the perfect blank canvas for the contemporary menu, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients and thoughtful wine pairings.
Food & Beverage, SteakhouseAsador Bastian
Recently ranked among the top steakhouses in the world and a Jean Banchet nominee for Best Hospitality, Asador Bastain is inspired by the grill houses in the south region of Spain. Expect top-quality ingredients, elevated Basque flavors, and a luxurious experience from start to finish.
Food & Beverage, Middle EasternSIFR
Indulge in a modern Middle Eastern feast for Chicago Restaurant Week at Sifr, a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient. Choose from dishes like grilled maitake mushrooms, lamb kabobs, branzino, and more.
Cocktail Bar, Food & BeverageAfter
Experience the chic elegance of After, the sibling of two Michelin-starred Ever, during Chicago Restaurant Week. Delight in a prix fixe menu featuring dishes like hamachi crudo, grilled pork belly, braised Wagyu, and more.
Food & Beverage, Middle EasternGalit
The interior of Michelin-starred Galit is centered around the restaurant’s roaring hearth, making it the perfect spot for a cozy winter meal. Chicago Restaurant Week diners can choose from an array of Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, including hummus with slow-cooked tomatoes, falafel with mango and labneh, smoked turkey pastrami, and crispy phyllo pie with miso caramel.
American, Food & BeverageBOKA Restaurant
This Michelin-starred spot, a long-time establishment in Lincoln Park, focuses on contemporary American cuisine in a sophisticated yet approachable setting. For Chicago Restaurant Week, enjoy a four-course dinner menu with dishes like dry-aged beef tartare, sunchoke soup, duck leg tortelli, slow-cooked Icelandic cod, and roasted chicken.
American Contemporary, Food & BeverageEsmé
Located on a charming corner of the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Michelin-starred Esmé is known for its creative dishes and artistic platings. This Chicago Restaurant Week, diners can enjoy a menu featuring endive salad, celery root soup, sturgeon, and Wagyu with beet mole, plus optional desserts.
Explore more: Looking for dinner and a show? Chicago Theatre Week starts on Feb. 5 with discounted tickets to shows throughout Chicago.
American Contemporary, Food & BeverageMoody Tongue Brewing Company
The world’s only Michelin-starred brewery, Moody Tongue Brewing Company is a chef-driven brewery and dual-restaurant concept in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. The Bar at Moody Tongue is an elegant space with a casual menu that pairs perfectly with the brewery’s exceptional lineup of seasonal beers.
Food & Beverage, MexicanTopolobampo
Topolobampo, winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, is the flagship restaurant of iconic Chicago chef Rick Bayless. The River North restaurant is known for its authentic Mexican flavors, showcased in dishes like Baja mussels, wood-grilled prawns, and a wood-grilled ribeye with the famous 32-ingredient mole negro.
Food & Beverage, MediterraneanAvec West Loop
A local culinary cornerstone and James Beard Award winner, Avec has been a must-visit along Restaurant Row for more than 20 years. The five-course Chicago Restaurant Week menu includes trout crudo, kale salad with satsuma orange, wood oven roasted paella with confit chicken, and the restaurant’s famous bacon-wrapped dates.
$30 Brunch $30 Lunch $60 Dinner 
Food & Beverage, ItalianMonteverde
This long-time favorite in the West Loop neighborhood is known best for its from-scratch pastas and modern Italian dishes, crafted by Top Chef finalist and James Beard winner Sarah Gruenberg. Grab a spot at the bar to watch each pasta meticulously made by hand, or enjoy the buzz of the dining room as you dig into an array of hearty shared plates.
American, Food & BeverageGirl & the Goat
The signature restaurant from acclaimed chef Stephanie Izard (winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes) is an annual favorite for Chicago Restaurant Week diners. Enjoy dishes like wood-fired chicken skewers, pork belly fried curry, and miso butterscotch budino — just make sure to get your reservations early.
Looking for more Chicago Restaurant Week? Explore all 500+ participating restaurants.
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Dining and Cooking