If you get lucky, you can get your bill comped for Leap Day. more ›

A rotating schedule of free pours will be available next week, and all bottles will be discounted for Italian Wine Week. more ›

Prescreen tries to carve out a niche for the movie-hungry and tech-savvy in that overlapping part of a Venn diagram including social networks and daily deal sites. more ›

How many times have you visited a restaurant and wished you could try almost everything on the menu? Well stop dreaming, loosen your belt, and head up to Evanston. LuLu's, an Asian bistro specializing in fresh, healthy fare, offers a weekend deal that can't be beat. They call it the "ultimate tasting experience". We call it delicious madness. If you are dying for dim sum that won't chop a chunk out of your wallet, this is the place for you. more ›

The Counter promised free fries to encourage voters to contact their congressmen and encourage them to resolve the debt ceiling crisis. more ›

In today's listings: A sci-fi classic at the Portage Theater. Letter writing at the Hideout. more ›

River North steakhouse staple Gene and Georgetti's celebrates 70 years of business this year, and as a treat to loyal customers and a fundraiser for charities Common Threads, Standing Tall and St.Vincent DePaul Center, G&G's put out a prix fixe menu at the same prices you probably would have paid 70 years ago. If you were lucky enough to score a reservation over the weekend, you paid $15.25 for an appetizer, a salad, a main course, ice cream dessert, and two drink tickets. more ›

Today's listings include a spring fiesta, a bike-themed reading and a theatrical reading. more ›

Despite the green river, drunken hordes and large parade, some of you may remember that St. Patrick's Day hasn't happened yet. In fact, since the holiday falls on a weekday, there are two weekends of fun, and two weekends of great food and drink specials all over the city. We're gonna focus on the places that go above and beyond with food - cheap green beer isn't news in Chicago, and we bet that you've read plenty about drink specials already. Some of these events happen on the actual day (March 17), some during this week and some next weekend. Whenever they occur, eat something new and exciting on the day of green this year. more ›

At this time of the year, we get discount fatigue. Between Groupon, LivingSocial and all the rest, and Chicago Restaurant Week deals, it's hard to get us excited. Plus, as we're sure many of you have noticed, the same restaurants tend to show up again and again on these lists of deals and discounts. That is why, when Chicago Chef Week (March 20-26) first appeared on our radar screen, with exactly the same pricing as Chicago Restaurant Week, we yawned and moved on. Until we payed closer attention to the list, and noticed some spots that rarely offer discounts or special meals. The real story of Chicago Chef Week is not that it is yet another restaurant discount, but that it is a chance for you to dine at some new spots for only a little bit of dough. more ›

Restaurant week thinks it's so special, with its discounts and its 200 participants. In fact, it's so special, it's been extended. Whatever - you can do better than $22 for lunch. C-House has a lunch deal that beats R-week with one hand tied behind its back, and it happens every day. The 1,2,3 lunch includes 3 courses, chosen from the regular lunch menu, for only $15. We visited earlier this week, and have some suggestions for your order. more ›

We mentioned last week that a few restaurants had extended their restaurant week deals past the initial deadline. All weekend long, we got email after email announcing more, and we simply couldn't keep up. Luckily, the folks at The Stew have more stamina than we do, and have compiled a list of all 60 restaurants that have extended the deal. Though this does call into question the name "Restaurant Week" (maybe we should just call it "that slow time in February and March when we need to get people in the door"), it's a great opportunity for you to grab some more discounts. Extenders include The Bristol, N9ne Steakhouse, Branch 27, one sixtyblue, Sable and (inexplicably) the American Girl Cafe. Check the list, and be sure to call the restaurants to confirm. This promotion is now in the hands of the individual establishments, so do your research. more ›

Flourish Bakery and Cafe is starting a deal next week that is sure to be a hit. On Tuesday, March 1 (and every Tuesday after that) Flourish will throw a "family dinner" - a chance to get home-cooked food without the hassle of shopping and cleanup. The price is unbeatable, the joint is sure to be hopping and great Flourish breads will be on the menu. more ›

For one night only, some great Chicago restaurants will be waiving their corkage fee and inviting you to "open that bottle" with them. Have you been saving a good bottle for a special occasion? Bring it in this Saturday, February 26 and pair it with some good food. If you don't have something to bring, all 13 participating restaurants are offering 20% discounts on select bottles of wine or spirits. The complete list is after the jump. more ›

What a great deal! It's no secret that we're big fans of MK - and, thanks to their generosity, all of our readers get a chance to try them for a low price. Any Sunday-Thursday until May 1st, just mention that you read Chicagoist when you make your reservation and you will get 25% off your bill. That's better than a groupon. more ›

We know what you're thinking - "Chicagoist, is this really the BEST deal of February? How can you tell? It's only the first day of the month!" Let's just say that it would take some serious effort for any other restaurant to top this. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Petterinos is offering a $10, three course meal all day on February 7th. Even better, the meal isn't completely pre-set. You get choices and a great deal. Beat that. more ›

Yesterday, we gave you Chicagoist's best tips for surviving the impending white fluffy doom. Today, we are hearing more and more businesses getting in the act - either closing altogether or offering great deals to anyone brave enough (or dumb enough) to go out and get 2 feet of snow dumped on their heads. Whether or not a restaurant is on the list, be sure to call ahead - there will be a lot of unplanned closings. We expect this list to keep growing, so we'll update throughout today and tomorrow if anything changes. more ›

This morning, WBEZ introduced us to the "hot wings index," gauging the economic index of the playoff game by the number of wings restaurants in Green Bay and Chicago were stocking up. One restaurant, in Evanston, was planning to go through 6000 pounds of hot wings - that's 3000 chickens! Anyway, if you are looking for deals of your own, you have come to the right place. Bears fans (and Packers fans, and indifferent football agnostics) can enjoy some great food and drink specials this weekend, as bars and restaurants try to squeeze one more hot weekend of business out of football fever. more ›

Gulpon is a website that aims to bring budget conscious drinkers daily "discounts of up to 90% at local bars, restaurants, clubs, coffee shops, lounges, pubs and liquor stores in Chicago." more ›

Looks like Steve Dahl and I weren't the only ones to have a pizza summit recently. The Tribune's Paul Sullivan reports that the seeds for Kerry Wood's one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Cubs were sown at D'Agostino's Pizza in Wrigleyville, more ›

One of the complaints about Groupon, from the perspective of a business owner who takes advantage of the deal-a-day company's ability to reach a customer base, is that in the long run it winds up only netting modest profits for the businesses, or worse, they lose money. more ›

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out Lakeview gastropub newcomer Blokes and Birds, two new specials announced last week may convince you to stop in. Starting last week (and extending indefiniitely), Tuesdays and Wednesdays are now that best time to stop in, since some great dining deals will be warming away your winter chill. more ›

Finding food in the loop after dark can be a challenge. Usually it's terrible, overpriced or both - or, the restaurant closes at 6 PM once the businesspeople go home. We were surprised to stumble upon a fairly awesome deal at Petterino's that seems custom-made to fit that gap. more ›

Are you a current or recently discharged member of the military? Do you like burgers? More importantly, do you like free burgers? In two weeks,DMK Burger Bar is starting a new promotion. Any Wednesday starting October 20, come in before 6:00 PM and the serviceperson and one guest can eat totally for free. Just bring your military ID. more ›

Anyone looking for a Memorial Day treat, take note! Shaw's Crab House is offering a break-the-bank deal on Oysters from 3:00-6:00 on Monday. Have you ever had an oyster-glutton fantasy? Every time we go to an oyster bar, we have visions of making like a 19th-century oil baron and ordering dozens and dozens, and then we look at the prices and wince. On Monday in Shaw's Oyster Bar you can order away, as oysters will be only 25 cents each. That's right, a dozen oysters for $3. To give you a frame of reference, a half-dozen oysters at Shaw's usually runs around $13. We'll be there slurping for sure - come out and join us! more ›

Francesca's restaurants are becoming as ubiquitous as owner/chef Scott Harris can find locations to open them. If you've got $8 to spare, then the special today only at Francesca's Forno (1576 N. Milwaukee; 773-770-0184) might be worth stepping in. more ›

Last Sunday, we were bowled over by the best brunch deal we've encountered in ages. Mercat a la Planxa is running a promotion called "Sunday Funday" (we know, it's a horrible name) which accomplishes all of the goals of a great brunch: amazing food, social dining, lots of booze and a low low price. We've mentioned our love of Mercat in the past, but the restaurant's relatively high prices and recent popularity (thanks in part to Chef Jose Garces appearance on Iron Chef) may have deterred some visitors. If so, this is your chance. more ›

Here is a deal that is the very epitome of "budget-friendly." On Wednesdays Province (161 N. Jefferson St., 312-669-9900) serves up a burger made from fresh Dietzler Farms all natural Wisconsin beef with a Three Floyds beer for only $10. It's available for customers dining at the bar from 4:30-10 p.m. more ›

Head over to Groupon today to get an $80 gift certificate to NAHA for $40. Chef Carrie Nahabedian won a 2008 James Beard Award for Best Chef Great Lakes so this is a great chance to taste her food at a reduced cost. Peek at the menus here. more ›

Nella Pizzeria Napoletana (2423 N. Clark St., 773-327-3400) is just the latest pizzeria to pop up on our radar. Today only, they're offering $5.99 pizzas in conjunction with Fox News Chicago's "Good Day Chicago" as its "Deal of the Day." more ›