The special $18 two-course lunch is the same as the regular museum admission price, and admission is free weekdays in January. more ›

Rittergut Wine Bar and Social Club may have a mouthful of a name, but it's a great place to stop in for a quiet lunch. more ›

If you haven't tried Robata-style food yet, it's time. "Eating true robata is like having sex for the first time; you can't tell someone about it," explains Sushi Samba rio chef Dan Tucker. After watching him and tasting it for ourselves, we'll certainly try to tell, but the best option is for you to go yourself. Even better, there's a special lunch deal that lets you try this unique food at a notably low price. more ›

If you're not a fan of Trump, don't worry - you don't have to go inside the glittering tower of wealth, power and over-priced cocktails to get to the market. more ›

Fans of tomato-based alcoholic beverages rejoice: Longman & Eagle's killer brunch has a lot to do with these two words: Bloody. Mary. Here at Chicagoist we are always on the lookout for drinks that are acceptable at any time of day, and after hearing lots of buzz about the Longman & Eagle Bloody Mary, we had to stop in and see what it was all about. Longman & Eagle's Bloody Mary does the trick on a Saturday or Sunday morning with your L&E brunch or lunch. If you think you're a Bloody Mary fan, and you're in Chicago, this one is a must-try. more ›

Vegetarian fast food. It may not be an oxymoron, but it is also not a phrase that usually elicits excitement - especially among vegetarians. For us, "grab and go" usually means a handfull of celery or carrot sticks. For those with a little more time, you might be able to get a salad made to order. Then again, it is probably going to be the same salad you ordered last time. Truth be told, though, things are better than they have been in the past. Thanks to greater acceptance of the meat-free diet, most places now have some kind of vegetarian offering on the menu. Then there's Hannah's Bretzel. These little shops have eight! more ›

Are you a Chicago history nerd? A food lover? An architecture geek? A fan of the Palmer House Hotel? If you're any of these things, we have just the event for you. The Palmer House and Lockwood Restaurant are running a series of lunch-time tours of the hotel, hosted by resident "historian extraordinaire" (and PR director) Ken Price. more ›

We tend to take a late lunch during the day and, working from home, get to enjoy the solace of eating alone. We agree with the Gorilla in the video: don't bother us while we're eating. more ›

If you're like us, lunch hour is an endless ground war against monotony first and excessive expense a close second. You've tried everything within the circle around your office, and you're bored. In an attempt to shake up that routine, we've been seeking out tasty lunch spots that won't set you back more than around 15 bucks for you and a buddy. Artisan Cellar, somewhat hidden in plain sight on the first floor of the Merchandise Mart, fits that perfectly. more ›

The downtown lunch scene seems to present almost endless possibilities. There as so many different styles of cuisines from which to choose and at a rather wide range of prices. Sit down, take out, pre-made, made to order - you can find it all in the Loop. What really sets a lunch spot apart from the rest these days, however, is a combination of good food, great prices, and how full you are going to get for your money. There is, after all, one hell of a recession on. Few places get us as close to a vegetarian food coma for our hard-earned bucks as Benjyehuda. 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 ›

Though Chicagoans are a hearty bunch in the winter, it is odd to find them lined up outside on a snowy weekday waiting for lunch. Imagine our surprise to find just such a queue of hungry patrons on Wells Street in the Loop yesterday. It seems that two storms were unleashed on the downtown yesterday. One was a product of Father Winter and the other was caused by the grand opening of Jersey Mike's Subs. Judging by the throng of eager eaters, it was a grand opening indeed. more ›

Hungry for hummus? Maneuver through the loop lunch traffic to the semi-hidden Middle Eastern favorite Oasis Cafe. It’s only by navigating the aisles of the Chicago Jeweler’s Mall that you’ll find this gem of a lunch spot, nestled amongst some real gems. more ›

We have all heard of the proverbial "one-track mind". It happens to us all when we get obsessively focused on a single idea. But how many of us have eaten in a truly one-track restaurant? The type of eatery that serves one thing and one thing only. The guys at Pierogi Heaven have just such an obsession - a tasty, single obsession. Their one-track lunchspot serves up pierogies and only pierogies. more ›

Joan Nathan has authored a terrific new cookbook about French-Jewish cuisine, offering a set of recipes many food lovers have never seen. "Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France" takes readers through this previously under-documented food culture and includes twists on many traditional french specialties. more ›

From its quick transformation from an old La Canasta on Webster, Kith & Kin has emerged as one of the best new restaurant openings of the past year, most recently taking home the "Best New Neighborhood Restaurant" award in the Reader's "best of" issue. They've also added a lunch service and we thought last weekend was a perfect time to visit, since Lincoln Park was, for all purposes, deserted for the holiday. more ›

(Ed. Note: Now in its third year, Chicago Restaurant Week starts Friday and runs through February 28. Over 160 restaurants throughout the greater Chicago area will offer 3-course fixed price dinners for $32 and 3-course, fixed price lunches for $22. Last year we offered suggestions for restaurants to visit during Restaurant Week. We're doing the same this week, starting with selections from Megan Tempest. — C. Sudo) more ›

Looks like we're gonna have dueling restaurant weeks again for a 3rd straight year. In addition to Restaurant Week Chicago and the Chicago Originals Restaurant Week, all events Chicago website the Local Tourist has put together a restaurant week of its own. more ›

Odds were solid that the bustle of a restaurant kitchen would be music to the ears of Christian and Omar. Their father Jose owns and operates Bridgeport mainstay Tacos Erendira and makes one of our favorite al pastor tacos in the city. Mother Maria is the sugar behind the spice of North Center's Café 28 as its longtime pastry chef. Now the sons enter the cutthroat world of restaurants with a concept that's downright bold in a neighborhood whose idea of brunch is eating a Polish sausage and fries from Maxwell Street Depot and drinking a Mickey's Big mouth on the hood of your car. more ›

Winter is generally a down time for restaurant business; our current banana republic economy isn't helping matters. That, and the range of options for diners wanting to have a night out on the town, is the impetus for the second annual Chicago Restaurant Week February 20-27. Sponsored by the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, 130 restaurants — from the 5-star Zagat rated concepts to off the beaten path diners — will offer 3-course prix fixe lunches for $22 and $32 prix fixe dinners. more ›

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This is most likely too late for you downtown workers, but if you're interested and at Portillo's tomorrow they're giving away 500 free hot dogs (via). That's right, 500 free hot dogs. more ›

Some days, we just don't feel like cooking and can't be bothered to start the car. That's when you realize that you've underestimated frozen food. Ahh, frozen food. The bachelor's friend. The easy girl at your favorite bar. Let's enjoy her, shall we? Our bar today is Trader Joe's. Let's see what he has to offer. more ›

Some things to do this weekend, and into next, as an excuse to dress in costume. Rare and fine wine auction house Hart Davis Hart is holding an auction of private collections from both coasts today from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Tru. The auction is free to attend, but anyone taking the time to head to Tru and not eat is an idiot, quite frankly. Lunch today at Tru is fixed-priced at $75.... more ›

For all of our talk about the great food in the city, Chicagoist has been known to slack a little from time to time. For example, it probably isn't the best use of our money or daily caloric intake to chow down on the Thai lunch special from down the street a couple of times a week. But we do anyway. And we know a lot of parents probably operate similarly; they know a Lunchable... more ›

We've all seen the movie Fight Club and know the level of idolatry it encourages in people. But if the kid who shot his load into his high school cafeteria's ranch dressing was a case of life trying to imitate art, then perhaps no one should ever, ever, ever see the movie again. more ›

Yesterday Robert Creamer, the husband of Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, representing our friends up in the 9th District, was sentenced to five months in federal prison for check kiting and withholding taxes. more ›

Halloween is gone and our "Stubbs the Zombie" giveaway is also finished. more ›

Is it just us or is the comic book world becoming more Chicago-centric? We started noticing the trend back in March with the release of Countdown to Infinite Crisis, DC’s harbinger of things to come in their Infinite Crisis miniseries that launched this week.* Some of the events in that book took place in none other than Chicago and suburban Highland Park. Then we got ahold of a preview copy of The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles at... more ›

we’ll probably spend some quality time cuddled up with them in some dark, out-of-the-way place...like the movies. more ›