The Chicago edit
Extraordinary tables. Unexpected nights.
A city that always has another story.
01 / Dining
Michelin-starred chef Donald Young, founder of Duck Sel, cooks his own Osaka-style okonomiyaki at Gaijin in the West Loop on Wednesday, Oct. 28,…
Every Chicago one-night dinner worth booking from November 2 through New Year's Eve, in date order, with prices, times and booking links. Sold-out…
On Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, Jason Hammel opens Lula Cafe on its night off for the 13th Logan Square Chef's Dinner: a cocktail…
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, Tim Flores and Genie Kwon welcome chef Florence Mae Maglanoc of London's Bib Gourmand Donia to Kasama, their…
The Ives, Boka Restaurant Group's grill room inside the Chicago Athletic Association at 12 S. Michigan Ave., rolls a 13-bite supper club relish…
Pizzeria Gabbo opens Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 834 W. Fulton Market St. with two styles of pie from Lettuce Entertain You chef…
02 / Openings
John Manion of El Che and Brasero, the 2026 Jean Banchet Chef of the Year, is opening Palomino, a live-fire American steakhouse at…
Halloween falls on a Saturday, so Chicago is making a week of it: Runway LatinX and Arts in the Dark this weekend, Boots…
Pizzeria Gabbo opens Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 834 W. Fulton Market St. with two styles of pie from Lettuce Entertain You chef…
Siete Azul Chicago brings coastal Mexican mariscos to the old Chicago Diner space at 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in late October 2026, with…
Kermess and Sip & Guzzle are open, Halloween falls on a Saturday, and November brings the Soul Train Awards and the 25th Fur…
A runway at Navy Pier, a free afternoon on State Street, 200 open buildings, Gordo x Metro at TAO and fifty chefs at…
03 / The latest
All the stories. All the possibilities.
John Manion of El Che and Brasero, the 2026 Jean Banchet Chef of the Year, is opening Palomino, a live-fire American steakhouse at 565 W. Randolph St. in the West Loop, in early 2027. Expect boutique American beef, farm-raised game birds, a smoke-kissed Gulf Coast raw bar and an all North American wine list from Sommelier of the Year Alex Cuper.
Michelin-starred chef Donald Young, founder of Duck Sel, cooks his own Osaka-style okonomiyaki at Gaijin in the West Loop on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. Paul Virant’s okonomiyaki house then turns seven with $75 five-course whisky and sake dinners on Nov. 4 and 5, and Andy Lim of Perilla takes the griddle on Nov. 18.
Every Chicago one-night dinner worth booking from November 2 through New Year’s Eve, in date order, with prices, times and booking links. Sold-out nights and cardholder-only dinners are flagged up front.
On Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, Jason Hammel opens Lula Cafe on its night off for the 13th Logan Square Chef’s Dinner: a cocktail hour and five paired courses cooked with Diana Dávila, Joe Frillman, Ethan Pikas, Matthias Merges, Zeeshan Shah and Yoshi Yamada. Tickets were $250, all-inclusive with wine pairings, with every dollar going to Comfort Station, and the dinner is sold out as of Oct. 25.
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, Tim Flores and Genie Kwon welcome chef Florence Mae Maglanoc of London’s Bib Gourmand Donia to Kasama, their two-Michelin-star Filipino restaurant in Ukrainian Village, for one collaborative tasting menu at $325 a person, booked only on OpenTable.
Halloween falls on a Saturday, so Chicago is making a week of it: Runway LatinX and Arts in the Dark this weekend, Boots Halloween at Radius, Circus After Dark at ROOF on theWit and the 30th Haunted Halsted Parade, then Kaskade and Carl Cox.
The Ives, Boka Restaurant Group’s grill room inside the Chicago Athletic Association at 12 S. Michigan Ave., rolls a 13-bite supper club relish cart to the table for $38 a person, carves wagyu prime rib in front of you and pours $10 martinis at its 60-foot bar on weeknights.
Pizzeria Gabbo opens Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 834 W. Fulton Market St. with two styles of pie from Lettuce Entertain You chef Andrew Ashmore: square-cut Chicago Thin & Crispy and a crackly New York Crispy, plus housemade pasta, Italian spritzes and pistachio soft-serve gelato.
For 14 nights, November 5 to 22, 2026, The Alinea Group and Dylan Trotter bring Charlie Trotter’s cooking back to the original Lincoln Park dining room at 816 W. Armitage Ave.: a nine-course menu drawn from the chef’s own cookbooks, $295 per person in the dining room and $315 at the kitchen table.
Mr. Beef Chicago hands its River North counter to Santiago Lastra of London’s Michelin-starred KOL and The Bear’s Will Poulter on Sunday, October 25, 2026, for a one-day Mexican-inspired Italian beef with beef tongue, caramelized mozzarella and chorizo, plus a Pretty Cool Ice Cream sandwich. Walk-in only from 1 p.m. until it sells out.
The Lineup Chicago, Elena Besser’s chef-driven dinner series, arrives from New York with three one-night dinners at the Ravenswood Event Center: Derek Serrano of Mi Tocaya on November 5, Colin McHugh of Oriole on November 12 and Luis Diaz of Giant on November 19, 2026. Here is every course, and how to get on the waitlist.