November is when Chicago’s best kitchens open their doors to friends. Winemakers fly in from Lebanon and Piemonte, a New York chef brings his Basque cookbook home, a whole-animal butcher takes over a Michelin-starred dining room, and the Kasama crew spends the last days of the year cooking with New Orleans’ favorite sandwich shop. Each of these nights happens once. Here is every one-night dinner worth booking from November 2 through New Year’s Eve, in date order, with prices, times and how to get a seat. Two are already sold out and one is open only to certain cardholders, and each says so up front.
Monday, November 2: Château Musar and a Lebanese table at avec
avec has been pouring Mediterranean wine over its communal tables on Randolph Street since 2003, so a night with Château Musar feels like a homecoming. Marc Hochar of the Bekaa Valley winery joins the room for a five-course, communal-style dinner at 6:30 p.m. The menu starts with olive oil braised octopus with paprika, fenugreek and saffron potatoes, moves through spiced lamb man’oushe with fermented red pepper and labneh, roasted cauliflower with chard borani and walnuts, and a coriander-spiced leg of lamb with pomegranate salsa, then ends with burnt honey layer cake and an L’Arack de Musar cocktail. The pours run from the 2023 Jeune Rosé to the 2019 Château Musar Red.
Tickets are $150 per person, prepaid on OpenTable, and seating is assigned at the shared tables. The menu is fixed, since every course goes to the table family style.
Wednesday, November 4: A Night of Nebbiolo at RPM Italian
RPM Italian in River North gives one evening to Piemonte’s great red grape. The lineup pairs benchmark Barolo and Alto Piemonte producers, Giuseppe Mascarello, Antoniolo and Le Piane, with the newer-school Stefano Occhetti, and the kitchen writes a regional menu of comforting Piemontese dishes to match. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. at 52 W. Illinois St.
Tickets are $200 per person, prepaid on OpenTable, plus tax and a 20% gratuity, with a limit of four per guest.
Wednesday and Thursday, November 4 and 5: Gaijin turns seven
Paul Virant’s okonomiyaki house on Lake Street celebrates its seventh anniversary with two nights of the same five-course menu, served 5 to 9 p.m. Virant and chef Marcus Rasmussen open with sweet potato korokke and honey miso mayo, then marinated beets with pickled myoga, Asian pear and kosho whipped tofu, nitsuke-style sole with sunchokes over rice, and braised wagyu beef cheek okonomiyaki. Dessert is a persimmon kakigori with hojicha ice cream, maple kinako and a cinnamon snow cap.
Wednesday is the whisky night with Beam Suntory, pouring Toki, Hakushu 12, Hibiki Japanese Harmony, Yamazaki 12 and Yamazaki 18. Thursday brings limited-release sakes from Yamasho. The menu is $75 per person, with optional pairings at $65 for whisky or $55 for sake, before tax and gratuity, charged at the end of the meal. Book through Gaijin’s reservations page.
Thursday, November 5: Basque night at Creepies
Creepies, David and Anna Posey’s lilac-tiled West Loop bistro next door to Elske, hands its kitchen to Chicago native Ryan Bartlow for one night. Bartlow runs Ernesto’s and Bartolo in New York and spent his formative years at Akelarre in San Sebastián, and the menu comes from his new cookbook, Essentially Basque, written with Laurie Woolever. Dinner is $110 per person, prepaid on OpenTable, plus tax and service, and copies of the book can be added to your booking.
Thursday, November 5: Derek Serrano at The Lineup (sold out)
The Lineup Chicago opens its first Chicago season at the Ravenswood Event Center with Derek Serrano, chef de cuisine at Mi Tocaya Antojería, cooking a five-course love letter to his grandmother’s kitchen: Nayarit-style shrimp in salsa negra, charred cabbage with Kilgus Farm pork belly, grilled chicken with tinga blanca and an Abuelita chocolate brownie with coconut horchata. A welcome cocktail and a wine pairing come with every ticket. The dinner is sold out, and the Resy event page keeps a waitlist. ChiVibe’s guide to The Lineup Chicago has the full menus for all three November nights.
All month: Trotter’s Tribute Menu on Armitage
One November booking runs longer than a night. From November 5 through November 22, the original Charlie Trotter’s at 816 W. Armitage Ave. serves a nine-course Trotter’s Tribute Menu drawn from the chef’s own cookbooks, the closing chapter of the esmero residency in the building. The dining room menu is $295 per person on Tock. The $315 kitchen table seating is sold out. The story behind the run is in ChiVibe’s Charlie Trotter’s tribute menu guide.
Saturday, November 7: Paint, talk and dinner at LOULOU
LOULOU, the Logan Boulevard salon space from the Lula Cafe family, hosts L. Soirée with the painter Leslie Baum at 6 p.m. Since 2017, Baum has invited friends and near-strangers to paint outdoors beside her, more than 230 painting dates so far. She is joined by Emily Lanctot, Melissa Oresky and Eve Fineman for a talk with photographs and work from the project, then everyone sits down to a communal dinner cooked by the Lula team. A watercolor station stays open for anyone who wants to add a page. Tickets are $95 per person, prepaid on OpenTable, at 3057 W. Logan Blvd.
Sunday, November 8: Pintxos and a cookbook launch at Asador Bastian
Asador Bastian’s monthly Pintxo Sunday becomes the Chicago launch party for Essentially Basque, with Ryan Bartlow and Laurie Woolever, the longtime Anthony Bourdain collaborator, in the room. The afternoon opens with a reception of Basque-style pintxos, then moves to a seated luncheon in the Main Dining Room with a first taste of the kitchen’s new fall dishes. Choose the noon or 1:30 p.m. seating. Tickets are $125 per person through Asador Bastian’s event page.
Tuesday, November 10: The Logan Square Chef’s Dinner at Lula Cafe (sold out)
Lula Cafe closes on Tuesdays, so on November 10 Jason Hammel lends his kitchen to five Logan Square neighbors, from Mi Tocaya Antojería to Superkhana International, for a five-course benefit dinner with wine pairings. Tickets were $250, and every dollar goes to Comfort Station. The night is sold out. Read the full story in ChiVibe’s Lula Cafe chef’s dinner feature.
Wednesday, November 11: Kasama x Donia, The Heritage Code
Two-Michelin-star Kasama in East Ukrainian Village welcomes Florence Mae Maglanoc of Donia, the London Filipino restaurant with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, for a single night of Filipino cooking from both sides of the Atlantic. Genie Kwon, Tim Flores and Maglanoc write the menu together for the evening. The tasting menu is $325 per person, with a $195 beverage pairing or a $95 nonalcoholic pairing, booked on OpenTable. ChiVibe’s Kasama x Donia preview covers both kitchens.
Wednesday, November 18: The Boka game dinner
Boka, Lee Wolen’s Michelin-starred dining room on Halsted Street in Lincoln Park, gives one night to game. Rob Levitt brings his whole-animal butchery and Doug Psaltis his refined cooking to an eight-course tasting menu that explores the depth, complexity and seasonality of game. The dinner is $225 per person, prepaid on OpenTable, with an optional $165 wine pairing. Parties of one to six can book, and seats were still open on October 25, 2026.
Wednesday, December 30: Kasama x Mason Hereford (Sapphire Reserve only)
Kasama closes the year with Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf, the New Orleans sandwich shop with a cult following. The day brings two events: a prix fixe brunch of Turkey and the Wolf and Kasama greatest hits at $65 per person, and a multi-course collaboration dinner of Hereford’s favorite dishes alongside Tim and Genie’s menu, priced on OpenTable. Both are open only to Chase Sapphire Reserve, J.P. Morgan Reserve and Sapphire Reserve for Business cardmembers, who book by adding the card to their OpenTable account.
Thursday, December 31: New Year’s Eve at Feld
Jake Potashnick’s 20-seat West Town tasting room, which holds a Michelin star and a Michelin Green Star, rings out the year with a classic Feld menu and an extra-luxurious wine pairing valued at $375, poured from the top of the cellar. Tickets are $600 per person plus tax and service, prepaid on Tock, and all sales are final. Dinner wraps around 10 p.m., early enough for a midnight party, and the kitchen cannot adjust the menu for dietary restrictions that night. Get to know the room in ChiVibe’s Feld Chicago profile.
Plan your nights
- Mon, Nov. 2: avec West Loop x Château Musar, 6:30 p.m., $150, OpenTable
- Wed, Nov. 4: RPM Italian, A Night of Nebbiolo, 7 p.m., $200 plus tax and 20% gratuity, OpenTable
- Wed, Nov. 4 and Thu, Nov. 5: Gaijin 7th anniversary, 5 to 9 p.m., $75, pairings $65 or $55
- Thu, Nov. 5: Creepies x Ryan Bartlow, $110 plus tax and service, OpenTable
- Thu, Nov. 5: The Lineup with Derek Serrano, sold out, Resy waitlist
- Nov. 5 to 22: Trotter’s Tribute Menu, $295 dining room on Tock, kitchen table sold out
- Sat, Nov. 7: LOULOU L. Soirée with Leslie Baum, 6 p.m., $95, OpenTable
- Sun, Nov. 8: Asador Bastian Pintxo Sunday, noon or 1:30 p.m., $125
- Tue, Nov. 10: Lula Cafe Logan Square Chef’s Dinner, sold out
- Wed, Nov. 11: Kasama x Donia, $325, OpenTable
- Wed, Nov. 18: Boka game dinner, $225, wine pairing $165, OpenTable
- Wed, Dec. 30: Kasama x Mason Hereford, brunch $65, Sapphire Reserve cardmembers only
- Thu, Dec. 31: Feld New Year’s Eve, $600 plus tax and service, Tock
Frequently asked questions
What are the best one-night dinners in Chicago in November 2026?
Chicago’s standout one-night dinners in November 2026 include Château Musar at avec on Nov. 2, A Night of Nebbiolo at RPM Italian on Nov. 4, Gaijin’s anniversary nights on Nov. 4 and 5, Ryan Bartlow at Creepies on Nov. 5, Kasama x Donia on Nov. 11 and the Boka game dinner on Nov. 18.
Which Chicago chef dinners in November 2026 are sold out?
Two are sold out as of Oct. 25, 2026: The Lineup with Derek Serrano of Mi Tocaya Antojería on Nov. 5 in Ravenswood, which keeps a waitlist on its Resy event page, and the Logan Square Chef’s Dinner at Lula Cafe on Nov. 10. The $315 kitchen table at the Trotter’s Tribute Menu is also sold out.
How much is the Boka game dinner in Chicago?
The Boka game dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, is $225 per person, prepaid on OpenTable, for an eight-course game tasting menu cooked with guest chefs Rob Levitt and Doug Psaltis at Boka in Lincoln Park. An optional wine pairing adds $165 per person, and parties of one to six can book.
Who can book the Kasama x Mason Hereford dinner in Chicago?
Only Chase Sapphire Reserve, J.P. Morgan Reserve and Sapphire Reserve for Business cardmembers can book Kasama’s Dec. 30, 2026 events with Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf. They add the eligible card to their OpenTable account to see availability. The brunch is $65 per person, and the collaboration dinner is priced on OpenTable.
How much is New Year’s Eve at Feld Chicago?
New Year’s Eve at Feld in West Town on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026, costs $600 per person plus tax and service, prepaid on Tock, with a luxury wine pairing valued at $375 included. All sales are final, the menu cannot be adjusted for dietary restrictions, and dinner wraps around 10 p.m.
Further reading
- avec West Loop on OpenTable
- A Night of Nebbiolo at RPM Italian
- Gaijin event calendar
- Creepies on OpenTable
- The Lineup tickets
- esmero at Charlie Trotter’s on Tock
- LOULOU on OpenTable
- Asador Bastian Pintxo Sunday and Essentially Basque launch
- Lula Cafe on OpenTable
- Kasama on OpenTable
- Boka on OpenTable
- Feld New Year’s Eve on Tock
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