Occasion · Late January – early February
Chicago Restaurant Week
Citywide prix-fixe promotion run by Choose Chicago, late January through early February. Most West Loop marquee restaurants participate.
Cadence: Annually, late January through early February (~17 days).
Chicago Restaurant Week is a citywide prix-fixe promotion run by Choose Chicago, the city's tourism organization. Runs roughly 17 days from late January through early February, with most West Loop marquee restaurants participating. The fixed-price multi-course format is a way to try the marquee tasting rooms (Smyth, Sepia, Avec, Girl & The Goat) at a discounted price — but reservations open mid-January and book fast.
Why this matters in the West Loop
- Most West Loop Michelin-starred + Beard-recognized restaurants participate, offering tasting-menu access at a lower price point.
- Reservations for marquee spots fill within hours of opening — usually mid-January.
- Drives a January-February visitor and restaurant-tourism uplift the rest of the cold months don't support.
- Choose Chicago publishes the participating-restaurant list and the menu structure annually on their site.
Practical guidance
How to participate
Browse the participating-restaurant list on choosechicago.com when published (early January). Pick a restaurant, book through OpenTable / Resy / the restaurant's own system. The fixed-price menu is offered at that restaurant for the duration of Restaurant Week.
West Loop participants (typical)
Most years: Sepia, Avec, Girl & The Goat, Au Cheval (modified format), El Che Steakhouse, Bar Tutto, Alla Vita, Italian Homemade Company, and several others. The Choose Chicago list is authoritative each year.
A fall edition also exists
Choose Chicago runs a fall Restaurant Week in mid-September most years — same format, less crowded than the winter edition.