Chicago, suburban restaurant weeks offer deals at hundreds of popular eateries
You may feel like hibernating until spring hits, but now's actually a great time to dine out in the suburbs and Chicago.
That's because restaurant weeks between January and the end of March offer a wide variety of dining deals, even at acclaimed Chicago eateries and normally pricey suburban steakhouses.
It all kicks off next week with Geneva Restaurant Week on Jan. 20, followed by Naperville and Chicago restaurant weeks on Jan. 24. And don't let the names fool you: Chicago Restaurant Week includes lots of suburban spots, and “weeks” in Chicago and Naperville stretch out for 17 days.
So, if you keep your gas tank filled and your credit card handy, you can eat well - really well - at a discount for weeks on end.
Here's a look at several restaurant weeks (and one restaurant month) popping up in the next couple of months:
Geneva Restaurant Week
When: Jan. 20-26
Dining deals: Participating restaurants are crafting their own deals. Check genevachamber.com for a list.
Chicago Restaurant Week
When: Jan. 24 to Feb. 9
Dining deals: More than 400 restaurants in the city and suburbs offer prix fixe menus, with lunches running $24 and dinners either $36 or $48. Search by cuisine or area at choosechicago.com/.
Naperville Restaurant Week
When: Jan. 24 to Feb. 9
Dining deals: More than three dozen restaurants will offer either daily dining discounts or prix fixe menus. See the list at dinenaperville.com.
North Shore Restaurant Month
When: Feb. 1-29 (excluding Valentine's Day)
Dining deals: About 90 to 100 restaurants will participate offering a mix of discounts, special offers and prix fixe menus. Check visitchicagonorthshore.com as February gets closer to survey the deals.
McHenry County Restaurant Week
When: Feb. 21 to March 1
Dining deals: Participating restaurants tempt diners with either discounts or prix fixe menus. See visitmchenrycounty.com/RestaurantWeek for details.
St. Charles Restaurant Week
When: Feb. 24-28
Dining deals: See stcharlesil.gov/restaurant-week to print out a coupon for 20% off at more than 40 participating restaurants.
Lake County Restaurant Week
When: Feb. 28 to March 8
Dining deals: Participating restaurants customize their specials for restaurant week, with some offering discounts or prix fixe menus. Others give out coupons to use later or debut specialty dishes or cocktails. See visitlakecounty.org as Feb. 28 approaches.
Rosemont Restaurant Week
When: March 1-7
Dining deals: Diners will find prix fixe menus at a variety of restaurants; deals and prices vary. Participants will be listed at rosemontrestaurantweek.com.
Chicago Northwest Restaurant Week
When: March 6-15
Dining deals: Restaurants offer two-course lunch and three-course dinner deals. More than two dozen restaurants are already on board, with more expected to join. Check chicagonorthwest.com/restaurant-week for updates.
Batavia Restaurant Madness Week
When: March 22-26
Dining deals: Participating restaurants offer 20% off. Get more details at downtownbatavia.com.