CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Looking to partake in Chicago Restaurant Week, but too overwhelmed by the countless options? You’re in luck. One local woman has compiled a digestible, user-friendly guide to the 17-day culinary celebration that recognizes the best deals.
For a second consecutive year, River North resident Dani Valverde has produced a public spreadsheet, logging every participating restaurant, its cuisine type, location and Restaurant Week menu options. Valverde went a step further and calculated for the savings value of each promotional menu compared to its regular menu.
Chicago Restaurant Week begins Friday, Jan. 19 and ends Sunday, Feb. 4. It is designed to offer diners the ability to experience some of the area’s best restaurants at an affordable price. Patrons can enjoy pre-fixed menus that charge $25 total for brunch and lunch items, and anywhere from $42–$59 for dinner. The costs of beverages, taxes, and tip are not included in the pre-fixed price.
But sometimes, that deal is not as good as you think it is.
Valverde, a strategy consultant, picked up the torch from someone who made the guide for years but decided to stop in 2022. She was compelled to continue the guide.
“Basically, the motivation was seeing his work and realizing he had done something really cool,” said Valverde. “My interest is more in figuring out, you have this very set price in terms of straight value for money, what are you going to get at different places and how does that compare to what you’re paying upfront?”
Her labor of love the last two years has been well-received, with her recent Reddit post going viral.
“I was pretty surprised last year and this year with the scale of the reception…the way people are really into it… people who find me and give really nice compliments,” Valverde said.
Valverde said analyzing the data can be difficult at times, noting that many restaurants offer items, particularly meat dishes, that are not on their regular menu and vary so much in price.
“It’s interesting to see, sometimes restaurants will include food that’s completely different from what they normally serve, maybe it’s the same cuisine, but it’s a different protein or type of vegetable,” Valverde said.
Despite the challenges, Valverde’s research this year revealed numerous brunch, lunch and dinner deals. She has isolated those restaurants and created a separate sheet by meal type, ranking the deals.
Top $25 brunch deals:
1. Andros Taverna in Logan Square, $44 of estimated savings
2. Cabra in West Loop, $41of estimated savings
3. Duck Duck Goat in West Loop, $37 of estimated savings
Top $25 lunch deals:
1. STK in River North, $63 of estimated savings
2. NoMI in Streeterville, $45 of estimated savings
3. Gene & Georgetti in River North, $43 of estimated savings
Top $42 dinner deals:
1. Mercadito in River North, $66.50 of estimated savings
2. Nia in West Loop, $66 of estimated savings
3. Riccardo Osteri in West Loop, $48 of estimated savings
Top $59 dinner deals:
1. Nia in West Loop, $70 of estimated savings
2. Tanoshii in West Loop, $69 of estimated savings
3. Girl and the Goat in West Loop, $67 of estimated savings
Nia, one of the restaurants prominently featured in Valverde’s guide and a 15-year participant in Restaurant Week, told WBBM they will be offering their special menus along with a bottomless sangria until Feb. 10. Owner Nia Asimis said her restaurant is a popular destination for Restaurant Week, with patrons enjoying their eight course tasting menu.
Valverde identified Boka in Old Town, India House in River North and the brunch at Wrigleyville’s Frasca Pizzeria and Wine Bar as other strong deals.
With more than 400 participants and spanning 32 different Chicago neighborhoods, Chicago Restaurant Week empowers patrons to not only veer from their culinary comfort zone but also save money.
“I think you have to have a clear idea of what you’re looking for,” Valverde said. “Some people like to go just to try new places and don’t care about price point and simply want to go and try a lot of different dishes from a new place. Some people are exclusively going to save money and don’t necessarily care about the cuisine or the quality of the food.”
Check out the full spreadsheet of deals here.
WBBM's Mike Tish and Sarah Dingmann contributed to this report.
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