North Side Restaurant Week is set to return for its third year, featuring more than 60 restaurants across seven neighborhoods. The event will run from Thursday through March 8, with participating restaurants in Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, North Center, Albany Park, Edgewater, Irving Park and Rogers Park offering fixed-price menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Rudy Flores, executive director at the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, said five different business organizations are organizing this year’s event. “We have five different business organizations that are organizing North Side restaurant week, which is really exciting,” Flores told Block Club.
The event highlights a variety of cuisines including African, Afro-Caribbean, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and South Asian dishes. Flores noted that feedback from previous years led organizers to allow diners to search for restaurants by both neighborhood and cuisine type on the event’s website. “This is our third year doing this, and we got feedback from consumers about it being great to be able to look at the restaurants by neighborhood, but what about cuisine type?” he said.
Flores explained that since the pandemic more people have been dining at home or ordering takeout. The aim of North Side Restaurant Week is to encourage residents to eat out at local independent restaurants. “An event like this, even though it was created to drive foot traffic in the slower colder months, is now evolving to also get people to actually go out to dine,” he said. “We’re hoping that maybe you’ll explore your community you’re familiar with, but you’ll also then see all these other options.”
Among the featured establishments in Lincoln Square is Bistro Campagne at 4518 N. Lincoln Ave., which has been open since 2002. General Manager Alex Uribe said: “We’re hitting the classics with our menu… People that have been coming here for years will recognize the Poulet Rôti Forestière, our roast Amish chicken. It’s been pretty much on the menu since the first year we’ve been open.” He added: “We’re basically using this opportunity to show people how we approach classic French bistro fare through a Midwestern lens… It’s a classic French approach, but we’re in Chicago. So we use what we have available to us throughout the year and make it approachable.”
Piccadilly Pub at 4749 N. Rockwell St., a new addition after taking over Green Post last year, offers a three-course menu inspired by UK “chippy culture,” including fish and chips.
In North Center’s Il Milanese Ristorante (2201 W. Montrose Ave.), co-owner Massimo Di Vuolo emphasized value and tradition: “Whenever we do Restaurant Week, we try to always offer a great value and a showcase of what we can produce… Not only for the regulars… But for other people that don’t really know about this area or never really knew about our restaurant.” He highlighted Italian staples such as Carciofi ‘Remi’ (Roman artichokes) and Arancine di Riso (fried rice saffron balls).
Pupuseria El Centroamericano (4064 N. Lincoln Ave.) makes its debut during Restaurant Week as well; owner Sintia Ortega previously told Block Club: “Just like the taco is the dish of Mexico, pupusas are the dish of El Salvador.”
Other participating venues include Cultivate by Forbidden Root in Ravenswood—offering vegan-friendly dishes alongside craft beers—and Beograd Cafe & Restaurant in Irving Park serving Serbian cuisine since 1984.
Shattaz Jerk Bar & Grill in Albany Park will serve Caribbean specialties such as jerk wings and oxtail during its three-course meal offering.
For more information on participating restaurants across all neighborhoods or details on special menus offered during North Side Restaurant Week visit their official site.
