Restaurants, Food and Drink

Memorial Day guide: 14 Chicago restaurant and bar specials for the long weekend

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and the city’s bars and restaurants aren’t wasting any time embracing the warm weather with patio parties and refreshing drink specials.

Guinness Open Gate Brewery is offering a mini hot dog and beer flight for Memorial Day weekend. (Guinness Open Gate Brewery Chicago)

Canned wine from Famille du Vin. (Dani Haskin)

The next-generation of canned wine is here

Food icon: Maria Marszewski, The Duchess of Bridgeport at Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar in Chicago

Melissa Clark, left, and fellow wine enthusiasts write postcards to members of Congress during a postcard-writing campaign to protest current presidential policies and executive orders, at Deep Red Wine Merchant, 2901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, on May 12, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago restaurants and bars become spaces for political protesting: ‘Everyone’s experiencing some level of rage’

By Zareen Syed

May 18, 2026 at 3:07 p.m.

Chicago’s local hospitality scene has become a central front in resistance against ramped-up federal immigration...

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard plans to open in September in Clarendon Hills at the former site of Four Sons Mercantile, which closed in March. (Village of Clarendon Hills)

Clarendon Hills to address ‘community clamor for ice cream’ with new Rita’s Italian Ice outlet

By Chuck Fieldman

May 15, 2026 at 4:05 p.m.

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard will open in Clarendon Hills at the former site...

Owner Sam Sianis at the Billy Goat Tavern on Sept. 6, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Photos: Sam Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern

By Chicago Tribune

May 15, 2026 at 1:05 p.m.

Sam Sianis, a Greek immigrant who became one of the most successful saloonkeepers and a...

Sam Sianis of the Billy Goat, Chicago’s most famous saloonkeeper, dies at 91

By Rick Kogan

May 16, 2026 at 2:53 p.m.

Sam Sianis, a Greek immigrant who became one of the most successful saloonkeepers and a...

Steven Goodwin poses for a photograph outside the Union League Club, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., May 14, 2026, in Chicago. He has been a member since 2009. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Rescinded dinner invitation is at the center of a suit filed against the Union League Club of Chicago

By Robert Channick

May 15, 2026 at 8:14 a.m.

The Union League Club of Chicago, a storied private institution founded nearly 150 years ago...

This Oct. 14, 2009 file shows the red and yellow signs with the trademark golden arches of a McDonald's. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

Today in History: First McDonald’s opens

By Chicago Tribune

May 15, 2026 at 3:30 a.m.

On May 15, 1940, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald’s fast-food restaurant, in...

A look inside Kai Modern Japanese Kitchen, as seen on May 13, 2026. The restaurant in downtown Aurora will begin its regular hours of operation on May 20. (R. Christian Smith/The Beacon-News)

Kai Modern Japanese Kitchen launches in downtown Aurora

By R. Christian Smith

May 14, 2026 at 3:21 p.m.

Kai Modern Japanese Kitchen in downtown Aurora recently celebrated its grand opening, with normal hours...

A lawsuit alleges that Cento Fine Foods, a U.S.-based Italian food distributor, falsely labels its products as containing San Marzano tomatoes. (David Tonelson/Dreamstime)

California consumers accuse popular Italian food brand of tomato fraud

By Itzel Luna

May 13, 2026 at 2:39 p.m.

A popular U.S. food distributor has long promised premium, Italian tomatoes in its products. Two...

The Tribune's 2026 Readers’ Choice winners, clockwise from top left: Sip & Savor in Bronzeville, Mindy’s Bakery in Wicker Park, The Greggory in South Barrington, Brûlée in South Loop, Burger Bar in South Loop, Dion’s Chicago Dream in Englewood, The Polo Inn in Bridgeport, and Jimmy's Red Hots in Humboldt Park. (Chicago Tribune)

Tribune Food Awards: The 2026 Readers’ Choice winners

By Kayla Samoy

May 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

After reviewing hundreds of nominations and thousands of votes, we’re excited to reveal this year’s...

Isaias Trevino prepares a Polish sausage with sauerkraut for a customer at Jim’s Original at 1250 S. Union Ave. in Chicago, Aug. 9, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Jim’s Original, famous for its Maxwell Street sausages and hot dogs, relocating to Pilsen

By Zareen Syed

May 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Now in its third generation of ownership, Jim’s Original has been feeding diners on or...

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