Where to Dine on a Monday Night in Chicago

A failsafe option for Southern fare infused with a bit of history, Big Jones is always a solid choice. With menus based on heirloom recipes and frequent use of heritage ingredients, chef Paul Fehribach turns out consistently excellent fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, blackened catfish, and a beloved fried chicken with an extra-crispy exterior (it’s cooked in leaf lard). Keep an eye out for seasonal specials that make use of century-old cooking techniques, and enjoy one of the city’s best bourbon collections while you’re at it.

It wasn’t enough for the Poilevey brothers to carry on their parent’s legacy at Le Bouchon; they’ve now expanded with Obelix, one the city’s hottest new tables. In a convivial room designed for comfort, chef Oliver Poilevey puts a twist on French cuisine while remaining true to the classics. If foie is your thing, don’t pass up the “foie-co,” seared foie gras atop a blue corn tortilla with salsa macha, or try the steak tartare with green garlic aioli and banh mi pickles. Jump on the savory seasonal strawberry tarte while you can, and finish off with duck rillettes or a classic steak frites.

Grab a seat in the dining room or the taproom (complete with games!) at this botanical-inspired brewery, and choose between a strawberry-basil hefeweizen, farmhouse ale, or a Ukrainian golden ale, plus cocktails like a Forbidden Old Fashioned made with your choice of whiskey, rum, or mezcal. The menu changes with the seasons, but might include fragrant hearth-roasted carrots with jerk spice and cilantro yogurt, or fire-roasted prawns with peach dashi. A juicy burger with giardiniera mayo and aged cheddar is a staple item; and always plays well with beer.

Hit this casual space with an open kitchen and chalkboard menu for Korean barbecue with a modern twist. Their crispy-yet-tender KFC wings (Korean fried chicken, get it?) come with a choice of sweet and sour, spicy, or mild sauce. There’s also sweet and savory kimchi dumplings, a beef bulgogi bowl, and a range of barbecue options including grilled Duroc pork belly (which can be spiced up with their housemade gojuchang), brisket, and the L.A. kalbi: thin-cut, soy-grilled beef short ribs tossed with onions. Yes, there’s beer, but go for their fruit-infused soju cocktails for a refreshing summer sip.

Arbella is a cocktail lounge, but the globetrotting bar food makes it a worthwhile dinner destination, too: think wild-caught crab Rangoon, Korean fried chicken tenders, shawarma baos, steak frites, and more. Of course, you’ll want a drink (or two) alongside all the snacks. Cocktails are listed from light to boozy and clean to complex, and involve flavors and spirits from around the world. Stay traditional with one of several old fashioneds, or branch out to far-flung locales like Goa Coast, made with whiskey, turmeric, and cardamom, or the Vietnam Rising, with bourbon, rye, and dragonfruit-lemongrass syrup. 

With 20-plus years (and counting!) under its belt, Lula continues to draw loyal customers to Logan Square. Chef-owner Jason Hammel’s eclectic menu has always championed local and seasonal ingredients, so start with a simple house salad with Werp Farm lettuces and a caper vinaigrette, or beet bruschetta with goat cheese and kale. Then move on to what may look like an everyday spaghetti, until you taste the smoky pancetta and sweet and spicy chile sauce. The same holds with the deeply satisfying roast chicken with bitter greens and anchovy aioli. It all comes together with a tight, mostly Old World wine list with a few California gems mixed in.

Not sure if you’re in the mood for Thai, Japanese, Chinese, or Korean? Good news: you can get it all here. For 15 years, Niu has served an impressively large menu that includes avocado-wrapped spicy tuna tartare, miso-broiled sea bass atop black shiitake mushrooms, sesame-coated crispy calamari, and pan-fried scallion pancakes. Then there’s dim sum, wok-fried dishes, noodle, and sushi, like their signature large-format maki. Don’t worry about having to choose — just go with a large group and order the lot.

Can’t make it to Tuscany? A visit to The Village, the city’s oldest Italian restaurant, is the next best thing. Set in the heart of the Loop, this family-owned spot continues to charm after nearly 100 years. Classic Italian dishes like fried calamari and beef carpaccio give way to larger and similarly old-school plates like veal marsala, chicken Vesuvio, linguine frutta di mare, or the famed lasagna. Step back in time here at a true Chicago gem. 

There’s plenty of Thai in this town, but come to Noble for its unusually airy, bright design and the sleek bar set below a large skylight. A mix of familiar Thai dishes — pad Thai, green curry with eggplant, tom yum soup — with more creative offerings, like the “tiger cry” appetizer (charbroiled marinated beef with a sweet and tangy chile sauce) and gaeng pet pet (roasted duck and pineapple in a coconut red curry) that set this West Town spot apart. 

Think all the great Chicago steakhouses are downtown? Not so fast. Ballyhoo Hospitality (Coda di Volpe, Gemini) opened this cozy Wilmette spot during the pandemic to great acclaim. With rounded leather booths and eclectic art, the restaurant delivers a cosmopolitan feel to the North Shore without any pretense. Here the focus is naturally on steaks — all-natural wet-aged and dry-aged Prime — but there’s plenty of seafood to get excited about, too. Try the spicy lobster bucatini and halibut with summer corn succotash from the comfort of the suburbs on a Monday night.