CHIGuide
9 Exciting Things To Do & Eat In Chicago Between January 10th-17th.
Check out these new restaurants, pop-ups, and special events all around Chicago.
Between the weather, the news cycle, and already-failed New Year’s resolutions, it’s tempting to hide out until March. But just in case you do decide to head outside, we have a handy list of nine exciting pop-ups, special events, and new restaurants happening all around Chicago this week.
The Things
Wazwan is permanently closed
Every Friday and Saturday, Wazwan, a wonderful South Asian counter-service spot in Wicker Park, transforms into a tasting menu concept called The Coach House. It’s located in the back of Wazwan (in an actual coach house) and serves an eight-course dinner. They just opened up reservations for January and February. It’s small (25 seats), has only one seating a night, and tickets are going fast. You can buy them here.
Sweet Liberty, a Miami Beach cocktail bar, is popping up for one month in the lobby of The Soho House. After finding this out we immediately reached out to Infatuation Miami, and were told that it is, indeed, a great cocktail bar, with fun drinks like the Always Sunny Negroni that includes strawberry glitter. And in true Chicago fashion, you can order pizza from Paper Thin while you’re there.
Speaking of Soho House, you should also know about Dan the Baker’s pop-up. Fridays through Sundays, from 10am-3pm, you can pick up bread and pastries like churro cruffins that are filled with cajeta pastry cream. For more details, check out their website and Instagram.
Next Monday, Dear Margaret (one of Chicago’s Best New Restaurants Of 2021) is celebrating their one-year anniversary. To mark the occasion, the French Canadian Lakeview spot is serving burgers and poutine (for the very first time), will have a special drink menu filled with Canadian beer and whiskey, and play music from Rush—who, yes, are also from Canada. Seating is first-come-first-served, and doors open at 5pm.
Tickets are now available for a special five-course dinner at Claudia on January 26th. Dinner at the fine-dining restaurant in Wicker Park will include creative Japanese-inspired cocktails, the kind of whimsical dishes the restaurant is known for, and costs $200. You can get tickets here.
Bernies has one of our favorite rooftops in River North, and one of the best burgers in Chicago—a pork belly and short rib patty covered in a thick blanket of cheese, pickles, and garlic aioli on a perfectly toasted bun. So we think it’s worth letting you know that they recently covered their rooftop bar and it’s full of heaters. So you can stay warm, enjoy the view, and try to forget that winter exists.
Considering how brutally cold it is right now, we think it’s a good time to remind you about a new hot pot spot in the South Loop. The X Pot has futuristic robot servers, along with elaborate light projections and thematic soundscapes. While the robots will bring you the majority of your hot pot ingredients, humans are on hand to take orders and help with any questions beyond a robot’s comprehension.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
On Tuesdays, Mi Tocaya in Logan Square hosts “Tinto Tuesdays”. The excellent Mexican restaurant has a special global wine list that focuses on small production, biodynamic wines, and you can get them for half off. Also worth mentioning is that the wine deal is available for both indoor dining and to-go.
A new vegan bakery is soft-opening in Portage Park this weekend. It’s called Mindful Baking (which started out as a pop-up in Ravenswood), and will serve sandwiches, soups, and baked goods. You can find more details about the opening on Block Club Chicago, and follow their for updates.
