Incognito

We need to find a restaurant for a birthday dinner with a good food and pleasant service. Any type of food but Mexican and Chinese. If possible we would like to dine somewhere where are real table clothes. Is that too much to ask? Because we will spend all our savings for a dinner at TRU one evening we are looking for a very inexpensive restaurant. Is it possible to have a dinner for four people under $200.00 excluding tips? We are staying at Residence Inn Downtown recommended on this board. Prefer to dine in that area so we won't have to spend money for taxis.
Would Cafe Spiaggia fit our requirements? Thank you for your help.

alex

I think the term "Cafe" may be somewhat misleading. Although far less expensive than Spiaggia, Cafe Spiaggia is not exactly an "inexpensive" restaurant. Chicago Reader restuarant recommendations show the average tab (with liquor, tax & tip) as $46.36 but I seem to remember it being much closer to $65-70 (particularly if you order a bottle of wine). That being said, it's very good. Good food and excellent service. If you watch what you order, it probably can be done for less than $200 for 4.

Incognito

Thank you Alex. Any more interesting and inexpensive places for dining in that area of Chicago?

marilynl

You might consider Coco Pazzo Cafe, on Saint Clair St. one block south of Tru. White tablecloths, cozy trattoria atmosphere, very good food and service.

patg

Caliterra might be a good possibility. Another is Mon Ami Gabi, in Lincoln Park, but only a short cab ride (less than 2 miles). Both chireader.com and metromix.com have guides that let you spell out your preferred area and price range for restaurants. Check out their reader comments.

Incognito

Thank you so much, marilynl and patg. I will check out your suggestions right now. Are there many people in Chicago who are as nice and helpful as you patg, marilynl and Alex?
Thanks

Pat2003

I heard Wave is pretty good.

Pat2003

Or you can go to Red Lobster. I bet there is one in Chicago

alex

There actually is a brand new Red Lobster right in that area but I don't think that's what Incognito had in mind. My favorite restaurant in that area is Cafe Iberico. It is a tapas restaurant with a loud and lively atmosphere so that doesn't exactly sound like what you are looking for either. I would highly recommend it, however. I also like Roy's and Fogo de Chao, neither of which is special to Chicago and I don't think are any less pricey than Cafe Spiaggia. Wildfire is relatively close and the food is very good. Chicago Reader says the average tab there is about $39 with drinks and tip. Last time we went, we had a gift certificate so I don't really know what we spent. There is always Maggiano's which, while a "chain" restaurant, is dependably good and well-priced. If you wanted to take the el up near Wrigley, you could also go to Mia Francesca, which is excellent.

Cerlaurie

Coco Pazzo Cafe is not far from your hotel and it is very good. Someone else mentioned Cafe Iberico. I went there recently with a group of friends and we had a couple of pitchers of Sangria and it was still pretty reasonable. If you have drinks, Roy's and Fogo de Chao will probably be out of your price range but there are a lot of other restaurants where you can eat for that amount. Another suggestion close to your hotel is Tucci Benucchi which is in the Bloomingdale's building (900 N. Michigan). Check out these restaurants and others on www.metromix.com. I like to go there and check out the reader reviews.

alex

I was also going to suggest Tucci Benucch but I thought that might be too casual for a birthday dinner. The food is always good though. The Chicago Reader describes the atmosphere as "kitschy" - I find it charming, even though it is in a mall. Fogo de Chao will definitely be too expensive with drinks - it is $38.50/person just for the meal. I don't personally care for Coco Pazzo, although I have never eaten in Coco Pazzo Cafe. Another suggestion for Italian, although slightly farther from your hotel is Trattoria No. 10. Excellent food especially the homemade ravioli.

Blueskiestrvl

Hi,
For a bunch of great suggestions look up check please on your search engine. It is a show that reviews local chicagland restaurants on the PBS station out here. You may also want to check out metromix.com kind of the same thing but reviewd by all different people. Hope this helps!1

Happy Travels,
Jill

hipster70

Incognito,
I highly recommend Cafe Iberico as well for a very inexpensive tapas experience..It is located on LaSalle ( sorry dont have an exact addy)..but you can do a search on www.metromix.com for all the latest reviews on Chicago restuarants..

I can tell you that us Chicagoans are very friendly and helpful!

Hope you have a great time..and oh yeh..

GO CUBS!

Kristi

Wildfire (159 W. Erie) is an excellent suggestion, it's casual but the interior is very nice and I'm pretty sure they have table clothes. The horseradish crusted filet is awesome! I'm sure we always get out of there for under $50 per person. I have walked there from Michigan Avenue, I think it's about a mile from your hotel.

A steak place that's a little closer is Lawry's (100 E. Ontario) but you'd only go there if everyone is a prime rib fan as that's pretty much all they serve.

For seafood, there is Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab at 60 E. Grand (not to be confused with Joe's Crab Shack) which I think is around $50 per head. They have the best crabcakes there, the interior is very fine, the waitstaff was very good (they even brought me a decadent dessert on my birthday, on the house of course).

I used to be a big fan of Maggiano's but our last couple of visits were just adequate. If you're willing to spring for a cab, I'd recommend heading over to Taylor Street instead and trying my favorite, Rosebud (1500 W. Taylor), or I've also heard good things about Francesca's.

I just had a very good lunch over in Greektown at Santorini (800 W. Adams), the menu is loaded with good seafood options and many Greek standards. Once again you'd want to take a cab though.

If you don't already have reservations for Tru, don't wait too long to make them. Tru books up several weeks, maybe even months in advance.

A lot of the other restaurants can be reserved at www.opentable.com. I've used them to book several times with no problems.

Cafe Iberico (739 N. LaSalle) is one of my favorite restaurants but is probably the most casual of all of the suggestions offered. I don't think they take reservations for parties of 4 and they get really, really crowded on weekend nights.

patg

Kristi's suggestion of Greektown made me think of the prettiest restaurant there - Costa's. An elegant setting (with tablecloths) a musician on weekends, food that everyone can enjoy (lamb, seafood.) Again, about two miles from your hotel; you know you'll have to get a bit away from that neighborhood to get the best value for your dollar.