How to Make the Most of Chicago Restaurant Week

Seared lamb chops or a premium steak with a side and dessert runs north of $60 at The Signature Room at the 95th-50 weeks out of the year. Then there's Chicago Restaurant Week (actually two weeks, January 26–February 8), when a three-course dinner costs about 25 percent less, high up in the John Hancock Center.

Across this iconic skyline and the city's suburbs, more than 300 restaurants roll out customized prix fixe menus each year: $22 for lunch and $33 or $44 for dinner. Aim upscale to get the biggest bang for the fixed prices. Reservations are key, even weeks in advance, for peak hours at hot-ticket places like Ada Street-known for its speakeasy feel and menus themed around first meals in the White House or Harry Potter.

If your top pick is booked, let Restaurant Week nudge you to explore. The bargains may be smaller at more affordable spots like Demera Ethiopian Restaurant. But there, you'll find two-for-$22 lunch deals and, maybe, your new favorite dish.

Eatitupchicago.com helps diners find their way around the vast culinary landscape and sweet deals offered during Chicago Restaurant Week.