Eat this: La Madia’s pumpkin pizza
Eat this: La Madia’s pumpkin pizza
Pecorino Romano cheese and cipollini onions make it special
Scary, or scary good? You decide. On Saturday, La Madia will celebrate Halloween by offering a one-of-a-kind pizza ($14), topped with roasted organic pumpkin, pecorino Romano cheese and roasted cipollini onions. Even if you don’t know boo about pizza, you might like this. 59 W. Grand Ave., 312-329-0400 — Phil Vettel
Cinco de Mayo fiestas.OK, so technically it’s not Mexico’s Independence Day (that’s in September), but Cinco de Mayo is no less reason to celebrate. Fiesta the day away at one of these hot spots, offering Mexican-themed deals throughout the day (all events on Tuesday, May 5, unless otherwise noted).
Nacional 27
6-9 p.m.; buy tickets here
Nacional 27 is offering a $27 “ultimate party package” that includes margaritas, sangria, passed tapas and dancing to the beats of DJ George Perez.
Carnivale
May 5-6
On Tuesday, Carnivale celebrates Cinco de Mayo with $5 guacamole, five specialty margaritas ($8.50-$12), $5 valet, $5 Mexican beers (Pacifico and Negro Modelo) and other Mexican-themed food specials like posole, tacos de lengua and flan. Keep the fiesta going on Wednesday with Margaritas 101, a hands-on class taught by Carnivale mixologist Victor Beheza (6:30-8:30 p.m.; $25).
Zocalo
5 p.m.-10 p.m.
Zocalo celebrates Cinco de Mayo with a cinco dolar ($5) menu: $5 margaritas, $5 chef’s choice taco bar and half-off all appetizers in the bar from 5-7 p.m.; $5 shots of Cuervo Traditional, Cuervo Silver and Cuervo Flavors. Zocalo will host raffles all night, and a DJ will spin beginning at 6 p.m.
Twisted Lizard
11 a.m.?midnight
The lively Lincoln Park restaurant is celebrating Cinco de Mayo with its famous El Jimador margaritas for $6, along with live mariachi band music.
Smoke Daddy
11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
Enjoy $2 Corona and Corona Light bottles, in addition to $5 nachos (two layers of tortilla chips, pulled pork, chicken or brisket, Division Street chili, monterey jack cheese, sharp cheddar, white onion, tomatoes, cilantro and Smoke Daddy’s famous BBQ sauce) and BBQ Smoked Chicken Enchiladas with coleslaw and fries, $10. Beginning at 9 p.m., Nigel Mack will rock the stage with free tunes.
Dunlays on the Square
Sip $2 Pacificos and $5 margaritas while enjoying Mexican-themed specials, such as fish tacos ($12), steak tacos ($10), guacamole and chips ($8) and ceviche ($9). A $7 Don Julio premium tequila flight will also be featured. Tuesday’s 20 wine bottles for $20 promotion will also be valid.
O’Donovan’s
Food specials, available from 4-10 p.m., include queso fundido, chipotle shrimp with tequila cocktail sauce, Acapulco salad, frisee salad with chorizo and roasted garlic, and Caramel Flan for dessert. Drink specials, served all day, include Milagro shots ($4), margaritas and frozen margaritas ($5-$7), micheladas (Dos Equis on the rocks with lots of lime, dash of Bloody Mary spice and a salted rim, $5) and homemade horchata ($3, or $6 with tequila).
Park 52
5 p.m.-10 p.m.
Drink $3 Coronas to go with an appetizer/cocktail combo: the chicken quesadilla with roasted salsa and a Jose Cuervo Margarita on the rocks for $15.
Moonshine
6-9 p.m.
Celebrate “Cinco de Moonshine” with a traditional live mariachi band as well as the Las Chicas Cazadores. Enjoy $7 fiesta nachos and $2 steak tacos, along with a variety of tempting Cazadores margaritas. All-day drink specials will include $5 Cinco de Moonshine margaritas, $6 green-eyed Mexican margaritas, $6 El Toro margaritas, made with fresh strawberries, $20 Cazadores margarita pitchers (all flavors) and $3 Corona and Corona Lights.
She-nannigans and The Original Mother’s
May 2, 3 p.m.; May 5, 7 p.m., $8, buy tickets here
The Fifth Annual “Cinco Divison” kicks off on May 2 at She-Nannigan’s, with Dickey Pimpkins and a special guest performing live. This free show will jump-start Division Street as partygoers enjoy $4.50 Corona and Corona Light and $5 shots of Sauza Tequila. Throughout the event, roaming Mariachis on unicycles will amaze and entertain everyone at all the famous pubs and clubs on the strip. Then come to The Original Mother’s on May 5 for live performances from the Blink-182 tribute band, Blank 281, and the evening’s headliner, Smoking Popes. $4.50 Corona and Corona Light and $5 shots of Sauza Tequila will be featured all day and night.
Rockit Bar & Grill
Executive chef James Gottwald will give guests his spin on Mexican classics, including a pizza with chorizo, roasted bell peppers, diced tomatoes, green onion and pepper jack cheese ($12) and soft tortillas with chicken and pico de gallo ($14). If your celebrations generally include more alcohol than food, you can stock up on $2 Tecate and $5 Ranch Margaritas (Sauza, Cointreau, orange juice, sour, lime juice).
Bull & Bear
The financial district hot spot will offer authentic freshly made chili rellenos, to wild twists on old favorites, like wild boar tacos, with $5 Sauza margaritas to help wash it down.
Timothy O’Toole’s
Timothy O’Toole’s Irish Pub Chicago will celebrate Cinco “O’ Mayo” with $4 Dos Equis draft beers and $18 Corona/Corona Light/Pacifico mix n’ match buckets, which include Chef Sean O’Brien’s chips and salsa (with bucket purchase). Corona Beer gets patrons in the summer spirit as they host a Cinco de Mayo event from 6-8 p.m. Corona will raffle off a “Beach Package” that includes beach chairs with cooler, beach ball, towels and more.
Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club
5:30 p.m.-2 a.m.
Kit Kat’s mixologists will shake up half-price margaritas and martinis, while Chef Matt Stovey serves an array of Mexican-influenced dinner specials. Kit Kat will serve tequila samplings and award $500 worth of raffle prizes and giveaways, courtesy of Hornitos Tequila. The “Divas” will perform throughout the night beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Joey’s Brickhouse
Call (773) 296-1300 for reservations
Co-owners Joey and Greg Morelli promise a real fiesta. In addition to the regular menu, specialties include: tableside guacamole made by Joey; flaming Mexican cheese with tortilla crackers; veggie southwest gazpacho with chipotle, poblano chilies, lime and cilantro. Top it off with Ibarra chocolate mousse with drunken berries.
Kohan
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with all day drink specials and themed signature rolls, including $3 Coronas, $5 mai tais and rolls like the Mexico City (tomato over tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado, cilantro, and jalapeno with wasabi mayo & lime juice; $14) and sombrero roll (baked salmon over a crab meat with tangy ponzu sauce; $14).
Arrowhead Restaurant and Bar
Arrowhead will be featuring Hispanic cuisine and beverages specials throughout the day, all with a $5 theme, including a margarita bar and an all-you-can-eat taco bar.
Stretch Run
Enjoy $3.50 Coronas, $5 margaritas and $3 tequila shooters all day. And guests who visit between 5 and 7 p.m. will receive a “mystery envelope” from one of the Corona Girls. Each envelope will contain a betting voucher worth up to $100, as well as other prizes.
Citizen Bar
The River North bar opens up its new patio on Friday, May 1. Celebrate the introduction of fresh air to your drinking routine on Tuesday with $15 buckets of Corona and Corona Light, $3 Sauza tequila and free chips and salsa.
Red Bar
Starts at 4 p.m.; for reservations, call (847) 696-1234, ext. 6545
The Hyatt Regency O’Hare’s hotel lounge will feature steak tacos for $12, chips and salsa with guacamole for $5.00 and Corona beer buckets ($20 for five bottles.) Red Bar will also serve the Mexi-tini, a delicious cocktail with orange vodka, orange juice and Reposado Tequila ($7), and the Paloma, a citrusy blend of Blanco Tequila, grapefruit and lime juices, and Sierra Mist ($6). Free valet parking is offered.
Kroll’s South Loop
The Corona Girls (don’t act like you don’t know) will be on hand Tuesday, offering chances to win Corona’s “Get Ready for Summer” beach pacakge, which will include beach chairs, coolers, beach balls and other summer gear. Even if you don’t win, you win with $2 bottles of Corona, Corona Light and Pacifico, $4 shots of Jose Cuervo Silver and chicken mojo and quesadilla specials.
Check out Centerstage Chicago food and drink deals!
Watch Your Team in the NCAA Tournament
Watch March Madness with fellow fans.Looking for a place to watch the 2009 NCAA tournament with some friendly faces? These schools have local bar affiliations so you can cheer your favorite team on with fellow fans.
And to find some hoops-watching deals, check out our March Madness specials page.
Arizona: Burwood Tap, Flounder’s
Duke: Sedgwick’s Bar & Grill
Kansas: Junior’s Sports Lounge, Kincade’s, Lottie’s Pub
Louisville: Finley Dunne’s Tavern
Memphis: Junior’s Sports Lounge
Michigan State: Hi-Tops, Grand River Bar & Grill, Higgins’ Tavern, O’Malley’s West, Plan B Bar and Kitchen
North Carolina: Gamekeepers
Oklahoma: Joe’s Bar
Pittsburgh: Gamekeepers
Purdue: Durkin’s, Fireplace Inn, Smoke Daddy
Syracuse: Kincade’s, Gamekeepers
Villanova: Sedgwick’s Bar & Grill
Xavier: Merkle’s Bar and Grill
Check out Centerstage Chicago food and drink deals!
Well, we’re finally to Judgement Day. The host city for the 2016 Olympics will be announced sometime before noon from Copenhagen, and Chicago is on the edge of its collective seat out. The good thing about all the mixed feelings about bringing the Games here? There’s gonna be a party regardless. Here are some possible places to get your global party on, depending on who gets the Games.
Rio
SushiSamba Rio
Yeah, it’ll be chilly, but if you don’t think this River North favorite will open up its popular rooftop deck for a Carnaval-worthy celebration should Rio take it home, well, you’d better go back to restaurant-management school.
Texas de Brazil
What better way to celebrate a feast of sport than with an all-you-can-eat meat marathon? Skewer after skewer of animal flesh will punctuate a party atmosphere as you watch the “wine angels” do their work at this lively Streeterville restaurant.
Cuatro
While not a Brazilian spot per se, this South Loop restaurant/bar/dance club serves a wide range of South American- and Latin-inspired drinks and dishes (not to mention occasional music from a Brazilian jazz band), and it’s always a good bet for a global party to break out.
Madrid
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
Caf? Ba-Ba-Reeba was Chicago’s first Spanish-style tapas bar when it opened in 1986, and this Lincoln Park spot (with a sister location in Las Vegas) is still ahead of the curve. We’re guessing the locals will be looking for any excuse to party, and there’s no better way to start than with a platter of pintxos.
Cafe Iberico
This tapas hot spot in River North is almost always packed; if the Spanish city wins the Games, well, watch out. Grab a glass of the famed sangria ($14) and wait it out. It’ll be worth it.
People Lounge
Great beer list? Check. Eclectic live music? Check. Solid tapas menu? Check. Can’t see why this Wicker Park spot won’t be packed should Madrid bag the bid.
Tokyo
Murasaki
This Streeterville lounge, in the old Cafe Shino space, is the perfect spot for a refined celebration, what with all the sake offerings and creative cocktails (there’s some food, too). But after awhile, you’re gonna want to let loose - and the karaoke room in back should suit you just fine.
Hot Woks Cool Sushi (Loop)
Want to celebrate with sushi, but got friends who don’t dig raw fish? This fresh spot on Michigan Avenue should do the trick, as it has a best-of-both-worlds menu with everything from maki to teriyaki. Now that’s a great way to let friendship shine.
Sushi X
Is it a nightclub or a sushi restaurant? Once you’ve had a few sake bombs, you won’t be able to tell the difference (or care).
Chicago
Ravens
Sure, there are more classic Chicago bars you could hit up tonight to celebrate/drown your sorrows, but are all of them offering $3 Bud Lights ’til 4 a.m.? We didn’t think so.
HUB 51
The Olympics are all about disparate countries coming together, and you’ll find a veritable melting pot of cuisines on the menu here. Choose from between burgers, sushi, Mexican and more - and then head downstairs to party all night at the SUB 51 lounge.
Billy Goat Tavern
This seems like as good a spot as any to gather with the grumblers to talk about how we don’t need those stinkin’ Olympics to make our city great. Plus, the cheezborgers are pretty good.
Check out Centerstage Chicago food and drink deals!