Dinner Recommendations--Saturday after 9:00

So my wife and I are going to a show at the Cadillac Palace Theater on Saturday which runs from 6:00-9:00. We are looking to be able to get something eat after the show for dinner and she has put me in charge because, as she says, "you have good ideas on restaurants." Little does she know that most of my good ideas come from this board, where I have been reading but not posting for some time. Feeling a little stumped, I decided to see if anyone had any ideas.

So obviously dinner would have to be after 9:00, which is generally fine for most places. I don't think we are looking for anything particularly fancy (ideally dinner and drinks would be under $100 or so with tax and tip) and it does not have to be downtown (in fact I think it would be preferred to not be downtown). I am a vegetarian and we are generally both fairly adventurous with food. I'm fairly laidback as a vegetarian (what I mean by that is that a place doesn't need to have extensive vegetarian options, as long as what they have is good) and she's a pretty solid carnivore. We live really close to Sticky Rice, so get our fill of Thai, so not that but otherwise I think pretty open on cuisine. Ideally the place would either be BYOB or have a good craft beer situation and would either be close to a Brown Line stop between downtown and Lincoln Square (though we eat in Lincoln Square a lot and might be looking to branch out a bit) or in the Wicker Park/Bucktown area (close to Western).

I'm not sure that this is very clear or if anyone has any ideas. I looked at the GNRs but nothing really jumped out at me. Thanks for any help you can give.

Northcenter Joe-

My first thought was Vera as that will give you a nice variety for you as a vegetarian and for your wife. Convenient from the Green and Pink lines or a short cab ride from the Loop.

This thread has some other recommendations that are probably still applicable.

I am always stumped for where to eat in the Loop before or after the opera. That is why I have been waiting impatiently for the Pearl Tavern to open at 180 N. Wacker (about 3 blocks from the Cadillac Palace Theater), and it finally has! Looks like a very attractive place with reasonable prices (and I do love oysters!). Alas, the Pearl Tavern won't work if your vegetarian boundaries exclude fish and shellfish, because those are almost all they have on the menu. You'd have somewhat better luck at Catch 35 (35 W. Wacker), which has several salads, vegetable sides, and a couple of vegetarian main dishes on the menu. All my other pushpins for the Loop are more casual spots (e.g., Monk's Pub--lots of beers, not a lot of vegetarian options).

Looks like you may have better luck looking along the Brown Line back toward home. How about Glen's Diner? Lots of craft beers and BYOB and some vegetarian options, and right at the Montrose stop on the Brown Line. Ah, but they close at 10.

It's not a bad walk from the theater to GT Fish & Oyster, Saigon Sisters, and Avec.

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba is near the Armitage el stop. Mixteco Grill, near the Montrose stop, is BYOB. (There's a liquor store at the same intersection and it's open late.)

All of these take reservations, with one exception; Avec does not, and waits there are likely to be lengthy.

Katie wrote:I am always stumped for where to eat in the Loop before or after the opera. That is why I have been waiting impatiently for the Pearl Tavern to open at 180 N. Wacker (about 3 blocks from the Cadillac Palace Theater), and it finally has! Looks like a very attractive place with reasonable prices (and I do love oysters!).

The Pearl looks great! I really need to get there.

zoid wrote:

Katie wrote:I am always stumped for where to eat in the Loop before or after the opera. That is why I have been waiting impatiently for the Pearl Tavern to open at 180 N. Wacker (about 3 blocks from the Cadillac Palace Theater), and it finally has! Looks like a very attractive place with reasonable prices (and I do love oysters!).

The Pearl looks great! I really need to get there.

The Yelp reviews so far look mixed, frankly, but the place is new, and Yelp is Yelp, and it's a nice-looking place and its specialty is oysters, so, definitely well worth trying, in my view.

I'd recommend Gyu Kaku - might be having their happy hour at that time or The Purple Pig.. A little east for both but definitely worth a walk

Well, last year I spent a lot of time at Little Goat. Girl and the Goat, Avec, and Nellcote all have lovely vegetarian offerings.

Along the brown line, I like the food at Old Town Social, although it is loud there.

Oh, The Gage in the Loop,has lovely food as well.

GNR Spacca Napoli is just east of the Montrose stop at Rsvenswood. It never disappoints.



I'm a teetotaler so can't help with BYOB/ craft beer places, although I did eat at Haymarket Pub last week and they have an interesting cocktail menu but I found the food merely edible.

Please let us know where you land and what you thought of your meal.

Great recommendations all. Right now leaning towards either Nellcote or GT Fish & Oyster as neither of us have been to either. Spacca Napoli is a great suggestion, but they close at 10 like Glen's and I would worry that we would get our hearts set on it and then not make it in time. Still open to any last minute suggestions and will definitely let you know our thoughts about wherever we end up.

Northcenter Joe wrote:Great recommendations all. Right now leaning towards either Nellcote or GT Fish & Oyster as neither of us have been to either. Spacca Napoli is a great suggestion, but they close at 10 like Glen's and I would worry that we would get our hearts set on it and then not make it in time. Still open to any last minute suggestions and will definitely let you know our thoughts about wherever we end up.

GT Fish is excellent and Nellcote can be quite good (and has some great vegetarian-ish options; the wild mushrooms over polenta appetizer is especially good).

Since pricing is a concern, I would note that I found Kinmont to be more affordable than GT (I don't see you getting out of GT for less than $100 - I remember NOT paying $11 for a Three Floyds Jinx Proof). And frankly, I liked my meal better at Kinmont as well.