Festive but inexpensive dinner in the loop or nearby

My teenager is meeting friends on Sunday for dinner in the loop or nearby (easy access to the el is best). They would like something with a great holiday atmosphere with entrees no more than $20. And, oh yeah, one is a vegetarian. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Grand Luxe Cafe on Michigan & Ontario might fit the bill. Personally, the place doesn't hold much charm for me, but I can see the teenage crowd lovin' it.

In the Loop: Tesori

In River North: GT Fish & Oyster, Quartino, Cafe Iberico. Or, if they don't mind a horribly long wait to be seated, The Purple Pig.

The first three accept reservations, including on Opentable; the last two don't.

If dining earlier - say, early to mid afternoon - is an option for them, there are many places that do wonderful and festive Sunday brunches, and that would expand the budget constraint considerably. For example, North Pond (which is festive and wonderful but is not in the Loop, just using it as an example of this) has dinner entrees in the upper thirties but their prix fixe brunch menu is $34 for three courses.

Nando's Peri-Peri? 22 S. Wabash. Dunno if they're doing any special holiday decor but the standard decor is bright & cheerful. Teenager-friendly prices. Vegetarian options. Fun novel cuisine.

Little Goat in the West Loop has a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free menu. May take reservations so check Open Table now.

Maybe Avec also in the West Loop.

The Gage or Acanto on Michigan may also work. Mighty Nice Grill & FoodLife in Water Tower should work.

Or head south to Chinatown but probably no holiday decor.

Is the Walnut Room open?

Quartino.

Eataly could work. Especially if focaccia and cheese/salami are enough.


Then downstairs for gelato and coffee.

If they are willing to go old school, Miller's Pub decorates nicely for Christmas and is right under the L. If they are interested I suggest the vegetarian check the menu in advance. (They also serve Tom & Jerry's this time of year - which can be a very nice seasonal warm-up - but it sounds like your group is too young for those.)

Since these are TEENAGERS (have to say, some of these suggestions cracked me up), even if they're more adventuresome, I'd probably stick to places that won't be overly focused on booze, if for no other reason than they'll likely be more welcoming to them. Also, the OP requested LOOP and near public transit--a lot of these aren't that. If they're really looking for something more upscale, I'd suggest Petterino's, the Gage (while maybe a bit more booze focused, it's still a very family friendly place and tourist focused so I think it would be fine for them), Italian Village or, if schedules permit them to cross the river, Harry Caray's. All should have plenty of veg options. Staying under $20 will depend on how they order. All could go over or under depending on what they want. Another fun option would be Latincity--it's like Foodlife which kids usually love.

Have to say though that if it was MY teenagers, they'd be going to Pizano's, Shake Shack or Red Robin. Good luck!!

Miller Pub for sure. Plenty family friendly despite the booze. Fits every point mentioned.

JeffB wrote:Miller Pub for sure. Plenty family friendly despite the booze. Fits every point mentioned.

Exactly! Christmas decor, family friendly and you can eat for $20.

Italian Village (The Village on the top floor). Food is nothing amazing but the atmosphere is pretty unusual. I would think teens might find it amusing.

I think Italian Village may be a good bet.

I've never been to either Grand Lux or Quartino. Between the two, which best straddles the line between nice setting and affordable and not touristy?

We've actually been to Miller's with two of the kids going Sunday, and while it was perfect and may end up being a good fall back, I'd rather send them somewhere new.

Also, any place fitting the bill that is nicely gussied up for Christmas?.

I would put Grand Luxe firmly in the touristy camp. It's like a Cheesecake Factory (common ownership, I think) with a huge menu of exotic sounding, but non challenging teen-friendly food.

When my now chef daughter was considerably younger, she and friends loved Grand Lux where I think they felt quite grown up but also welcome and food comfortable.

cleanplateclub wrote:I think Italian Village may be a good bet.

I've never been to either Grand Lux or Quartino. Between the two, which best straddles the line between nice setting and affordable and not touristy?

stevez wrote:I would put Grand Luxe firmly in the touristy camp. It's like a Cheesecake Factory (common ownership, I think) with a huge menu of exotic sounding, but non challenging teen-friendly food.

Like Steve, I've been to all three.

Italian Village is quite touristy, but in a good sort of way. Keep in mind, Italian Village consists of three restaurants - the Village, La Cantina, and the upscale Vivere - but we're talking about the Village here, because that's the only one of the three open on Sundays. The Village is upstairs on the second floor, and is designed to look like a village in Italy, with small alcoves and grottos and such (check out the photos on their website). So the decor is somewhat hokey, but it works, if that makes sense. The food is decent, albeit not all that unusual, pretty much mainstream Italian.

I agree with Steve's take on Grand Lux Cafe (and was not previously aware of its shared history with the Cheesecake Factory, which is mentioned on their website). It strikes me as very much a stereotypical chain restaurant serving mainstream American food, not all that different from say a Cheesecake Factory (natch) or a TGI Friday's. The atmosphere is consistent with that genre - festive, fun in a way that's sort of artificial (more so than either of the other two), lots of families there, etc.

Quartino - which is part of the Gibson's Steakhouse empire - seems to me as the one out of these three that is the most classifiable using your phrase "nice setting and affordable and not touristy". Quartino serves a menu which is authentic and creative Italian, leaning towards small plates in format; while I wouldn't describe the food as adventurous, I would say that it's less mainstream/conventional than the other two restaurants you're considering. The decor and atmosphere are that of a somewhat loud, rather crowded bistro, very lively but in a more authentic way, the energy coming from people dining and having fun. You're less likely to pay attention to the decor there than at the other two, and you're less likely to even think of it as being a chain restaurant. You might encounter families with children at all three, but perhaps fewer at Quartino than at the others; I consider Quartino more of an "adult" type place and one where the teens can feel like grownups. You'll also see fewer people in identifiably touristy attire at Quartino than the other two (although all three are casual, with plenty of denim in sight). Also, Quartino accepts advance reservations (including through Opentable); I don't think Grand Lux Cafe does at all, and the Village does but only by phone and I suspect most diners there don't make them. So of these three places, I would say that Quartino is the most fitting of the criteria "nice setting" and "not touristy". As for affordability, off the top of my head I would guess that the Village is less expensive than the other two, but all three are moderately priced; if this is a major concern, you should probably review the sample menus on their websites.

Bottom line, all three of these places may fit the bill, but Quartino stands out just a bit in the ways I've described, which seem to be more consistent with the wording in your question.

HTH

They ended up at Italian Village and sorry to report the food was "awful." I was surprised since I have been there in the past and remember it being fine. In fact, 25 years ago when I first came to the city, I thought it was quite good. Thumbs down from everyone tonight, though. These are fairly well travelled kids but not snobby. Some comments: "The cream sauce on the pasta tasted like they used whipped cream." "I think my ricotta cheese was fermented." "They messed up the risotto." "My spoon was not cleaned from the last person who used it." They had a great time, though, and that counts for a lot.

Despite the results, I am grateful for all the great suggestions and thoughtful responses. Thanks for all your help!