Restaurant Catering

Is anyone familiar with Chicago restaurants catering private events? I tend to be underwhelmed with wedding/special events caterers, and am looking to branch out to restaurants for a private event I'm hosting next year. We'll have an estimated 100-150 guests. Some restaurants we'd love to contact so far are: Erwin, Sweets and Savories, Lula, May St. Market, Japonais, Dorado and some BBQ haunts. If anyone knows of this offhand, please let me know.

Or, if you can recommend an excellent caterer, I'd love to hear of them. I've read of a few so far on the forum, namely: Michael's and Food for Thought. Any others?

I'd highly recommend Greg Christian catering. He catered an event for the Chicago Food Policy summit that incorporated locally/sustainably grown ingredients. It was lovely.

http://www.gregchristian.com/

I also attended a private party catered by Lula Cafe that was outstanding! But I'm not sure whether they provide this service as a rule, or whether this was a special favor for a friend. It'd be worth checking into.

Good luck.

fela wrote:Is anyone familiar with Chicago restaurants catering private events? I tend to be underwhelmed with wedding/special events caterers, and am looking to branch out to restaurants for a private event I'm hosting next year. We'll have an estimated 100-150 guests. Some restaurants we'd love to contact so far are: Erwin, Sweets and Savories, Lula, May St. Market, Japonais, Dorado and some BBQ haunts. If anyone knows of this offhand, please let me know.

Many restaurants will provide a catering service. I'd just start calling and asking. Sounds like you've got a good list going.

Or, if you can recommend an excellent caterer, I'd love to hear of them. I've read of a few so far on the forum, namely: Michael's and Food for Thought. Any others?

Here's a very recent thread full of caterer recommedations.

Best,
Michael