Attendee’s Guide: Best Restaurants Near McCormick Place

A trade show in McCormick Place is a challenging event. The days are long, the meetings are critical, and your energy is a limited, valuable resource. A meal in this setting is never a meal. It is a tactical break, a networking session, a recharging station or a place to seal a deal. This is not another exhaustive list, it is a curated playbook to help you make the right choice, at the right reason, at the right time, to navigate the culinary landscape around the convention center.

On-Site & Connected Hotel Dining

Convenience is the key when time is your most precious asset. Your first line of defense against hunger and wasted minutes is the options within the Chicago’s McCormick Place complex and Wintrust Arena itself. These are constructed to the attendee lifecycle: the morning coffee, the working lunch, and the cocktail at the end of the day. They are familiar with the beat of a convention.

1. Showroom Food Hall (Marriott Marquis): This is your on-site command center of variety and speed. It is not so much a restaurant as a set of ideas in one building, aimed at pleasing a wide range of people with as little argument as possible. There will be artisan pizza and gourmet sandwiches, fresh salads and coffee. It is a convenient, time-saving way of having a quick lunch between sessions.

• Cuisine: American, Varied
• Price: $$
• Best For: A fast, no-nonsense lunch when you have less than an hour and you are alone or with a small group.

2. Woven & Bound (Marriott Marquis): One level above the food hall, Woven & Bound is a full-service restaurant with a specialization in American brasserie. The breakfast buffet is a solid foundation to a long day, and the lunch and dinner menus offer solid, well-prepared choices that will not disappoint.

• Cuisine: American
• Price: $$$
• Best For: A civilized breakfast meeting or a convenient sit-down lunch without leaving the complex.

3. Third Star (Hyatt Regency): Third Star is in the adjacent Hyatt, where it offers globally influenced food in a contemporary, light-filled environment. It is a flexible area, which can be used as a morning coffee meeting or a more casual dinner. The menu is ambitious by the standards of a hotel restaurant, and a welcome alternative to convention fare.

• Cuisine:International, American
• Price: $$$
• Best For: A client lunch where convenience is the most important factor but you still want a full-service restaurant experience.

4. Sixes & Eights (Hyatt Regency): A fast-casual restaurant that serves a colorful experience of Southeast Asian street food. Ramen, pho, or rice build-your-own bowls are a fast, tasty, and filling dish. It is a great option when you are in the mood to have something more exciting than a sandwich but you are short on time.

• Cuisine: Southeast Asian
• Price: $$
• Best For: You need a quick, tasty, and revitalizing lunch on your own.

5. Arc Bar (Hyatt Regency McCormick Place): Arc Bar is more of a lounge than a restaurant and is the ideal place to go after the show. It has a moody, modern design and a long list of cocktails, wine, and beer, so it is ideal to debrief with your team, meet a contact over a casual drink, or simply decompress alone before going out into the night. They serve a menu of refined small plates and sharable dishes.

• Cuisine: Bar Bites, Small Plates
• Price: $$$
• Ideal For: Cocktails after the conference, informal networking, and team briefings.

Best Restaurants in 10-minute Walk

It can be a welcome reset to get out of the immediate orbit of the convention center, even a few blocks. The South Loop area around McCormick Place is gaining a list of great restaurants that do not need a taxi and do not take much time. These are your best bets to get a real change of scenery without having to alter your schedule.

The following is a quick-reference table to help you make your choice, and then there are more detailed descriptions of each establishment.

Fatpour Tap Works: A contemporary, cavernous sports bar that is a dependable option to a casual meal and a huge variety of beers. The menu is simple and fulfilling with upscale pub fare such as burgers, wings, and mac and cheese. 

VU Rooftop Bar: The 22-story rooftop bar at the Hilton Garden Inn is a rarity in this neighborhood: an incredible panoramic view of the city skyline and Lake Michigan. It is a fancy, elegant place that is ideal to impress a visitor or have a well-made cocktail. The menu is shareable small plates and although the view is the primary focus, the food and beverages are not to be overlooked. It is strongly advised to make reservations.

Apolonia: This Michelin Bib Gourmand winner has a sunny, contemporary approach to Mediterranean and European coastal cuisine. The dining room is airy and luxurious but casual, which makes it a flexible option to use in different occasions. It is a special place that is not stuffy.

Il Culaccino: If you are in the mood to eat some traditional, comforting Italian-American food, Il Culaccino will satisfy. The menu is filled with old standards such as linguini with clam sauce, chicken parmesan, and meaty pork chops, all done well. It is a good and comforting option to a hearty meal after a day of standing on your feet.

Pizano Pizza and Pasta: You can not visit Chicago without at least thinking about deep-dish pizza. One of the most respected purveyors of the style in the city is Pizano, of the mythical Malnati family. They have a buttery, crispy crust that is a point of difference. It is within a manageable walking distance of the convention center, and it provides a true Chicago flavor in a casual, no-nonsense atmosphere. Ideal to a casual team dinner.

Impress Your Clients: Top Fine Dining

The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

• Why We Recommend: It provides an old-fashioned, classic Chicago steakhouse experience in a historic, lovingly restored 1905 fire station. The atmosphere is a conversation piece in itself and has a proven quality.
• Environmental Privacy: The main dining room is vibrant yet has a moderate noise level that is appropriate in conducting business discussions.
• Private Dining: There are good choices. They have a number of semi-private and private rooms such as the Mayor Room that can be used in confidential meetings or small presentations.
• Service Highlights: A major highlight of the service is that it is professional, discreet and very attentive. The employees are accustomed to a corporate clientele and know how a client dinner works.
• Menu & Drinks: A traditional American steakhouse menu with prime cuts of steak and seafood, and a well-rounded, well-selected wine list with a heavy emphasis on American Cabernets.

Moody Tongue Brewing Company

• Why We Recommend: This is a statement dinner, offering a unique experience far beyond that of a typical fine dining italian restaurant or steakhouse. As the first two-Michelin-starred brewery in the world, Moody Tongue provides a high-end and exclusive culinary experience that will not leave any connoisseur or adventurous client indifferent.
• Environmental Privacy: The setting in the Dining Room is sparse, silent, and cozy, so that the attention is on the dialogue and the art of food.
• Private Dining: Groups can book out the restaurant, or have a private dining experience.
• Service Highlights: The service is perfect and instructive. Every course of the ambitious tasting menu is served with a description of the dish and the beer that has been selected to accompany it.
• Menu & Drinks: It is a fine-dining restaurant in which beer is brought to the level of wine. The hyper-seasonal and innovative tasting menu is multi-course.

Celebrate Your Team: Best Group-Friendly Eats

Once you have had a good day on the show floor, it is important to get your team together to have a meal to boost morale and team spirit. The optimal location of a group dinner must satisfy a number of criteria: a vibrant environment that fosters discussion, a menu that is appealing to a wide audience, and logistics that do not cause the organizer a headache. You desire a place that is like a reward and not a work requirement.

1. Pizano Pizza and Pasta

• Cuisine: Italian-American, Authentic Chicago Deep-Dish & Thin-Crust Pizza.
• Price: $ (Approx. $30-50 per person).
• Group Vibe: Relaxed, busy, and very Chicago. Pizzas are ideal to have a casual team debrief because of the communal aspect of sharing.
• Reservations: They are used to groups, but it is strongly advised to call in advance when there are 8 or more people in the party, particularly during major conventions.

2. Fatpour Tap Works

• Cuisine: High-end American Pub Food (Burgers, Wings, Mac & Cheese).
• Price: $ (Approx. $40-60 per person).
• Group Vibe: Lively, contemporary, and roomy sports bar. The long communal tables and high ceilings are made to accommodate groups of people to relax.
• Reservations: The size of the place is large, which is why it is one of the more convenient options when it comes to hosting larger groups, even at short notice. Bookings can be made online.

3. La Cantina Grill

• Cuisine: Traditional Mexican (Fajitas, Tacos, Enchiladas).
• Price: $ (Approx. 35-55 per person).
• Group Vibe: Party-like, colorful, and always jovial. An excellent option when a group wants to have a party with pitchers of margaritas and shareable plates.
• Reservations: It is a hot place and you have to make reservations in advance when you are a large group. They are used to managing convention center team dinners.

Fast & Snacky Bites in Between Sessions

There are times when you do not want a full meal but you want good fuel and quick. When you are in a hurry between meetings or simply want a quick lunch on your own, these are a few great places that are fast but not at the expense of quality.

1. The Spoke & Bird: A lovely cafe within a short walk, The Spoke & Bird has great coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and salads with an emphasis on local and organic. It is a fresh air out of the corporate atmosphere of the convention center.

2. Mustard Seed Kitchen: This is a high-end takeout restaurant that is run by a renowned chef. The menu is heavy and wholesome with roasted chicken, innovative salads, and gourmet sandwiches. It is the ideal method of having a chef-driven meal on the run.

3. Harold’s Chicken Shack: Real Chicago, Illinois When you are in the mood to have a taste of the local flavor without all the fuss, order a plate of their famous fried chicken and fries. It is not health food, but it is a legendary element of the city food fabric.

Pro-Tip: A lot of these restaurants, such as The Spoke & Bird and Mustard Seed Kitchen, have online ordering. Ordering your food on the phone when you are leaving the show floor can save you valuable minutes of waiting.

An Exhibitor’s Pro-Tips for Dining & Success

A veteran exhibitor understands that a successful trade show is a logistics marathon. That includes managing your dining strategy. These are some of the tips to make your meals work in your favor rather than against you.

• Tip 1: Book Weeks Ahead. This cannot be overemphasized. All of these restaurants will be flooded when a big show is in town. Make reservations at least two to three weeks in advance of your travel to your key client and team dinners using apps such as OpenTable or Resy. In popular locations such as Moody Tongue, you can require months.
• Tip 2: Eat at Off-Peak Times. You can not get a 7:00 PM reservation? Do not despair. Asking to have dinner earlier at 5:30 PM or later at 9:00 PM can frequently free up tables at the best restaurants. You will also be served with more attention when the kitchen is not that busy.
• Tip 3: Take Lunch as an Internal Meeting. Reserve the evenings to do high-value networking and client entertainment. An effective lunch meeting with your team can be held at one of the affiliated hotel restaurants, so you can get in sync with your team without missing out on valuable networking opportunities later in the day.

Choose Your Perfect Booth Partner

You would never leave a key client dinner to chance, so why leave the success of your booth, the physical home of your brand at the show, to chance? The common trade show madness is a well-known sore spot: scheduling with a designer in one state, a builder in another, and a shipping company across the country, all the time hoping that nothing is lost or delayed. A single point of failure may cost you all of your investment and cause a lot of stress to your trip.

This is where a real, holistic partner comes in. We have more than 15 years of experience at Aplus Expo to perfect a seamless, all-in-one solution that provides one thing: peace of mind. We manage the full lifecycle of your exhibit, including 3D design and brand-resonant graphics, manufacturing, transportation, and perfect installation and dismantle. Having a large warehouse and a dedicated team here in Chicago, we do not have to worry about shipping across the country and we can be on the ground when you need us the most.

Our teams of designers, builders and logistics professionals are an extension of yours, with one purpose in mind: to create a strategic environment that engages your audience and places the emphasis squarely on your products. The outcome is the absence of logistical concerns, and you can walk into that client dinner with confidence, knowing your booth is not only built, but built right. We will take care of the complexities, and you will maximize your ROI. Find out what the Aplus Expo difference is and make your next exhibition a stress-free success.

The “Must-Try Chicago Experience” Meal

In case you have time to spend one evening and go a little bit further, you should take the chance. A brief 10-minute rideshare can take you to food adventures that characterize Chicago. These are the meals that you will not forget even when the trade show is over.

• Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse: This is not only a restaurant, but a Chicago institution. Gibsons is the ultimate American steakhouse, cranked to eleven, and it is located in the Gold Coast neighborhood. The electricity is electric, the service is notoriously professional and the steaks are huge and magnificent. Dinner here is a Chicago classic, must-do event. It is a scene and one night it is worth being a part of it.
• MingHin Cuisine (Chinatown): McCormick Place is in close proximity to the bustling Chinatown in Chicago. To have a real and thrilling meal, go to MingHin. It is a huge, busy dining room with some of the best dim sum in town (available all day) and a long list of Cantonese specialties that diners rave about. It is a full-sensory experience, the moving carts, the vibrant energy, the sheer diversity of the food, that offers a wonderful gastronomic experience within a short distance.

We wish you good luck with this guide in Chicago. A minor yet important aspect of a successful and enjoyable trip is planning your dining. Wish your show fruitful, your contacts valuable, and your food tasty.