Open Tab: Chicago Restaurant Week deals are no steal for broke college students

Illustration by Siri Reddy

Chicago Restaurant Week highlights more than 500 restaurants across the city, giving both Chicago locals and tourists the opportunity to indulge in one of the nation’s most praised food scenes.

Bianca Dishmon and Siri Reddy

February 3, 2026

If your social media feeds are anything like ours, you’ve seen influencers raving about Chicago Restaurant Week. From Jan. 23 to Feb. 8, restaurants all over the city are serving up prix fixe meals for less: $30 brunches, $30 lunches and $45 or $60 dinners.

We both feel we’ve missed out on good Chicago dining in our time at Northwestern, so this was a perfect opportunity to try some restaurants and hopefully save some money on what are typically out-of-budget meals. We went to three restaurants in three different neighborhoods on Saturday — one for brunch, lunch and dinner respectively — to see if the deals stacked up to the hype.

Summer House Santa Monica, Lincoln Park

We started our morning bright and early on the Chicago Transit Authority, which we took down to Lincoln Park. Summer House is a Santa Monica-based chain with locations across the U.S., serving up California-inspired fare and famously oversized cookies from its Cookie Bar.

The interior was gorgeous: Sunlight streamed through the glass ceiling in its main atrium, and leafy green plants cascaded from hanging pots. The restaurant’s California influence was obvious, from the beachy decor to the easy-breezy demeanor of its serving staff.

The restaurant’s $30 Restaurant Week brunch menu includes an appetizer, an entree and a butterscotch sundae or your choice of cookie.

For appetizers, we went for a yogurt and granola parfait and the little gem wedge salad. The parfait was nothing special, though the fresh berries on top were succulent and sweet. The salad’s roasted garlic and parmesan vinaigrette was overpoweringly acidic — unfortunate, given the salad’s crisp freshness and near-perfect presentation.

Thankfully, our entrees were both spectacular. The cinnamon sugar waffles appear to be a Restaurant Week special, and they were top-tier: crisp on the outside and chewy and almost mochi-like on the inside.

The grilled salmon BLT was also perfect. The salmon and arugula were refreshing, and the remoulade was a great flavorful addition. The ciabatta was fortunately not overly soggy, something that is always a concern with sandwiches.

We made the mistake of saving our Cookie Bar selections for when we returned home from our excursion — by the time we cracked into them, they were as hard as rocks. Even after microwaving them, they felt impossible to bite into without breaking a tooth. The snickerdoodle was also sweeter than necessary, though the sea salt chocolate chip had enough savory flavor to balance it out.

Leiya, South Loop

After meandering through Lincoln Park to window-shop, burn off some calories and do homework at a nearby coffee shop, we once again boarded the CTA to Leiya. The Asian restaurant adjoins the lobby of a three-star hotel, something we were unaware of and surprised to find upon arrival. Nonetheless, we kept an open mind.

The restaurant was empty when we walked in, which made us feel like we were having a private lunch. The service was excellent. The waiters were attentive and kind, frequently coming back to check on us. Unfortunately, the food wasn’t nearly as satisfactory.

Leiya’s $30 Restaurant Week lunch menu includes an appetizer, soup, entree and dessert. For our appetizers, we got the crab wontons and vegetable spring rolls. The wontons were the perfect mix of crab and cream cheese, with neither overpowering the other. The spring rolls had a great crunch and paired nicely with the accompanying sweet chili sauce.

The soups and entrees are where the food’s quality began to falter. Both the egg drop soup and hot and sour soup were thick enough to eat with a fork, and neither of us were able to complete them.

For entrees, we selected the General Tso’s chicken and the mapo tofu. The chicken was sickeningly sweet, and neither dish was as spicy as it should’ve been.

We finished our meals with two slices of the strawberry cream cake, which was presented beautifully and wasn’t too sweet. Yet it wasn’t enough to redeem the lackluster soups and entrees.

With four courses, Leiya’s Restaurant Week menu gave us the most bang for our buck. Its food was subpar, however, and we doubt we’ll be returning anytime soon.

Bar Siena, West Loop

We were both most excited for Bar Siena, a stylish Italian eatery nestled in West Loop. As we stepped off the Pink Line, we admired the lively neighborhood: The streets were bustling with people and music poured out of all the restaurants.

That convivial energy carried into Bar Siena. The two-story restaurant’s atmosphere was inviting and bubbly, with whispers of hushed conversations all around and house tracks buzzing over the speakers. The centerpiece of the dimly lit restaurant was a giant tree wrapped in fairy lights, which only added to the gorgeous ambience.

The restaurant’s $45 dinner menu included an appetizer, entree and dessert. For the appetizers, we opted for the Caesar salad and ahi tuna crudo. The salad was nothing amazing, and it could have done with fewer bread crumbs. The portion size of the ahi tuna crudo was pitifully tiny, though each slice of raw tuna was tender and fresh.

For entrees, we both got the rigatoni alla vodka, a dish we had been looking forward to all day. Sadly, it was a huge letdown. The pasta was too al dente for our liking, and there wasn’t nearly enough sauce. The only redeeming quality was the slight kick of spice packed in each bite.

To finish off our final meal of the day, we got the bombolini — sugar-crusted Italian donuts — and vanilla gelato. The bombolini were fluffy and paired perfectly with the side of chocolate sauce, while the gelato was smooth and satisfyingly sweet. These two lighter desserts were the perfect ending to an otherwise heavy meal.

Unfortunately, none of these restaurants blew us away this Restaurant Week.

If we broke down the costs of each prix fixe menu and compared it to regular menu prices, there might be a buck or two knocked off per meal — but overall, the meals were still a little too far out of our price ranges to justify a return visit.

That being said, we did get to enjoy a fun-filled day of food and friendship, and this city-wide promotion gave us the perfect excuse to explore a few of the many vibrant neighborhoods Chicago has to offer.

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