Best Fall Drink and Food Menu in Chicago

Are you loving the cool air, high skies, and color-changing leaves? Yes, we think it’s safe to say fall is finally here in Chicago! This year, we’ve gathered a list of the tastiest seasonal menus across town. So throw on a comfy sweater, stroll down the street in your boots, and pamper yourself with a fall drink and pair it up with one of these specialty items.

Kimpton Gray Hotel

122 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603

Concierge Cocktail is a rotating handmade cocktail series that is bottled in-house and created by the Director of Concierge Services, Bobby Gonzalez. A portion of the proceeds from every bottle sold is donated to a chosen charity. This season’s cocktail was created in partnership with Erin Toole Williams the great-great-granddaughter of John the Baptist (J.B.) Stradford, one of the wealthiest men in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 1900’s.

Visit Kimpton Gray Hotel to find out what the specialty cocktail is this year!

Farmheads

Friends and families coming to dine at Farm Bar Lakeview or Farmhouse Evanston get the best of fall ingredients straight from the farm! The food and cocktail menu features ingredients directly from owner TJ Callahan’s Brown Dog Farms in Mineral Point, WI including crisp apples, raspberries, fresh honey, morel mushrooms, and black walnuts.

Looking for a good fall cocktail? Guests can taste fresh apples within one of the house ciders or warm up with a Brown Dog Old Fashioned made with New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon, Rhinehall Apple Brandy, Brovo Orange Curacao, Brown Dog Farm Honey Simple Syrup, and Walnut Bitters.

Also, the cider flight is back this fall by popular demands!

Image Credit: Yours Truly

Yours Truly

613 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654

Recently opened in River North, Yours Truly is predominantly a cocktail and wine bar with bar bites, featuring a modern take on the 1990’s Martini Bar. It’s a neighborhood spot to grab a well-crafted drink, watch a game, and meet with friends without pretension. Try their Appletini made with dehydrated apple and camomile tea, cinnamon bitters, and your choice of gin or vodka, or Espresso martini made with double espresso, liquor 43, mole bitters, cacao simple syrup, and vodka.

Image Credit: Sunda Sushi

Sunda Sushi

110 W Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60654

Besides the fact it is still warm enough to enjoy one (or three!) sushi rolls, we’re all super excited about the seasonal cocktail at Sunda Sushi this year. If you haven’t had the chance, make sure to try their Peared Sake — a new Japanese cocktail with grey goose la poire, ginger, pineapple, sparkling sake, cinnamon rim.

Nobu Chicago Restaurant

854 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

From restaurateur and famed Chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa, Nobu Chicago opened in September 2020 and features a variety of fall flavors on the menu. Guests can start their meal with shishito peppers and roasted baby corn, before enjoying dishes like the crispy shiitake salad or tempura sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and mushroom.

And… guess what? Are you enjoying that crisp fall air and want to enjoy a cocktail with skyline views? The bar at The Rooftop at Nobu Chicago features a variety of cocktails, Japanese whisky, scotches, and digestifs perfect for your post-dinner drink.

El Che Steakhouse & Bar

845 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607

Chef John Manion’s Argentine-influenced menu is the perfect date night spot this autumn! Live-fire cooked steaks pair perfectly with dishes like Japanese sweet potatoes and baby broccoli and cauliflower. Trying something new? Entrees like morcilla topped with apple mostrada or quail with giardiniera and red chimichurri offer a touch of fall flavors and spice that excite the palate.

As for drinks, what’s better than pairing your meal with a glass of wine? After all,  El Che Steakhouse & Bar is the only restaurant in Chicago, and the United States for that matter, with an all South American wine list.

Image Credit: Wood

Wood

3335 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60657

Instead of pumpkin, Chef Devin prefers to cook with Kabocha Squash, as he notes it is much more dense and intense in flavor than a regular pumpkin. He serves it in a variety of ways including grilled, roasted, in soup, tempura fried, and more. Additionally, Chef Devin is excited about cooking game birds such as quail. New to the menu this fall, diners can expect a Balsamic & Rosemary Grilled Quail with a salad of charred radicchio, wheat berries, roasted local farm grapes from klug.

Of course, you’ll need the right seasonal drink to pair with your dinner. Try Two Timer, a delicious fruity drink made with peruvian pisco brandy, apricot nectar, yellow chartreuse, lemon and cinnamon stick syrup, or Northern Border, a classy, refreshing cocktail made with bulleit rye, old overholt rye, fernet branca, maple, cardamom, angostura, and orange peel.

Image Credit: The Smith

The Smith

400 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Located in Chicago’s River North area, The Smith features an expansive outdoor patio and seasonal menu items including a new variety of salads, schnitzels, desserts, and more.

The Dearborn

145 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60602

Located in the heart of Chicago’s Loop area, The Dearborn serves exquisite offerings for lunch, dinner, and brunch service. New to the menu this fall, diners can indulge in Cinco Jotas Jamon Iberico served with peppadew peppers, goat cheese croquette, really good olive oil, parsley, mâche & frisée salad.

Additionally, diners can enjoy Roasted Airline Chicken Breast served with boursin, spinach & grilled artichoke stuffing, housemade parmesan gnocchi, seasonal mushroom, fava beans, spicy chicken sausage, and natural jus. And don’t forget to try a Morningstar: a mojito made with Playpen vodka, lemongrass and ginger, French calamansi beaujolais vinegar, The Bitter Truth cucumber bitters, Fever Tree cucumber tonic, and mint, served long on crushed ice.

Image Credit: The Press Room

The Press Room

1134 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607

As his favorite season finally arrives in Chicago, Chef Noah Zamler’s is most excited about working with root vegetables, sweet potatoes, and creating unique, heartfelt pasta. In terms of unique ingredients, Chef Noah turns to Espresso Powder and Cocoa in one of his pasta. While the cocoa doesn’t make the pasta taste like chocolate, it gives it unique coloring. Meanwhile, the Espresso Powder gives the pasta a “jolt” of energy.

He also loves to use Parsley Root for his pasta fillings. He notes the starchy vegetable holds up very well when making a puree out of it, giving the dish a velvety texture. Additionally, he is excited to work with Celery Roots, as he tends to treat them similar to steaks and will feature a sweeter glaze to create the perfect bite.

On the other hand, new fall cocktails include the Three Bites of the Apple, a spin on the classic old-fashioned with apple cider syrup and cranberry bitters. Also, diners can sip on their homemade Hot Cider featuring Bourbon & Calvados, cranberry bitters, lemon expression, and Michigan cider mulled with allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, peppercorn, sea salt, and orange.

Stan’s Donuts & Coffee

Stan’s Donuts & Coffee is celebrating the return of their fan-favorite fall donuts and beverages in stores starting Sept. 10. The fall menu includes favorite Apple Cider and Pumpkin flavors and the addition of a new Taffy Apple donut that is sure to satisfy your morning caramel apple cravings.

Also, Stan’s fall donuts pair perfectly with seasonal beverages, including Stan’s take on the favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte and unique offerings like Spiced Apple Chai-der and Caramel Apple Latte.

Featured Image Credit: The Smith

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