Cozy Dishes To Warm Up With This Fall In Chicago

Now that the 80-degree-days have finally ended, Chicagoans are swapping out their summer wardrobes for winter coats, and restaurants are trading out patio menus for autumnal flavors and cold-weather dishes.

We know what you’re thinking. Apple dishes for fall… groundbreaking. But with swimsuit season safely behind us and so many new dishes hitting the dining scene, it’s the best time to try out the city’s newest, seasonal dishes. Here are some of the highlights from fall menus across Chicago:

Chicken Katsu Udon Bowls from Urbanbelly

Warm-up with Chef Bill Kim’s specialty Chicken Katsu Udon Bowl ($13) featuring breaded chicken over a bowl of thick noodles at urbanbelly. If you’re looking for more heat, try the Ramen ($13) with braised pork, mushrooms and a soft boiled egg. 

Bagel Bites from Steingold’s

Ditch the detox foods and make room for Steingold’s new Fried bagel bites. Steingold’s classic bagels are cut into 8ths, fried, and served warm with dip. Try the savory version served with pimento cheese dip as a mid-afternoon snack or top off your meal with the cinnamon-dusted sweet versions accompanied by a side of homemade applesauce.

Grilled Cheese from Half Acre Tap Room at Balmoral

Pair your beer with a grilled cheese. The fall air is crisp and apples are sweet and tangy. Check out the newly launched the savory/sweet combo Fall Grilled Cheese at Half Acre’s taproom at Balmoral for weekend brunch or dinner. 

Salted Plums at Smyth 

For true seasonal-inspired dining, the prix-fixe menu experiences at Smyth change not only seasonally but often subtle changes are made daily. In preparation of the inevitable winter, Chef John Shields created a dish with Salted Plums and preserved herbs that resemble the fall leaves. Chef Shield’s features new creations throughout his Instagram, including a Steamed King Crab dish dipped in beeswax and chilled. 

Chili Pear Pork Loin at Commons Club

Head to the second floor of the Virgin Hotels Chicago for Chef Moosah’s new Pork Loin ($31) featuring stone ground grits, pear chili glaze, parsnip puree. The dish builds in fall flavors without hitting you over the head with them – no pumpkin spice where it doesn’t need to be here! 

Kale Salad from The Smith

River North’s new addition, The Smith, features a Kale & Quinoa Salad during lunch to fill your fall-cravings but not have you falling asleep at your desk back at work. The salad is a balance of sun-dried cranberries, toasted almonds, and dijon vinaigrette mixed in a bed of ricotta salata ($16) with the option to add grilled chicken ($3). For dinner, opt for the warm Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese salad topped with apples and spiced pepitas with apple cider vinaigrette ($13). 

Sticky Pear Cake a la Mode at The Dearborn 

Executive Pastry Chef Julianna Westgor has done it again with her homemade apple cider donuts and sticky pear cake. Try the apple cider donuts with whiskey ice cream or the sticky pear cake with toasted almond ice cream. 

Wild Mushrooms from Bar Biscay

The Wild Mushrooms ($19) at Bar Biscay are worth a trip to the West Town neighborhood Spanish brasserie. Fresh mushrooms are sautéed with butter and sherry-jus, then topped with a soft poached egg. The shareable dish is comforting for those chilly fall nights. Stop in on Halloween night for a $4 draft pints of Orkenoy and smooth grooves from Fins-Up DJs.

Cider Donuts from Stan’s Donuts & Coffee

Don’t have time to get out of town to pick apples but still craving apple cider donuts? Drop by Stan’s throughout the fall to try one of their apple cider donuts ($3).

Ricotta Dumplings from Funkenhausen 

Fall is comfort food season and Funkenhausen Chef Mark Steuer blends recipes from his German heritage and Southern upbringing that is the definition of comfort. The Ricotta Dumplings ($25)- haus kielbasa, cauliflower gooseberry, oyster mushrooms, rosemary vinaigrette, and ricotta salata – make grandma proud. Don’t skip on the Sauerkraut ($6), which is Oma Steuer’s recipe. 

White Truffles and Grits from Temporis 

Chef Troy Jorge of Temporis is taking advantage of the season’s ingredients by shaving white truffles tableside over the White Grits with mushroom stock, port gel, egg yolk puree, and poached quail egg. The 11-course tasting menu ($155) is inspired by what is growing in the restaurant’s hydroponic garden along with the current season. For dessert, Chef Troy uses in season honey crisp apples for a Milk & Dark Chocolate Ganache. As a no-waste initiative, the apple skins are used to make the dessert sauce. 

Avena Latte from Intelligentsia Coffee 

The Avena Latte is based off of a drink that is made in the Dominican Republic that uses oats and different spices. Black Cat espresso oat latte with a house made spiced syrup, topped with a sprinkle of cayenne.

Fall Menu Items at Baobing

For the first time, Baobing will be staying open through the fall, offering hot soups to warm up with (all $14):

• Pork Noodle Hot & Sour Soup: with pork belly, char siu wontons, pickled fresnos

• Mushroom Noodle Hot & Sour Soup: with tofu, mushroom wontons, shiitake, scallions, (vegetarian)

• Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup: with grilled beef belly, beef wontons. finger hot, chili oil

Seasonal Lattes at Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea

Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea is offering new seasonal lattes across all locations including: 

• Butterscotch Chai: with butterscotch infused chai tea, salted caramel, and cinnamon 

• Spiced Pear Matcha Latté: with matcha, spiced pear, cinnamon, vanilla, and almond milk  

• Maple Sweet Potato Latté: with espresso, sweet potato, maple syrup, toasted pepitas, and spiced whipped cream.

Fall Cocktails and Dishes at Bellemore

Cocktail Offering: 

• Woodland Sour: with Chicago Distilling Co. ceres vodka, calamansi, black forest maple tea, lime, egg white, and bay leaf bitters  

Dish Offerings:

• Fall Salad: with french prunes, orchard fruit, rye croutons, bleu cheese & walnuts

• Slow Roasted Beets: with blueberries, sheep’s milk feta & seeded amaranth granola

Breakfast Veggie Scramble at Somerset

• With Brussels Sprouts, delicata squash and pecorino

Fall Cocktails at GT Fish & Oyster

• Cinnamon Smash: with Evan Williams bonded bourbon, cinnamon-orange syrup and lemon

• What’s Up, DOC?: with Peloton mezcal, carrot, ginger, sherry

Fall Cocktails at Momotaro

Cocktail Offerings:

• Bamboo: with lustau fino sherry, sweet potato shochu, dolin dry vermouth, shiso

• Oyabun: with coconut-washed glenmorangie 10 year scotch, amaro kim, cocchi di torino, honey herbal bitters

Fall Dishes at Cira

Fall-flavored pastries from pastry chef Kristine Antonian-Vilarosa:

• Pumpkin Custard: with pepita brittle, pomegranate, coffee-baharat ice cream

• Apple & Pistachio: with apple rose cake, pistachio ice cream, gingersnap and Susie’s honeycrisp apples

Fall Cocktails at The J. Parker

Cocktail Offerings: 

• Cameron Frye: with Peloton mezcal, apricot liqueur, habanero syrup, hibiscus tea

• Buck Russell: with flor de cana rum, captain morgan spiced rum, heavy cream, simple syrup, whipped egg, and nutmeg

• Rob Gordon: with pineapple infused glenmorangie, rhine hall pineapple brandy, and ginger puree 

Fall Cocktails at Duck Duck Goat

Cocktail Offerings: 

• Pear Down: Old Overholt Rye, Rhine Hall Distillery, Pear Brandy, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Pear

• Fire-lance Fizz: Tanqueray Gin, Peychaud’s Apertivo, Byrrh, Sumac

• Moon Goddess: Chicago Distilling Company, Ceres Vodka, Aperol, Cocchi Rosa, Papaya, Cinnamon

“It’s Muhammara” Cocktail at Galit 

Built with rum, tequila, red bell pepper, caraway and walnut, this split base cocktail has earthy and herbal notes for the changing seasons. Bell pepper juice meets caraway liqueur, tasting reminiscent of muhammara, the Middle Eastern hot pepper used often in Galit’s kitchen. 

“This drink is a split base of rum and tequila – the spirits play really well with the red bell pepper flavor. Bell Peppers are the vegetables that meet us at the end of summer and walk us right into the heart of fall. It’s a cocktail with a bright fresh pepper and also the comfort spice of caraway with a touch of walnut.” – Olivia Duncan, Beverage Director

Eye Don’t Carrot All Cocktail at Machine: engineered dining + drink

This curry spiced savory cocktail combines flavors of carrot, new Amsterdam gin, lemon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, red pepper, coriander, orange, served with a frozen watermelon shard (rather than ice cubes diluting the flavor over time).

“This cocktail is challenging the fall throne that pumpkin spice currently sits on. The frozen watermelon shard serves to add flavor while also keeping the drink cold without diluting the taste. With warm spice flavors and curry notes, the ‘Eye Don’t Carrot All’ is the perfect sip for fall brunches, lunches and dinners” – Aneka Saxon, Beverage Director

Fall Dishes and Cocktails from Boka

Dish Offerings: 

• Tomme de Chévre Grand-Mère: ash washed goat’s milk cheese, apricot, fennel, sourdough

• Slow Roasted Carrots: sprouted lentil, mustard, salted peppercorn, sesame

• Roasted Beef Short Rib: chanterelle mushroom, turnip, rapini 

• Roasted Chicken: sunchoke, maitake mushroom, quince

• Grilled Baby Beets:  sheep’s milk feta, quince vinegar, rye berry

Cocktail Offering:

• One Hour Photo: Evan Williams white label bourbon, brown butter, madeira, salted demerara

Fall Dishes and Cocktails from Swift & Sons

Dish Offerings: 

• Agnolotti: with Carrots, Coriander Vin Orange
• Apple Salad: with Endive, Maytag Blue, Spiced Walnuts 
• Butternut Squash Pavé: with Grilled Radicchio, Date Cream, Candied Pecans 
• Pumpkin Spice Cake: Warm Pumpkin Cake, Caramel, Oat Streusel, Sweet Cream Ice Cream 
• Apple Tart Tatin: Candied Cinnamon Ice Cream, Caramel Apples, Brown Sugar

• Mulled Cider Sorbet

• Candied Cinnamon Ice Cream

Cocktail Offerings:

• Fallen Triangle: with Lustau Oloroso Sherry, Orgeat, Cinnamon, Lemon (low proof cocktail)

• Jammin’ Out: with Seasonal Jam, Fresh Citrus and Club Soda (zero proof)

Hamachi Crudo at GT Prime 

• With cantaloupe, fennel pollen, lemon balm

Fall Dishes and Cocktails at Girl & the Goat

Dish Offerings: 

• Roasted Beets: green beans, white anchovy,  avocado crème fraîche, bread crumb

• Crab Rangoon: squash blossoms, chive yogurt and almonds

• Mr. Sweet Potato Bread: hong kong cream cheese, pickle squash relish

• Yay For Apples!: apple torte, gjetost caramel, candied almond, gjetost ice cream

• Caramel Corn and Malt Balls: vanilla malt ice cream, popcorn caramel, chocolate magic shell

Fall Cocktail Offerings:

• Hot Stuff: with Old Overholt rye, fresno chili-infused campari, coffee bean-infused cocchi torino sweet vermouth,  crème de cacao

• Fireside: glenmorangie 10 yr scotch, amaro montenegro, cherry heering, St. Elizabeth allspice dram, honey, lemon

Right Hand Man Cocktail at Margeaux Brasserie

• Apple-infused Margeaux select single barrel Maker’s Mark, aperol, carpano antica vermouth, chocolate & mole bitters.