Restaurant Week began with big Bites

Produced by Choose Chicago, the annual event First Bites Bash returned to the Field Museum on January 23. Taking over two floors of the sold-out venue continued to be a challenge to navigate this year even with the extra space of the exhibit rooms.

Foodie fans waited in lines for samples with a noticeable wait time for The Dearborn's ribeye in the middle of the main floor. A DJ brought the beats amongst the dinosaurs to entertain patient people in the room.

A buffet of samples from local Illinois restaurants provided a range of tasty morsels. Some companies went all out and were ambitious with their presentations by cooking on the spot.

Allergy restrictions and the personal preferences of ticket holders were taken seriously. Especially tasty options included Asado Urban Grill's Vegan Carnitas and 14 Parish Chicago & Dawn A.M. Eatery's nut-free Hummingbird Cake giving Bites Bashers something to sink their teeth into. River Roast offered free appetizer cards to attendees and Tapas Valencia toasted a taste of Spain.

Sponsors for 2025 included American Airlines, Hubbard Radio and several beverage companies, among others.

An after-party was held at the Hubbard Inn with more delicious food and fanfare!

Chicago Restaurant Week continues until February 9, 2025, with special prix fixe menus to stir up business around town. The 18th annual culinary celebration creates a feeding frenzy thanks to the participating restaurants listed on choosechicago.com.