Your Guide to North Shore Restaurant Month Highlights

Dine fine or feast on fave comfort foods during North Shore Restaurant Month 2026! More than 70 restaurants are flaunting their flavors with free appetizers and desserts, discounts and scrumptious prix fixe menus to showcase their kitchen wizardry. Check out new restaurants and visit your favorites. The highlights below are just a taste of this month-long celebration of eating well. (Note, offers exclude the cost of alcohol, tax and gratuity; additional restrictions may apply.)

 

Aboyer, Winnetka

Aboyer (Winnetka; Prix Fixe Menu)
Savor lively, casual Aboyer, Winnetka’s French American bistro, to enjoy an exceptional (and affordable) culinary experience. Their Prix Fixe menu begins with your choice of Puff Pastry Wrapped Gruyere and Mascarpone Cheese “Pithivier” Provençal or Short Rib-Potato Raviolo in Coq au Vin Sauce. Your entrée can be the Prime Sirloin Steak Frites with chimichurri and Bearnaise or Pan Roasted Half Chicken with roasted new potatoes and spring peas in a Chablis pan jus. A classic Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee or Flourless Chocolate Soufflé with Grand Marnier Crème Anglaise crown this heavenly sampling.
 

Ascione Bistro, Skokie

Ascione Bistro (Skokie; Prix Fixe Menu)
Located in Downtown Skokie, Ascione Bistro is Italian-centric but with a contemporary flair and oh-so-pretty atmosphere. Their Prix Fixe menu give you multiple choices at lunch and dinner. All start with an appetizing Lobster Bisque or Caesar Salad. Lunch entrées can be Wild Canadian Whitefish, Wild Boar Pappardelle Ragout or Mushroom Risotto with fresh black truffles. Dinner has two lanes (at different price points) for either Branzino, Chianti Braised Short Rib or Eggplant Parmigiana; or the USDA Prime Ribeye Tuscan Style (16-oz), Cioppino or that Mushroom Risotto pick. Leave room for dessert (included)!
 

Convito Cafe & Market, Wilmette

Convito Café & Market (Wilmette; free appetizer with entrée purchase)
Wilmette’s charming Plaza Del Lago is experiencing a renaissance for this open-air European-flavored shopping district with an indoor galleria. Convito Café has been an institution here for decades. See what all the fuss is about and enjoy a yummy free appetizer with your meal. Starters range from Classic Mussels and Escargot plates to White Bean Soup and Flatbread of the Day. The French-Italian medley of flavors features steak, chicken, daily fish and meat specials along with earthy pasta dishes, wonderful salads and a full bar. Special gluten-free and kids menus. 
 

Cupitol the Restaurant, Westfield Old Orchard, Skokie

Cupitol the Restaurant (Westfield Old Orchard, Skokie; Prix Fixe Menu) 
Experience the best blend of a fine European café, upscale restaurant and your favorite laid-back lounge in a modern space that feels welcoming at any hour. Cupitol took their coffee-centric success and created this all-day dining hub. Test drive their vibe with a Prix Fixe menu that begins with a choice of Buffalo Burrata, Spread Trilogy, or Double Trouble Patatas Bravas. The second course can be Paccheri Pastichio, Sea Bass Filet, Vegetarian Moussaka, or Filet Mignon Sliders. Polish your meal off with the Cupitol Skillet Cookie, Fruit Tart, or Tiramisu.
 

Hackney's, Glenview

Hackney’s on Harms & Hackney’s on Lake (Glenview; free small order of onion rings with entrée purchase)
Traditions run deep at both locations of this favorite hang for families and friends. Famous for their big, juicy Hackneyburgers on Hackney’s Dark Rye, no meal here is complete without adding the one-of-a-kind Hackney’s Original French-Fried Onions® to the table. Newcomers might question the shape, but one bite seals the deal. Of course, you won’t go wrong with any other tasty item including fresh salads, sandwiches, daily specials (like the Reuben or French Dip) and plates of sirloin, salmon or fish and chips. Ask about their list of tap beers at the full-service bar.
 

Hecky's Barbeque, Evanston

Hecky’s Barbeque (Evanston; 15% off guest check)
It's the Sauce! North Shore legend Hecky's has been crafting some of the best BBQ (and so much more!) in the nation for decades. Relish all things BBQ including Pulled Pork, Rib Tips, Baby Back Ribs, Smoked Wings … plus sweet potato pie and peach cobbler. Gumbo and jambalaya too! At lunchtime, the Brisket Sandwich Special — smoked low and slow for 14 hours — comes on a brioche bun with a small fry or coleslaw and a soda. The Classic Chicago Combo BBQ dish made famous by South Side pitmasters piles a pork hot link and an entire pound of rib tips on a bed of fries.
 

Spirit Elephant, Winnetka

Spirit Elephant (Winnetka; free appetizer with entrée purchase)
You don’t have to commit to being a vegetarian to enjoy the astonishingly divine dishes at Spirit Elephant. This award-winning restaurant and bar crafts every bite exclusively from plants. This month, try one of their many starters for free with your entrée purchase. The Cauli-Wings can be Buffalo, mango-chili, barbecue or garlic parmesan and are served with poppyseed ranch (or blue dressing), carrots and celery sticks. Or check out their Calamari Fritti, a gluten-free variation made from king oyster mushrooms, pickled pepperoncini and carrots in a marinara arrabbiata.
 

Lefty's Righteous Bagels, Evanston & Skokie

Lefty's Righteous Bagels (Evanston & Skokie; 15% off guest check)
You bet these delicious Montreal-inspired bagels are righteous! Stop by their storefront in Evanston or their “satellite” pop-up inside the taproom at Sketchbook Brewery with popular pizza bialy options exclusive to this location. Test drive their Bagel+ Schmear with more than a dozen flavors to top like Honey Vanilla, Lemon Dill and even vegan. Bagel sandwiches are unique and next-level. Try The Moira Rose with folded (IYKYK) eggs, gouda cheese, shaved ham and arugula with Dijon mustard mayo and a roasted garlic and chive cream cheese.