To find oneself hungry and optionless before or after the theater is a tragedy on par with “Amadeus” — which, by the way, counts among the must-see theater performances of the fall 2025 season. Fueling up before or after a show is an art all its own, requiring some strategic mapping and decisiveness in ordering once seated.
Rather than round up the usual theater district dining options, we huddled with WBEZ’s theater critic Mike Davis for a rundown of this fall’s most anticipated shows (that’s here) and then recommended can’t-fail dining options that we grouped into pre- and post-show categories.
Here’s our criteria: It should take 20 minutes or less to get to or from the theater from the 11 restaurants below. The food should be good and interesting; the invigorating cuisines on this list range from bold Cambodian street food to modern bistro, from hearty Korean drinking food to grown-up tavern snacks and sushi plucked from a conveyor belt.
We also prioritized spots that we think can get you in and out on time. But there are no guarantees: If dining out pre-show, it never hurts to alert the restaurant that you are on a tight schedule. Likewise, it’s wise to ask when the last call is for food if you’re dining after the curtain, as certain spots close kitchens early on quiet nights. Even when pressed for time, a little advance planning helps make the whole night memorable and — most importantly — keeps “hanger” to a minimum.
Pre-show
Kaun Khmai
6580 N. Sheridan Road (Raven Theatre, Lifeline Theatre)
When Mona Sang relocated Khmai, her immersive Cambodian tasting menu restaurant, to a larger home on the ground floor of a Rogers Park Hampton Inn last year, she added a casual, walk-in-friendly sibling restaurant within the restaurant. Khmai is a 6-minute drive or 20-minute walk and bus ride (on the No. 36) from the Raven Theatre, or a 13-minute walk or 6-minute bus ride (#155) from the Lifeline Theatre.
Kaun Khmai, or “child of Khmai” in Khmer, feels more boisterous than its tasting menu counterpart — not least given the louder, upbeat music in the bar. Juicy, refreshing cocktails pack mixers like lychee and mango juice, and the seafood-heavy food menu is of the punchy, often handheld sort you’d expect from roadside vendors across this Southeast Asian country. Share skirt steak skewers slathered in heady crab paste and dab fresh veggies into salty Cambodian fermented fish sauce (prahok). Save space for warmly spiced braised chicken curry or fried whole red snapper tinged with ginger and pickled chilies. The delicious, stimulating spread may entice you to come back for the full tasting menu experience, which is a show all its own.
Dove’s Luncheonette
1545 N. Damen Ave. (The Den Theatre)
A 10-minute walk from The Den, this staple, Southwestern-ish diner probably gets the most love for its satiating brunch. But I love grabbing a quick, casual bite for dinner before a show. As an all-day joint, you can pop in for early-bird dinner or book a table ahead. Start with tangy pimento cheese with pepper jelly and fried saltines or a refreshing back-to-life cocktail, in which mussels, shrimp and crab swim with avocado in sweet habanero-tomato salsa. Hearty, likable entrees span the oversized tlayuda with Manchego, green garbanzo salsa and refried black beans or an Oklahoma City-style burger with shredded onions griddled right into the juicy beef patty, sticky American cheese, and bread and butter picked on a sesame bun. Wash it down with something bright with a bite, like the Cantarito with tequila or mezcal (correct), and you’re out the door in time for curtain call.
Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern
5215 S. Harper Ave. (Court Theatre)
Awash in bright colors and big-band tunes, chef Erick Williams’ convivial, NOLA-themed sports bar is the consummate mood-lifter. Its counter service setup makes it ideal for a quick (albeit stick-to-your-ribs) bite before the theater. You’ll want to start with a few broiled oysters or gochujang-slicked wings. Po’boys are a must — perhaps the BBQ Gulf shrimp or Peacemaker with fried oysters and roast beef. The Chatham Artillery Punch indeed packs a punch with rye whiskey, cognac, Jamaican rum, Champagne and lemon, so one should suffice. Heads up: Happy hour runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday (or 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday) with discounted drinks and po’boys (like fried shrimp), plus scaled-down versions of the muffuletta sandwich and hot honey fried chicken sliders. Your digestive system will appreciate the 20-minute walk to the Court Theatre. (By car, the trip takes 6 minutes, or about 15 on the No. 172 bus.)
Bistro Monadnock
325 S. Federal St. (Goodman Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, The Chicago Theatre)
One of my favorite downtown openings of the past few years, Bistro Monadnock does satisfying justice to its handsome environs inside the historic Monadnock building. I like arriving early for my reservation for a drink in the chic bar. (One velvety-soft Angel Face, please, with gin, appley Calvados, Dimmi Italian liqueur and apricot liqueur.) The menu is classically French, with some welcome modern zhuzhes: Oyster shooters pack quail eggs and fiery, herbaceous green sauce, while rich, moist dorade royale lazes in beurre blanc stained with golden tomato. There’s an excellent Bistro Burger, starting with dry-aged sirloin and house-made cultured butter ground in-house that’s topped with melted Gruyere and served on a brioche bun with red onion relish and dijonnaise. Attentive servers will ensure your meal is well-paced without rushing you — including the occasional intervention when, say, a pair of sisters can’t make a decision on which entrees to share. No matter; Goodman Theatre and the James M. Nederlander Theatre are only a 13-minute walk up Dearborn Street.
Sushi Taku Rotary
935 W. Webster Ave. (Steppenwolf Theatre Co.)
Sushi Taku has three locations around the city, but only the Lincoln Park location delivers all-you-can-eat sushi on a conveyor belt like a delicious, tiny baggage claim. It opens for dinner at 4:30, giving you plenty of time to get to Steppenwolf Theatre — which is a 20-minute walk or 10-minute bus ride away on the No. 8. For $36.99, pack your plate with nigiri, maki and salmon carpaccio, the last of which I’d consider essential ordering. In keeping with the “Jetsons” theme, anything you don’t order from the roving sushi bullet train, like baked mussels or chicken wings, will be dropped off by a robot. Of course, excellent human servers are on hand to refill drinks and make actual eye contact.
Sotto
71 W. Monroe St. (Goodman Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, The Chicago Theatre)
Last year, the fourth generation behind the century-old Italian Village facelifted La Cantina, the subterranean Italian chophouse that the Capitanini family opened in 1955. The cheeky, new Italian American bar (Bar Sotto) and restaurant (Ristorante di Sotto) features checkered tile, sumptuous red velvet banquettes and restored cypress wall panels to match a fresh menu of cheffy yet easygoing food like truffle-scented cacio e pepe arancini, calamari steak and short rib garganelli with Parmesan cream. The drinks menu packs similar youthful energy, via (surprisingly delicious) Parmesan-infused espresso martinis and my favorite, the juicy, bittersweet Mirto Beach, with Mirto berry liqueur, gin, lemon and cherry bitters. New look and menus notwithstanding, this longtime pre-theater favorite remains as adept as ever at getting you in and out quickly without feeling rushed (book a table here). It helps that it’s about a 10-minute walk to Goodman Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre and the Chicago Theatre.
Gavroche
1529 N. Wells St. (A Red Orchid Theatre)
In 2024, nine years after the beloved Bistrot Margot closed on Wells Street, the restaurateur Jason Chan debuted a 32-seat, neo-French bistro to fill the void for a French restaurant in Old Town. This affable slip of a restaurant also sits conveniently next door to A Red Orchid. Gavroche opens at 4:30 p.m., allowing plenty of time for a quick occasion meal and celebratory glass of French wine before a show. (You’re already dressed up, right?) Executive chef Mitchell Acuña’s a la carte menu packs fancy but not fussy lightened-up twists on classics. Think hand-cut beef tartare with sunchoke foam and crispy black kale, and Parisian gnocchi with lemony black truffle cream and bourbon barrel-smoked trout roe. Book reservations via email or phone, at 312-898-8925. Walk-ins are available, but give a heads up that you have somewhere to be.
Post-show
Dancen Grill
5114 N. Lincoln Ave. (American Blues Theater)
One of the city’s best spots for traditional Korean bar food, Dancen is situated just 7 minutes away on the No. 11 bus from the nonprofit American Blues Theater in West Ridge. Color-blocked and minimally appointed, save for a projector screen displaying K-pop videos, Dancen’s focal point is the open-fire grill behind the bar, which churns out the smoky fire chicken blanketed in melted cheese that you see going to every table. It’s hard to go wrong here foodwise, from crunchy, chewy seafood pancakes with heady soy-vinegar dipping sauce to charred shrimp and pork kebabs and fried pork skins with sesame oil. Dancen stays open until midnight on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, making it an upbeat yet chill last stop after a show. But prepare to take leftovers with you; plates are hefty.
Pequod’s Pizza
2207 N. Clybourn Ave. (Steppenwolf Theatre Co.)
This longtime pizza joint is no stranger to long waits as tourists and locals alike flock for a taste of bonafide pan pizza with the magnetically crunchy crust. The lines usually die down later in the evening, making it a fun, relaxed choice for night-owl sustenance after a show at the Steppenwolf — a 6-minute drive or 25-minute walk away. (In case you’re unconvinced, you can book your table ahead.) Indeed, Pequod’s stays open till the wee hours of 2 a.m. every night except Sunday. Though this is neither the time nor place to wade into pizza arguments, Pequod’s serves some of the city’s best deep dish-adjacent pan pies. Puffy dough bakes with a thin layer of cheese in oiled, time-seasoned cast-iron pans to produce a chewy crust with richly caramelized edges. Then again, if you run out of theater talk, you can always transition to the high drama of thin crust vs. deep dish debates. Pequod’s serves both.
Cantina Rosa
5230 S. Harper Ave. (Court Theatre)
The second Erick Williams joint to grace this list notably takes reservations till 11 p.m., making it an excellent last stop to debrief post-show over hefty snacks and elegant, tropically leaning cocktails. The bright, smoke-kissed Paddle Cactus blends mezcal, tart prickly pear, chile and just enough pineapple to bring out the vegetal notes in the agave and cactus. The food menu takes a hearty teaser tour of Mexico’s regional botanas (a.k.a. snacks): Think plump shrimp cocktail in sweet, fiery cocktail sauce with a pile of saltine crackers and a burrito-sized Oaxacan-style tamal with succulent chicken-thigh morsels in tomatillo salsa. It’s a beautiful space, accented in mesquite-style woodwork, terracotta tiles and embroidered barstools. Book a few weeks in advance for peace of mind, and request one of the secluded half-moon booths lining the perimeter.
Gus’ Sip & Dip
51 W. Hubbard St. (Goodman Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, The Chicago Theatre)
A mere 10-minute walk to the Goodman, James M. Nederlander Theatre and the Chicago Theatre, this decidedly grown-up tavern in clubby River North serves some of the best — and notably affordable — classic cocktails in the city at $12 a pop. Think bracing, limey gin gimlets; cloudlike, hand-shaken white Russians and pitch-perfect Dirty Martinis complete with floating ice shards. Owing partly to its dedication to being a place for a real, sit-down meal for hungry hospitality workers post-shift, Gus’ serves food until 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Like the inviting, wood-accented room, the food is brawny and satisfying stuff, a la blue crab rangoon dip with wonton crisps, avocado-laced Caesar salad and artichoke fritters with herby bernaise. As the name suggests, Gus’ hangs its culinary hat on its dipped sandwiches, including roasted chicken with caramelized onions and wagyu beef with whipped horseradish. I’m partial to the smoked ham, which packs ribbons of brown sugar-glazed on crackly-edged, fluffy bread with a side of tangy mustard jus.
Maggie Hennessy is a Chicago-based food and drink writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Bon Appetit and Food & Wine. Follow her on Instagram.