Last Minute Visit - Ruxbin/Schwa Possible?
Hi Chicagoland,
I'm heading into town with friends, from Toronto this weekend. We haven't made any dinner reservations so we need tips for walking in.
We need to eat late on Saturday, if we show up at Ruxbin at 10pm what are the chances of getting a table? Is it a lost cause?
Also, can we walk in at Schwa or is it reservation only?
Any other recommendations are welcome
Thanks!
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Boka is a good higher end choice in the neighborhood, but if you can't get in and want lighter (and cheaper) fare Sono Wood-fired is a couple blocks down from Steppenwolf. I don't know what kind of crowds it draws late on Saturday, but we've never had trouble walking in in the early evening on a weekend. Moreover, if you are indeed a fan of salami, they have an excellent charcuterie opener. Good wine list (for a pizzeria) too:
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Boka
1729 North Halsted, Chicago, IL 60614›1 Reply-
re: jbw
nsxtasy
Oct 31, 2011 12:24 PM
>> Boka is a good higher end choice in the neighborhood, but if you can't get in
As I noted above when I recommended it above, reservations for Boka are available for the times after your show this coming Saturday night. Make one now and you won't have to worry about getting in! www.bokachicago.com
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Sono Wood Fired
1582 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
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As far as Ruxbin, they close at 10pm on Saturdays. I would hazard a guess that that means that the last seating is at 10pm but they're busy enough that they probably stop taking names earlier in the evening. I stopped in a few weeks ago around 6:45 on a Saturday -- for a party of 2, they did not anticipate a table being available until 9:30. It's also worth noting that they limit parties to 4 or fewer on Saturdays (and Fridays -- 6 or fewer other nights).
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nsxtasy
Oct 31, 2011 09:52 AM
>> I'm heading into town with friends, from Toronto this weekend. We haven't made any dinner reservations so we need tips for walking in.
Would it be possible for you to make reservations now? It's really not that hard to get reservations at most of the restaurants here. Saturday night reservations on the late side (10:00 for places that seat that late) are easy to come by, for places that are open that late. Right now, many of our best restaurants currently show availability on Opentable.com for a 10:00 seating for two this Saturday, including: Balsan (Mediterranean), Blackbird (contemporary American), Boka (contemporary American), Carnivale (Latin fusion), Coco Pazzo (Italian), Deleece on Southport (contemporary American), the Florentine (Italian), Graham Elliot (contemporary American), Le Colonial (Vietnamese), Mercat a la Planxa (tapas), Mexique (contemporary American), MK (contemporary American), Nacional 27 (Latin fusion), Naha (contemporary American), Nightwood (contemporary American), Perennial Virant (contemporary American), Quartino (Italian small plates), Sable (contemporary American), Shanghai Terrace (upscale Chinese), Shaw's Crab House (seafood), Spiaggia (Italian fine dining), TRU (fine dining), and Vivere (contemporary Italian).
You can also make reservations at the last minute. (The easiest way to do so is on Opentable.com where you can see availability of many restaurants with a few taps on the keyboard. If you don't have internet access while you're here, the concierge at your hotel can make a reservation for you.) Having a reservation is MUCH better than traveling all the way to a place, only to find that there's a two-hour wait. (If you decide to risk it anywhere, I strongly recommend at least calling ahead to find out how long the wait is.)
>> We need to eat late on Saturday, if we show up at Ruxbin at 10pm what are the chances of getting a table? Is it a lost cause?
The Tribune did a spread on the typical wait times at the "always crowded" places around town; for Ruxbin, it says "Peak wait: 2 hours between 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; Least wait: No wait at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday and Tuesday". http://chicago.metromix.com/restauran...
>> Also, can we walk in at Schwa or is it reservation only?
It's reservation only, and not even that (they often cancel reservations at the last minute).
>> In addition to the info above, we will be staying in River North area, but will be at a play at Steppenwolf on Saturaday night.
Many of the places listed above are in or near River North. Boka is only a block from the Steppenwolf, and it's excellent. Walking a block from the theater to a great restaurant where you have a reservation seems like a much better solution than having to travel a couple miles to a restaurant where you don't have a reservation and might have to wait a long time to be seated.
I'll make sure the places mentioned above all appear on the map to your right.
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Blackbird Restaurant
619 W. Randolph, Chicago, IL 60606Boka
1729 North Halsted, Chicago, IL 60614Tru Restaurant
676 North Saint Clair, Chicago, IL 60611Quartino
626 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60654Nacional 27
325 W. Huron, Chicago, IL 60610Shanghai Terrace
108 E Superior, Chicago, IL 60611Mercat a la Planxa
638 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605Le Colonial
937 Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611Perennial Virant
1800 N Lincoln, Chicago, IL 60614Coco Pazzo Cafe
636 N St Clair, Chicago, IL 60611Mexique
1529 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622Shaw's Crab House
21 East Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60611Deleece Restaurant (on Southport
)3747 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657Vivere
71 W Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603Spiaggia
980 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611Naha
500 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610Carnivale
702 West Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60661Graham Elliot
217 W. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60654Sable Kitchen & Bar
505 North State Street, Chicago, IL 60654The Florentine
151 W. Adams, Chicago, IL 60601Nightwood
2119 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60608MK
868 N. Franklin, Chicago, IL 60610Balsan
11 E Walton St, Chicago, IL 60610 -
