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A magnifying glass magnifying a martini cocktail.
Photograph: Courtesy of Mordecai, Shutterstock

The best secret menu items in Chicago

Dine like an insider by ordering these off-menu dishes and drinks.

Samantha Nelson
Written by
Samantha Nelson
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If you’re the type of diner that likes to scope out what looks good on other tables, you might be surprised to encounter a dish you didn’t even realize was available. Beyond regularly changing specials, Chicago's best restaurants offer secret menu items just for regulars and insiders. These hidden options can be hacks that combine multiple dishes in surprising ways, offerings that have been taken off the menu but are still available for those in the know or outrageously fancy drinks and dishes for customers looking to show off. You can expect to find decadent oysters topped with caviar at one of the best steakhouses, luxe maki rolls from the finest sushi spots and even a dessert-inspired martini. So keep reading for the scoop on 13 secret menu items in Chicago that will make you feel like a VIP.

RECOMMENDED: Discover more Chicago secrets you should know about

Where to find the best secret menu dishes

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Pan-Asian
  • River North
  • price 2 of 4
  • Recommended

Go decadent with the Lux Roll, negi toro topped with wagyu beef, truffle vinaigrette, shaved truffles, white wasabi cream and tobiko ($65). The River North restaurant also quietly offers sisig, a Filipino street food favorite made with braised pork belly, crispy honeycomb tripe, onions, shishito peppers, soy vinaigrette, egg and roti prata ($18).

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Rush & Division
  • price 3 of 4
  • Recommended

If you’re ordering one of the Gold Coast restaurant’s signature fire-roasted seafood towers, ask for the "pasta back" ($7). After you’ve finished the hearth-grilled king crab, Manilla clams, oysters, prawns and scallops covered in a mix of chili oil and garlic butter, your server will bring out a pot of hand-rolled conchigliette pasta and toss it in the savory sauce that pooled at the bottom of the plate. For a bite of decadence, ask for a blackout oyster, a Beau Soleil oyster filled with Beluga caviar and served atop a crystal shot glass filled with chilled vodka ($36).

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  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Loop
  • price 2 of 4

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon is so coveted that a single pour costs the same as many bottles, while a bottle often sells for $1,000. For a truly indulgent drink, the steakhouse within The LaSalle Hotel serves it in an old fashioned made with Mancino Chinato Vermouth from Italy and garnished with gold leaf.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • River West/West Town
  • price 3 of 4
  • Recommended

Chef Gustavo Barahona offers chicken karaage with truffle dijonaise on his regular izakaya menu, but you can also try the soy-marinated crispy chicken with cabbage on a slider ($5). If you’re doing the omakase upstairs, ask to finish with an extra bite—the fish liver taco made with kampachi and crispy nori ($10).

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  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Bars
  • Wrigleyville
  • Recommended

Made with proprietary cask strength bourbon and the bartender’s choice of amari from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, the Vintage Black Manhattan ($30) became so popular when it appeared on Mordecai’s rotating drink list that the Wrigleyville bar nearly ran out of its older amari. The Wrigleyville bar had to make the drink a secret to preserve its liquor collection.

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  • Restaurants
  • Soul and southern American
  • River North
  • price 3 of 4

The new comfort food spot recently launched a secret menu offering spins on its signature fried chicken. The honey ginger-glazed chicken sandwich includes pickled chili sesame slaw and cool ranch chicharones ($22). The Nashville hot chicken brings the heat with California Reaper rub and is served with housemade pickles and Texas toast ($35).

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  • Restaurants
  • Near North Side

The Helios is named for the Greek god of the sun, who appears on the McGraw Hill Building in an Art Deco bas relief sculpted by Gwen Lux, the hotel’s own namesake. Costing a whopping $1,250, the Sazerac is made tableside using Hennessy Paradis Imperial cognac, WhistlePig The Boss Hog Lapulapu’s Pacific rye, Jade 1901 Absinthe Supérieure, coffee and orange compressed sugar, and Peychaud's and Angostura bitters. You’ll also take home a gift to remember your divine drink.

  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Lower West Side

La Luna served burritos during the COVID-19 lockdown when it had to pivot to carryout. You can still get them made with your choice of protein such as steak or fried fish, plus beans, rice, lettuce, sour cream, avocado, pico de gallo, fried potatoes and cheese. The dish is served with a side of salsa ($14).

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