Fat Tuesday, the day before the start of Lent, is celebrated as Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Brazil, but you don’t need to travel to get a taste of the fun. Bars and restaurants throughout Chicago are offering food and drink specials such as king cake, seafood boils and hurricanes and hosting performances from samba dancers and brass bands. Join the party at one of these 26 spots, and if you want to embrace the Polish tradition of Paczki Day check out our guide to the best places to find the decadent treats.
All events take place on Tuesday, March 4 unless otherwise specified.
The Loop and Near North Side
Highline Pizza Bar
The River North sports bar offers $7 hurricanes for Fat Tuesday. 169 W. Kinzie St., 312-533-2742, highlinepizzabar.com
Lirica
The Navy Pier restaurant celebrates Brazilian Carnival Feb. 28 through March 8 with a la carte specials and a $95 menu including spaghetti with black tiger shrimp, pan-roasted Alaskan cod, vegetable stew and churros. Catch live music and flamenco from 6 to 8 p.m. Fridays. 900 E. Grand Ave., liricarestaurant.com
Untitled Supper Club
Catch a burlesque show and music from The Magnificent Mile 2nd Line Band while enjoying New Orleans-inspired dishes and drinks presented by costumed servers. 7 p.m. 111 W. Kinzie St., 312-880-1511, untitledsupperclub.com
North Side & Northwest Side
Big Jones
Chef Paul Fehribach dedicates his whole menu to Louisiana cooking through Mardi Gras, with dishes including barbecued shrimp toast ($17), seafood gumbo ($24), crawfish etouffee ($31) and red beans and rice ($10). 5347 N. Clark St., 773-275-5725, bigjoneschicago.com
Blue Bayou
An all-you-can-eat Mardi Gras crawfish boil ($65) includes corn, red potatoes and andouille sausage. 1-4 p.m. Saturday. 3734 N. Southport Ave., 773-219-2007, wrigleyvillecrawfish.com
Cody’s Public House
The bar plays Mardi Gras-themed music all night and hosts a buffet from The Graystone Tavern at 7 p.m. featuring gumbo, jambalaya, dirty rice and cornbread. Drink specials include $6 Stone Hazy IPA, $10 hurricanes and $30 Surfside buckets. Try plenty of gumbo at a cook-off at 2 p.m. Saturday while drinking $10 sazeracs, $10 Pimm’s cups and $30 surfside buckets. 1658 W. Barry Ave., 773-799-8217, codyschicago.com
The Graystone Tavern
The Wrigleyville bar plays New Orleans-inspired music and offers specials starting at 5 p.m. including $1 Cajun wings, $8 Creole andouille loaded fries, $5 hurricanes and $6 22-ounce Voodoo Ranger drafts. 3441 N Sheffield Ave., 773-666-5450, graystonetavernchicago.com
Jerry’s Sandwiches
The Lincoln Square restaurant serves a long list of New Orleans-inspired specials through the end of March including $13 hurricanes and Sazeracs, $17 shrimp and oyster po’ boys, $16 roast pork belly muffulettas and $10 praline cheesecake. 4739 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-344-9379, jerryssandwiches.com
Junebug Cafe
Grab a king cake for four to six ($25) or six to eight ($50) along with other French and Creole bites such as beignets ($6 to $10) and chicken and smoked sausage gumbo ($8 to $12). 4042 N Milwaukee Ave., 773-930-3265, junebugchicago.com
Lottie’s Pub
Bourbon Street comes to Bucktown with $10 gumbo and hurricanes and $12 Cajun chicken sandwiches and shrimp tacos offered Thursday through Tuesday. The bar hosts a Crown Royal sampling at 7 p.m. on Fat Tuesday. 1925 W. Cortland St., 773-489-0738, lottiespub.com
South Side & Near South Side
Burger Bar
Creole Carnival specials offered throughout February include andouille sausage and barbecue smoked shrimp gumbo ($7), smoked jerk chicken wings ($16), a king cake shake ($10) and New Belgium Voodoo Ranger IPA ($9). 1150 S. Michigan Ave., 312-988-0162, goodeatsgroup.com/burger-bar-chicago
The Chicago Firehouse
The steakhouse’s eighth annual Fat Tuesday party features a performance by the High-Hat Second Line and a buffet including red beans and rice, a spicy crawfish boil, seafood gumbo and a bananas foster station for $65. Add on a hurricane or Sazerac for $16. 5:30-10 p.m. 1401 S. Michigan Ave., 312-786-1401, chicagofirehouse.com
Lowcountry
Catch live music from Radium Swing Band while having $10 hurricanes, $11 bowls of gumbo and $7 beignets. 1132 S. Wabash Ave., 312-866-8633, lowcountrychicago.com/south-loop
West Side & Near West Side
Alliance Bakery
The West Town bakery offers a 10-inch green, purple and yellow king cake for $40. 1837 W. Grand Ave., 773-278-0366, alliancebakery.com
Carnivale
Celebrate with samba dance performances, stilt walkers, jugglers and dishes from Brazil and New Orleans. 702 W. Fulton Market, 312-850-5005, carnivalechicago.com
Easy Bar
Stop in for a free slice of king cake from Scafuri Bakery and if you find a baby inside you’ll win swag from New Belgium. The Wicker Park spot offers $4 beer, seltzer and cider all night, and everything is half price from 4 to 6 p.m. 1944 W. Division St., 773-227-4644, easybarchicago.com
Estelle’s
The Wicker Park bar doles out beads and offers $6 hurricane shots and $10 hurricanes. DJ Papa G spins from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. 2013 W. North Ave., 773-782-0450, estelleschicago.com
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar
Executive Chef Guy Meikle celebrates Cajun and Creole food with a special menu including fried oysters ($32), wood-grilled jumbo shrimp and grits ($28) and king cake with cardamom milk jam ($12). 4 to 9 p.m. 2700 W. Chicago Ave., 773-661-9577, heritage-chicago.com
Ina Mae Tavern
This Wicker Park icon offers a full schedule of festivities leading up to Fat Tuesday, including half-price Mardi Gras cocktails from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, $24 frozen hurricanes with $20 refills Saturday, and $12 po’ boys Monday. Doors open at noon Fat Tuesday for music from the Four Star Brass Band from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and a burlesque show at 10 p.m. 1415 N. Wood St., 773-360-8320, inamaetavern.com
Mac’s Wood Grilled
Try a $5 bottle of Louisiana-based Abita Brewing Co.’s Mardi Gras Bock along with fried shrimp, andouille sausage and chicken po’ boys served with Cajun fries ($16 to $21) Friday through Tuesday. 1801 W. Division St., 773-782-4400, macswoodgrilled.com
Time Out Market Chicago
A Back to Bourbon Street Mardi Gras pop-up running Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday on the market’s second floor features crawfish empanadas, catfish po’ boy, beignets and pecan bread pudding from Jamie Gilmore of Lizzy J’s and Darnell Reed of Luella’s Southern Kitchen 916 W. Fulton Market, 312-637-3888, eventbrite.com
Tuman’s Tap & Grill
Pair a serving of shrimp and andouille sausage gumbo ($17) with a Pipeworks King Cake ale draft ($7). 2159 W. Chicago Ave., 773-782-1400, tumanstapandgrill.com
Suburban and multiple locations
115 Bourbon Street
Get a taste of New Orleans with themed cocktails, jambalaya, gumbo and po’ boys plus performances from The Smiley Tillmon Band at 6:30 p.m. and Hurricane Gumbo at 8 p.m. 3359 W. 115th St., Merrionette Park, 708-388-8881, 115bourbonstreet.com
Deerfields Bakery
Chocolate- and almond-filled king cakes are available for $24 along with Mardi Gras-themed cookies ($4.25 to $4.75). 201 N. Buffalo Grove Road, Buffalo Grove, and 813 N. Waukegan Road, Deerfield, 847-520-0068; deerfieldsbakery.com
Hewn
All three of the bakery’s locations offer $28 cinnamon-filled king cake. Place an order by 8 p.m. Saturday to pick up on Tuesday. Multiple locations, hewnbread.com
Prairie Moon
Get a taste of New Orleans with specials including maque choux, crawfish and Gulf shrimp etouffee, steak oscar and peach-praline bread pudding. 1635 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-864-8328, prairiemoonrestaurant.com
Samantha Nelson is a freelance writer.
