Where to Dine on Passover in Chicago

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As the sun sets on Friday, April 15, Jews all over the world will be asking, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” The answer, of course, is because it is Passover. And it’s not really that different from all other nights because Passover will go on for seven more. Nonetheless. Passover is coming. It requires a lot of cleaning and a lot of cooking for Jews who want to do the whole thing properly, which means banishing all forms of leavened bread from their homes. For those who don’t, there is takeout. Here are 18 restaurants in Chicago where you can find it. The majority are only serving Passover food the first two nights, but there are a few that offer it all week long. Please note that only one of them is strictly kosher, and none are offering a full seder, only food. (For the full seder experience, there are several options in the suburbs.)

For updated information on coronavirus cases, please visit the city of Chicago’s COVID-19 dashboard. Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

After the excitement of two nights of seder, relax with Sunday night dinner at Fiya. The Andersonville Middle Eastern restaurant will be offering a $50-per-person five-course meal with optional wine pairings. The menu includes a salatim assortment; house-baked matzo; matzo ball soup; a choice of chicken, brisket, or fish; salad; za’atar potatoes; and flourless chocolate cake. Make reservations via Resy.

The Passover ban on leavened bread will keep Steingold’s from producing its signature bagels, but as compensation, it will be selling matzo ball soup by the pint, brisket by the pound, lox platters, and appetizer plates with selections based on items from the seder plate, all available the weekends of April 15-17 and 22-24 only.

The Lakeview bakery offers a variety of flourless Passover-appropriate desserts, including mousse, souffle, and sponge cakes, as well as macaroons and macarons. There’s also matzo ball soup, if you should find yourself in a pinch.

The North Side deli will be offering a special dine-in Passover meal on Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16, for $39 per person. The menu includes chopped liver, gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, carrot and prune tzimmes, green beans, coconut macaroons, and a choice of chicken, brisket, whitefish, or meatballs.

You could do worse than picking up your seder dessert at Floriole, plus a little extra to get you through the rest of the week. Baker Sandra Holl is offering flourless chocolate cake and macaroons, and also matzo chocolate crunch, a confection that covers matzo with toffee and chocolate and is truly the best thing that ever happened to it. Order via Tock.

Chef Ben Goodnick’s takeout Passover meal includes a choice of salmon, chicken breast, or beef short rib, plus matzo ball soup, tzimmes, pearl couscous kasha varnishkes, and baked apple crumble for dessert. Dinner is $55.95 per person, or $19.95 per kid, and pickup is available Friday and Saturday April 15 and 16. Preorder via Tock.

Order the full seder meal here for two (or for one for two nights), or get entrees, appetizers, sides, and dessert a la carte. Options include matzo ball soup, matzo crusted chicken schnitzel, zucchini lasagna, sweet potato kugel, matzo s’mores cookies, and much, much more. Order via Tock.

The Humboldt Park “Jew-ish” deli is doing Passover again this year, offering sweet and sour cola brisket by the pound, along with trays of potato kugel and roasted veggies and pints of matzo ball soup, plus full seder plates and boxes of matzo for anyone who needs them. Place preorders for April 14-16 on Tock.

The Gold Coast French restaurant will be offering a three-course prix fixe dinner for $46 for the entire week of Passover, from April 15 through April 23. The menu includes multiple choices for every course — including chicken liver mousse, a tartare of the day, salmon, short ribs, and crunchy bittersweet chocolate bars — possibly to encourage diners to return for multiple meals.

This Ukrainian Village deli is offering catered meals for all eight days of Passover: for $19 per person, get a choice between salmon or chicken breast, plus matzo ball soup, steamed vegetables, latkes, and beets with horseradish. Order via Tock.

Joe’s is offering a special Passover meal for takeout this year, although without its signature stone crab, which is 100 percent treyf. Instead, choose from roast chicken, braised brisket, or Alaskan halibut, accompanied by soup, salad, sides, and dessert, plus reheating instructions. Everything is also available a la carte. Place orders on Tock.

Like its sibling Aba, Ema is serving a takeout Passover dinner with Middle Eastern flavors: matzo with toasted almond and garlic spread, brisket with smoked almond chermoula, chicken kebab, matzo ball soup with miso broth, and sticky date cake. Meals are $54.95 per person; order via Tock.

The River North steakhouse is offering Passover dinner to go on Friday, April 15, only. The meal, which is $165 for two, includes matzo ball soup, beet salad, brisket, roast chicken, potato kugel, tzimmes, and flourless chocolate cake, plus matzo with Nordic butter. Order via Tock.

Like its sibling restaurant Ema, Aba puts a Middle Eastern spin on the traditional Passover meal by serving hummus with matzo, braised short rib with berbere spice, crispy chicken thighs with almond dukkah, and almond tart for dessert. Dinner is $54.95 per person and available for pickup April 15 and 16. Order via Tock.

Beatrix is offering the same Passover dinner on April 15 and 16 at its Fulton Market, River North, and Streeterville locations. The meal includes chicken, brisket, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, regular and vegetarian chopped liver, and flourless chocolate cake for $52.95 per person. Preorder via Tock.

The Mexican-Jewish bakery is once again serving its flourless cafe de olla pecan cake topped with chocolate ganache and introducing date charoset from a recipe from founder Tamar Fasja Unikel’s Syrian grandmother. Order online for pickup at various locations around town.

The Chicago classic deli is serving a full range of Passover dishes, sides, and desserts, including a choice between red and white horseradish and five flavors of macaroon, offered both a la carte or as meals ($50 for chicken for two and $60 for brisket). Delivery within the Chicago city limits is available for an extra $25. Order via Tock.

The virtual deli and bakery is offering a traditional Passover dinner with all the fixings on April 15 and 16: matzo ball soup, charoset, dill lox, brisket, roasted mushrooms with harissa, matzo bark with pistachios, and coconut macaroons. All meals are available for pick up and delivery and in kosher and non-kosher variations for $60-$80 per person. Order via Tock.

After the excitement of two nights of seder, relax with Sunday night dinner at Fiya. The Andersonville Middle Eastern restaurant will be offering a $50-per-person five-course meal with optional wine pairings. The menu includes a salatim assortment; house-baked matzo; matzo ball soup; a choice of chicken, brisket, or fish; salad; za’atar potatoes; and flourless chocolate cake. Make reservations via Resy.

The Passover ban on leavened bread will keep Steingold’s from producing its signature bagels, but as compensation, it will be selling matzo ball soup by the pint, brisket by the pound, lox platters, and appetizer plates with selections based on items from the seder plate, all available the weekends of April 15-17 and 22-24 only.

The Lakeview bakery offers a variety of flourless Passover-appropriate desserts, including mousse, souffle, and sponge cakes, as well as macaroons and macarons. There’s also matzo ball soup, if you should find yourself in a pinch.

The North Side deli will be offering a special dine-in Passover meal on Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16, for $39 per person. The menu includes chopped liver, gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, carrot and prune tzimmes, green beans, coconut macaroons, and a choice of chicken, brisket, whitefish, or meatballs.

You could do worse than picking up your seder dessert at Floriole, plus a little extra to get you through the rest of the week. Baker Sandra Holl is offering flourless chocolate cake and macaroons, and also matzo chocolate crunch, a confection that covers matzo with toffee and chocolate and is truly the best thing that ever happened to it. Order via Tock.

Chef Ben Goodnick’s takeout Passover meal includes a choice of salmon, chicken breast, or beef short rib, plus matzo ball soup, tzimmes, pearl couscous kasha varnishkes, and baked apple crumble for dessert. Dinner is $55.95 per person, or $19.95 per kid, and pickup is available Friday and Saturday April 15 and 16. Preorder via Tock.

Order the full seder meal here for two (or for one for two nights), or get entrees, appetizers, sides, and dessert a la carte. Options include matzo ball soup, matzo crusted chicken schnitzel, zucchini lasagna, sweet potato kugel, matzo s’mores cookies, and much, much more. Order via Tock.

The Humboldt Park “Jew-ish” deli is doing Passover again this year, offering sweet and sour cola brisket by the pound, along with trays of potato kugel and roasted veggies and pints of matzo ball soup, plus full seder plates and boxes of matzo for anyone who needs them. Place preorders for April 14-16 on Tock.

The Gold Coast French restaurant will be offering a three-course prix fixe dinner for $46 for the entire week of Passover, from April 15 through April 23. The menu includes multiple choices for every course — including chicken liver mousse, a tartare of the day, salmon, short ribs, and crunchy bittersweet chocolate bars — possibly to encourage diners to return for multiple meals.

This Ukrainian Village deli is offering catered meals for all eight days of Passover: for $19 per person, get a choice between salmon or chicken breast, plus matzo ball soup, steamed vegetables, latkes, and beets with horseradish. Order via Tock.

Joe’s is offering a special Passover meal for takeout this year, although without its signature stone crab, which is 100 percent treyf. Instead, choose from roast chicken, braised brisket, or Alaskan halibut, accompanied by soup, salad, sides, and dessert, plus reheating instructions. Everything is also available a la carte. Place orders on Tock.

Like its sibling Aba, Ema is serving a takeout Passover dinner with Middle Eastern flavors: matzo with toasted almond and garlic spread, brisket with smoked almond chermoula, chicken kebab, matzo ball soup with miso broth, and sticky date cake. Meals are $54.95 per person; order via Tock.

The River North steakhouse is offering Passover dinner to go on Friday, April 15, only. The meal, which is $165 for two, includes matzo ball soup, beet salad, brisket, roast chicken, potato kugel, tzimmes, and flourless chocolate cake, plus matzo with Nordic butter. Order via Tock.

Like its sibling restaurant Ema, Aba puts a Middle Eastern spin on the traditional Passover meal by serving hummus with matzo, braised short rib with berbere spice, crispy chicken thighs with almond dukkah, and almond tart for dessert. Dinner is $54.95 per person and available for pickup April 15 and 16. Order via Tock.

Beatrix is offering the same Passover dinner on April 15 and 16 at its Fulton Market, River North, and Streeterville locations. The meal includes chicken, brisket, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, regular and vegetarian chopped liver, and flourless chocolate cake for $52.95 per person. Preorder via Tock.

The Mexican-Jewish bakery is once again serving its flourless cafe de olla pecan cake topped with chocolate ganache and introducing date charoset from a recipe from founder Tamar Fasja Unikel’s Syrian grandmother. Order online for pickup at various locations around town.

The Chicago classic deli is serving a full range of Passover dishes, sides, and desserts, including a choice between red and white horseradish and five flavors of macaroon, offered both a la carte or as meals ($50 for chicken for two and $60 for brisket). Delivery within the Chicago city limits is available for an extra $25. Order via Tock.

The virtual deli and bakery is offering a traditional Passover dinner with all the fixings on April 15 and 16: matzo ball soup, charoset, dill lox, brisket, roasted mushrooms with harissa, matzo bark with pistachios, and coconut macaroons. All meals are available for pick up and delivery and in kosher and non-kosher variations for $60-$80 per person. Order via Tock.