This is an update of a post I made in 2021. Note that this is completely unofficial; it’s just me and my overblown opinions. Also, your opinions may be different from mine. I don’t care. Get your own blog!

Midwest FurFest used to publish a 20-30 page booklet of listings and reviews of local restaurants, but unfortunately when you have to print 5,000+ copies of anything (let alone a 20-30 page booklet) costs start to get prohibitive, and with the availability of Yelp and similar sites we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue the Restaurant Guide.

That said, I’m happy to offer a (completely biased) overview of restaurants in and around the Stephens Convention Center, though I will leave it to the reader to find exact locations on Google Maps.

Inside the Hyatt Regency O’Hare

• O’H Restaurant (or whatever they’re calling it these days): a buffet restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food ranges from OK to pretty good, which is a disappointment because I know they Hyatt can do a lot better. I haven’t tried it since last year, but I really hope they have stepped up their game.
• Red Bar: Bar/restaurant open late afternoons and evenings with has a small food selection available as well. The prices are also not cheap, and the service can be regrettably slow, although they are actively working with MFF to improve this. It sure is convenient, though!
• Perks, the coffee shop/gift shop. They have a selection of grab-and-go sandwiches and salads. Personally, I’ve lived off their salads for lunches during the con and they’re not bad.
• There are rumors of a food truck as well. We have made our opinion clear that the one (and only one) truck they have had in previous years was neither very good nor very fast, and they sold out quickly. Anyway, stay tuned to MFF’s social media for more info on that.

The Hyatt will set up larger food service stands (drinks, sides, burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs) that are on the expensive side but terribly convenient.

In the Stephens Convention Center

• Expoteria: Right across the street from the hotel. Hours can vary. The food is cheap, and it is certainly…food. So, there’s that.
• Starbucks: In the ground floor lobby of the convention center. Pretty much your standard Starbucks, and the prices are surprisingly not inflated for the location.
• There will be a concession stand in the Dealers Den in Hall G. Expect drinks, sides, burgers, chicken sandwiches, and hot dogs that are on the expensive side but terribly convenient. The food is provided by Aramark which supplies many school cafeterias. I’m sure the similarity between the food quality is purely coincidental.
• Bist-Rose: This is a new cafe that has been created in the lobby of the Stephens Convention Center. The food is still by Aramark, but it’s slightly elevated. Expect $13-15 sandwiches and salads and $10 beers.

In the Parkway Bank Park Entertainment District

• Five Roses Pub: Pseudo-Irish pub. Average. Closed. This has been replaced by:
• Saltwater Coastal Grill: Trying for a “Just off the Carolina shore” vibe that I find mildly grating given that 1. I’ve lived in that area and am quite familiar with it, and 2. We’re in freaking Illinois. Decent seafood menu with non-seafood options as well. They also have a sushi sub-restaurant with a surprisingly good menu. It’s all on the pricey side, but they do have all you can eat sushi/crab/shrimp for $30 on Fridays. They take reservations on their website.
• King’s Dining & Entertainment: Bowling and restaurant. The place is loud, though fun with a group of friends out for drinks.
• Adobe Gila’s: Mexican-ish. Not recommended. Carrying on a fine tradition of hating on this place for ten years now!
• Sugar Factory: Ridiculously overpriced tourist crap (think $19 burgers)
• Bub City: BBQ. Haven’t tried but reviews aren’t terrible. Takes reservations on their website.
• Park Tavern: Gastropub with some good food selections and a great beer list. Service can be slow at peak times, though. Takes reservations on their website.
• Fogo de Chao: Brazilian steakhouse. “The Meat Faucet”. Takes reservations on their website.
• Crust Brewing: Craft beer and pizza place. The beer isn’t bad, nor is the pizza. Think Rock Bottom/RAM Brewing levels of beer quality. Could be fun with a group of friends.
• Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar: This is the sort of thing you would like if you like this sort of thing. (Come to think of it, I say the same thing about some of my friends’ more adult social media posts. Anyway…)
• Pete’s Tiki Tiki: It’s a bar. It serves tiki drinks. Does that make it a tiki bar? I have strong reservations. Shares a building with the piano bar and you can walk between them. FFS, if you want tiki, please go to Hala Kahiki instead (see below)
• Verilife Dispensary: Hand if it’s a novelty for you, but keep in mind that Illinois is the second-most expensive state for cannabis in the US, and also that the TSA frowns on bringing cannabis products when traveling by air.

Also Nearby

A 10-15 minute walk south on River Road is the Fashion Outlets Chicago (fancy name aside, it’s just a mall). The food court and other restaurants have some decent options that are quite affordable. A 10-15 minute walk north on River Road brings you to McDonald’s and also Giordano’s Pizza, one of the Holy Trio of Chicago deep-dish pizza restaurants. New this year are Stan’s Donuts and Big Chicken, just behind Giordano’s. Both aren’t bad but definitely on the pricey side.

A little further walk (or a short Uber/Lyft/whatever trip) south on River Road, two blocks south of the Loews Chicago O’Hare, is Short Fuse Brewing Company I’ve found their beer to be pretty good; apparently they are doing something right as they were named Great American Beer Festival Brewery of the Year for their class. The food is pretty good, too.

Finally, a few miles south on River Road is Hala Kahiki Tiki Bar and Lounge. This is a shockingly legit retro tiki bar that has no business being tucked away in a Chicago suburb, but there it is. They have a huge menu, and the drink prices aren’t outrageous. You’ll want to eat before you go though – the food options there are pretty scarce. They have a special Christmas tiki menu this year, too!

Other good things to know: The Rosemont Entertainment Circulator is a free shuttle that runs nonstop all weekend and even late into the night. It stops at the CTA Blue Line station, at the front of the convention center, in the Parkway Bank Park, and at the Fashion Outlets Chicago.

Finally, Grubhub, UberEats, DoorDash, and other food delivery services are alive and well in Rosemont. Don’t be shy about using them to order as well!