Restaurants Bracing for NATO Summit with Specials

While local news outlets would have you believe the sky is falling, this weekend’s NATO Summit will actually be a great time to get out and do what you do best: eat. Eater found some restaurants that will not only be open throughout the summit, but will also offer NATO-inspired dishes and deals to keep you satisfied, mutiny or not.

In honor of the 99%, Epic Burger is offering 99-cent fries in addition to its regular burgers and shakes. “Protesting is one of our absolute American rights,” said owner David Friedman. “I don’t think treating people like they’re going to invade our city and act criminal is the tact to take. We’re on one of the protest routes and we welcome their right to it. We don’t want them to be hungry. You can’t protest on an empty stomach.” Amen, sir.

The Gage owner Billy Lawless is feeling similarly receptive to city visitors. The Michigan Avenue restaurant and tavern is bracing for hostile travelers by closing its patio for the weekend, but a supplemental international menu should help everyone feel at home.

“We have a special menu highlighting the NATO Summit with dishes from Denmark, Holland, Portugal and Italy,” said Gage. “We’ve paired them up with different drinks from around Europe. It’s been really successful already. There’s been a huge influence of foreign travelers within the last few weeks.” Lawless says reservations are as solid as usual despite the uncertain information from authorities.

Down Michigan Avenue from The Gage, Brasserie by LM invites people living in the area to escape the protests and come in for a "neighbor" discount of 20 percent off food and drinks between May 18 and 21. Yes, you'll need to show you live in the area.

If protesting is not your scene, you can always head to Pilsen. May St. Café has NATO specials, like $7 pineapple margaritas, in addition to the usual Latin-inspired menu.

So whether you’re an occupier or a bystander, there’s no need to eat in this weekend. That’s just plain un-American.

Eater intern Alison Kessler contributed this article.