Whether you couldn’t afford the tickets, procrastinated until they sold out or just don’t like fighting crowds to get to the next stage, you won’t be among the 300,000 people descending on Grant Park this weekend for Lollapalooza. Luckily, while concertgoers are packing the fest’s beer garden and Chow Town, these 11 bars and restaurants are offering deals to get you in the spirit—no wristband required.
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The Gage
24 S. Michigan Ave. 312-372-4243
When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
The frozen Bacardi mai tai ($9) that has become a patio favorite at sibling spot The Dawson travels to the Loop this weekend. Served in a souvenir cup Friday through Sunday, the cocktail blends Bacardi 8, housemade orgeat, Clement rhum agricole, lime juice and Cointreau poured from a frozen slushy machine. For a cool snack, try the Lolla-pop ($6, available Friday through Sunday), layers of orange, peach and raspberry sorbet with creamsicle filling served in a push pop-style tube.
Mott St
1401 N. Ashland Ave. 773-687-9977
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Doors open at 6 p.m. No cover. Reservations required: [email protected]
The West Town restaurant’s Mottapalooza patio party features acoustic covers and original tunes from Dan Jones on Wednesday and hip-hop beats from Simon Dufour on Thursday plus $1 spiked Motter pops, gin and tonic or a blend of aperol, grapefruit juice and Cardamaro frozen and served in a plastic tube.
Jimmy
610 N. Rush St. 312-660-7191
When: 3-5 p.m. Friday
Stop by David Burke’s Primehouse’s weekly summer pop-up ice cream shop for executive pastry chef Amanda Warren’s Walk the Blue Moon float ($5), made with blueberry sorbet, berry-lemon soda, whipped cream and blue Pop Rocks, which pays tribute to alternative band Walk the Moon and the oldie ballad “Blue Moon.” For the pistachio crunch ($5), Warren takes the pistachio ice cream from the restaurant’s current menu and folds in pistachio brittle and salted caramel sauce to celebrate singer Sam Smith. “I think he’s just an amazing singer,” she said. “I saw in an interview that his favorite ice cream flavor is pistachio.”
Acanto
18 S. Michigan Ave. 312-578-0763
When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday
The Italian restaurant celebrates a different festival headliner each night with a special pizza and drink pairing. Friday you’ll find a pie vocal vegetarian Paul McCartney would approve of featuring Calabrian chile, roasted eggplant puree, buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and sweet basil ($18) paired with a glass of biodynamic red wine ($14). On Saturday, you can get a blood and sand cocktail ($11) to celebrate Metallica’s hit “Enter Sandman.” Don’t worry, they skipped the sand for the pizza and went for the other half of the drink’s name with blood sausage, roasted red onion, n’duja potato and mascarpone ($23). For Florence and the Machine on Sunday, the restaurant celebrates Italy’s Florence region with a glass of white wine from the area ($12) and a pizza with Tuscan summer truffle, baby kale, gran mugello cheese and roasted garlic.
Embeya
564 W. Randolph St. 312-612-5640
When: 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations recommended.
The West Loop restaurant prepared a playlist featuring at least one song from every Lollapalooza artist, so you can get a tour of the lineup as you dine on a $55 three-course dinner including fried squid, udon noodles with braised artichoke and coffee ice cream with white chocolate mousse.
The Stretch Bar & Grill
3485 N. Clark St. 773-755-3980
When: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday
Watch the spectacle broadcast with sound on the Wrigleyville bar’s 15 TVs while taking advantage of specials including $5 mimosas and mason jar bloody marys Saturday and Sunday and a $20 package from 6-10 p.m. Friday including domestic bottles, well drinks and a cheeseburger with fries.
Adamus
10 S. Wabash Ave. 312-372-7696
When: 4-11 p.m. Friday through Sunday
Fuel up at the Silversmith Hotel’s lounge with a $10 combo featuring a burger with chipotle aioli and tobacco onions on a potato bun plus any craft beer on the menu including Rogue Dead Guy ale and Chi-Town The Bean IPA.
The Florentine
151 W. Adams St. 312-660-8866
When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday through Sunday
The JW Marriott’s restaurant offers a bevy of food and drink specials inspired by festival performers. If you’re sweet on Sam Smith, try the I’m Nut the Only One ($9), vanilla gelato with pistachio cream, orange olive oil cake and whipped cream. Get a taste of Alabama Shakes’ southern roots with the Sweet Tea, earl grey-infused Maker’s Mark blended with lemon juice and sugar, or toast to Paul McCartney with the margarita-like Live and Let Lime made with Maestro Dobel tequila, which Lollapalooza creator Perry Farrell serves as spokesman for (both $13).
Old Town Pour House
1419 N. Wells St. 312-477-2800
When: 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m.-3 a.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-midnight Sunday
The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” gets plenty of play at the bar, so they’re celebrating the singer’s appearance at Lollapalooza with a cocktail of the same name made with Grey Goose Le Melon, Vander Mill apple raspberry cider, lemon juice, Pimm’s float and Red Bull. They also honor Metallica with Whiskey in the Jaro-O ($10), based on the bartender’s love of one particular part of the band’s cover of the classic Irish song, which blends Knob Creek rye, simple syrup, apple bitters, lemon and Avery Brewing Co.’s White Rascal witbier and have renamed their mojito Of Mojitos and Men as a tribute to Icelandic folk band Of Monsters and Men. Try one while watching and listening to a stream of the fest.
Mercat a la Planxa
638 S. Michigan Ave. 312-765-0524
When: Noon-midnight Friday and Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. Sunday
Try a different $12 special each day based on the fest’s headliner starting with the Band on the Rum, based on the Paul McCartney song, a cocktail blending Bacardi 8 with Carpano Antica vermouth, Amaro Montenegro, lime and ginger beer. Saturday is the Metallica-inspired Master of Peppers, a bloody mary spiced with cayenne-infused vodka and a shishito pepper rim. Sunday get a taste of Florence and the Machine with the “Rabbit Heart,” braised rabbit croquettes served with lemon truffle aioli, savoy cabbage and rosemary.
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Filini
221 N. Columbus Drive 312-477-0234
When: 2 p.m.- 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m.-midnight Sunday
Grab a seat on the patio and share the restaurant inside the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel’s signature Rad Blu for You sundae, which has been renamed the Blu Palooza and discounted from $11 to $9 in honor of the fest. The decadent treat includes six scoops of Marsala wine-flavored gelato blended with orange, lemon and crumb cake crumble and served in an oversized martini glass topped with raspberry coulis, sliced almonds and whipped cream.