Petterino's brings 2001 nostalgia to Chicago
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Photo: Courtesy of Good Plate Hospitality Group
We're all suckers for some nostalgia, and you can travel back to the turn of the century on Monday.
The big picture: Petterino's, in the heart of the Theater District at Dearborn and Randolph, celebrates its 25th anniversary, complete with a throwback menu of dishes and prices from its 2001 opening.
What to expect: A three-course $25 prix fixe with menu highlights from then and now, including tomato bisque, spaghetti and meatballs and tiramisu, among other options.
- The anniversary is a trip down monetary memory lane, too, with the menu displaying 2001 prices next to current costs.
The menu includes:
- Blue Point Oysters — $1 each compared to $3 each in 2026
- Shrimp Cocktail — $10 compared to $21
- Margherita Pizza — $14 compared to $22
- Prime 14oz NY Strip — $32 compared to $62
- Petterino's Famous Prime Burger — $16 compared to $24
Plus, pop culture aficionados can participate in a game to identify the famous faces of the caricatures that line the walls, DJs spin early-2000s tunes and a live jazz band takes over in the evening.
Flashback: Lettuce Entertain You launched the steak and seafood joint in February 2001, adjacent to the Goodman Theatre's newly-opened space at 170 N. Dearborn St.
- The restaurant was named for Arthur Petterino, the longtime maitre d' at The Pump Room, according to a 2001 Chicago Tribune article.
Catch up quick: The restaurant got a revamp — and new owners — in 2021 when The Good Plate Hospitality Group took it over from LEY.
- Much to the relief of Goodman ticket holders and regulars, the new owners maintained the kitsch of the original but spruced it up.
If you go: Doors open at 11am Monday, with a celebratory champagne toast at 6pm.