Chicago is about to get its first taste of an entirely new kind of food week. Starting next Monday, September 28, and running through October 4, restaurants, wine bars and specialty retailers across the city will take part in Taste of Portugal Chicago, a citywide celebration of Portuguese food, wine and products.
The event bills itself as the first of its kind in Chicago, according to a LinkedIn post from Mário Quina, who described it as a chance for diners to “explore the city and discover Portugal — whether it's dinner, a special dish, a glass of Portuguese wine, or Portuguese products to bring home.” Participating spots around Chicagoland will join the weeklong celebration.
Quina also joined Daytime Chicago on WGN-TV to talk through what guests can expect during the week, a conversation that ran as part of the station's Daytime Chicago segment, which airs weekdays from 10 to 11 a.m. The WGN-TV appearance framed the week as Chicago's first citywide celebration bringing Portuguese food, wine and flavors to restaurants and retailers across the region, with more details available through the event's own website.
Who's Pouring the Wine and Plating the Bacalhau
Two names already confirmed as part of the lineup are Lolo y Lola, a restaurant from Bonhomme Hospitality Group, and BottlesUp!, a specialty retailer, per the same LinkedIn post announcing the week. The LinkedIn post also lists Table, Donkey and Stick, TXA TXA Club, Webster's Wine Bar and many others.
Chicago already has at least one established outpost for this kind of cuisine. Porto, a Portuguese and Spanish seafood restaurant and wine bar at 1600 W. Chicago Avenue in West Town, was reported by Eater Chicago to be the first restaurant in the city to focus specifically on product from Galicia, Spain, and coastal Portugal. Eater's coverage noted that diners there can expect an array of hot and cold seafood dishes alongside Portuguese and Spanish wines, sherries and imported canned fish — the kind of offerings that overlap neatly with what Taste of Portugal Chicago is hoping to spotlight across more venues.
Why Chicago, and Why Now
The timing lines up with the size of the city's Portuguese community. Data compiled by Neilsberg shows the Chicago metro area has an estimated 8,700 Portuguese residents, ranking it first among Midwestern U.S. metro areas. That figure accounts for roughly 16 percent of the estimated 54,555 Portuguese residents living across Midwestern metro areas altogether, according to the same analysis from Neilsberg.
That population base gives the week a built-in audience even as the event tests out a new format for Chicago's dining calendar. For now, the specifics — what dishes will be featured and whether reservations are needed anywhere — remain to be seen as the week approaches. Anyone curious can track updates through the event's website as September 28 gets closer.
