The best secret menu items in Chicago

Go decadent with the Lux Roll, negi toro topped with wagyu beef, truffle vinaigrette, shaved truffles, white wasabi cream and tobiko ($65). The River North restaurant also quietly offers sisig, a Filipino street food favorite made with braised pork belly, crispy honeycomb tripe, onions, shishito peppers, soy vinaigrette, egg and roti prata ($18).

If you’re ordering one of the Gold Coast restaurant’s signature fire-roasted seafood towers, ask for the "pasta back" ($7). After you’ve finished the hearth-grilled king crab, Manilla clams, oysters, prawns and scallops covered in a mix of chili oil and garlic butter, your server will bring out a pot of hand-rolled conchigliette pasta and toss it in the savory sauce that pooled at the bottom of the plate. For a bite of decadence, ask for a blackout oyster, a Beau Soleil oyster filled with Beluga caviar and served atop a crystal shot glass filled with chilled vodka ($36).

Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Bourbon is so coveted that a single pour costs the same as many bottles, while a bottle often sells for $1,000. For a truly indulgent drink, the steakhouse within The LaSalle Hotel serves it in an old fashioned made with Mancino Chinato Vermouth from Italy and garnished with gold leaf.

Chef Gustavo Barahona offers chicken karaage with truffle dijonaise on his regular izakaya menu, but you can also try the soy-marinated crispy chicken with cabbage on a slider ($5). If you’re doing the omakase upstairs, ask to finish with an extra bite—the fish liver taco made with kampachi and crispy nori ($10).

Tiramisu is on the steakhouse’s dessert menu, but you can also get it in cocktail form. The drink blends Lavazza espresso, vodka, Bailey’s and tiramisu syrup and is topped with cocoa powder and a ladyfinger ($15).

The Robey hotel bar’s menu of steamed buns includes a secret version featuring ahi tuna marinated in soy and sesame and served with cucumber and spicy mayo ($7).

Made with proprietary cask strength bourbon and the bartender’s choice of amari from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, the Vintage Black Manhattan ($30) became so popular when it appeared on Mordecai’s rotating drink list that the Wrigleyville bar nearly ran out of its older amari. The Wrigleyville bar had to make the drink a secret to preserve its liquor collection.

Brunch gluten-free with this dish topped with blueberry maple syrup, blueberry thyme jam and lemon mascarpone ($12).

The River North restaurant offers an extensive selection of French cheeses, but there’s one chef Carrie Nahabedian leaves off the menu. Ask for the French triple crème served with Armenian walnuts in syrup ($22).

The new comfort food spot recently launched a secret menu offering spins on its signature fried chicken. The honey ginger-glazed chicken sandwich includes pickled chili sesame slaw and cool ranch chicharones ($22). The Nashville hot chicken brings the heat with California Reaper rub and is served with housemade pickles and Texas toast ($35).

The Helios is named for the Greek god of the sun, who appears on the McGraw Hill Building in an Art Deco bas relief sculpted by Gwen Lux, the hotel’s own namesake. Costing a whopping $1,250, the Sazerac is made tableside using Hennessy Paradis Imperial cognac, WhistlePig The Boss Hog Lapulapu’s Pacific rye, Jade 1901 Absinthe Supérieure, coffee and orange compressed sugar, and Peychaud's and Angostura bitters. You’ll also take home a gift to remember your divine drink.

La Luna served burritos during the COVID-19 lockdown when it had to pivot to carryout. You can still get them made with your choice of protein such as steak or fried fish, plus beans, rice, lettuce, sour cream, avocado, pico de gallo, fried potatoes and cheese. The dish is served with a side of salsa ($14).

Made with shredded phyllo layered with feta and cow’s milk cheese and topped with honey and pistachios, the crispy kataifi cheese pie ($15) is normally served as an appetizer at the Logan Square restaurant. But it can also be ordered for dessert, where it’s finished with housemade Greek yogurt ($20).

Intensify the flavor of the restaurant’s signature seafood paella, which features enough shrimp, squid and scallops for two-to-three people, by adding squid ink to the dish ($45).

A twist on avocado toast using the British side often served with fried fish, the peas are spread over sourdough toast and topped with ricotta, lemon vinaigrette, thinly sliced radish, asparagus and pickled peppers ($15).

Only available one day a month on every full moon, this cosmic cocktail is garnished with edible glitter and a special loteria card. While normally $13, you can get the margarita for $8 during happy hour from 3pm-6pm Monday through Friday.