Dining

Dining out: Winter pop-up bar, where to dine with Santa or the Grinch

Posted December 17, 2024 4:42 pm

Rick West

The Broken Oar’s Arctic Winter Bar pop-up is back through late January. Courtesy of The Broken Oar

You can stay warm and toasty while enjoying a cocktail in the middle of a winter wonderland at The Broken Oar’s seasonal pop-up bar through January. On Sunday you can grab pizza with Santa or lunch with the Grinch. And if you’re dining up in Lake County, stop by BBQ’d Productions or Station 51 for a meal and a chance to win a grand prize like a snowmobile or wave runner.

Broken Oar’s outdoor lounge has been transformed into the Arctic Winter Bar through Jan. 26. Courtesy of Broken Oar

Winter wonderland

Want to feel like you’re in a winter wonderland but still be warm while enjoying a cocktail? The Broken Oar’s seasonal pop-up Arctic Winter Bar is back in Port Barrington, transforming its heated, enclosed outdoor lounge into a festive winter drinkery until Jan. 26. Enjoy seasonal martinis, iced shots, winter warmers and other craft cocktails along with the full food menu and dinner specials.

The pop-up is open starting at 5 p.m. every Thursday through Sunday in December and Friday through Sunday in January. Preregistration is recommended. Tickets are available at TicketLeap. Broken Oar is at 614 Rawson Bridge Road, Port Barrington, (847) 639-9468, brokenoar.com/.

Santa and friends

The countdown to Christmas is almost over, as are your chances to dine with Santa and friends. We listed a few last week, and here are two more opportunities.

Tievoli Pizza Bar, 44 W. Palatine Road, Palatine, will be serving up its artisanal pizzas to a special guest Sunday, Dec. 22, as Santa drops by from noon to 3 p.m. You can get a free photo with the big guy with every purchase.

Maybe you’re not quite so jolly. You can lunch with the Grinch at Rock n Ravioli in St. Charles from 1-3 p.m. Sunday. Plus, you can make your own ornament, enjoy photo ops, win raffle prizes and sip festive mocktails. The $35 per person lunch includes cheeseburger sliders, tater tots, chicken strips and veggies with ranch dip.

BBQ’d Productions restaurants in Lake Zurich and Third Lake as well as Station 51 in Antioch are holding a no-peek red envelope giveaway through the end of the year. Prizes can be revealed during a follow-up visit in early 2025. Courtesy of BBQ'd Productions

Eat and win

BBQ’d Productions and Station 51 are celebrating 10 years of their red envelope campaign by giving away 5,300 no-peek red envelopes to dine-in diners through the end of the year that can only be opened when you dine in again at any of the restaurants between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2025. Only then will the prize — ranging from a free dessert to a snowmobile — be revealed.

Inside 300 of the envelopes will be golden tickets, whose holders will be invited to a top-prize distribution party at the Lehmann Mansion in Lake Villa on Thursday, March 20, 2025. That’s when a grand-prize winner will get to choose from a Polaris Ranger utility vehicle, a Ski-Doo MXZ snowmobile or a Yamaha VX Cruiser wave runner, each a 2024 model valued at around $15,000.

There is no limit to the number of red envelopes a customer can receive. BBQ’d Productions restaurants are at 34121 Route 45 in Third Lake and 405 N. Rand Road in Lake Zurich. Station 51 is at 883 N. Main St. in Antioch. Visit wegrillitall.com for more info.

• Email dining events to rwest@dailyherald.com.

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