Boo bashes: Eerie eats and spooky spirits await at suburban restaurants and bars

Halloween season is upon us, and suburban restaurants and bars are getting ready with frighteningly fun holiday bashes, hauntingly good dishes and spooky specials.

There are options from cookie decorating with the kids to 21-and-older parties for the adults through the end of the month.

Eats and treats

Stan’s Donuts & Coffee locations will celebrate spooky season Oct. 24-31 with the return of the festive FrankenSTAN and Lil’ Pumpkin doughnuts. New this year is a Dirt Cup Doughnut, a Bismarck filled with chocolate pastry cream and topped with chocolate glaze, Oreo crumbs and gummy worms.

The Graceful Ordinary in St. Charles is trading porcelain for pumpkins with its Halloween High Tea at noon Saturday, Oct. 24. Live jazz will accompany “hauntingly delicious” canapés and sweets that will be paired with blends from The Irie Cup. Cocktails and spirited sips will be available, too. Tickets are $35 for adults and $20 for kids 3-12. Guests are invited to don creative costumes, with the best-dressed taking home a $100 TGO gift card.

The Drake Oak Brook will host a Pumpkins & Prosecco Brunch on Sunday, Oct. 25, with signature brunch favorites alongside festive fall creations and sparkling prosecco. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

Lucille Restaurant at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace is hosting a “spooktacular” brunch in a world of haunted elegance and eerie delight at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. The buffet will feature breakfast, lunch and kids’ stations, as well as unlimited champagne, mimosas and bellinis and a Bloody Mary bar. Kids can enjoy a variety of games and activities, pumpkin decorating and a costume contest with prizes. Tickets are $100 for adults and $30 for kids 5-12. Reservations can be made at OpenTable.

Beatrix in Oak Brook is offering Halloween-themed treats from Friday, Oct. 23, through Nov. 1, including a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin angel food cake muffin and the spooky sprinkle cookie. A gluten-free haunted graveyard cake features crushed chocolate cookies and gummy worms.

Preservation in Geneva will have the bonfire glowing on the heated patio and plenty of tricks and treats on Halloween night. Festivities kick off at 5 p.m. and costumes are encouraged, with gift cards going to the host’s favorites. They’ll also have Halloween drink specials, vendors and music throughout the night.

Shaw’s Crab House in Schaumburg will host an all-day happy hour in the Oyster Bar from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, with half-price select oysters and happy hour favorites including garlic shrimp scampi, mini lobster rolls and more.

On Saturday, Oct. 31, The Graceful Ordinary’s annual Halloween dinner is taking things under the Big Top with a vintage circus-style celebration. The dining room will be transformed into a night of mayhem and mischief, complete with a photo booth and live entertainment from local artists. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a four-course circus-themed dinner followed by the Late Night Circus from 9 p.m. to midnight, featuring an open bar and carnival-inspired snacks and sweets. Dinner tickets start at $121, while Late Night Circus tickets start at $60.50. Ten percent of dinner ticket sales will benefit Lazarus House, which provides hospitality, food, shelter and support to neighbors experiencing homelessness or hardship.

Tokio Pub in Schaumburg will host an all-day happy hour on Halloween with food and drink specials including fried shrimp tacos, spicy tuna maki, hot rocks and more.

Family events

Enjoy a morning of pumpkin decorating and family fun including a brunch buffet and S’mores Station at Labriola’s Pumpkin Decorating Brunch in Oak Brook on Saturday, Oct. 24. Tickets are $30.95 for adults and $45.95 for kids (comes with a pumpkin kit). Tickets are available on OpenTable.

Stan’s Donuts & Coffee will host Halloween Doughnut Decorating events at its Oakbrook Terrace and Naperville locations from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. Each $25 decorating kit includes six doughnuts, frosting, Halloween sprinkles, sample bites and Stan’s Signature Hot Chocolate, plus complimentary seating for one accompanying adult. Guests should reserve a free adult ticket during checkout online.

Beatrix in Oak Brook will host a kids’ cookie decorating event at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, led by chef partner Yasmin Gutierrez. Ghosts and ghouls of all ages are invited to decorate six Halloween-themed sugar cookies with festive frosting, candy, sprinkles and more while learning cookie-decorating tips. Costumes are encouraged, and kids can enjoy a complimentary Beetlejuice drink and a Halloween surprise bag. Tickets are $32.95 and are available on Tock.

Fun for the adults

In Port Barrington, Broken Oar’s Fright on the Fox Halloween pop-up is completely decked out and in full swing until Nov. 1. The decorated and heated barn will host live music Thursdays through Sundays while patrons enjoy boos and brews.

Skeleton Key Brewery in Woodridge will host the annual 21-and-older Death’s Shadow Social Halloween and black light dance party from 6-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. Costumes are encouraged. They’ll have free glow-in-the-dark skeleton gloves for the first 60 guests and complimentary black light face paint that you can use to transform yourself into a glowy skeleton for the black light glow party that starts at 6 p.m. In addition to their full draft list, ciders, wines, seltzers and n/a options, they’ll tap Haunted Woods amber lager and Caramel Apple sour ale and a specialty cocktail. The Tamales Plus trolley will be in the lot, serving up all manner of tamales and treats from 4-9 p.m.

Lucca Osteria & Bar in Oak Brook will host its 21-and-older Lucca Late Night Halloween Party on Friday, Oct. 30, featuring Halloween cocktails, specialty menus and a late-night set from DJ MIXX from 8:30 p.m. until 1 a.m., inside and out. Prizes will be given for best overall costume, best couples costume and most creative. Dinner reservations are encouraged, especially if you plan to dine there before the Halloween Bash begins.

Rosemont’s Parkway Bank Park entertainment district hosts its annual Crawl-O-Ween bar crawl from 6-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Costumed revelers are invited to enjoy a variety of spooky food and drink specials at participating bars, including Adobe Gila’s, Bub City, Fat Rosie’s, KINGS Dining & Entertainment and Pete’s Tiki Tiki. Visit all participating bars during the crawl to be entered to win a mystery Rosemont prize. Tickets are available for $10 at ParkwayBankPark.com and include admission to the bar crawl, access to drink specials and two ticket vouchers for Zanies Comedy Club. Tickets will be sold on-site at Parkway Bank Park, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont, during the bar crawl for $15 (cash only).

Martini Room’s Halloween Party returns to Elgin on Saturday, Oct. 31, promising to be “bigger, darker and louder than ever.” “Season of the Witch” will feature music from DJ Cass, costume contests with prizes, spooky cocktails and Halloween martinis. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, if available.

rwest@dailyherald.com