Ok. So you’re working downtown. You haven’t gotten a raise in what seems like years. You hate brown bagging it and you have to eat. But you can’t spend all your money on lunch. Do you starve or do you eat downtown on less than $6 a day? Is that possible?

Yes it is. And I’m here to tell you how.

If you like pizza, Baccino’s on Clinton and Adams has a carryout only lunch deal of a slice of pizza and a beverage for $3.30 (thin) or $3.50 (thick). If you’re worried about where you’re going to eat your lunch, don’t. Beginning each spring, they set up a sidewalk cafe. If you’d rather eat somewhere where diesel particles from CTA buses don’t drop on your food, you can walk two blocks to the Chicago River where you will find a myriad of places with outdoor seating and a river view. Union Station Plaza would be the closest one and my personal favorite.

For more Italian food, go to Venice Cafe on Wacker and Jackson. Not only is it great food but there is plenty of it. I usually have a hard time finishing. At the height of lunch hour the line is long, but the wait is worth it. You order your food, move down the line and by the time it’s ready, you’ve paid for it. They actually make the pasta fresh for each customer, cafeteria style service with a sit down restaurant atmosphere.

The Alonte Deli on Wacker and Jackson serves pasta with marinara sauce and French bread for $4. It also has a self service steam tray section with daily specials and soups, as well as a made to order deli section. A salad bar is alsoavailable but watch out the daily specials and the salad bars are charged by weight.

Presidential Towers is a little known jewel. Located on Monroe and Clinton,
walk past the restaurants and go directly to the grocery store. There you will find
not only groceries, but also the best selection of homemade soups made
daily. For less than $5 you can get a large soup, fresh roll (from sourdough
to rye) and a beverage (wander the grocery store for this). They also
offer an executive meal which is a hefty sandwich, a medium soup and a bag of
chips. There is a salad bar and a hot meals section where there are daily
specials from pot roast to catfish. You can order side dishes a’ la carte or
buy an entree with two sides. Though more than $6 (if you get the whole meal) and a beverage, still a bargain with generous, tasty portions.

If you like sub sandwiches, Charley’s on Clinton and Monroe frequently has
people passing out 2 for 1 coupon on the sidewalk. Team up with a buddy and you get your sandwich half price.

Are you yearning for a quiet, refined and authentic Italian lunch buffet which will not blow your budget?  I have found just the place.  Pescatore Palace Restaurant and Banquets is tucked away in an industrial area of Schiller Park on River Road (between Irving Park and Belmont Avenues) just minutes away from Rosemont’s Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont Theatre and O’Hare Airport. 

From the moment you walk up the stairs into this haven, you are surrounded by the sensual tastes and sounds of SouthCentral Italy.  The main dining room has a quiet sophistication which welcomes you with calming shades of blue and reminders of the ocean.  You find fishing nets hung from the walls filled with crab and starfish.  You admire the various paintings depicting dreamy seaside scenes under a border of hand-painted grapevines.  You hear Andrea Bocelli’s melodic voice seranade you as you are seated by one of the courteous male waiters.  If you are lucky, you may even be seated in the bright Bocelli room which is enveloped in afternoon sun from it’s wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.  Yes, Andrea himself has visited here on a few occasions to enjoy the outstanding and authentic food. 

Master Chef, Vito Barbanente, will probably greet you himself as he ensures the buffet table is amply stocked with his day’s delicious entress.  Vito brings to his restaurant his culinary passion, hard work and dedication from his native Bari, Italy seaside town.  His fish dishes are the freshest and most flavorful available.  His mouthwatering soups fill your senses with warmth and his chicken, beef and vegetable dishes offer a subtle medley of spices and seasonings. 

The lunch buffet is offered from 11am until 2pm Monday through Friday at a price of $9.99 per person.  It includes both a hot and a cold buffet.  Pizza and bruschetta is always available as well as fruit salad and delicious desserts. 

Pescatore Palace offers an extensive and rich wine list and a full menu for those who would like to sample one of Chef Vito’s personalized creations.  The coffee is always fresh-brewed and full-bodied and the service is impeccable. 

The lunchtime crowd is mostly comprised of businessmen from the neighboring light-manufacturing establishments.  The buffet selections change every day and include fish, pasta, potatoes, vegetables, caprese and assorted salads and rich desserts.   What keeps me coming back every week is the personal service I receive and the unparalleled food I find in this quiet getaway. 

If you too are yearning to eat your lunch in smoke-free, pleasant place where you can have a quiet conversation with your friend and where you know the food will always be fresh and good, I highly recommend Pescatore Palace to you.  By the way, ‘Pescatore’ means ‘Fisherman’ in Italian.   And, if the finest fish is what you seek, Chef Vito will please your every wish.