Pushing the envelope: Upgraded dining spots a worthy opening act at Ravinia
Visits to Ravinia Festival are an integral part of summer in the Chicago area, and while the musical acts are the headliners, don’t sleep on it as a dining destination.
The 2025 season kicked off last week with Janelle Monáe and Grace Jones. There’s over a hundred more concerts scheduled throughout the summer with a diverse lineup that includes Beck, Nas, Cynthia Erivo with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Juanes, the Black Crowes and more.
When it comes to food, you may think of Ravinia as a picnic destination. Executive Chef Mark Hill runs a number of venues with a food lineup that may make you rethink lugging your basket around.
“There are definitely plenty of people that are unaware of what we’re doing up here,” Hill said.
Hill is in his third season leading the Levy Restaurants at the outdoor music venue in Highland Park.
“The one thing that makes us unique compared to pretty much any other venue is that you can bring your own picnic basket, your own wine, and obviously a lot of people do that,” he said. “But, at the same time, if there’s a show, our restaurants are full.”
Dining destinations inside Ravinia range from the simple grab-and-go options at Ravinia Market to the second story Park View restaurant and the newly reimagined Tree Top Lounge.
Hill said he likes to characterize the menus as “Chicago international.”
“We’re trying to pull from things that people can recognize, but they’re going to be a little different,” he said. “We’re always trying to push the envelope as much as we can.”
Case in point is an app he likes to call Chicago hummus. It starts traditionally, but is made with giardiniera.
“It’s something simple like that, that completely changes it,” he said.
While the concert venue is seasonal, it’s a year-round job for Hill as he adds new menu items for each summer. This year he took inspiration from the concert lineup, adding jerk chicken and jerk pork tacos in honor of the season’s first artists, with Monáe being a known Jamaican food lover and Jones hailing from the island nation.
Each dining venue has new additions for 2025. At Ravinia Market you can cool off with the Cappuccino Crunch Float after loading up on the Pulled Pork Stack, which features mac and cheese topped with pulled pork, barbecue mole, tortilla strips, cilantro and roasted jalapeño.
At Park View, which offers a classic dining experience with a wide range of seasonal entrées, new dishes include the lamb tartare served with house tzatziki and naan, and the smoked short rib with annatto potato puree, roasted corn and a mole demi-glace.
The biggest changes this season are at Tree Top Lounge, a social space with a full bar, communal tables, lounge vignettes and a covered open-air porch, as well as a pair of 110-inch screens with a live feed from the Pavilion stage.
The space transformed from a restaurant to a lounge last year, but without food. Hill said they’ve added small plates to the space that can be a welcome air-conditioned retreat on a hot summer day.
Hill’s small plates include burrata served with Thai pesto, fried won ton, sesame and cilantro; cured tuna with kimchi; Wagyu sliders served with Togarashi tomato jam and garlic aioli; and a seafood frito misto with calamari, shrimp, bay scallops, giardiniera and lemon aioli.
“It’s something fun, and the space is great,” Hill said. “Great cocktails and some great small plates.”
While the job has its challenges, like retaining qualified staff for jobs that are seasonal, there are perks. Hill said he sometimes gets to check out the shows once things are slowing down in the restaurants.
“That’s definitely one of the cool things about working here,” he said. “For me, it’s the wide variety of food and wide variety of music.”