Rockford Restaurant Week ‘Best of’ Award Winners Announced

GoRockford is excited to announce the winners of the Rockford Restaurant Week 2025 Best of Awards. This year, a record 65 businesses participated in Restaurant Week and offered fixed price menus or bundled meal deals. Each year, Rockford Restaurant Week encourages residents and visitors to try a new restaurant or return to their favorites for incredible menus and deals.

GoRockford’s Rockford Restaurant week is intended to help boost sales for restaurants during a historically slower time-period. According to restaurants surveyed, most restaurants experienced an overall increase in sales, with several reporting rises of over 35 percent and an average increase of just over 20 percent. Notably, one restaurant sold 477 fixed-price menus this year compared to 277 previously, while another restaurant saw a significant boost during Restaurant Week, with 476 meals sold—marking a 37 percent year-over-year increase.

“This year’s Restaurant Week was transformative,” said John Groh, GoRockford President/CEO. “Our survey data shows that local restaurants experienced significant sales growth. This surge is a testament to the community’s enthusiasm for our culinary offerings, turning a traditionally slow period into a vibrant opportunity for our dining scene.”

2025 Restaurant Week Highlights:

• A record 65 participating businesses, up from 62 in 2024.
• Website traffic on gorockford.com for Restaurant Week information surged to 89,815 views in 2025, a dramatic increase from 19,440 views in 2024.
• Social media engagement skyrocketed to over 1 million views, a more than 100% increase.
• Marketing efforts included billboards in both the Chicago suburbs and Rockford, generating over 1.5 million impressions.
• A photo challenge generated over 200 photos from residents and visitors sharing their dining experience.
• 17 restaurants offered promotional giveaways, which were promoted on GoRockford social channels.
• Over 20 restaurants were featured in local media broadcasts and articles

The 2025 Restaurant Week Winners Are:

Best Experience: Plume

This award recognizes the establishment providing an exceptional overall dining experience, including ambiance, food and customer service. Plume, known for its chic atmosphere and inventive menu, captivated diners and has set a new standard for culinary excellence in the Rockford region.

“This award for Best Experience really does mean so much to us! It's such an honor and a testament to how hard the entire Plume team works every day, said Plume’s co-owner and drink chef Lia Pennacchi.” Added Owner and Executive Chef Chase Williams, “It’s a testament to our team’s commitment and passion to providing a memorable dining experience. It’s an honor to be recognized by our community and something we will always celebrate”

Best Main Course (Tie): 27 Aluna and Lucha Cantina
This award recognizes the eatery offering the most authentic and uniquely prepared main course. 27 Aluna’s globally inspired dishes and Lucha Cantina’s bold, fresh flavors impressed diners, leading to an exciting first-time tie for the category.

“One of the great things about restaurant week is the community that supports local restaurants comes out in force and when that community choses a restaurant like mine as their favorite entree of the week, well that certainly means a lot to us”, said Josh Binning, Lucha Cantina owner.

“Rockford Restaurant Week this year was such a blast for us and the busiest one to date! Thank you to GoRockford for putting this event together and to the Rockford community for supporting such a great event, said Patrick Alberto, 27 Aluna owner and chef”

Best Dessert: Hidden Creek Estates
Renowned for its picturesque setting and sophisticated cuisine, Hidden Creek Estates delighted visitors with its decadent desserts, making it the top choice for sweet indulgences this year.

"Hidden Creek Estates is honored to be recognized with a Rockford Restaurant Week award for the second consecutive year,” said Jared Malavolti Hidden Creek Estates, Director of Operations. “Our team has worked tirelessly to maintain our high standards of excellence, from innovative new beverage offerings to exceptional food and service. We're thrilled to see our efforts celebrated and grateful for the continued support of our community."

Best Deal (Tie): 8th Ward Pub and Sticky Rice Bites
This award goes to the eatery offering the most creative and valuable deal. Both 8th Ward Pub and Sticky Rice Bites offered outstanding specials, earning them recognition for their exceptional value and innovation.

“We’re honored to be recognized for having the Best Deal, said Sophia Chanthalangsy, Sticky Rice Bites. “Thank you to all our amazing customers for your support. It’s very challenging to keep our costs down while we are faced with high costs for fresh ingredients and labor. When our customers appreciate our food and hard work and effort, it makes it all worth it!”

“8th Ward is thrilled to be named ‘Best Deal’ during Rockford Region Restaurant Week, said Alison Fuller, 8^th Ward Pub. “Many of us local restaurants put in such hard work year-round to stay on top of trends and serve up what our community loves. Your support means everything to us, and we’ll keep bringing the great food, great cocktails, and deals all year long!”

Best Cocktail or Brew: Abreo
Abreo, a downtown Rockford staple, took home the award for its outstanding selection of craft cocktails and expertly curated beverages, making it the top choice for those seeking a unique and flavorful drink experience.

“We are incredibly honored that Abreo has been awarded ‘Best Cocktail’ for Restaurant Week! A huge thank you to our amazing Rockford community for your support and to GoRockford for organizing such a fantastic event that showcases the incredible talent in our local restaurant scene. This award is a testament to the hard work and creativity of our entire team, especially our Hospitality Manager, Elliott Earnst, whose dedication to our cocktail program continues to raise the bar. We also want to recognize all the incredible restaurants that participated—your passion and innovation make Rockford’s dining scene truly special. Here’s to another amazing year of great food, great drinks, and great company, said Paul Sletten, Abreo founder / chef.”

Each winning restaurant received an award to display in their establishment and recognition on GoRockford’s social media channels. Winning restaurants will also be invited to participate in media interviews for Rockford Restaurant Week 2026.

Rockford Restaurant Week will return in 2026 from January 29 – February 8. To learn more about Rockford Region Restaurant Week, visit www.gorockford.com/restaurantweek.