Tortoise Supper Club

07/21/2026

Begin the evening with Buttermilk
"Shore Lunch" Calamari, served just as it should be. Light, tender, and meant to be enjoyed over cocktails, jazz, and conversation. 🐢✨

07/17/2026

Guests are often unsure where to begin when ordering their martini. At Tortoise, we will guide you through a few simple choices to craft the perfect order, your way. 🫒🍸

Start with your spirit. Vodka is clean, smooth, and effortless, while gin is botanical, aromatic, and traditional.

Then, decide how dry you would prefer it. At Tortoise, an extra dry martini is prepared with a whisper of vermouth, which is our most popular. A dry martini introduces a touch more, while a wet martini allows the vermouth to shine prominently.

Next, the garnish. A lemon twist, classic olives, blue cheese olives, or cocktail onions for a Gibson.

And lastly, dirty or not. Clean and crisp, or with a splash of olive brine for depth. When in doubt, we recommend an extra cold vodka martini, extra dry, with blue cheese olives, a crowd favorite at Tortoise.

As always, your martini is tailored entirely to you. Visit during Martini Week from July 14 - 18 to discover your perfect pour. $4.95 House Martinis with the purchase of any entrée.🍸

07/16/2026

Every year, Keene and I would travel to Florida for Thanksgiving. On the Monday of Thanksgiving week, we had a ritual: we would go to a restaurant in Palm Beach called Renato’s.

We would walk into the beautiful little courtyard where the restaurant was situated, greeted by an amazing host and a live pianist. We always took the exact same spot—the third table on the left, right in the window. We sat with our backs to the wall so we could see all the action at the bar, the rest of the restaurant, and the veranda. And we always, always started our dinner service with a martini.

At Renato’s during that era, the martinis were served beautifully. They would actually set the martini glass down directly on the plate in front of you. They served them with these miniature olives stuffed with blue cheese. Because they were so small, Keene and I would always ask for extra, and the server would gracefully bring each of us a second round of those mini blue cheese olives. 🫒

During those first 30 minutes of our holiday week dinner, sipping our cocktails, we solved so many family strategic decisions. We made plans, reviewed the past year, and shared our gratitude before heading into the holiday season. For us, those deep, meaningful conversations always happened over that specific cocktail hour at Renato’s.

In the restaurant business, the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas is incredibly intense. It’s a beautifully busy blur of corporate events, social gatherings, and holiday parties. We would spend those few days in Palm Beach—basically Monday through Wednesday—unwinding. Then Keene would head home for Thanksgiving Day service on Thursday, and neither of us would basically come up for air until after Christmas Eve service concluded.

Those martini sessions on the Monday before Thanksgiving, right before the crazy holiday season hit, were the moments when we really connected. It was our time to just take a breath together as a couple.

And it was always over a martini. 🍸

Warmly,
Megan and Keene

Martini Week. July 14 - 18. $4.95 House Martinis with the purchase of any entrée. Reservations preferred, Walk-Ins welcomed. 🐢

07/15/2026

At Tortoise, a martini comes with olives and a side of authentic Chicago charm. Gather good company, settle into a booth, and pair your favorite entrée with live jazz to enjoy a swanky, supper club experience. Which entrée are you choosing? 🐢🍸

This week. July 14 - 18. $4.95 House Martinis with the purchase of any entrée.

Reservations preferred, Walk-Ins welcomed.🍴

07/14/2026

Martini Week begins tonight. From July 14-18, enjoy $4.95 martinis your way, with the purchase of any entrée. You’re never too old to learn how to order a martini. 🍸

When Mr. Beasley came into our lives in 2013, he was in his 80s. After losing their spouses, he and my mother found each other in a wonderful courtship. At the time, his drink of choice was a simple vodka soda.

That is, until Keene decided it was time for an education. Like any good teacher, Keene walked Bease through the finer points of the martini—gin or vodka, dry or dirty, olives or a twist. And like any good student, Bease took the assignment seriously.

His order evolved into something entirely his own, along with one unforgettable rule: always ask for the blue cheese olives on the side. His reasoning? 🫒

“Why let the olives take up perfectly good martini space?” Practical, efficient, and pure Bease. He may have waited a lifetime to discover martinis, but once he did, he became a quick study.

Whether it’s your first or your favorite, Martini Week is the perfect time to discover—or rediscover—the ritual.

We’d love to help you find your perfect order. 🍸

Warmly,
Megan & Keene

07/13/2026

07/09/2026

From first glance to last cheers, Tortoise does the rest. Every authentic Chicago evening begins with a perfectly set table and ends with a toast you don’t want to finish. 🥂

Contact Kelli Varnava:
[email protected]
(708) 309-0321

https://tortoisesupperclub.com/private-dining-events/

07/09/2026

Relax into a swanky, candlelit, jazz-era dining experience at Tortoise Supper Club. Tucked quietly in the heart of River North, conversations flow while live jazz fills the background.

Enjoy from scratch cuisine, such as our Pan Seared Skuna Bay Salmon—Herb-crusted, accented with Sun-Dried Tomato Butter Sauce, and laid on a bed of Broccolini.🍸🍴

07/08/2026

From corporate gatherings, to weddings, to birthday celebrations, the Main Dining Room invites guests to enjoy the perfect authentic Downtown Chicago experience. 🥂

Contact Kelli Varnava:
[email protected]
(708) 309-0321

https://tortoisesupperclub.com/private-dining-events/

07/02/2026

Who do you know that's never had a martini? Take them to Tortoise Supper Club during Martini Week for the perfect date night, girls dinner, or corporate outing. Help them find their way. 🍸

July 14 - 18. $4.95 House Martinis with the purchase of an entrée. Only at Tortoise Supper Club. Reservations preferred, Walk-ins welcomed.

https://tortoisesupperclub.com/holidays-at-tortoise/martini-week/

07/02/2026

The Board Room. The perfect setting for intimate gatherings and business dinners up to 22, you’re just off the main dining room but in your own cozy, wood-filled room. Glass doors let you see and be seen. 🥂

Contact Kelli Varnava:
[email protected]
(708) 309-0321

https://tortoisesupperclub.com/private-dining-events/

06/30/2026

Martini Week. July 14 - 18. $4.95 House Martinis your way with the purchase of an entrée. 🍸

Only at Tortoise Supper Club.
Reservations preferred, Walk-ins welcomed.

https://tortoisesupperclub.com/holidays-at-tortoise/martini-week/

06/24/2026

Invite your guests, we handle the rest. Experience effortlessly elevated corporate events at Tortoise. 🥂

“The experience exceeded all expectations from start to finish. The event managers were incredibly professional and attentive during the planning process, making coordination seamless and stress-free.

On the night of our event, the staff went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly. Their attentiveness and warm hospitality made our team feel truly valued and well-cared for throughout the evening.

The aesthetic of the space is stunning and created the perfect ambiance for our celebration. The food was exceptional – every dish was thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented, earning rave reviews from our entire team.

Whether you’re planning a corporate event or looking for an intimate date night spot, I wholeheartedly recommend this venue. We’re already looking forward to our next visit.”

-S.L.

06/19/2026

Raise a glass with us in celebration of National Martini Day today! 🐢🍸

In less than a month, from July 14-18, Tortoise Supper Club will celebrate the art of the perfect martini with $4.95 house martinis with the purchase of an entrée during Martini Week.

06/18/2026

Every pie is made from scratch in-house at Tortoise Supper Club. One of our dessert menu favorites, the Peanut Butter Pie, rests on a Chocolate Covered Pretzel Crust, Peanut Brittle, and is garnished with Chocolate Crème Anglaise. The perfect combination for a delicate and velvety taste.⚜️

06/18/2026

Keene and Megan are both lifelong Chicagoans who love and appreciate this city. All around Tortoise Supper Club, you will find art and artifacts with Chicago stories, including many items from family archives. 🕰️🐢

"The Red Room library is filled with books we acquired from our local Newberry Library. It is fun to peek through encyclopedias from the 1950s, and the books like The Chicago Daily News Register. General Wood rests stoically above the fireplace. After managing logistics in the Panama Canal as the Quartermaster General and completing the project of connecting the “Path Between the Seas,” he went on to become the President and Chairman of Sears. General Wood took Sears from the largest mail order retailer in the world to the largest brick and mortar retailer in the world."

06/01/2026

From July 14th - 18th, we honor a classic- the martini your way. 🍸

Dine with elegance, experience Live Jazz, and savor a $4.95 House Martini your way along with the purchase of an entrée. The perfect evening blend of conversation, music, and swanky vibes awaits. 🎷

05/29/2026

A beautiful evening at Tortoise Supper Club includes Live Jazz 🎷

Settle in on Fridays and Saturdays to experience the swanky, jazz-era ambiance of Tortoise.

Fridays 7:30-11:00pm 🎶
Saturdays 8:00-11:30pm 🎶

05/26/2026

Dinner for two? 🌹

Slow the evening down with the person you love, where the city fades into the background and your gaze melts into theirs.

Ignite your connection over a candlelit dinner, cocktails in hand, live jazz playing, dimmed lights, and nowhere else to be. 🌃