Wheeling is a year-round eating destination — the restaurants do not change much with the seasons.
Spring and autumn are the most pleasant times for outdoor activity, with the Des Plaines River Trail at its best in October when the leaves turn. Summer is hot, humid, and busy — patios fill up and weekend dinner waits get long. Winter is grey and cold but a quiet time to take a long lunch in a warm Korean barbecue room without queueing.
If you are flying into O'Hare and have a few hours to kill, Wheeling makes a far better lunch stop than anything around the terminals.