Information on the various neighborhoods of Chicago and things to do and places to go in those neighborhoods!
West Town Bakery & Diner is a Fresh Addition to the Neighborhood
Part of the Fifty/50 Group— and located right next door to sibling restaurants Roots and Homestead— West Town Bakery & Diner looks like your favorite college town hangout. Walk in and you’ll notice the eye-popping street art and graffiti, colorful seats and...
The Stretch Bar & Grill – Wrigleyville’s Best Burger
The idea of going to a Wrigleyville bar could either be the greatest or worst thing every depending on who you are. If that is your scene, there’s certainly no shortage of places to choose from to watch the game, grab some lunch, or have a boozy weekend. Located just...
Flagship Chicago – You Don’t Need To Be A Sports Fan
Flagship, to many, may seem like just another typical sports bar. Upon first glance, I wouldn’t argue with you. However, being that sports games were flooding the copious amount of screens throughout the venue and my table didn’t pay attention to any of them one bit–...
Velvet Taco is a Welcome Addition to the Gold Coast
Does a Texas-based taco concept have anything to offer Chicago? While Chicago may already have an insane number of incredible taquerias, Velvet Taco in the Gold Coast manages to offer something different with tacos influenced by world cuisine. Whether you’re a fan of...
11 Best Chicago Disc Golf Courses – In the City & Beyond
Disc Golf remains somewhat of a niche sport. It has definitely grown in popularity over the years and professional series do exist, but there is still a good amount of people who have never played it or don’t know much about it. Fortunately, for the people that do...
Leghorn Café: Ukrainian Village Chicken Staple Comes to River North
Since opening in March 2014, Ukrainian Village’s Leghorn Chicken has become a favorite of hipsters, neighborhood residents, and Chicago’s fried chicken enthusiasts. They boldly positioned themselves as the anti-Chik-fil-A with Sunday hours, branded condoms, and...
West Town Pup Crawl – They Have Beer For Your Dog Too
That’s right, your dog and you can now go out for drinks together. Every Tuesday, June 16th through October 6th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m, West Town will welcome two and four-legged friends alike. Mahoney’s Pub & Grille, The Matchbox, Aberdeen Tap, and G &...
Municipal Bar + Dining Co. – River North’s Affordable Sports Bar
Open since 2012, Municipal Bar + Dining Co is a sports bar and restaurant located in Chicago’s River North, not far from Merchandise Mart. While the area already has its share of sports bars, Municipal is a bit more upscale than its rivals, quite spacious, and does...
A Classy Burger Dinner at Weber Grill Restaurant in River North
The red Weber Grill has been a staple of American backyards since the 1950s, but you may not be aware that the iconic kettle was born right here in Chicago. In 1952, George Stephen Sr. was a part-owner of the Weber Metal Works in Chicago crafting marine buoys....
SIP’s Late Night Brunch Menu Reinvigorates the Meaning of Eating Late
You’ve been hitting up the bars for a bit and have a solid buzz going. You’re thinking about calling it a night, but ready for one last stop and there’s got to be food. Pulling up Yelp, there’s not a lot options other than super greasy, but you’re looking for...
With Steadfast, the Fifty/50 Group Embraces Fine Dining
Chicago’s the Fifty/50 Group has so far been known for their eclecticism with restaurants ranging from the namesake sports bar to Roots Handmade Pizza to craft cocktail lounges like the Berkshire Room. With the recent opening of Steadfast in the Loop’s business...
Marion Street Market Re-Opened in Oak Park with New Dining Options
Marion Street Market, located at 100 South Marion St., has been a culinary staple in the Oak Park community since 2008. The restaurant closed on New Year’s Day and reopened today, March 7, boasting a new social atmosphere with tasting tables, grab-and-go items and...
Belly Up Smokehouse Brings Southern Barbecue to the South Loop
Walking into Belly Up, you’ll be astounded by how surprisingly huge it is. The restaurant is very long and has these really high ceilings. The vibe is Chicago warehouse industrial with lots of brick, exposed fixtures, and wood ceiling beams with some subtle cowboy...
Forno Rosso Creates Some of the Best Pizzas in Chicago
Forno Rosso owner, Nick Nitti spent a large part of his childhood in Italy where he fell in love with the simplistic pizza in Naples. That led him to attend culinary school in Italy, study Neapolitan pizza in Naples, and open Forno Rosso back near his home in...
Twisted Spoke Celebrates 20 Wild Years of Bikes, Beers, Burgers and Brunch
With its rusted metal exterior and a revolving skeleton motorcycle rider atop a ‘garden’ of motorcycle parts, Twisted Spoke may seem a little intimidating upon first glance. While biker-themed, the bar attracts a wide range of customers to its easily...
Aquanaut Brewing Brings English-Inspired Beer to Chicago
Chicago’s craft beer explosion is showing no signs of slowing down with more and more breweries opening every month. The days when Goose Island was nearly the only game in town are easy to remember, but in just a few years it’s nearly impossible to keep...
Tasting the Wines of Rías Baixas at Little Goat
Up a secretive set of stairs at Little Goat, the casual sibling restaurant of Girl & the Goat, lies a gorgeous private dining space featuring a sleek, modern kitchen, a homey and bright dining area, accompanied by a rooftop area with a gorgeous view of the...
Madison Public House – A Logan Square Essential
Madison Public House has been in business for nearly 3 years. Upon opening, they wanted to create an atmosphere that provided an all-in-one experience; they have succeeded. They may possess a bar appearance, but that is not strictly what they are. Rather than going to...
The Tastes of the New Spring Menu at the Stretch
The last time I was at the Stretch, I was in pursuit of their award-winning Cortland Street Burger and walked away with a very happy stomach. I made a return trip to the Wrigleyville sports bar and grille to sample their new spring menu—launching March 12—created by...
Tasting the Spring Menu at Unite Urban Grill
The West Town area over the past couple years has truly become a hip place to hang out thanks to trendy shops and boutiques and great restaurants. The latter includes Unite Urban Grill, a sleek and chill neighborhood steakhouse concept. I was invited to stop on by the...
Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya Brings Authentic Japanese Cuisine to Wicker Park
A few years ago, most Chicagoans probably thought of ramen as the cheap microwave noodles they ate in college, but now the city is obsessed with the Japanese noodle-soup dish. The latest contender for best ramen bowl in the city is Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya in...
Forest Park Bars – Madison Street Is Flowing With Beer & Wine
Forest Park, Illinois is known well for neighborhood dining, but in the past it was known for its many Irish pubs. In fact, Forest Park has its own St. Patrick’s Day parade which is quite popular. Some of the Irish pubs and as some like to call, the “old-man” bars...
App for Free Parking in Chicago – Don’t Feed the Meters
If you are among the minority that own a vehicle of your own in Chicago– then you know the struggles of finding parking, even more so when it comes to free parking in Chicago. Valets and meters can add up very, very quickly– especially if you happen to find yourself...
The Fifty/50 Has Been Renovated and Reinvigorated
Chicago has a vibrant food scene with new restaurants and concepts constantly popping up. But how do you continue to stay relevant when your restaurant has been around for nearly a decade? Case in point: the Fifty/50. The sports bar was one of the first of its kind on...
On The Border Naperville – Taco Tuesday Satisfaction
I found myself in Naperville on perhaps the most sacred day of the week– Taco Tuesday. With no lunch plans, my own two feet for transportation, a craving for tacos and wide eyes– I spotted the On The Border Naperville location just down the road. This Tex-Mex...
Chop Steakhouse Stakes Claim in the South Loop’s Roosevelt Collection
Chop Steakhouse is the First Restaurant at the South Loop’s Roosevelt Collection •Chop Steakhouse Opened July 15, 2015• The Roosevelt Collection is a combination of newer high-end apartments in the South Loop, along with a large shopping area. Despite the gorgeous...
Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya Overcomes its Competitors in the Chicago Ramen Scene
When we last visited Kizuki Ramen at the end of winter, it was their first night of service. Though Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya is a chain spanning from Japan to the Pacific Northwest, they were breaking in a new staff, trying to get the whole menu together, and...
Jackson Avenue Pub in Naperville – Killer Burgers & Malort
Whenever I find myself in Naperville, Jackson Avenue Pub seems to be my go to spot (followed by Quigley’s Irish Pub). The atmosphere is pretty low-key and their food is spot on– especially if you have burgers on your mind. Atmosphere The interior of Jackson Avenue Pub...
Great Lakes Tattoo – 1st Annual Walk-Up Classic Tattoo Convention
Great Lakes Tattoo is taking everything that they’ve come to not fancy about mainstream tattoo conventions and proceeding to do the opposite. GLT’s owner Nick Colella commented: “I feel that present-day tattooing and standardized tattoo conventions have gotten so far...
Imperial Lamian Brings Authentic Chinese Food to Chicago – Move Over Ramen
Chicago has been taken over by a fever for Japanese ramen noodles. Within walking distance from my apartment alone, I can think of four places I could go for noodles. Jakarta, Indonesia-based Imperial Lamian, a restaurant group with more than 20 locations, picked...
10 Great Chicago Suburbs
When looking for a new place to live, there s no doubt that Chicago with all of its diversity and urban splendor remains among the most sought after living spaces in the U.S. :: however as a city that is surrounded by six counties, there are many gorgeous Chicago...
Emporium Arcade Bar Unites Adulthood With Childhood at 3 Locations
Emporium Arcade Bar fuses retro with modern in a harmoniously entertaining way. Some of you may have been born slightly too late to remember the days when arcades were a place that you wanted to go almost as badly as you wanted to go to Disney World (those commercials...
Boiler Room is Logan Square’s Best Dinner Deal
I almost put the claim in the title as ” Boiler Room Chicago’s Best Dinner Deal ” but that would be a hard claim to fully backup. However, even with Chicago being so expansive and the food scene constantly exploding– Boiler Room remains as one of the best bangs for...
Caffè RoM Adds Italian Coffee Shoppe Flair To Downtown
Caffè RoM is an Italian-style coffee shop with three locations in downtown Chicago: Prudential Plaza, the Hyatt Center, and River East. They specialize in Fair Trade coffee creations, gourmet Panini sandwiches, and freshly made gelato. The River East location is the...
The Commonwealth Tavern Brings Fine Dining to the Sports Bar
Have you ever wanted to go out and watch the game without having to eat the same old sports bar food? Sports bars are a dime a dozen in Chicago, but the Commonwealth Tavern (2000 Roscoe Street in Roscoe Village) stands out from the pack by merging your favorite bar...
North Center’s Kick is a Haven for Spicy Food Fans
Kick, which replaced Sola in late 2015, is a gastropub in North Center focusing on spicy food. Though fiery burgers, sandwiches, and other casual pub food with a kick make up the bulk of the menu, the restaurant takes influence from all around the world. People from...
Logan Square’s Ugo’s Offers New Takes on Italian Favorites
When I lived near the intersection of Armitage and California a few years ago, the food options were fairly limited and imbalanced. You could have a high-end foodie meal at Table, Donkey and Stick or grab a hot dog at the Tastee Freez. All of that has changed...
10 Best Jefferson Park Restaurants – Poland to Mexico with a Hint of Irish
Chicago’s northwest side is rich in heritage and loaded with flavor. Many Jefferson Park restaurants embrace the Polish side of the community, but you can find quality cuisine from all nationalities in the area. With a true neighborhood feel, many of these restaurants...
Cochon Volant Adds Full Service Sophistication to the Loop
Our recent list of the best Chicago burgers was not without its share of controversy. After its publication, I was told I had to go over immediately to Cochon Volant and try their Le Cheeseburger Royale. Translated as “Flying Pig,” Cochon Volant recently opened in the...
Butcher & the Burger – the Perfect Burger, Created by You
While fun in concept, build-your-own burger places like Meatheads or Five Guys have always left me feeling a little let down. Either the toppings are good but the meat hovers around McDonald’s quality, or the toppings are pretty basic. Lincoln Park’s Butcher &...
Truckin’ Around : Food Truck Extravaganza
Typically, when you want to indulge in some tasty food trucks you have to run all over Chicago. It’s like a giant scavenger hunt. Truckin’ Around has changed that. No more must you run amuck through the street looking for that late night treat. Actually, that is a...
Top 10 Chicago Northern Suburbs
Top 10 Chicago Northern Suburbs
Pizzeria Serio’s New Breakfast Pizza Gives You an Excuse to Eat Pizza Three Times a Day
Chicagoans love brunch so much that more and more restaurants decide to get into the brunch game. However, the results can often be kind of surreal when you wind up at the local dive that’s trying their hardest to deliver an extravagant Lobster Eggs Benedict in the...
Q-Tine is Your New Favorite Logan Square Fast Food
I’ll admit it: I’ve been there before. As a former resident of Logan Square, there would be many weekends where I’d be out with a group of friends, hopping from bar to bar on Milwaukee Avenue, and end up looking for some food. But, the kitchen at Revolution Brewing...
Revival Food Hall Brings Neighborhood Charm to the Office
It’s noon and time for lunch. You’ve really got a craving for Antique Taco, but there’s definitely not enough time to go to Wicker Park and back on your meager lunch break. I guess you’ll have to settle for Taco Bell again… If this is the sad existence you’ve led as a...
Wicker Park Goes Southern at Carriage House
Chicago is a lot more than hot dogs and deep dish pizza, proof of which is the city’s growing love for Southern cooking and barbecue. Evidence of this is Carriage House, which serves modern low country Southern food to Wicker Park at 1700 W. Division Street. We...
Mondo Meatball May Replace Your Grandma’s Recipe
During a recent trip to New York City, I walked by multiple meatball-focused restaurants and now Mondo Meatball has come to Chicago’s Wicker Park. Are we in the midst of a meatball revolution? These are not just your classic Italian meatballs, either. Mondo...
A Manly Night at the spa at dana – Ultimate Relaxation
I’ve never been to a spa before. The closest I’ve been to a spa is the one I walk by nearly every day that has a picture of an older man hitting another man with a tree branch. Fortunately, my experience at the spa at dana was nothing like that unsettling image. As I...