Recommendations
Chicago
Illinois, United States
2021, 2024, 2025
A fun city I've been to a few times. There's tons of good food and drinks all over - from the popular spots, to some local neighborhood gems.
Eat
Lula Cafe
Their brunch is great, but the dinner shocked me with how good it was. They had a pasta dish with brown butter and cinnamon that blew me away.
Longman & Eagle
A classic spot for some solid food and good service.
Void
Came recommended by friends who live in the city, and it lived up to their hype. It's a small but mighty menu, with great cocktail options.
Loaf Lounge
Their chocolate cake was popularized by the show The Bear, but the spicy capicola breakfast sandwich was truly delicious.
Staropolska Restaurant
An authentic Polish restaurant. Tried a bunch of stuff here and everything was great.
Pequod's Pizza
The classic pan pizza spot - not a standard deep dish, but still not a light meal.
Ricobene's
Old school pizza spot famous for the breaded steak sandwich. It's messy but it's huge, delicious, and absolutely worth getting.
Drink
Best Intentions
A charming little neighborhood bar. Their smash burgers come in a paper bag, are cheap, and real delicious.
Central Park Bar
A local bar with a really nice outdoor space. It's a great spot to spend a sunny afternoon at, and sometimes they do food pop-ups.
The Aviary
An impressive 5 cocktail tasting menu with small bites by the same group as Alinea. Expensive, but a worthy experience. There's a speakeasy downstairs - if you're up for it, it's worth checking out.
Lazy Bird
Downstairs in the Hoxton Hotel. Really good cocktails, and sometimes they have live music.
Fox Bar
This is a cool little bar with nice decor and solid bar food. Good drinks, good atmosphere and worth stopping by for a drink.
Do
Sleeping Village
A bar at the front and a proper small venue at the back. I went for a small local concert and it was a fun time.
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
It's a great science museum, definitely worth checking out if you have the time.