3 Up-and-coming Neighborhoods to See on Your Next Visit to Chicago
Ready to move beyond downtown's Loop and the Miracle Mile? These corners of the city have been transformed with stylish restaurants, boutiques, and hotels. Read on for the best places to eat, drink, shop, and sleep in three of the city's neighborhoods poised for popularity.
Logan Square
Interwoven with boulevards, parks, and community gardens, this district in northwestern Chicago has been rapidly transformed with the arrival of stellar restaurants and appealing shops.
Longman & Eagle
This Michelin-starred gastropub offers creative takes on American recipes, more than 400 types of whiskey, and, in the tradition of classic inns, six spare but stylish guest rooms on the second floor. longman?andeagle.com; doubles from $95; entrées $14–$27.
Fat Rice
Chef Abraham Conlon won a James Beard Award this year for the inventive Chinese-Portuguese dishes he serves at this popular restaurant. Try the arroz gordo, a feast of curried chicken, barbecued pork, linguica, wood-roasted beef, and prawns in chili sauce. eatfat?rice.com; entrées $13–$48.
Tusk
Owner Mary Eleanor Wallace augments her selection of vintage and contemporary clothing with one-of-a-kind objects by local artisans. tuskchicago.com.
Shop 1021
This beguiling boutique carries jewelry, greeting cards, cookbooks, baby gifts, journals, stationery, and more. The store also hosts workshops on candle making, calligraphy, tea mixology, and other crafts. shop1021.com.
Pretty Cool Ice Cream
A tribute to the beloved concoctions sold from ice cream trucks, this whimsically designed shop makes frozen treats in a variety of forms, from chocolate-dipped custard to vegan “plant pops” in flavors like Thai tea and peanut-butter potato chip. prettycoolicecream.com.
Wrigleyville
The streets surrounding Wrigley Field are finally shedding their reputation as little more than a hangout for Cubs fans. Alongside the sports bars, there are now top-tier accommodations and superb restaurants.
Hotel Zachary
Since it opened in March, this 173-room property across the street from Wrigley Field (it’s named after Zachary Taylor Davis, the ballpark’s architect) has been further raising Wrigleyville’s profile. Gallagher Way, the building the hotel is in, also houses 12 restaurants, including a barbecue joint, a bakery, and a craft-beer bar. hotel?zachary.com; doubles from $209.
Wheelhouse Hotel
Another newcomer to Wrigleyville, this boutique hotel has only 21 rooms — each filled with local art and design motifs that nod to the game for which the neighborhood is known. wheelhouse?hotel.com; doubles from $150.
Dutch & Doc’s
A former McDonald’s is now a stylish restaurant serving steaks and upscale versions of American classics like corn fritters and patty melts — all within a stone’s throw of Wrigley Field. dutch?anddocs.com; entrées $15–$60.
Uncommon Ground
This model of sustainability-minded dining grows much of the produce used in its kitchen and brews its own organic, gluten-free beer. uncommon?ground.com; entrées $13–$25.
Café Tola
A Latin-inspired hole-in-the-wall that makes inventive empanadas with a range of fillings, from chicken tinga to guava and queso fresco. cafetola.com; empanadas $4.25.
Fulton Market
Chicago’s former meatpacking district has seen a boom in development over the past few years, from restaurants by some of the city’s top chefs to headquarters for McDonald’s and Google. New hotels from the Hoxton and Nobu brands are due to arrive next year.
Soho House
The opening of this private club in a historic warehouse in 2014 played a crucial role in Fulton Market’s transformation. Its 40 handsome guest rooms are open to nonmembers; hotel guests have access to facilities including three restaurants, an extensive gym (complete with boxing ring), and a 60-foot rooftop pool. soho?house?chicago.com; doubles from $300.
Aba
Chef C. J. Jacobson’s Mediterranean restaurant has a 4,000-square-foot rooftop terrace with views of the city. It’s a meat lover’s paradise, with dishes like roasted bone marrow and slow-braised leg of lamb wrapped in eggplant. abarestaurant?chicago.com; entrées $31–$50.
The Publican
This homage to Colonial American beer halls by chef Paul Kahan has large communal tables that seat nearly 30 people each. The kitchen’s specialty is aged ham and other pork dishes. thepublican?restaurant.com; entrées $18–$39.
The Aviary
Arguably the most popular cocktail lounge in the city, the Aviary serves inventive drinks crafted with custom-made ice that look like works of art. The Office, an intimate, speakeasy-style spot downstairs, focuses on vintage spirits. theaviary.com.
BLVD
With its circular booths and chandeliers, this restaurant evokes Hollywood’s Golden Age. The appropriately named cocktails include the High Society and the Stranger in Paradise. blvdchicago.com; entrées $12–$39.