The Best/Most Fun Watering Holes

North Side – Walking distance from the Belmont Redline stop. There’s also a lot of cute, overly-trendy, weird boutiques in this area.
1) L&L Tavern - HERE
Lil dive bar

2) Brew & View - HERE
For $5, you get to walk two second-run recent movies and you can buy beer and yell at the screen. Obviously, the worse the movies, the better the time. Soooo much fun.

3) Matilda- Here

Great, laid back and outdoor seating.

4) Sheffield's - Here

Same as above, but with a large beer selection and beer garden!

Northwest of Downtown:
5) The Hungry Brain - HERE
Very laid-back: Great juke box but never too loud so you can actually talk & visit. Good beer selection.

6) The Green Mill - HERE
Small, but historic. Always has a cover and drinks are a little expensive, but there’s always some top-notch highly-lauded jazz band you’ve never heard of playing live.

Near West Side:
7) The Publican - HERE
This hot spot is always jumping so be prepared for noise and to wait for a seat, but the food is worth it.

Logan Square:
8) The Whistler - HERE
The certified “mixologist” bartender has a seasonal menu of custom cocktails that are delightful.

9) Revolution Brewing - HERE
Chicago’s own (and only) micro-brewery. They just opened recently.

10) Chicago Movieoke - HERE
This is more of an event than a bar. It’s like karaoke with movie scenes. I’ve never done it, but always wanted to check it out. It moves from bar to bar, so we should keep an eye on their calendar as it fills out.

North Side Attractions and Restaurants

1) Wrigley Field Tours (on non-game days) - HERE

2) A couple blocks from Wrigley Field:
Uberstein – Good German food and beer served in obscenely large glasses - HERE


3) A couple blocks from Wrigley Field:
Cozy Noodle & Rice – Cheap, delicious and cute: The Restaurant is chock-full of toy decoration. What more could you ask of a Thai place? - HERE

Lincoln Park Restaurants

Barely one block from the zoo:
R.J. Grunt’s – Simply amazing hamburgers, very reasonable prices - HERE


Also very close to zoo, just a couple blocks West:
Chicago Pizza & Over Grinder Co. - Their ‘pizza pot pies’ are unique Chicago pizza experience - HERE

Lincoln Park Attractions

1) Lincoln Park Zoo - HERE

2) Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - HERE

Downtown/Near Museum Campus Restaurants

Just West of downtown:
Green Zebra - Great veggie food; emphasis on organic/farm-raised/conscientious food


One block from Art Institute:
Russian Tea Time – Heavy Eastern European food, fun atmosphere and vodka flights, anyone? :)

Heart of downtown south of the river:
The Italian Village – Reasonably-priced Italian food; Excellent pizza; kid-friendly, but with dignity

Gold Coast, just north of Downtown:
Pane Caldo – Fancy Italian with awesome food. Also, Billy Corgan eats here a lot

Downtown/Museum Campus Attractions

1) Chicago “CityPass” - HERE
A good deal if you plan to hit the Shedd, Adler and Field museums, which are all within walking distance of each other.

Science & Industry - worth going to if you commit to spend the whole day there.

Signature Lounge in the Hancock for a drink - HERE

2) Art Institute - HERE

3) MCA - HERE

4) Chicago Historical Museum - HERE

5) International Museum of Surgical Science - HERE

6) Millennium Park - HERE

7) Navy Pier - HERE

Transportation

1) CTA "Fun Passes" - Unlimited train/bus rides for 3-7 days - HERE

2) Good map to print to get around - THE CTA SYSTEM MAP

Comics

This one’s just for nerds. Any out of town dorks needing their comics fix should check out these fine comic book retailers in Chicago:

Graham Cracker Comics – There are almost a dozen Graham Cracker stores but the store located on Madison near Michigan in Chicago’s Loop is a pretty easy walk from the hotels and other tourist traps, er, attractions.

Challengers – Challengers is on Western near Elston and is not exactly easy to get to from the downtown hotels, but it is probably the best store in Chicago.

Chicago Comics – Fantastic store that is just as much counter culture as it is comic book dork. Check it out up near School and Clark off the Belmont Red Line Station.

Favorite Restaurants

Welcome everyone!

We wanted to start out first with a post directing those who are from out of town to the very best food in Chicago. We’ll focus on affordable favorites:

Pizza – Due’s or Uno’s Pizza is, without a doubt, the best deep dish pizza in Chicago. Also, for a thin crust pizza on the go, can’t beat Chicago’s Pizza.

Breakfast – check out Ann Sather or Orange.

Thai Food – Near and dear to our hearts is Fresh Noodles & Sushi on Sheffield and Wellington. Check it out, but Yes Thai, Cozy Noodle, and Duck Walk are also great picks.

Veggies – Vegans and veggies should find something great at Chicago Diner, but for something more upscale check out Green Zebra.

Steak – Gibsons, McCormick & Schmidts are fantastic options.