Personal list of favorite restaurants, shops, and must-sees in Chicago proper. The point of this list is to introduce new visitors to support businesses that are quintessentially Chicagoan, and get to share the experience of locals. Some businesses have multiple locations, but are generally not found elsewhere outside of Northern Illinois (with some exceptions); you will otherwise not find national chains here. I'm afraid I'm not a big drinker, but you can find bar recommendations among others at https://www.timeout.com/chicago For LGBTQ+ friendly places, visit: http://chicago.gaycities.com/ (I will say, Berlin has a soft spot in my heart!) Subject to change. Feel free to give out suggestions. ------------------------------------------------------ Upscale restaurant rec: Girl and the Goat; Gibson's. http://girlandthegoat.com/ https://www.gibsonssteakhouse.com/ If you are loaded with money AND a sweet tooth, you will need to try The Meaning of Life Cake at Gibson's. Polish faire rec: Kasia's Deli; Pierogi Heaven http://www.kasiasdeli.com/ http://pierogiheaven.com/ Dat comic sans tho. Favorite breakfast/brunch spots: Yolk (Lakeview location preferred). It's super popular, so prepare up to 45 min wait and you can only reserve in person. If you go, take a stroll and pop in at TeaGschwedner's, especially if you're into loose leaf teas (this tea shops ONLY has locations in Chicago and Germnay). http://eatyolk.com/ If you plan on arriving/leaving in the morning via Union Station, I also suggest Lou Mitchell's as an alternative. http://www.loumitchellsrestaurant.com/ Favorite pastries: Vanille Patisserie - Lincoln Park, Lakeview (good for a quick coffee and pastry), The French Market (least rec location, unless you want to visit The French Market and have time to go). http://www.vanillepatisserie.com/ Toni Patisserie (if you're near Millenium Park; also a nice tea spot and serves savories). http://www.tonipatisserie.com/ Underrated: I don't have a particular suggestion, but Chicago is never short of Panaderias, and I think every tourist should try to stop in and support a family owned business. They're great places for picking up quickand cheap breakfast on the go. R.I.P: Swedish Bakery (Andersonville) Favorite Vegetarian options: Sultan's Market (Wicker Park) http://chicagofalafel.com/ Favorite record stores: Reckless Records (Loop-smallest location; Wicker Park - biggest selection; Lakeview) https://www.reckless.com/ Favorite Barcade: Logan's Hardware (next door is the record store!) http://logan-hardware.com/ I'd personally avoid Emporium. There are not enough games & it's always crowded. Logan's Hardware has a big selection of retro cabinets, pinball machines, and some newer games that were originally on Steam. I like that the bar is sectioned off so you can actually talk with people rather than be drowned out by people and video game sounds. Best Chicagoland arcade: Galloping Ghosts in Brookfield, IL. Over 500+ arcade cabinets with tons of rarities and obscurities. A great place to hang with friends at night if you're not into drinking. http://www.gallopingghostarcade.com/ Best pizzas: Lou Manalti's, Giordano's https://www.loumalnatis.com/ https://giordanos.com/ That is, if you want deep dish, otherwise, don't worry about pizza since NY's pizza is objectively better; Chicago style is more of a sitdown meal type deal, however, it's not for the faint-of-heart! Favorite Must-Do, non-touristy experience: iO Theatre http://ioimprov.com/chicago/ Chicago is home for improv comedy. In addition to a festival and the national collegiate troupe competition, there are a number of professional troupes there, including The Second City (which actually does more skits than improv), ComedySportz, Annoyance Theatre, and Compass Players, but what makes this theatre stand out from the rest is their specialization in The Herald, a longform style of improv. Sure you can see national tours of Broadway shows at the Loop theatres, but you have a once in a lifetime chance to watch an improvized Shakespearean play about conjoined twins and basement brats! Many notable comedians and actors have gotten their start in this city. Who knows? You might be watching a future Amy Poehler or Stephen Colbert! chicagoimprovfestival.org/ http://collegeimprovtournament.org/ For shits and giggles: Weiner's Circle www.wienercircle.net/ Local favorites: Al's Beef, Portillo's (I think it's overrated, but go if you haven't gone before and if you're open to eating Chicago styled dogs) www.alsbeef.com/ www.portillos.com/ Favorite drunk foods: Harold's Chicken Shack, Taco Burrito Palace (Boystown; rec: tortas) http://kokorokokovintage.com/ Favorite overpriced vintage resale store (for Dave!): Kokorokoko (Wicker Park) Favorite bookstore: Myopic Bookstore www.myopicbookstore.com/ Favorite Tea Services (eh, why not?): Russian Tea Time, The Drake, Vanille Patisserie (Lincoln Park location only) russianteatime.com/ www.thedrakehotel.com/ Other favorites: Harold Washington Library https://www.chipublib.org/locations/15/ Driehouse Museum driehausmuseum.org/ Rotofugi (for your novelty toy needs) https://rotofugi.com/ Don't bothers: Navy Pier (it just looks nice...at night...from far away :P) Sear's Tower glass balconies - you can if you want to and the views are nice on a sunny day, but you're going to have to put up with lines and out-of-state visitor fees. Major museums: Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Art Institute, et al. - They're great on their own, but museums will take out half of your day, and you want to factor in commuting because Chicago is a pretty spaced out city that requires alloted time to get to place to place. "The Bean" - If you haven't gone and taken pictures in front of the Bean, you might as well do it while you're here, otherwise, you can skip the germ-ridden tourist spot (seriously, it's gross). Eh...: Mag Mile; I actually like walking along the Mag mile during the day because it's so lively with shoppers (and buskers...and panhandlers - though, they tend to stick around the financial district) on weekends, but there isn't anything too exciting since it's just a mile of the same retailers and restaurants you can find in other big cities in the U.S. If you're downtown though, I suggest taking a nice stroll along the river on Wacker Drive and flip off Trump Tower.
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