I’m often asked questions about visiting Chicago, which is something that makes me happy. I love nothing more than sharing bits and bobs of the city I love so much, and I want all of its visitors to have an amazing time at not-Navy-Pier and want to come back a million times over. Also, please buy lots of things at our 10% sales tax rate and help make our schools better. Or something. For posterity sake I thought I’d put a list together of Daisy’s Chicago Suggestions. This is by no means definitive, or an all-inclusive list of all the great places in Chicago. What I think it does is highlight places that are awesome and not-repeatable elsewhere (you’ll notice the lack of traditional steak houses on my restaurant guide, we have many wonderful ones….like lots of other great cities…) or quintessential Chicago. Lets do it.
Accommodations: for the family or couple that has a budget (as many of us do) and can’t shell out $500 a night and wants to stay “in the heart of it all” I always recommend the Hilton Garden Inn on Grand Avenue or the Doubletree on Ohio. Both are clean, well located, and make public transportation a breeze. For people looking for a little something extra, I direct you to The Peninsula, The Drake, The Langham or the Trump.
Seeing the sites: Chicago has an array of awesome museums, parks and general amusement. If you are coming for a few days and think that some of the more well-known attractions are musts on your list, I really recommend getting the City Pass. It gives you 5 admission passes from a list of seven popular attractions. It isn’t cheap at $94 for an adult, but it is much less than buying 3 or more admission tickets. My other Chicago “must” is taking an architectural river boat tour. There are quite a few companies that offer them, I’ve gone 7 times during all 4 seasons in the year, and I loved it every time. It is such a cool way to see the city, learn about its history and cover a lot of ground. I also like the double decker bus tour (it lets you get on and off at stops all over the city) but if you have to choose between the two, definitely take the boat tour. And if you go in the summer and sit on the top deck, wear sunscreen. You will thank me.
Shopping more than the Magnificent Mile: Chicago, like New York, has a lot of distinct neighborhoods. If you want to shop more than the Magnificent Mile and the accompanying Oak Street/Rush area, some of my favorite places to send people are the general Armitage and Halsted area in Lincoln Park (boutiques, pubs, a wine bar or two), Clark Street in Andersonville (boutiques, lots of cool furniture and antique shops, good restaurants), or Lincoln Street in Lincoln Square (small shops, German food abounds). Wicker Park and Bucktown also have some great stretches, but I confess I am less familiar with the area.
Where to eat…this is always the popular question and frankly, I could never capture all the best places in the city in just one blog post. There are books and blogs dedicated to eating in Chicago, but I’ll give you my recommendations that make me and my guests happy.
Chicago style pizza: I like Uno’s downtown for its ambiance and longevity (it isn’t the same Uno’s pizza as is served in the chain around the country), or Lou Malnati’s. There are many places to eat Chicago style pizza, but these are the ones I stick to when I’m in the mood.
Breakfast and brunch: Yolk and Bongo Room are probably my two favorite spots for an array of awesome choices (pancakes a million ways, omelets of fascinating combinations, everything is delicious) that include lunch options as well. Both of these places will have a huge line by 9:30 in the morning, so try to get there earlier rather than later. Brunch in the city is popular and there are tons of good options (especially on Saturdays and Sundays) but these are two that never disappoint. Bongo Room in the South Loop is also very convenient as the launch pad for a day at the museums.
Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch/Dinner: you know those spots that just serve good food all day long? I highly recommend Eleven City Diner (a great lunch after a morning at the museums, or the Lincoln Park Zoo, as it has 2 convenient locations) for an array of options including awesome bagels and lox, sandwiches, pancakes, salads and burgers. Think upscale diner. Similarly, Little Goat Diner (a cousin of the ever popular The Girl and the Goat from Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard) has an eclectic and fantastic menu that will tantalize you no matter what time of day it is. Summer House in Lincoln Park is also known for great brunches and dinners.
Good spots to know about: Sometimes you need something convenient and delicious. RJ Grunts is another choice near the Lincoln Park Zoo (we almost always hit them up after a morning of zoo-ing with friends) that will make kids and adults very happy, please be sure to order the stack of onion rings. If you find yourself in need of lunch on Michigan Avenue and Cheesecake Factory isn’t doing it for you, head down to Bandera. It overlooks Michigan Avenue, has great food and sometimes has live jazz music. It is a little pricey for lunch but it is splurge worthy. Similarly, downtown there is a new outpost of Do-Rite Donuts (consistently ranked on America’s Top Doughnut lists) which also serves chicken sandwiches that are to die for. Don’t leave without trying an old fashioned doughnut, get the Nutella coffee. Another great spot for many needs is Eataly, a Mario Batali outpost that can take care of you for just a quick coffee and gelato (also has a Nutella bar), a pizza lunch, or a pricier, awesome dinner. Small spots abound where you can taste wine, eat appetizers or peruse the merchandise. Hopleaf, which is way up North (if you hit up Andersonville shopping, please hit up Hopleaf) has an amazing beer list and fantastic food (and no kids allowed, sorry).
Dinner: assuming you can’t break the bank every night but you want an awesome dinner for under or around $100 for two, there are plenty of great options. Maude’s Liquor Bar is a French restaurant that will make you cry tears of joy (and can be more expensive if you get fancy with your ordering), Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba in Lincoln Park has wonderful sangria and tapas. Rosebud is an iconic Chicago Italian joint, if you can make it to the original location on Taylor Street you should, if you can’t the downtown location on Rush will be just fine (get the rigatoni ala vodka). Quartino’s is one of my favorite spots in city – small plates Italian- where you can eat more cheese than you ever imagined and dessert is worth saving room for. Rick Bayless has three restaurants, and while Frontera Grill and Topolobampo are worthy of their prices, if you want to try his fare for less, look no further than Xoco, one of my favorite spots in city. The tortas are to die for, the limeade makes me weep happy tears, and the churros and ice cream offerings are sublime. It has a new location in Wicker Park as well! Sable Kitchen and Bar (which can get pricey depending on how you order) is wonderful and run by a Top Chef winner if that is your thing.
Willing to spend: there are Michelin stars aplenty in Chicago, and while I could recite every award winning spot, I would prefer to point you to places that have tickled my fancy and are worth saving up your pennies. The Cape Cod Room in the Drake Hotel oozes old Chicago ambiance (classic seafood) and has wonderful views of Lake Michigan. Hugo’s Frog Bar is an iconic Chicago joint – fresh seafood aplenty and lots of eye candy or people watching while you eat- and it shares a kitchen with Gibson’s Steakhouse (another Chicago icon) so you can make carnivores and fish lovers happy in one go. Schwa, which is next to impossible to get a reservation at, is perhaps the best meal I’ve ever eaten (and is still BYOB so, uh, plan that into the mix). Coast Sushi is out of this world, and Tru is quite an experience if you are into that sort of thing.
Whew. I know I’m missing 80% of the great spots in Chicago, but there is never time to do it all (or eat everywhere) so I’m sticking to places I can give my Daisy-Stamp-of-Approval and have made family and friends equally happy when they’ve been there.
