Also Chilipan and 90 miles Cuban cafe on armitage, both west of Western, both byob, both very good. Brand BBQ market is also byob and on in that same area, but kinda meh.

Glad to say I've only been to 7 of these 25. I don't go out a ton though.

http://www.complex.com/city-guide/2012/04/the-25-douchiest-bars-in-chicago#1

i've only been to 3 of them. Not surprised at all that John Barleycorn is at the top of that list


I almost want to go on a douch bar crawl now. Though I'd probably hate myself while doing it

been to 11 of them, all of the ones near Wrigley obviously. the writer just seems like an ******* Sox fan.

going to a game at Wrigley next week (tuesday)

recommendations on what to do before/during/after in terms of good places to drink eat in or around stadium are appreciated... been to wrigleyville once about a month ago and was pretty empty due to time of year so no idea what the good bars are, etc

go to sheffields. It's on sheffield and school. Easily the best bar in that area by a country mile. IMO it's also one of the best bars in the city. The food is solid (their bbq being very good), but for eating it all depends on what you want

If you like good beer you're in luck because you're right by the map room! They probably have the best beer selection in the city.

I used to live at north and damen, which is a couple blocks south, but still walking distance. These are some of the places I used to frequent on North Ave:

Big Star (north and damen): Tasty tacos and good selection of whiskey. $3 for a small ass taco though, but soooo good!

Sultan's Market (north and hoyne): Mediterranean food like chicken and lamb shwarma and falafels. Good, cheap, and they give you a lot of food!

Birchwood Kitchen (north and leavitt): Awesome sandwiches! Kind of a hipster foodie place, but they've got some really good stuff.

Lucia's (north and wood): A small Italian place, gotta try the meatball sub!

+1 Sheffields for beer (I haven't tried their food).

I also like Uncommon Ground at the corner of Clark and Grace for food.

Another two places near Armitage and Damen that deserve mention imo.
Takashi: Also higher end. French/Japanese
Le Bouchon (almost next door): French Bistro. I think it's decent. They have a great deal on Tuesday night where there is prix fixe pricing but you can choose from the entire menu, so that's when I usually go.

Yep, the prix fixe at le bouchon is already a great deal, but Tuesday takes it up a notch

I like Le Bouchon a lot, but be forewarned, it's tiny. I think the maximum occupancy there is about 12.

Lots of great stuff obviously if you're willing to go as far south as North and Damen. Basically you're just right by the heart of Wicker Park there, so there's a lot of choices. Pretty good solid list so far though. I like Bristol, Takashi, Hot Chocolate, Bluebird, Map Room, amongst the northerly options. Club Lucky is pretty standard, solid Italian.

If you're willing to go a bit farther south, there's Big Star, Violet Hour, The Southern, Lillie's Q, Taxim, and a zillion other things.

Chicagoist did a list of 26 quality neighborhood bars to counter the 25 douchiest bars:

http://chicagoist.com/2012/04/04/her...ex_mags_25.php


I've only been to Bucktown Pub and it is a real quality bar. I now have a bunch of new ideas as well

awesome, thanks guys, can't wait to move and try some of these places

Went to Girl and the Goat last night.

Pig Face was fantastic.

Pork Shank was probably my favorite dish.

The Scallops were also awesome.

Great experience all around, even better because my boss picked up the tab.

have eaten at GatG for free a number of times, definitely enhances the experience!

shame they dont have the mussels in season now, they were unreal

Hit drawing room last night with 3 friends and covered the entire food menu and about half the cocktail list. I think both the cocktails and the food are one level below what you can get if you go to somewhere that just does cocktails or a fine dining place. Overall though it was still a great experience but I still prefer the violet hour for cocktails.

Publican has gotten better with every visit. Their oysters are insanely fresh and delicious. Their vegetable dishes are actually the majority of my favorites. Ramps, broccoli, mushrooms, every veggie dish I have had has been off the hook and I'm not one for veggie type dishes.

Single Day Tickets for Lollapalooza (Aug. 3-5) went on sale a couple hours ago

Full daily schedule also released

Going to Chicago with fiancee Friday and Saturday this week. We like Gino's so we're going to eat there Saturday night, but where should we eat Friday? We will be up by Wrigley Field because we are going to watch the Reds/Cubs so we are looking for a cool place to eat around there.

Haha oh wow, scrolled up and saw Uncommon Ground and Sheffields on this exact page. Duh.

What are some other popular choices for places to eat, like between Wrigley Field and the Loop? Basically we have only one dinner locked down and need to figure out where to eat Friday. If there is a better place that isn't in Wrigleyville I'd like to hit that up. Probably thinking American or Mexican food.

Looking for breakfast recommendations as well - has anyone tried "Yolk"? It seems like it has good reviews --- that and Portillo's for lunch

Searched the thread and used Urbanspoon, food plan now:

Friday:
Breakfast: Uncommon Ground
Lunch: Something at Cubs game??
Dinner: Gino's or Kuma's

Saturday:
Breakfast: Yolk
Lunch: Portillo's Hot Dogs
Dinner: Gino's or Kuma's

Late night trip to the weiner's circle has to happen

Also, don't do portillos. Over-rated, too greasy, and too touristy. You can easily cab it to franks n dawgs in clybourn and you will enjoy the dogs sooooo much more

I also wouldn't rec kumas unless you are doing takeout. The service can absolutely suck and can be moody as all hell. I would also say that you should go to pequods if you want to do a different deep dish place than Gino's

blasphemy. kuma's is awesome. the wait may be brutal, but it's worth it. have a beer and enjoy the change of atmosphere. and if there's only two of you, try to snag seats at the bar.
agree about franks n dawgs (but portillos is not bad at all).

Lou Mal's > Gino's imo

Uncommon Ground is a solid choice for near Wrigley (haven't been for breakfast though)

yolk is pretty good, although unspectacular

haven't been anywhere better though, so go for it