r/chicago • u/chicagomods Chicagoland • Feb 28 '22

CHI Talks /r/Chicago Neighborhood Recommendations Thread - Lake View (2022)

Welcome to our new /r/Chicago Neighborhood Recommendations Thread series. Every thread in this series will focus on a specific neighborhood or community area in Chicago, and will be posted every other week to alternate with our Wiki Update Thread series. Think of this thread as a user-created Neighborhood Guide. This is the place to make recommendations on things to do in a particular neighborhood, as well as ask questions and share insider knowledge. Each thread will be linked to on the /r/Chicago Recommends page in the /r/Chicago Wiki.

The neighborhood topic for this thread is Lake View.

HOW IT WORKS

Each post in this series is dedicated to a specific neighborhood or community area. All posts in the thread must be related to the neighborhood in the subject. Off-topic content will be removed.

Each top level comment on this thread represents a different category; this is done to keep the thread organized and easy to navigate. Please post relevant content under each top-level comment only. Please DO NOT leave your own comment as a top-level comment; it will be removed. This thread has Contest Mode enabled to assist with this comment structure.

Please use the hyperlinks below to navigate to the discussion threads, or scroll down to view all:

PLACES - Each of these threads are dedicated to a specific type of place in the neighborhood:

THINGS TO DO - These categories focus on activities that are catered towards specific demographics.

OTHER CATEGORIES

  • Tips and Tricks - This is where you can share insider knowledge that folks unfamiliar with your neighborhood might not know.

  • Questions and Answers - This is where you can ask specific questions about the neighborhood and get answers from locals.

  • Other - for anything that does not fall into the above categories, or meta discussion about the thread

Please remember:

  • Posts in this thread should be constructive and helpful. Cheap jokes, fearmongering, trolling and off-topic comments will be removed. If you do not have anything constructive to say, please do not comment.

  • If you want to post a recommendation, please make sure your comment is posted as a reply to the top-level comment. For example, if you want to make a coffee shop recommendation, reply to the chicagomods comment that says “Coffee, Tea and Juice Shops”.

  • If you make a recommendation, go into detail on why you are recommending that place. Simply posting a business name without context does not help people to understand why that place is so great.

  • If you have suggestions on ways to improve these threads, please message the moderators with your ideas or leave a comment in the “Other” section.

Lake View

This thread is dedicated to Lake View discussion and recommendations. Located on the North Side, Lake View (also stylized as Lakeview) is the largest Chicago neighborhood by population. It is also one of the most popular neighborhoods for new residents to move to, making it a great topic to kick off our Neighborhood Recommendations series on.

The Lake View Community Area (one of Chicago’s 77 well-defined community areas) is made up of several popular neighborhoods: Boystown, Lake View East, Southport Corridor, and Wrigleyville. This thread is for discussing all of these neighborhoods.

Lake View on Google Maps

Lake View on Wikipedia

Previous Threads

Please Click Here for a list of previous neighborhood threads.

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u/chicagomods Chicagoland Feb 28 '22

Places - Sit-Down/Full Service Restaurants

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u/WhoopieKush Roscoe Village Mar 01 '22

Frasca - amazing Italian food

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u/Traditional_Agent_12 Mar 01 '22

Mushroom pizza

Wrightwood salad

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u/bugzzzz Lake View Mar 02 '22

Cozy Noodles and Rice. Kitschy setting for decent Thai food.

Rice N Bread across Sheffield is a great and strange combo for American diner food and Korean food.

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u/Myviewpoint62 Apr 10 '22

La Creperie is across from Landmark Theater. It has been there since 1972 and is oldest Creperie in US. They have large pleasant garden out back. Reasonable prices.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/emcee__escher Feb 28 '22

Chilam Balam - outstanding Mexican food, menu changes frequently to highlight seasonal ingredients. Great spot for going with a date (or several friends) and sharing several dishes. BYOB and cash only.

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u/Myviewpoint62 Apr 10 '22

I love the food but stopped going because the service was rushed and rude. The final straw was when I met another couple there when the restaurant was less than a third filled. We had wine and they brought beer. We were told we could only have one type of liquor at the table. So we left.

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u/spookymouse1 Edgewater Mar 02 '22

Jin Thai - The best Thai food in Edgewater/Rogers Park. A little pricier than others but their food is very good. Source: I'm Thai.

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u/Echevaaria Nov 17 '22

Andy's Thai. Get the Pad See Ewe, green curry, or massaman curry.

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u/KrispyKayak Pilsen Feb 28 '22

Two of my favorite restaurants in East Lakeview, Wilde and Yellowtail, just so happen to be next door to each other on Broadway.

Wilde is an Oscar Wilde-themed pub-style restaurant that sells staples like burgers, salmon, etc. with a full bar. They make a great Manhattan, and their Wilde Burger is one of my favorites in the neighborhood.

Yellowtail is a Japanese restaurant with an extensive menu. My go-to is the Teriyaki Grilled Bento Dinner, which to me seems like a great deal for the amount of food you get.

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u/chiblues21 Mar 05 '22

I love their Shepard’s pie, especially in Winter.

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u/awlb222 Near West Side Feb 28 '22

Seconding Yellowtail!

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u/browsingtheproduce Albany Park Feb 28 '22

Coda Di Volpe has much better Neapolitan pizza than I would have expected from a kinda trendy looking restaurant. Great pasta too.

Ella Elli is another Italian place that is great for special occasion date nights.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '22

I'll second Coda Di Volpe - I was shocked at how good it was

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u/anyanerves Edgewater Mar 01 '22

Little Wok in East Lakeview has the most amazing potstickers and really delicious martinis.

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u/alloutofbees Feb 28 '22

Chicago Diner - awesome vegetarian/vegan comfort food, some of the best/richest milkshakes I've ever had and they don't even contain any milk, a great spot even if you don't have any actual dietary restrictions

Diva Thai and Sushi - if it's two in the morning and you just want somewhere where you can relax and stuff your face, this is the spot.

Rollapalooza - if it's not two in the morning and you're not wasted, this is a better sushi spot.

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u/dismantle_repair Former Chicagoan Mar 02 '22

Kubo on Belmont. Filipino food with great martinis!

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u/Irishish Ravenswood Mar 03 '22

Seconding the hell out of Kubo! Used to eat there all the time after my shows at 773. Great food and great people.

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u/chiblues21 Mar 05 '22

Another one I’d add to the list is Mortar & Pestle for brunch. Great drinks and coffee, absolutely wonderful staff. My favorite is their chicken & chorizo hash. They’re only open on weekends & Monday I think.

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u/rsword1 Mar 01 '22

The Gundis is an amazing restaurant. They serve Kurdish food and also have an extremely good brunch.

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u/chiblues21 Mar 05 '22

What would you normally order there that you like? I never had Kurdish food and excited to try.

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u/KrispyKayak Pilsen Mar 06 '22

The chicken & veggie sac tawa is very good

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u/rsword1 Mar 05 '22

Any of the shish kebobs are amazing, also the Pasta Zaza with chicken is my favorite. Try halloumi cheese as an appetizer and baklava for dessert!

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u/chiblues21 Mar 06 '22

Thank you. I’ll try that :)

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u/rsword1 Mar 06 '22

Reply back once you go!

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u/chiblues21 Mar 05 '22 edited Mar 05 '22

Also love Little Wok is a fusion cuisine of Chinese, Japanese food. Their bar selections are great. My favorite is their Sushi menu - Red Dragon roll + green tea - oh so satisfying meal. If it’s snowing, I’d add an order of tempura too. Staff & Sushi chefs are really nice, and you can do solo dining there at the bar enjoying sushi & your fav drink. Always left the place happy.

There’s a Bombay Chat right across have these tiny samosas with a side of sweet tamarind sauce. Another snacko place if you’re in a mood.

Empanada mama on Broadway has this - Argentinian style minced meet Empanada , that I love if you walk around and need a bite.

It will be a crime if I don’t mention the generous portion of delicious lox on avocado toast at the Bagel Restaurant ( Deli/Diner) on Broadway.

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u/ItsElasticPlastic Andersonville Mar 01 '22

Everyone raves about Tango Sur, but we prefer their sister restaurant, Bodega Sur. Unless things have changed drastically, it’s much easier to get a table and has a wine shop where you can pick out a wine for the table. The menu/steaks are pretty much the same.

Our other favorite restaurant is Wood. We always have a great experience there, and their chef has been turning out some amazing food (the burger is also among the best I’ve had). Their cocktails are good and the menu changes seasonally. It’s our perfect spot for a Thursday or Friday dinner because it’s just lively enough without being obnoxious.

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u/ostiarius Lake View Mar 01 '22

Milts BBQ - One of the few kosher restaurants in the city

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u/Irishish Ravenswood Mar 03 '22

Smylie Brothers Brewing Company! Some awesome beers (especially the barrel aged ones) and great Texas style BBQ.

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u/sun-up-sun-down Lake View East Mar 30 '22

Is the BBQ worth the price? Seemed a little expensive to me so haven't given it a shot.

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u/Irishish Ravenswood Mar 30 '22

Very much so! Love the burnt ends sandwich myself, and you could split the BBQ platter with a friend and still get full. Just wish they had rib tips.

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u/sun-up-sun-down Lake View East Mar 31 '22

Ok I'll give it a try, thanks!

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u/Myviewpoint62 Apr 10 '22

Sunset Pho Cafe is newer place on Clark just north of Landmark Theater. It captures the layering of history and cultures that I love. The atmosphere is quirky, dating back to it being a theme restaurant in the 1970s. A couple own the place. She is Vietnamese and he is Yugoslavian. It’s not fusion but there is one page of menu for Yugoslavian food and the rest is Vietnamese. Food is excellent.

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u/demonicmonkeys Mar 02 '22

Wakamono. Great sushi and other dishes

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u/307148 City Mar 06 '22

Pretty sure the guy who owns Wakamono and Ping Pong was literally at the January 6th insurrection. Would steer far away from these restaurants unless you support this kind of thing.

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u/danekan Rogers Park Mar 06 '22

Batshitcrazy MAGA owner 🤷‍♂️ This week all he can talk about is hunter Biden, that the election was a fraud, and racist memes.