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By the lake
Lincoln Park runs from the lakefront and its free zoo west to the old brick blocks along Halsted and Armitage. Its restaurants range from a sports bar's deep dish to tasting menus, and its nights end at a blues club.
Where to eat
Alinea
Grant Achatz's modernist tasting menu in Lincoln Park, served three ways each night: Kitchen Table, Gallery and Salon. Expect theater, from scents at the table to the famous edible balloon; Michelin moved it from three stars to two in 2025.
Pequod's Pizza
Pan pizza ringed with cheese baked dark and crunchy against the pan, the edge regulars fight over. It's a sports bar on Clybourn, a long-standing favorite of the city's chefs, and the kitchen runs until 2 a.m. most nights (midnight on Sunday).
Galit
James Beard winner Zach Engel's Michelin-starred dinner runs four courses, each guest picking a dish per round; Tuesday to Thursday the communal table goes à la carte. Ask about the rotating wine pairing.
The Wieners Circle
Order a char dog with everything and a side of cheese fries, and bring a thick skin: the trash talk is part of the menu. After Bears wins the stand has given away free hot dogs by the thousand, and there's karaoke now too.
Noema
A modern Greek gastrobar on Fullerton in Lincoln Park: melitzanosalata and tirokafteri to share, grilled lamb chops, moussaka, and a long list of Greek wines. Closed Tuesdays.
Cafe Yaya
Galit's sister café builds its breakfast sandwich on flaky sesame borekas, with lamb sausage, egg and potato, plus labneh, harissa and a tomato jam. Tuesday to Sunday, 5 to 6, raw oysters are $2 and za'atar fries $4.
Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!
Chicago's first tapas bar, on Halsted since 1985, for pintxos, tapas and paella; the octopus, Galician-style with pimentón and olive oil, is the long-running signature.
Avli Taverna
A Greek taverna on a leafy Wrightwood block, twice a Michelin Bib Gourmand, with two cozy rooms and a seasonal patio. Weekdays 3 to 6, kataifi shrimp are $4 and spreads with pita $6; weekend brunch has bottomless mimosas.
Where to drink
Le Mistral
Twenty-odd candlelit seats tucked away at the back of S.K.Y., where the wine list leans French (Aligoté by the glass) and the cocktails are few but careful.
Kingston Mines
Running since 1968 and billed as the city's biggest, longest-running blues club, with two stages trading sets late into the night, every night of the week. There's food, so settle in.
The Albion Manor
An English pub on Webster, soccer on the screens downstairs and a cocktail parlour up top; British-Indian wings and fish and chips. Weekdays 4 to 6, the pub food is discounted.
The J. Parker
The glass-walled rooftop on the 13th floor of Hotel Lincoln, with 360-degree views over the park and lake and DJs on weekends. Brunch is bottomless.
Coffee and bakeries
Floriole Cafe & Bakery
A Lincoln Park bakery that grew out of a farmers-market stand: French-leaning pastries, seasonal sourdough and the B.A.D. (bacon, arugula, date) sandwich at lunch.
Things to do
North Avenue Beach
The city's busiest beach: volleyball, the ship-shaped beach house and the skyline at your back. Lifeguards are on from late May through Labor Day; bike in on the Lakefront Trail.
Lincoln Park Zoo
Free, open all 365 days and running since 1868. Gates open at 8 a.m. and the animal houses at 10; families head for the Farm-in-the-Zoo. Parking costs, so bike or bus in. In winter, ZooLights dates sell out.
Getting there
Take the Brown Line to Armitage, or the Red or Brown Line to Fullerton; between them they bracket the neighborhood.
Common questions
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