Chicago
I lived in Chicago for almost twenty-five years and developed a short list of favorite coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants. These are the spots our family looks forward to going back to when we visit and the recommendations I share with friends!
Andersonville
m Henry - I love jorge’s black bean cakes, fannie’s killer fried egg sandwich, and sharing the bliss cakes and my husband loves the rustic quiche which comes with a lovely side salad.
Parson’s Chicken & Fish* - The burger is one of my favorites anywhere! If you like pickles, be sure to get a pickle drink of some kind. The slushies are also delicious on a hot day.
Anteprima - A perfect choice for a special dinner that is excellent every time. It is nice to go with a friend and share starters, a salad, pasta, and dessert. Favorites: octupus, orecchiette, lemon panna cotta.
Lost Larson -The croissants are great - try butter, chocolate, or chocolate hazlenut. You can’t go wrong with whatever speaks to you from the case!
First Slice* - I love their peanut butter chocolate pie so much that I will bring it home on the plane if I have flown! Our family all love it so much that we have to sometimes say “forks down” so there is equal opportunity eating. I also love the Latin Hip Hop Salad with chicken and they make a good latte!
Fiya - The hummus and Fiya salad are our go-tos but there are tons of great options!
Coffee Studio - I typically get their chai latte but have been known to get a doughnut too.
La Colombe - There are many locations around Chicago and they have excellent coffee. I love getting a latte but you can’t go wrong with ordering your usual favorite here.
boutique: Winifred Grace - I love everything about the shop! Winnie is wonderful and warm as is her staff. You can shop online even when you aren’t in the city. My favorite shoes were purchases through WG (KJ Made), my locket with my son’s photo (taken by local photographer A Little Photo Studio, and several special pieces! They also offer permanent jewelry and I made a very specific intention with mine which served as a reminder to me leading to reprioritizing some important things in my life.
Rogers Park / Edgewater
Smack Dab. - Teeny and her team are an incredible force for good in the local community and their food is fantastic. The vegan doughnuts, Best Seller Breakfast Sandwich (bacon jam!), and dirty (golden) chai are my favorites. One year, after returning from a trip, we ordered delivery and it arrived with a note from Teeny welcoming us home. To me, this is the epitome of being known in your community and they include everyone - be sure to check it out!
Hema’s* - We lived near Chicago’s Little India and it is one of the things I miss most about not living in Chicago anymore. After my husband attended a colleague’s wedding reception at Hema’s, it became our go-to. We typically ordered samosas and naan (sometimes garlic) and then chana masala, chicken or vegetable biryani, and dum ki gobi matar.
Metropolis Coffee* - The Edgewater location is the original and predates a lot of other coffee shops we frequented. We have a ton of memories of going there to read and talk, maybe work, and eventually take our son as a baby who took to coffee almost immediately!
Sauce and Bread - Mike and Anne are both amazing people who always made it a treat to visit. They are constantly innovating and bring incredible creativity to their food. They opened SBK when our son was about a year old and one of my all-time favorites photos (which we even used as a Christmas card) was him sitting at their bar with a coffee cup at around age 2 or 3. During the worst days of the pandemic, we would look forward to getting their amazing pizza on Friday nights, shopping the fresh foods they put together for customers, and then watching Ted Lasso and pretending like life was normal.
Edge of Sweetness - Permanently Closed (but had to include it because of many happy sweet treat memories with our son)
Lickity Split* - A favorite spot to meet friends for custard. Their original location is on Broadway and then miraculously, a second spot opened on Western Avenue very close to where we lived. Loads of memories meeting our friends there and playing at the nearby park. My favorite was Mocha Madness but subbing out the dark chocolate chips for butterfinger (is that right, Leila, if you’re reading?) It is a super fun spot for kids too.
Evanston
Comida - This is a refined take on Mexican food with a fun rooftop for good weather days. It is a fun spot to meet a friend for margaritas and chips and guacamole but you cannot go wrong with any of their food!
Five & Dime - In good weather, their rooftop is a popular spot to go. Directly above their sister restaurants (Lulu’s and The Blue House Tavern), you can order items of of several menus which makes it a crowd pleaser. Lulu’s Ginger Salad is a go-to for me (same thing when I go to Lulu’s although I also love the Bento Box there). For me, Five & Dime is mostly about the outdoor vibe!
Hewn* - The original Evanston location was further south (closer to where we lived) which we frequented often for coffee, bread, and pastries! It moved further north (closer to where I worked) and was a frequent stop for me (and my colleagues). They have grown a lot but give back to the community, have a wonderful team, and truly delicious bread and pastries. It is a must-stop when we go back.
La Principal - The short-rib taco is my favorite here. They make a great margarita and do a really nice job with their takeout as well as in-restaurant experience.
Backlot Coffee* - We have followed John Kim around to favorite coffee shops - Brothers K, The Other Brother, and eventually Backlot. You’ll get a consistently good cup of coffee and nice atmosphere to meet a friend or sit and work/read a bit.
Ward Eight - While known for their cocktails, I actually always loved their small menu of food - porbably one of my favorites spots to go! I met friends here a lot and also would go for a drink and dinner with my husband from time to time. The Hemingway is unebeliveably good and it looks like they have different food rotating through but back in the day, the nachos were incredible.
Cupitol* - This is my son’s favorite spot and he loves the Breakfast Sandwich (fried egg, bacon, American cheese, croissant). I love it as well but also will order the European Breakfast (yogurt, granola, berries). They have great pancakes and a really yummy sweet potato bowl with a vegan coconut curry if you want something richer. This is also on our must-go list when we visit!
Cross-Rhodes - An unassuming Greek spot in south Evanston (and cash only!), we loved the Traditional Greek Salad, Egg Lemon Soup (still dream about this), and the Maria fries. We loved getting it to go and then eating it at the waterfront.
Logan Square
Chiya Chai* - This is a spot I loved frequenting with my friend Angela but was also known to drive a very long way to get the Masala Curry Fries for myself when the mood struck! I really like the Cauliflower Peas & Potatoes. The selection of chai is incredible and I often got the Black Pepper Clove.
SABA Italian Bar & Grill - Another spot I learned about from Angela (we obviously met in Logan Square a lot!) which is delicious. It has a fun vibe and the pasta and pizza options are great!
Dos Urban Cantina - A bit of a theme here but this spot is also one Angela and I enjoyed meeting here but they are now permanently closed.
Lincoln Square & Ravenswood
Cafe Selmarie - Permanently Closed but had to leave it on the list because my husband and I spent hours and hours here when we first moved to Chicago. They closed after 40 years of business!
Bagel Miller - When we first started going here, it was called Baker Miller. A fun spot for brunch with great bagel sandwiches and coffee, it is a fun local spot!
Spoken - This is another one of our must-gos when we return to Chicago. Originally called Beans & Bagels, my husband used to go there when he worked in Ravenswood. Sidoine and her husband/business partner, Will purchased the shop and have infused their Louisiana roots into the food. My son likes to build his own breakfast sandwich, I love the grits (my mouth is watering), and my husband roates through a few items but we all like the Wendy Davis, the bagels with one of their special cream cheese flavors, and sharing one (or more) Do-Rite doughnuts. They have a big emphasis on earth-friendly products (way before more people were doing it) and have a cup rental system in place for coffee. They also sell pickled items and jams so I love bringing a piece of Spoken home with me when we stop by.
Burbs/North Shore
Pequod’s Pizza* (Morton Grove) - Our friend Lynn introduced us to Pequod’s and words truly cannot express my love for their pepperoni pizza. I don’t usually love deep dish but when the edges are carmelized, apparently I do! Our order is always the same - Pequods salad with a side of Ranch and a side of Italian which we then use to dip our pizza crust in. It is a hole in the wall and you may be confused when you get there, but just trust me.
Three Tarts (Northfield) - This little spot has incredible little sweet treats and cakes but also great food options which makes it a fun spot to get takeout for a trip to the beach or to meet a friend and linger long enough to move from food to treat!
Other To Dos
Chicago Skyline from the Wendella Sunset Architecture Tour, July 2025
Wendella Architectural Tour - I love the sunset tour. Beautiful views of the city and it is always fun and educational.
Lake Michigan - I love the beauty of the lake and there are many ways to enjoy it depending on where you are in the city. We lived far noth in Chicago so spent a lot of time in Evanston and the beaches and lakefront parks are lovely. Grab a coffee or lunch and enjoy the view! Of course, there is a lakefront path all along the city where people love to walk, run, and bike!
Chicago Botanic Garden - I have so many good memories of taking my son here when he was little. We would go alone, we met friends, and even watched the solar eclipse there together in 2017. There is a really special train area that kids and adults love! I highly recommend gioing but be aware it is in Glencoe (not Chicago) and is a bit of a journey if you’re coming from the city!
*Multiple locations
