The home of hipsters with corporate jobs and families with young children, there’s a lot to love about Wicker Park. It has a plethora of independent restaurants, an electric vibe you feel the moment you hop off the blue line, a coffee shop on every block, live music venues that bring in famous acts, and noteworthy street art that makes it a fun place to take a walk. Here’s where I like to hang out:
| Restaurant/Store | What’s it good for? |
|---|---|
| Violet Hour (A homie favorite) | Taking your friend who lives in NYC but you want to move to Chicago. You’ll probably be surrounded by dates but that’s ok, there’s a good amount of privacy and it’s dark so you don’t have to listen to their awkwardness. |
| Dove’s Luncheonette (A homie favorite) | People watching and a filling brunch. It’s mainly counter seating, so bring one friend and one friend only. Also, order a drink to go with your Burnt Ends Hash. |
| Pub Royale (A homie favorite) | A bar with great food. Or is it a restaurant with great drinks? Both are equally good. It’s not what most would call “authentic” Indian, but it’s not trying to be. It’s like a British pub serving Indian food, and everything I’ve tried has been delicious. Especially the chicken tikka kati roll. |
| Big Star | Pleasing everyone. Everyone knows Big Star for a reason, it’s really good, and always fun. Start with a margarita pitcher, then order all the tacos. Once upon a time I was a vegan, so I ordered the tofu taco. And you know what? One of the best tacos I’ve ever had. What I’m trying to say is, you can’t go wrong here. |
| Mott St. | Sharing plates with your adventurous friend. Don’t skip the wings. Also, they’re very allergy friendly. |
| Enoteca Roma | Discovering your love of polenta (the real show-stopper here), and celebrating birthdays. The reason you’re here is for the “Mangia! Mangia!” feast, a ridiculous amount of Italian food just for $35 per person. |
| Innjoy | Feeling like you’re at a college house party but full of adults and dancing to oldies. Don’t miss the $1 jello shots. Or, if you’re rich, the $2 jello shots made with Tito’s. |
| Queen Mary | Feeling like you’ve been a regular here your whole life. Seriously, everyone is sleeping on Queen Mary. The warm hospitality here feels like you’ve been transported to the South, but on a boat and without the Confederate flags. The drinks are great, and the bartenders are great to talk to if you’re not crazy about the person you brought. |
| Joe’s Wine Cellar | Wine tastings, or, if you’re thirstier, buying the whole bottle |
| Bourbon on Division | Keeping the party going after Innjoy closes at 2am. |
| Janik’s Cafe | Ridiculously large omelettes and breakfast without a scene. |
| Colectivo Coffee – Wicker Park | When you really didn’t want coffee but wanted to go to a coffee shop. The baked goods are shockingly good, and there’s plenty of allergy friendly food. |
| Beadniks | Making your own jewelry or buying it if you’re not feeling artistic enough to do it yourself. There’s a lot of statues of Buddha here and a lot of unique art to see as you walk around the store. |
| Tres Bien Nails | A dependably good manicure with warm service. |
| Juko Nail and Skin Rescue | Drinking free wine while getting your nails done. |
| Milky & Honey Cafe | Making miracles happen. I don’t know what it is about this place but there’s magic here. I got my dream apartment after eating breakfast here. My friend had her first date with her fiancee here. If it’s Saturday, you want the huevos rancheros casserole. Also the coffee is great (it’s Intelligentsia). |
| Shawarma Garden | Comfort shawarma. I almost didn’t tell you about one of the best kept secrets. Bonus: it’s open late. |
| Sushi Taku – Wicker Park | Best all you can eat sushi in Chicago. You’ll know you’ve ordered enough when they bring out your sushi in a boat. But don’t skip on the apps either, in particular the chicken karaage and seaweed salad. Finish it all off with the tempura banana and mochi for dessert — you’ll find the room to eat it. |
| Field & Florist | Buying plants when you need help figuring out what you want. This garden level shop is indeed here to help you with your gardening and plant-filled apartment dreams. The floral selections are seriously impressive, and you’ll have a hard time leaving without one of the beautifully growing plants. The staff here is super knowledgeable, and when I told them I need a plant that can survive my black thumb they didn’t judge and just steered me the right way. In addition to plants and flowers, they also have a thoughtfully curated selection of reading material, with an emphasis on information about racism. In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests, they’ve been donating to organizations fighting systemic oppression. |
| Penelope’s | Funky and reasonably priced boutique clothes, shoes, and accessories for women and men. There’s also a small collection of art and other goods. Most everything is unique and totally not GAP-ish, but if you can’t find something at Penelope’s, you’re too picky. |
| Gemini | Instagramming where you’re shopping. The sister store of Penelope’s, Gemini has a similar vibe and offerings, but with a more complete selection of home goods. Personally, I’m yet to find a rug here that I don’t want to buy, although I’m still deciding in what situation it’s acceptable to use the boob bath matt. It’s clear that it’s the sophisticated, upscale, older sister, and perfects the minimalist yet colorful look. |
| Neighborly | Buying gifts or decorating your new apartment with Chicago-centric art. |
| Caffè Streets | People watching while sipping an expensive oat milk latte. Appreciate the coffee bar with the street lights prominently arching over the barista action, and look up at the ceiling. |
| Alliance Bakery | Window shopping the wildly creative cakes and buying an assortment of exotically flavored macarons. |
| Bordel | Cabaret & Cocktail Bar | A little cabaret and some good drinks. In case you can’t find it, walk in the restaurant and then find the door straight ahead and walk up the stairs. |
| Intelligentsia Coffee Wicker Park Coffee bar | Getting bags of coffee at a discount on a Saturday. There’s a handful of Intelligentsias around. This is the one in Wicker Park. |
| Antique Taco Wicker Park | Fish tacos and shockingly good desserts, or when the wait at Big Star is too long. |
| Whiskey Business | Dancing to popular songs on the second floor at midnight |
| Oiistar | Damn good ramen. I like the Oiistar classic. You can sub for rice noodles if you’re gluten intolerant. |
| Ina Mae Tavern & Packaged Goods | Themed trivia nights and po-boys. |
| Cumin | Getting your tikka masala fix. |
| Volumes Bookcafe | Coffee with a dose of personalized book recommendations. |
| The Delta | When you forgot to make a reservation for dinner. The tamales are spicy but not quite tear-invoking, and the drinks will numb you to their heat. |
| Dorian’s | Eccentric cocktails in a jazzy speakeasy. |
| No Bones Beach Club | Brunch with your vegan friend. Relax, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. |
| Tapster | Boardgames and indecisive drinkers. Tapster is a self-pour bar with mainly beer, but also some cider and cocktails on tap. There’s screens above all of the drinks so if you’re the type of person who needs to know how hoppy your beer is, you’ll be happy here. |
| Handlebar | Taking your vegan friend to dinner. Don’t complain — they’re saving the environment! |
| Scotch & Soda | Dressy hipster clothes. |
| Marine Layer | Expensive super soft clothes. |
| Mindy’s Bakery | Hot chocolate. After all, it used to be called Hot Chocolate! |
| Damen Access Point, The 606 | Taking a walk when you’re not near the lake. |
| Lottie’s Pub | Chicago Fire (the TV show, not the soccer team) fanatics and late night dancing. |
| Small Cheval | Not dealing with the wait at Au Cheval. |
| Irazu | Finding out you like Caribbean food, a casual meal with friends, BYOB |
