First Timer In Chicago

nsxtasy May 19, 2008 11:57 AM

Winchester is a block east of Damen, which is 2000W in our numbering system. Note that in our grid system, a street keeps the same name and location (in this case, about 1950W) even if it stops and starts in discontinuous stretches. It sounds like you're referring to the stretch between North Avenue (1600N) and Webster (2200N). That neighborhood is called Bucktown, and nearby neighborhoods include Wicker Park to the south, Lincoln Park and Old Town to the east, and Logan Square to the west.

For dining recommendations in Bucktown and Logan Square, see www.chowhound.com/topics/519499

And for places around Wrigley Field:
www.chowhound.com/topics/373516

I think the one "can't miss" specialty in Chicago is our Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. There are a lot of places serving great pizza here, and the chains (with the exception of non-downtown locations of Uno's) do quite a good job of maintaining consistent quality across many locations. Take your pick - double-crust "stuffed" pizza from Giordano's, Edwardo's, or Bacino's, or single-crust "pan" pizza from Lou Malnati's, Pizano's, Gino's East, or the original location of Uno's - you can't go wrong with any of these. You can phone your order ahead of time if you want to avoid waiting 30-45 minutes while seated for your pizza to bake; you can find their menus and locations on their websites. Giordano's is the closest to Wrigley, with a location on Belmont a half mile south of the ballpark.

We have some wonderful contemporary American, casual fine dining restaurants. IMHO the very best ones in the city include:

one sixtyblue - www.onesixtyblue.com
Blackbird - www.blackbirdrestaurant.com
Aigre Doux - www.aigredouxchicago.com
Custom House - www.customhouse.cc
North Pond - www.northpondrestaurant.com

North Pond, in addition to having wonderful food, has an exquisite setting, too. It's right in the middle of Lincoln Park (the park, not the neighborhood), on the pond (the building used to be the place where people would rent ice skates in winter), with the city skyline as a backdrop at the opposite end of the pond.

If I had to recommend just one of these places, it would be one sixtyblue for the food, and North Pond for the atmosphere, but there are lots of such excellent places; these are just the very best IMHO.

Also note that some of these restaurants are closed on Mondays. For recommendations of those open Mondays, see www.chowhound.com/topics/455953

We also have some excellent Mexican restaurants. Before you start thinking, "Oh, we have those at home", please realize that these feature very creative provincial Mexican cuisine. Take a look at the menus on their websites and you'll see what I mean. Fonda del Mar ( www.fondaonfullerton.com ) is in Logan Square.

Fox and Obel is worth a mention, too. It's an upscale gourmet grocery store downtown, just a wonderful place to shop for prepared foods as well as basic ingredients. They also have a cafe in the rear that's open day for a meal or a snack. www.fox-obel.com

There are lots more places, particularly in outlying neighborhoods where you find more ethnic places (Thai, Indian, etc).

So those would be my first recommendations. You can find more detailed discussions about specific types of food here in these other topics:

Fine dining:
www.chowhound.com/topics/368683

Steakhouses:
www.chowhound.com/topics/359377

Seafood:
www.chowhound.com/topics/370202

Italian:
www.chowhound.com/topics/360990

Pizza:
www.chowhound.com/topics/327474
www.chowhound.com/topics/319254

Thai:
www.chowhound.com/topics/491970

Mexican:
www.chowhound.com/topics/463572

Greek:
www.chowhound.com/topics/119233

Barbecue:
www.chowhound.com/topics/360674
www.chowhound.com/topics/453036

Tapas:
www.chowhound.com/topics/370492
www.chowhound.com/topics/366524