Favorite Chicago Places

Alright. Bemidjians. I love that faraway town. You know I do. But in the two-plus years I’ve lived in Chicago, I’ve fallen in love with it. Especially since I moved out of south-side Hyde Park and into Lakeview, which is a social hotspot for ages 20-35. One of the hottest in America, in fact. And yet, I still try to avoid some very thick veins of social activity, particularly along the Wrigleyville Clark St. strip, which is teeming with frat-type bars. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite places in Lakeview:

 Matilda: Anyone who’s visited me here has also visited Matilda. In the past year, this has become the staple once (or more) per week hangout. Thursday night is ours. The staff has probably missed us no more than four times. And they love us there. It’s our Cheers. Great food, decent beer & wine selection, and a very interesting decor. It’s a bit on the pricey side, and the minimum age is 23 (they can do that in Chicago!), but it’s nice because it keeps the college crowd out. Decent specials during the week (along with having a few friends that work there) make this fairly cheap if you plan it right.

The Fixx This is the coffee shop right across the street from Matilda. Everyone at The Fixx knows everyone at Matilda, and, obviously, vice versa. Very nice, very quiet coffee shop with lots of room and a very friendly staff. The mixed coffee drinks are excellent, as far as I can tell (although I usually just get a black coffee). They also have lots of open-mic (every Wednesday) and other performances.

 Sheffield’s: As far as I can tell, this is the best bar to go to in my neighborhood if you want an excellent craft-brewed beer selection. On the surface, it looks like a lot of bars in the Wrigleyville area (other than the rockin’ beer garden), but it seems to be just far enough away to avoid the worst crowds. The staff is cool, too.

For the best beer selections in Chicago, head to Hopleaf up north in Andersonville or Maproom out west in Bucktown. Yes, they serve Miller Lite. But they charge $5 per bottle, and only $3 for their current special, which has always been a great beer everytime I go. The Maproom, as far as I can tell, is better for beer, but they have almost no food. They may have free food set out or something. They also have a huge National Geographic collection. The Hopleaf has such a great food menu, you can bring your foolish non-beer drinking friends or family knowing that they’ll be satisfied as well. The Lincoln Tap Room and Longroom are also excellent for beer. The Longroom’s beer selection may even rival Hopleaf’s and Maproom’s, but it’s so smoky in there, I can’t appreciate the beer as well. I’ve heard of other bars, such as Smallbar, but I have yet to visit that one.

 Finally, I can’t talk about all these bars without mentioning Goose Island Brewery down on North and Clybourn (because the Wrigleyville location sucks).  Goose Island has the largest brewery in Chicago and an enormous range of beers. Many of these will only ever be available at the North and Clybourn location, although you can buy more popular varieties of GI across the country. They only sell their own brand of beers, but I’ve only had a couple that were mediocre at worst. And I should know. I’ve almost completed my Goose Island MBA (Masters of Beer Appreciation). 6 more beers to go!