Now that I’ve lived here for SEVEN (!!) years, it feels like it’s time to finally make a comprehensive list of all of my favorites. One of the most common questions I get asked on a daily basis in my messages or Q&A boxes is “where should I go when I visit chicago” or various other recommendations for residents who live here, too. While this isn’t a totally formal guide, it is an official list I’ll continuously update and share. This will make it super easy to send/pass around whenever you’re in a pinch and making the doomed “Where should we eat tonight” decisions. Be sure to go to my “codes” page for more local codes and send along any recs I may have missed!
Without further adieu (in no particular order) —
Restaurants:
Girl and the goat
Ema
Aba
Barrio
Sushi San
Planta
Soho house (brunch)
Andros Taverna
Rose Mary
Somerset
Blue door kitchen and farm stand (brunch)
Summerhouse Santa Monica
Lux bar
Eduardos
Cafe ba ba reba
Mercadito
True food kitchen
Beatrix
Doc b’s
Nobu (inside menu is best)
Chicago q
La Storia (beautiful outdoor)
Avlí
Chikitana
Pizzeria portofino
Rpm Italian
Lyra
Le colonial
Cira
Cabra
Avec
Bavette’s
Gibson’s
Club Lucky
Izakaya at Momotaro (basement, more casual, fun and delish!)
Steak 48
Duck Duck Goat
Piccolo Sogno
Date spots:
Untitled supper club
Cafe baba Reba
Green door tavern downstairs(speakeasy)
Berkshire room
Broken shaker (fave)
Arbella
Sparrow
Lazy bird
Nobu (roof for drinks)
JParker roof
LondonHouse roof
Milk Room at Chicago Athletic Association
Hi-Lo
The Meadowlark
Cafes:
Food by Fare
Juice rx
Chicago raw – fav açaí bowl
Real good stuff co – best avocado toast, tons of GF/vegan options
Left coast food and juice
Fairgrounds
Goddess and baker
Foxtrot market
Restoration hardware – 3 arts club cafe
Sawada coffee
La Colombe (oat black and tan)
Edie’s Cafe
Sawada
Hexe coffee
Desserts
Ingrained
Vaca’s creamery (oat milk soft serve….)
Jeni’s
Sweet Mandy B’s
ECBG cakes (my virgo cake!)
Beauty
Kathy Debski hair – color
Mario triccoci – hair cuts (and offer tons else!)
Bnb beauty – brows lashes
Lapiel – facials, laser hair removal – my name for 10% off first treatment
The now massage – massage
Lume – massage, IV, sauna, Cryo
Joey soluvly – makeup
Legendary – best manicure of your life
LUME – Code bunundone50 for IV, sauna, cryo, boosters
Workouts
Delos Strength – 30-minute strength based workouts, where I personal train
Bodyrok – my favorite megaformer pilates
The Space Between Yoga – elite yoga, best vibes/aesthetic
SoulCycle – Naz, Isiah, Aya are my faves
Rumble – boxing / strength combo, killer 60 minutes
Things to do:
Bean (obligatory)
Walk lakefront / river walk
Scratch goods
Architecture tour
Shedd aquarium
Sky deck
Season – wrigley / cubs game
Shopping – Michigan ave, armitage / halsted, Southport
Rooftop Cinema Club
Book aura photos/sessions with @revealingsoul
Aire ancient Baths
Kayak the river
Signature room at the John Hancock
