photo: courtesy of Bridget Cicenia
Sure, sports and suds rule Wrigley, but if you exit at
Addison you'll also find vegan French toast, German sausage, an alligator appetizer and more.
Where to chill
Pick Me Up Cafe
This spot serves a mean cup of organic Joe waaay into the wee hours. The servers will gladly grant as many refills as you like, and will even recommend a quality snack if you ask them to. By no means is it fine dining, but at 2 a.m. Pick Me Up's vegetarian- and vegan-friendly fare tastes mighty fine to most. Sit down with one of the best mochas in the city and draw a picture—they just might hang it on the wall—or relax in the soft booths as you nosh vegan French toast.
Good for groups
Uberstein
Nestled among a few hundred Irish, sports, trendy and more sports bars, Uberstein's big beer garden stands out in the crowd. Inside you'll find beer-hall bench-seating, blue-and-white tablecloths lining the many tables and white walls with wood trim that give the place a plastic, old-world farmhouse kind of feel. The bar has big ceramic taps for the beer, and shelves full of steins hang throughout. There's even oompah music playing and a menu full of German standards—various sausages ending in "wurst," along with schnitzel and big Bavarian pretzels. But the real focus here is on the Munich-brewed Hoffbrauhaus beers, served cold and by the liter, if you dare.
Cheap eats
Cozy Noodles & Rice (Wrigleyville)
It's hard to not be taken over by the absolute cuteness of this BYOB restaurant as soon as you walk in the door. Shelves surrounding the small space stock meticulously arranged old school toys, such as Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots and vintage Pez dispensers. The fairly typical Thai menu offers a little of everything, and you shouldn't hesitate to try it all. Crisp vegetable egg rolls come stuffed with a generous portion of filling, and the tofu salad perfectly combines spicy hot peppers with a dash of lime. Prices are fair, if not even a little cheap. Most entrees cost about $6, and the Monday through Friday lunch special pairs an entree with your choice of appetizer for about $5.50.
In-the-know spot
Raw Bar and Grill
The only thing served raw at this spot are the oysters, but it'll take an adventurous diner to try what's offered here (alligator, ostrich, octopus and frog legs). The exotic alligator meat, smothered in creamy tarragon wild mushroom sauce, tastes tender and delicious, and the ostrich meat, blackened and served in a burgundy wine sauce, is a perennial favorite. The rest of the menu consists mostly of fresh seafood and Mediterranean-inspired fare. A sometimes-rollicking bar adjoins a more subdued room called the Ivory Lounge, which has live music most nights.
Best of the nighttime world
Lakeview Broadcasting Company
Fans of this eye-candy joint like the LBC because it feels like a friend's apartment—only it's a very rich friend, who has a slick style and taste for the finer things. A hip metropolitan vibe runs thick: The staff wears uniforms designed by Fall Out Boy's bassist-turned-fashion-mogul Pete Wentz, and whimsical food offerings ($3-$12) include taffy apple salad and PB & J maki. Models lounge, listen to music and play Connect Four in a glass booth, lending a bit of L.A.-style voyeurism to the scene. Hip-hop tunes from the DJ booth keep the crowd grooving.
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