News Chicago

Verzênay Chicago, a French patisserie and bakery-cafe, occupies a storefront at 2507-2509 N Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park. The business got its start as a booth at the Green City Market, supplying wholesale to hotels such as The Drake, the Peninsula and Le Meridien, as well as local coffee shops …

Frank & Mary’s Tavern has been pouring drinks at 2905 N. Elston Ave. in Avondale since 1972, a history the bar marks on its own signage as “Est. A Long Time Ago.” The longtime neighborhood dive has recently been refreshed, with the tavern’s Instagram bio noting it “has been given …

Mi Lindo San Jose is a grocery store at 3519 W. Chicago Ave. in Humboldt Park. A sign above the entrance reads “Productos Ecuatorianos,” and the shop stocks groceries and specialty ingredients from Ecuador alongside everyday staples. Shelves carry fresh produce, frozen items such as tree tomato (tomate de árbol) …

Tortorice’s Pizza & Catering serves Chicago-style deep dish and thin crust pizza, along with a gluten-free crust option, from its West Town location at 1746 W. Grand Ave. The deep dish, made with what the restaurant calls a caramelized burnt cheese crust option, is a signature item, alongside jumbo wings, …

LYRIQ Music School runs a studio at 1909 W Byron St in Northcenter, one of two Northcenter locations the school operates; the other is at 1906 W Irving Park Rd. The school offers private and small-group lessons in piano, voice, violin, guitar and other instruments for students from age 5 …

The People’s Cafe is open on Belmont Avenue in Avondale, serving coffee and pastries from the storefront that previously housed Cultura Cafe. The cafe is a partnership between building owner and People’s Cafe founder Mary Sommers and new operators Nicholas McMillan and Coco Wallace. The menu features coffee from Common …

Piece, a brewery and pizzeria on North Avenue in Wicker Park, has served New Haven-style thin-crust pizza and house-brewed beer since 2001 in a converted former roofing and construction building. The menu includes New Haven-style pizzas, such as the Tomato Pie, the White Clam pie and a classic pepperoni pie, …

Offset BBQ serves slow-smoked barbecue at 1720 N. California Ave. in Humboldt Park, near the California Avenue entrance to the 606 trail. The kitchen smokes chicken, pork, brisket and St. Louis-style ribs over an offset smoker, the style the restaurant is named for, and serves the meats by the pound …

Kameya Ramen & Sushi serves Korean-Japanese fusion fare at 604 W Belmont Ave in Lakeview, pairing Japanese-style ramen and a full sushi roll list with Korean comfort food and rice bowls. The ramen lineup spans chicken katsu, pork belly, shrimp tempura, veggie miso, curry, kimchi, seafood and a creamy cheese …

The latest Second City Suffering Report episode leads with the Bears trading two first-round picks to the Titans for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, plus the Cubs' free agents and the Blackhawks' loss at Detroit.

Thee European Spa, a day spa for men and women at 5927 N Milwaukee Ave in Norwood Park (the business’s Instagram bio places it in Gladstone Park), offers massage, facials, body treatments and nail and waxing services. Massage options include Swedish, deep tissue, sports, hot stone, reflexology, scalp, couples and …

The Menomonee Club, a nonprofit community center founded in 1946, runs its Drucker Center at 1535 N. Dayton St. in Chicago’s Old Town and Lincoln Park area. The organization is marking its 80th year serving area children and families in 2026. At the Drucker Center, the club offers supervised gym …

The Giant Penny Whistle, a tavern and live-music venue at 1854 S. Blue Island Ave. in Pilsen, is open every night starting at 5 p.m. The bar spans roughly 5,000 square feet across adjoining storefronts, with a dance floor, pool table, vintage photo booth and a stage for live acts …

Thairapy Plus Salon & Spa operates at 4247 N. Lincoln Ave. in North Center, offering haircuts, styling and color, keratin treatments, facials, nail services, waxing, brow and lash services, and vegan airbrush tanning. The facial menu ranges from a 60-minute Essential cleanse to a 75-minute Firming treatment that includes red-light …

Taste Food & Wine, a wine and specialty food shop at 1506 W. Jarvis Ave. in the Jarvis Square stretch of Rogers Park, carries wines from around the world alongside craft beer, small-batch spirits, artisan cheese and charcuterie, and handmade chocolates. The shop has anchored the Jarvis Square business strip …

Suncatcher Brewing, a neighborhood pub brewery at 2849 W. Chicago Ave. in Humboldt Park, pours a rotating list of house-made beers alongside guest drafts. The current lineup includes an IPA built with Pacific Northwest hops, a low-ABV Porter with a touch of rye, a Michigan Pale Ale, an Island Lager …

Roscoe Village Pub has anchored the corner of Addison and Leavitt streets in North Center since 2014, run as a family-owned, dog-friendly neighborhood bar. The pub completed a patio remodel that added picnic-style tables, hanging planters, and a brick fireplace area with mounted screens for watching games outdoors. The bar’s …

Wigglyville, a pet boutique and grooming salon, operates a storefront in the West Loop at 1137 W. Madison St. The location, described on the company’s site as sitting “in the heart of the West Loop neighborhood,” has been open since 2011, making it the second Wigglyville store after the original …

A Perfect Sign, Inc. is a graphic design studio based in Edgewater that specializes in architectural and environmental graphic design — wayfinding signage, donor recognition walls, directories and interior murals — for schools, health care facilities, nonprofits and corporate clients, according to its website. The studio’s portfolio includes cafeteria and …

Jiang Niu BBQ House has opened a Lincoln Park location at 1523 N Kingsbury St, joining the Korean Chinese fusion BBQ brand’s existing Chinatown and Orland Park restaurants. The concept centers on Dongbei-style barbecue from northeast China blended with Korean grill traditions, served all-you-can-eat at tabletop grills. Diners cook their …

The Robey occupies the 1929 Art Deco Northwest Tower at the six corners of North, Milwaukee and Damen avenues, anchoring the border between Wicker Park and Bucktown. The 89-room boutique hotel pairs Tower Rooms in the landmark high-rise with 20 loft-style Annex rooms in an adjoining converted 1905 warehouse, with …

Little Joe’s has poured drinks at 1041 W Taylor St in Little Italy since 1946, one of the longest-running bars on Taylor Street. The dive bar describes itself as a place “where old school Italy meets Chicago grit,” serving a full bar alongside food from La Katrina’s kitchen. More at …

Jarvis Square Tavern sits at 1502 W. Jarvis Ave., anchoring the small commercial strip in Rogers Park known as Jarvis Square. The bar pours 16 taps of local craft beer, with an emphasis on minority-owned breweries, alongside bottles, cans, wine and a full bar. The cocktail list includes an Old …

Eggsperience has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner from 3233 N. Broadway in Lakeview since 2018, when it opened in the former Melrose Diner space. All egg dishes are made with free-range, USDA organic, non-GMO eggs from local farmers, a hallmark across the family-owned restaurant group’s Chicago-area locations. The menu …