News Chicago

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 …

Cafecito’s South Loop café sits at 26 E Congress Pkwy, near State Street, serving Cuban sandwiches, coffee and Latin American fare. It’s one of several Cafecito locations around Chicago, each built around pressed sandwiches and espresso drinks. The menu centers on the Cubano pressed sandwich — roasted pork, ham, Swiss …

Chicago Health Foods is a health food market and cafe at 22 W. Maple St. in the Gold Coast, carrying vitamins and supplements alongside a made-to-order deli counter. The cafe menu includes black bean burgers, wraps, fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies such as the Bun in the Sun, Knockout and Ultimate …

Craft & Carvery has opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 2101 W North Ave in Wicker Park, after a stint inside the now-closed Time Out Market Chicago. The restaurant serves brick-oven pizza, handcrafted sandwiches and a carving station offering meats by the half-pound. The sandwich menu includes a Brisket Melt, a …

Fry N’ Wings has opened a West Loop location at 36 S. Ashland Ave, bringing its Asian-fusion chicken wings to the neighborhood. The restaurant got its start in St. Charles in 2018 and has since added locations in Bolingbrook and Bloomingdale before coming to Chicago. The menu centers on bone-in …

Heritage Outpost serves coffee from the ground-floor lobby of Lawrence House, the renovated 1928 Art Deco building at 1020 W. Lawrence Ave. in Uptown. The counter pours espresso drinks made with Onyx coffee, which Heritage serves exclusively in its cafes, alongside a case of daily pastries. The shop shares the …

Coo Thai Cuisine serves Southern Thai food at 2932 N Broadway in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood, in a small dining room decorated with woven basket art and Thai pottery. The kitchen makes its curry pastes in house using traditional Southern Thai methods with coconut milk, galangal and kaffir lime leaf. …

Lateral Fitness is a boutique personal training gym on the lower level of 314 W. Superior St. in River North. The 11,000-square-foot studio has operated in the space since 2013. The gym pairs clients one-on-one with trainers rather than running group classes, offering personal training, Pilates instruction, physical therapy, massage …

Sapori Napoletani has opened at 8235 W. Irving Park Rd. in Dunning, bringing Neapolitan-style pizza and a full Italian menu to the corner storefront. The restaurant spans two floors with two bars and a rooftop patio. The kitchen runs on two wood-fired ovens for its Neapolitan pizzas, alongside a longer …

Half Sour, an all-day café and cocktail bar, occupies 755 S. Clark St. in Printers Row. On its Instagram account, the business describes itself as a neighborhood bar with cocktails, fine food and brunch. The menu runs from house-baked bagels and matzo ball soup to pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, …

Valedor is a cocktail lounge at 1620 N Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park, run by Spearhead Hospitality. The concept is built around the Mexican-Japanese community that grew in Mexico City after World War II, and the bar’s name is Spanish for someone who champions or defends a cause. The drink …

Vin Chicago, the wine and spirits shop at 1826 N Elston Ave in Bucktown, has been an independent, family-run fixture in the neighborhood for decades. The store traces its roots to 1934 and operated for years as Wine Discount Center before being rebranded as Vin Chicago, continuing under the same …

The Perch Kitchen and Tap operates at 1932 W. Division St. in Wicker Park, pairing a full-service restaurant and bar with an onsite brewery. The concept is a partnership between 4 Star Restaurant Group and Finch Beer Co., combining a wood-fired kitchen with house-brewed beer under one roof. The wood-fired …

The Bakehouse Chicago bakes pastries, cakes and coffee drinks at its Southport Avenue cafe in Lakeview, one of three locations the bakery runs in the neighborhood along with shops on North Sheridan Road and in Roscoe Village. All three are open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The case …

The Aberdeen Tap is a neighborhood bar at the corner of Aberdeen and Hubbard in West Town/River West, describing itself as “a friendly neighborhood bar serving a wide selection of beer, liquor, and unique bar food.” The bar has a sidewalk patio and garage doors that open to the street. …

Tabu serves Latin fusion shareable plates and an agave-focused cocktail list at 401 N. Morgan St., on the corner of Morgan and Kinzie in the West Loop. The restaurant’s bar is built around mezcal and tequila. Bar Tabú takes reservations and is closed Monday and Tuesday. The dining room includes …

Tuco & Blondie is a Mexican-American cantina at 3358 N. Southport Ave., in Lakeview’s Southport Corridor. The restaurant pairs a tequila- and mezcal-heavy bar with a menu of fajitas, tacos and enchiladas, served across an indoor dining room, bar and outdoor patio. The menu includes starters like guacamole, chile con …

Shuga Records operates a storefront at 3306 W. Armitage Ave. in Logan Square, in addition to its original location at 1272 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park. The Armitage Avenue store doubles as a retail shop and the warehouse for the company’s online and wholesale vinyl business. The shop sells …

Oh My Goodness Soul Eatery is serving soul food at 7920 S. Western Ave. in the Ashburn neighborhood, on the Western Avenue business corridor near 79th Street. The menu is built around soul food entrees and sides. Photos the restaurant has posted show dishes like fried shrimp, mac and cheese, …

Tortoise Supper Club serves prime rib, steaks and fresh seafood in a jazz-era dining room at 350 N. State St. in River North. The menu runs from oysters on the half shell and steak tartare to prime filet mignon, Beef Wellington, Chilean sea bass and a prime rib cut served …

The Exchange occupies the atrium of the historic Railway Exchange Building at 224 S. Michigan Ave. in the Loop, serving lunch, happy hour and dinner Wednesday through Saturday. The dining room sits beneath a three-story glass ceiling with a marble staircase, steps from the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park …

Sushi Taku Rotary has opened in Lincoln Park at 935 W Webster Ave, bringing a conveyor-belt, all-you-can-eat sushi format to the neighborhood. The restaurant is a branch of the Sushi Taku family, which also has locations in Wicker Park and Logan Square. At Sushi Taku Rotary, a rotating belt carries …

Silk Road of Chicago has been serving Chinese food from its Loop storefront on Adams Street for about two decades, a run long enough that the restaurant counts regulars who still come downtown specifically for its spicy chicken. The menu runs through familiar Chinese-American staples made to order in an …

Strings Ramen serves bowls of handmade ramen noodles at 1353 W Fullerton Ave in Lincoln Park, one of several Chicago-area locations for the shop, which says it has been making noodles in-house since 2014. The kitchen makes its noodles daily with an imported Japanese noodle maker and offers ramen in …