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 …

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 …

Looking for indoor golf near Lakeview? Bucktown Golf Club, about 15 minutes southwest at 2309 N. Damen Ave., runs three private Trackman simulator bays year-round. Membership is $150 a month, BYOB, with no contract.

Babe’s on Milwaukee, a neighborhood bar at 4416 N Milwaukee Ave in Portage Park, is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. (3 a.m. on Saturdays). The bar pours 11 taps of beer alongside whiskey, classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, wine by the glass or bottle, …

J.B. Alberto’s Pizza has served Rogers Park from 1326 W Morse Ave since 1965. The pizzeria specializes in thin-crust, tavern-cut pizza — cut into squares rather than wedges — along with deep-dish and stuffed pies, including a 24-inch pizza the menu calls “The Giant.” The menu also includes wings, fried …

Embody Pilates Studio offers private Pilates Reformer sessions at 4645 N. Kedzie Ave. in Albany Park, steps from the Kedzie Brown Line stop. Rather than large group classes, the studio works with individual clients one-on-one or in duets, where two people (such as friends or family members) train together in …

Xochimilco Mexican Restaurant has been serving the Lincoln Square area from 2030 W. Montrose Ave. since 2018, according to its website. The family-owned restaurant describes its approach as market-fresh ingredients and in-house preparation across a full dinner menu. The menu runs from entrees like lamb shank, tampiqueña and bistec ranchero …

Wild Goose Bar & Grill is a sports bar and restaurant at 4600 N. Lincoln Ave. in Lincoln Square. Owned and operated by Michigan State alumni, the bar dates back to 1989 and bills itself as Chicago’s best craft beer sports bar. The kitchen serves what the bar calls “home …

Urban Pooch Canine Life Center operates out of 4501 N Ravenswood Ave, at the corner of Sunnyside Avenue in the Ravenswood neighborhood, offering dog daycare, cage-free boarding, grooming and training under one roof. The business has been recognized with a Chicago Reader Best of Chicago award. The Canine Life Center’s …

Mexicolombia serves Mexican and Colombian dishes at 4129 S. Archer Ave. in Brighton Park. The restaurant describes its menu as a fusion of the two cuisines on its official website and can be reached at (773) 526-6921. Menu items include steak, lobster tacos, fried plantain, rice and salad, each listed …

La Brasileira Massage has opened a studio at 155 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 611, in the Loop, its second location after the original in Charlotte, N.C. The studio specializes in Brazilian lymphatic drainage massage and operates by appointment only. The menu includes body and facial lymphatic drainage massage, cupping, deep …

Standard Bar & Grill is a two-level sports bar at 1332 N Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park, pairing a full kitchen and bar menu with wall-to-wall game coverage on about 40 large screens and a 160-inch HD projector. The bar shows NFL, NBA, NHL, UFC, boxing, international soccer (including English …

Mott St serves Asian night-market inspired shared plates at 1401 N Ashland Ave in Wicker Park. The restaurant comes from the team behind Ruxbin — Executive Chef Edward Kim and partners Nate Chung, Vicki Kim and Jenny Kim — who built the concept around late-night cravings and the flavors of …

De Pasada serves tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas and enchiladas from its storefront at 1517 W Taylor St in Little Italy. The family-run restaurant offers dine-in, carryout, delivery and catering. The menu includes carne asada and al pastor tacos, “super tacos” topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream and guacamole, and …

Kasey’s Tavern has been pouring drinks at 701 S Dearborn St in Printers Row since 1974, a run that makes it, by its own description, Chicago’s second oldest tavern. The storefront sign and etched front windows still carry that “Established 1974” line for anyone walking the block. The bar’s draft …

Aroma Thai Spa operates at 3807 N Ashland Ave in Lake View, offering massage and spa services on a walk-in or appointment basis. The spa’s menu includes Swedish, deep tissue, Thai and prenatal massage, along with a couples massage, a walk-the-back massage, a combo massage, body scrubs and facial treatments. …

JLB Home Services LLC is a handyman and home repair company based at 3948 N Ashland Ave in Lake View. The company takes on residential and commercial repair and maintenance work across Chicago’s North Side, including Lakeview, North Center, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Lincoln Square and Uptown, according to …