News Chicago

Paks on the Pier is a counter-service Asian restaurant inside Navy Pier, in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. It sits at Space SA-15 at 600 E. Grand Ave., between Doors 4 and 5. The menu centers on poké bowls, hand-rolled sushi and sushi burritos, with fillings such as spicy tuna, spicy salmon, …

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) …

Second City Suffering Report, Nov. 3: Caleb Williams throws for 247 with no turnovers, Jeffery Simmons sacks Darnold in his Bears debut, and Chicago's defense holds the defending champions to 252 yards and one third-down conversion in a 34-17 Monday night win at Lumen Field — 6-2, the best start since 2012.

Folklore Fabrics, a neighborhood fabric shop, opened at 1912 N. Damen Ave. in Bucktown with a grand opening weekend running October 30 through November 1, noon to 5 p.m. The shop focuses on apparel fabric, with an emphasis on natural fibers and European deadstock. Its shelves hold rolls of wool, …

Flatts & Sharpe Music Co. is a music shop and school at 6749 N. Sheridan Road in Rogers Park. The storefront sign promises “instruments, lessons, repairs, sheet music,” and the shop does all four. Private lessons are offered in piano, guitar and ukulele, voice, drums and percussion, violin and viola, …

Primal Barbell is a strength coaching studio at 4750 W. Peterson Ave. in Sauganash, focused on barbell training and real-food nutrition for men and women over 40 who want to get stronger and leaner. Its main program is the 90-Day Kingdom Body Reset, which combines weekly nutrition coaching, daily nutrition …

BioLife Organic Spa is a skincare and wellness spa at 2753 N. Ashland Ave. in Lincoln Park. Its Instagram account describes the spa as “the Beauty Expert” in Chicago and says it has been serving clients for more than 15 years. The treatment menu centers on organic facials, including organic …

Bruiser’s Auto Care, an auto repair shop that books and tracks repairs online, now has a Beverly location at 11044 S. Western Ave. It is the company’s second Chicago shop, after its original in Fulton Market. The shop’s website lets customers schedule a repair, follow the status of the work …

Ponce Restaurant is a Puerto Rican restaurant at 4313 W. Fullerton Ave., serving dine-in meals, takeout and delivery. Its website describes the cooking as authentic and family-oriented. The menu features lechon asado, pollo guisado, el jibarito and ensalada de camarones. Other dishes named on the site include pernil, arroz con …

New Dokil Bakery is a Korean-style bakery at 3844 W. Lawrence Ave. in Albany Park. It describes itself as an artisan bakery for freshly baked goods, artisan breads and Korean-style cakes, with an emphasis on less-sweet recipes made with bean pastes and fresh cream. The menu on its website is …

Lovely Pets Chicago, at 1830 W Irving Park Rd, is a family-owned pet care and grooming business serving dogs and cats on the North Center and Lakeview border. Grooming is the core service. For dogs, the menu runs from a Bath & Nails visit (shampoo and conditioner, blow dry, brushout …

Kie-Gol-Lanee, a family-run Oaxacan restaurant, serves traditional food from its Uptown location at 5004 N. Sheridan Rd. The name is the phonetic spelling of a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the restaurant also has a second location at 2901 W. Diversey Ave. in Logan Square. The menu centers on …

Caribbean American Bakery, also known as Caribbean American Baking Co., is a longtime Jamaican-style bakery at 1539 W. Howard St. on the Rogers Park side of the city’s far north edge, a short walk from the Evanston border. The shop sells beef, chicken and vegetable patties, hardough bread, bulla and …

Big Mini Putt Club is an indoor mini golf course with a full bar at 1302 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park, on the neighborhood’s Milwaukee Avenue nightlife stretch. The course has nine holes plus a bonus hole. A round is $11 per person Sunday through Thursday and $13 on …

Birdman Ramen is a ramen restaurant at 212 E Ohio St in Streeterville, built around poultry. Its Instagram describes it as Chicago’s first all-poultry ramen, with broths made from chicken, turkey and duck. The menu centers on three broths: Tokyo Shoyu, a clear chicken broth; Szechuan Tori Paitan, a spicy, …

ARFIT Dog Rehab and Fitness is a canine rehabilitation clinic at 2112 N. Clybourn Ave. in Lincoln Park. It also has a second location at 2518 Green Bay Rd. in Evanston, and both share the same phone number. The clinic’s programs include land-based resistance exercise, manual therapy, dry needling, massage …

Club Lucky is an Italian restaurant at 1824 W. Wabansia Ave., one block north of North Avenue between Ashland and Damen, in the Bucktown and Wicker Park area. It is open seven days a week and has a dining room, a cocktail lounge and a private Club Room. The dining …