News Chicago

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 …

Weston’s Coffee & Tap Co. is a neighborhood café at 4872 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Jefferson Park, directly across from the Jefferson Park Transit Center, focused on espresso, coffee, tea and sandwiches. The café pours Metropolis Coffee through espresso drinks, lattes and cold brew, alongside fresh pastries and breakfast items. …

Electric Mud Coffee Bar sits at 1856 N. Western Ave. in Logan Square, inside a storefront marked by a glowing “MUD” neon sign and the shop’s name lettered across the window. It’s one of several Chicago coffee bars run by Dark Matter Coffee, the Chicago-based roaster founded in 2007, and …

Dollop Coffee Co. runs a cafe on the ground floor of One Prudential Plaza at 130 E Randolph St in the Loop, listed on the company’s site as the “Pru” location. Chicago-owned and operated since 2005, Dollop roasts its own coffee and bakes its own pastries, serving espresso drinks, drip …

Nick’s Beer Garden has anchored the corner of 1516 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park since 1994, continuing a run that started at Halsted and Armitage in 1977. The bar sits under the Blue Line tracks and is built around its namesake outdoor beer garden, along with a pool table, …

Iron Mine Gym operates at 6628 W. Irving Park Road in Dunning, a bodybuilding- and powerlifting-focused gym built around what it calls its “world-class machines.” The gym is staffed Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and members can enter …

Fatso’s Last Stand operates a location at 1982 N. Clybourn Ave. in Lincoln Park, alongside its longtime original spot on West Chicago Avenue in Ukrainian Village. The menu includes char dogs charred over flame rather than steamed, charred Polish sausage, smash burgers such as the Super Ooey Gooey (stuffed with …

Code of Conduct is a custom tattoo studio at 14 E. 11th St. in the South Loop, tucked beneath the L tracks near State Street. The shop has operated in the neighborhood since 2010, with a small resident team of tattooers working across styles including traditional, black and gray, realism, …

Carnicerias Guanajuato runs a Mexican grocery and taqueria at 1436 N. Ashland Ave. in Wicker Park, one of four Chicago locations the family-run market operates. The Ashland Avenue store is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The taqueria counter at the back of the store serves tacos, burritos …

Cafe Deko has been serving specialty coffee from its Art Deco-themed storefront at 800 W. Diversey Pkwy in Lake View since 2021. The shop’s interior pairs vintage-inspired fixtures with a vibrant, plant-filled dining room, plus a small outdoor patio for warmer months. The menu centers on a house specialty blend …

Bub City is a barbecue restaurant, whiskey bar and live country music venue at 435 N. Clark St. in River North, with a stage for live bands, a happy hour and a late-night menu on weekends. The kitchen’s house-smoked barbecue includes brisket, baby back ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken wings …

Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, a 549-seat theater at 175 E. Chestnut St. in Streeterville, continues to host touring and Chicago-premiere Broadway productions under operator Broadway In Chicago, which has run the venue since it was rebranded Broadway Playhouse in 2010. The theater is currently staging Jekyll & Hyde, …

Benjyehuda, a fast-casual falafel and shawarma shop, operates a location at 10 S LaSalle St in the Loop, inside the building’s retail concourse. The name combines owner Benjy Rosen’s first name with Ben Yehuda, the well-known pedestrian street in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and the business has been serving the …

Agora Market is a neighborhood grocery store at 2134 N. Western Ave., near the Logan Square/Bucktown boundary. The store carries organic produce, cheese, bakery goods, deli items, custom butcher cuts and a global pantry selection, alongside local and specialty brands. The market is organized into sections for produce, cheese, bakery, …

Aglaïa Coffee and Tea Company is an owner-operated café at 925 W Chicago Ave in River West, serving organic coffee and tea alongside baked goods that are entirely gluten-free. Everything baked in-house is 100% gluten-free, and the menu runs from espresso drinks and brewed coffee to smoothies and teas, served …