Things To Do
Cloud Gate
AKA the "BEAN" Have you bean to Chicago if you haven't got your fingerprints on the bean?
John Hancock Observatory
Enjoy a 360 view of the city from the 94th floor Daily: 9 AM - 11 PM Adult (12 and over) from $30 Youth (3 to 11) from $20 Children (Under 3) Free
Half Acre Beer Co
- Brewery with a kitchen - Not BYOF (Not "bring your own food") - A classic Chicago brewery - Well-founded, no specialties; best known for the cult classic, "Daisy Cutter"
Hop Butcher For The World Brewery
- Brewery; no kitchen - Not BYOF - Well-rounded craft beer with a menu that updates daily; Best known for their million and one IPAs
Air and Water Show
Aug 19 Sat and Aug 20 Sun from 10am-2pm, FREE Admission
Botanic garden
$14-18 for admission
Une Année | Hubbard's Cave Brewery & BBQ
- Brewery with a kitchen - Not BYOF - Mediocre BBQ, but their dessert/imperial stouts, double/hazy IPAs, sours, and Belgians all make up for it (:
Choong Man Chicken(CM chicken/충만치킨)
- Korean Fried Chicken with a lot of variety - They offer bone-in and boneless, sandwiches, gizzards - Located in the Lincolnwood Mall
Chicago Riverwalk
Enter into google maps: Entrance from West of Franklin Street; West of Clark Street; East of State Street. 1.25mi walkway along Chicago river, access to shops or restaurants and views of Chicago architecture.
Buckingham Fountain
Iconic landmark in Grant Park, great for photos!
Crisp
- Korean fried chicken and bibimbap - Sizeable wings, fair price, full flavor - Awesome wings, and they're located near a lot of things like - Intelligentsia Coffee Broadway Coffeebar - Wang's Cocktail bar - Del Seoul (Korean + Mexican fusion food)
Honeybear Cafe
- a BYOB brunch place with huge portions and plenty of options - Plenty of street parking available
Lagunitas Brewing Company Chicago
Massive Willy Wonka style brewery with awesome brews. Enjoy a free tour and drink with friends.
Chicago's First Lady Cruises
Enjoy a boat tour of Chicago architecture. Apparently, #1 boat tour in NA, take that how you will but enjoy the views from the Chicago river.
m.henry
- a classic, farm-to-table brunch place with freshly baked pastries
Doughnut Vault
- huge, photogenic donuts near our college, UIC - it's a hassle to get to, hard to spot, donuts are sold out before 12pm - BUT, if you love donuts, you gotta go
Firecakes Donuts
- award-winning donuts, known for their "Tahitian Vanilla Iced" - multiple locations
Superdawg Drive-In
- Touristy thing to get if you like hot dogs!
DAWG PARK
- ...more hot dogs, but less classic and more gourmet - a nice option to go to outside of the city - oddly authentic Thai flavors
Alice & Friends' Vegan Kitchen
- Are we the type of people who'd ever pick vegan options? No. - But, if we had to, this would be the place. - Variety, flavor, meatless
Osito's Tap
- Craft cocktail bar with kitchen - Unique flavors and solid food options - Super welcoming staff
Oiistar
A ramen as good as it is pricey. It gets Edwin's Dad's seal of approval c:
Sun Wah BBQ
Ask for the peking duck dinner -- includes soup, baos, rice, and of course the duck. The neighborhood: Uptown/Asian on argyle has plenty of bubble tea options for afterwards.
Lincolnwood - Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
Deep dish pizza is a must if you're out of town, but very heavy. We honestly only ever eat this when people are visiting, but it is still a treat. FYI usually takes 30min to prepare.
Lincoln Park Zoo
Always FREE, check out website if reservations needed
Wrigley Field
Not into sports like us? That's ok, plenty of shopping, restaurants and bars surrounding to pick up some souvenirs.
Wentworth Seafood House
Plan to have dim sum for breakfast here and explore Chinatown afterwards.
Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum
We recommend Portuguese style egg tarts, and the BBQ or ham and egg bun. Plenty of options and great value -- CASH ONLY
Hexe Coffee Co.
Awesome specialty coffee shop with unique brews. We love the cocktails (with or without coffee) along with a beast of a breakfast sandwich or a fresh pastry.
Wheel Fun Rentals | Humboldt Park
If you're in the Humboldt Park neighborhood and finished with trying the Puerto Rican food in the neighborhood this is a nice family friendly outdoor activity. Various modes of transportation and hourly rates listed on the site. Solo quad sport 15/h, swan paddle boat 30/h
Sweet Bean
Variety of pastries can be found here in this quaint Taiwanese bakery. Our personal favs are the salted egg bun and the taro mochi and egg floss bun.
Nellie’s Restaurant
Chicago is home to the jibarito and this is a must-stop for authentic Puerto Rican cuisine. There are a lot of options on the menu that we have yet to try but we have to recommend the creamy and not so sweet (compliment) avena de coco.
Navy Pier - FIREWORKS
Navy Pier is a popular Chicago attraction BUT we do not recommend shopping/eating around here as it is clearly an overpriced tourist trap. Make sure you try all of the other options for food on here and then head here to check the views of the lake and skyline. FREE fireworks shows throughout the Summer. We have linked the schedule and if you plan to stay the weekend there is a show Aug 19 Saturday 9:00pm
Long Room Chicago
Local bar and coffeehouse we frequent quite often. Great vibes and drinks here with very talented mixologists behind the bar. The drink menu rotates often and there are rotating guest food vendors. Always a blast and YES the room is long.
Aba
If you want bougie food and drink scene, head over to Fulton Market/West loop. Aba has a neat rooftop with a nice view of the city. Great for cute selfies and if you're looking to drink we recommend "Aloe? It's me."
Pinstripes
Have a large group and interested in breakfast/brunch buffet? Looking to compete with friends/family in bowling/bocce? Say no more, Pinstripes is great for large, hungry groups. If you hate parking in the city, there is a suburban location up north in Northbrook.
Sushi World
It's not omakase, but it's a local fav of ours if we are craving an obscene amount of decent sushi. AYCE and BYOB, what more can you ask for.
Boka
Do you enjoy fine dining, but did not book a seat at Alinea a year in advance? Well Boka is right next door and their tasting menu and wine pairing is DOPE. So dope, we've taken many friends here. The price is steep for an experience and if you do do the wine pairing, make sure you Uber.
Museum Campus
If you don't feel like beating the Chicago heat this August, stop by the museum campus which conveniently has many options all in one place. The Adler planetarium, Shedd aquarium, Field Museum, and Museum of Sciene and Industry (MSI) are at your fingertips. Our personal favorites are the Shedd and MSI. The Art Institute is located in the city but not far.
Kasama
First Filipino Michelin star restaurant!!! We have not had the time to try this spot out yet but have heard great things about their tasting menu AND bakery which tends to sell out pretty early. If you're a foodie check this place out.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Enjoy free concerts at Millennium Park. Linked is a summer schedule. There is always something happening here from movies or yoga in the park to a night time music festival.
Ping Tom Memorial Park
After you're done enjoying all the shops and food in Chinatown, there is a park close by near the Chicago river. Great for photos and can hop on a water taxi towards downtown Chicago.
Chinatown Water Taxi Stop
$6 one way weekend ticket, purchase online when available
Maggie Daley Park
Huge park that even adults can enjoy. It is a public space but does offers some outdoor rock climbing.
Moonflower
Trendy Asian inspired cocktails for a very reasonable price. Bites are available as well. There is a speakeasy in the basement called Nightshade with a whole other menu, so be sure to check out. Be wary, it is very dim and more cozy down there.
The Meadowlark
True speakeasy in Logan Square. It's literally a metal door on the side of some building with a very tiny sign. Luckily reservations are taken here but do do it in advance as the space is not that big. Otherwise, small bites but very interesting and unique avian inspired cocktail menu.
Al's #1 Italian Beef
Italian beef is a popular Chicagoan sandwich that we don't recommend you eat in your car. It is a moist mess, but great if you like roast beef. We recommend extra giardiniera while you're out here.
Ghareeb Nawaz Restaurant
Incredibly cheap Indian food if you are craving. We enjoy the chili chicken biryani and pay for it later. Be careful with the spice and enjoy any of the other Indian-Pakistani food along Devon street (little India).