Chicago Restaurants

(This is a work-in-progress. You can help!)

Got a late night hankering for some thin crust (or deep dish) pizza? Looking for dinner within walking distance of the hotel? Going into the Loop to do a little shopping and need a place to grab a bite to eat? You've come to the right place. Chicago is home to more AAA five diamond restaurants than any other city in the United States but it also has some wonderful hole-in-the-wall places you won't find anywhere else as well. We've tried to put together a sampling of what's available. Click the restaurant's name to visit their website or a review page from one of the local restaurant review sites. Click the address to get a Google Map of the location.

If you don't see what you're looking for here, don't be afraid to ask. If you have some other places to add to this page let us know.

Here's a custom Google map with the hotel, airport, restaurants and other points of interest.

Near the Hotel

Along the CTA Blue Line

The Blue Line is the CTA train which stops closest to the conference hotel. This section is organized by Blue Line stop to make it easier for you to figure out where you're going.

Jefferson Park

  • Gale Street Inn, 4914 North Milwaukee, Chicago, (773)725-1300. A great place for ribs. This is actually quite close to the hotel, on the way to the Loop, directly across from the Jefferson Park Blue Line station (which is only three stops from the Rosemont station).

Logan Square

  • Lula Cafe, 2537 N Kedzie, Chicago. CTA: Blue Line to Logan Square, exit and walk south then east around the square, it's on the southeast corner. About 20/25 min ride from O'Hare. Delicious French American fusion with organic produce from local farms. Meat, vegetarian, and vegan options.
  • Dunlay's on the Square, 3137 W Logan Blvd, Chicago. CTA: Blue Line to Logan Square, walk east alongside the square to Kedzie, walk north a block, it's on your right. Decent American cuisine. Is it a restaurant or a bar? You decide. Just around the corner from Lula's, great in case the wait there is too long.
  • El Cid, 2645 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago. CTA: Blue Line to Logan Square, walk east alongside the square to Kedzie, walk north a block, it's on your right. There are a few El Cids but this closest to the train. Decent Mexican fare at affordable prices and killer margaritas (take the train!). Great in case there's a long wait at Lula's.
  • Cafe Con Leché, 2714 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. (773) 289-4274 Very cheap yet delicious Cuban joint frequented by Cuban locals of the neighborhood. The steak sandwich proves they know a thing or two about Cuban food. And, of course, pep yourself up with a cafe con leche. Call to make sure they are open. CTA: Blue Line to Logan Square, walk northwest on Milwaukee Ave 2 or 3 blocks.

California

  • El Nandu, 2731 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago. (773) 278-0900 Midrange Argentinian restaurant for a true connoisseur of meat! For the adventurous types who want to experience some new cuts, try the "Sweet Bread." Great wine too. CTA: Blue Line to California, walk 2 blocks north on California, turn right (east) on Fullerton, it's a block down on the right side.
  • Buona Terra, 2535 N California Ave, Chicago. (773) 289-3800 Cozy, midrange little Italian restaurant with a great wine selection and options for a full 5 course Italiano dining experience. CTA: Blue Line to California, walk 5 or 6 blocks north on California and it's on your right.

Western

  • Irazu, 1865 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. (773) 252-5687 Excellent, affordable Costa Rican restaurant. They have won awards for their veggie burrito and it lives up to those awards. Also consider a yummy milkshake (now with soy milk too) and the "Costa Rican sandwich" which is like panini and I believe they bake the bread on the premises. CTA: Blue Line to Western, walk north on Western a few steps and turn right (southeast) on Milwaukee Ave., it's a block down on your left.

Damen

  • Piece, 1927 W North Ave. CTA: Blue Line to Damen, walk northeast across the intersection and head east on North Ave for a block, it's on your right. About 25/30 min ride from O'Hare. If you can get over TV's and sports fans surrounding you, this is some of the best pizza and microbrew you'll find in Chicago. The pizza is in more of a New Haven style than a Chicago one but is truly unique with lots of difference choices for crusts and toppings.
  • Sultan's Market, 2057 W North Avenue. CTA: Blue Line to Damen, walk north to North Ave., turn left (west) and walk for a block, it's on your left hand side. About 25/30 min ride from O'Hare. Best Falafel in Chicago, no contest. Chicken Schwarma sandwich is good too and their lentil soup is exquisite. Very reasonably priced, order at the counter.

Division

  • Crust, 2056 W Division St. CTA: Blue Line to Division, walk west 10 blocks or wave down a cab for a short ride. About 25/30 min ride from O'Hare. Interesting all-organic place -- from organic pizza to organic infused vodka.
  • Coco Rouge, 1940 W Division St (773) 772-2626. Another great chocolatier.

Downtown Chicago

Getting to the Loop from the hotel takes about 45 minutes on the Blue Line. You can plan your trip to the city from the CTA's website.

Elsewhere

Other Sources

If nothing above appeals to you there are a number of websites which offer more choices.

Diamond

  • Google - Diamond
  • White Oak Technologies - Diamond

Platinum

  • Zenoss - Platinum
  • Enthought - Platinum
  • Microsoft Port 25 - Platinum
  • Sun Microsystems - Platinum

Gold

  • Wingware - Gold
  • Resolver Systems - Gold
  • ITA Software - Gold
  • Leapfrog Online - Gold
  • Predictix - Gold
  • Accense Technology, Inc. - Gold
  • IronPort - Gold

Silver

  • Imaginary Landscape - Silver
  • Tummy.com - Silver
  • Activestate - Silver
  • PSC Consulting - Silver
  • Canonical - Silver
  • ZeOmega - Silver
  • Symbian Press-Forum Nokia - Silver
  • Nuance Communications - Silver
  • CCP Games - Silver
  • Fivedash.com - Silver
  • Rackspace - Silver
  • Quality Vision International - Silver

Vendor II

  • O'Reilly - Vendor II
  • Pearson Publishing - Vendor II