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Andersonville residents and visitors have plenty of solid dining and drinking options.
Garrett Sweet/Eater Chicago

Where to Eat and Drink in Andersonville

The Swedish neighborhood continues to evolve

by Naomi Waxman and Eater Staff Updated
View as Map
Andersonville residents and visitors have plenty of solid dining and drinking options.
| Garrett Sweet/Eater Chicago
by Naomi Waxman and Eater Staff Updated

Originally founded by Swedish immigrants in the late 19th Century, Andersonville has become known for its Scandinavian influence. But there’s more to the neighborhood than Scandinavian cuisine and culture. Today, it’s also one of the city’s largest LGBTQ communities, and full of adorable businesses, shops, and restaurants. From martinis and mulled wine to a few of the city’s best restaurants for breakfast and brunch, here are Eater’s the top spots to eat and drink in Andersonville.

As of August 20, the city has mandated that everyone wear facial coverings while indoors. For updated information on coronavirus cases, please visit the city of Chicago’s COVID-19 dashboard. Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; the latest data about the delta variant indicates that it may pose a low-to-moderate risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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m.henry

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M.henry is known throughout the neighborhood as one of the top spots for weekday breakfast and weekend brunch. Diners can devour a “Fannie’s killer fried egg sandwich,” which arrives with eggs, bacon, sliced plum tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese and fresh thyme, or sink their teeth into vegan tofu scrambles, fluffy pancakes, and more.

5707 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 561-1600
(773) 561-1600

Also featured in:

Little Madrid Tapas-Café

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First-time restaurant owner and native Spaniard Francisco Bolaños has a hit on his hands with Andersonville’s only Spanish restaurant. A mellow storefront spot, the restaurant has earned a following with a broad selection of tapas, pintxos, palleas, and more. It all goes down beautifully with cafe con leche.

5661 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660
(312) 973-0462
(312) 973-0462

Also featured in:

Uvae Kitchen and Wine Bar

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This charming corner wine bar has become a neighborhood destination with special tastings, prix fixe wine dinners for two, and a food menu laden with meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes. Ownership aims to soon open a retail spot and tasting room next door called the Fromagerie where patrons can while away the hours among top-notch cheeses.

5553 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 654-1432
(773) 654-1432

Also featured in:

Little Bad Wolf

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Little Bad Wolf serves filling fare and carefully crafted cocktails until the wee hours of the morning. The menu includes orders of mussels served with crostini, tacos and bao buns stuffed with steak, chicken, and fish, and big burgers topped with bacon, cheese, and runny fried eggs. It’s a sister spot to Gretel in Logan Square.

1541 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 942-6399
(773) 942-6399

Also featured in:

Fiya

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Andersonville has a number of Middle Eastern options to choose from but modern Israeli spot Fiya, which replaced sandwich spot Jerry’s in June 2020, sets itself apart by representing the more than 180 nationalities that populate the state. Dishes and ingredients draw on the culinary traditions of Palestine, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, and beyond, with hits including a massive za’atar chicken schnintzel (torshi, tahina, amba, pita) and two types of Georgian khachapuri.

5419 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(312) 493-0443
(312) 493-0443

Also featured in:

A Taste of Heaven

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How are pancakes served in heaven? According to this Andersonville brunch spot, they’re presented as buttermilk “Katie cakes,” which are topped with three-berry compote, lemon streusel crumbs, and a generous dollop of whipped cream. Other menu items include bountiful omelettes, sandwiches, and cookies or sizable slices of cake from the bakery.

5401 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 989-0151
(773) 989-0151

Nobody's Darling

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This newish queer cocktail spot tucked on a residential street is making major waves as Chicago’s second Black-owned LGBTQ bar. The lively spot, located in the former of home of lesbian wine bar  Joie de Vine, tends to draw one of the most diverse crowds in the neighborhood with playful drinks like the Pink Kitty and Darling Mule, delivered in cut glassware.

1744 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
A bartender holds a metal cocktail shaker inside a black-and-red bar space
Nobody’s Darling arrived with a splash in Andersonville.
Garrett Sweet/Eater Chicago

Also featured in:

Marty's Martini Bar

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The namesake drink at Marty’s Martini Bar arrives strong and filled to the brim. The signature cocktails here are served in inventive varieties that include chocolate hazelnut and strawberry shortcake martinis. Marty’s bartenders also pour beer and glasses of wine.

1511 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 561-6425
(773) 561-6425

Also featured in:

Big Jones

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Big Jones has brought top-notch Southern cuisine to Chicago and has earned national spotlight. Though the Andersonville eatery is celebrated for its crawfish etoufee and pickle platter, the big favorite here is the fried Amish chicken, which is brined in herbs and spices and fried in leaf lard, ham drippings, and clarified butter. Fans of Popeyes should take note: chef Paul Fehribach admires how the chain fries chicken and has adapted those techniques in his kitchen.

5347 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 275-5725
(773) 275-5725

Also featured in:

Lost Larson

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Carb load in style at this dreamy bakery by ex-Grace pastry chef Bobby Schaffer. Breads and Baked goods include whole wheat, Swedish limpa, and their wildly popular cardamom buns. Customers with substantial appetites can choose from the open face sandwiches piled with fresh ingredients, or Lost Larson’s signature light green duchess cake, a twist on traditional Swedish princess cake. There’s a smaller second outpost in Wicker Park.

5318 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 944-0587
(773) 944-0587

Also featured in:

Anteprima

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This rustic Italian restaurant has two faces: quiet, romantic, and intimate most weeknights, crowded and raucous on the weekend. Friendly, knowledgeable servers squeeze between the tightly-packed tables, delivering dishes including griddled scamorza cheese with smoked mozzarella and pickled cabbage, bucatini with braised calamari and octopus, and slow-cooked lamb shank with English peas.

5316 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 506-9990
(773) 506-9990

George's Ice Cream & Sweets

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This beloved local ice cream shop tops its sweet treats with a bevy of candies, nuts, and sauces. George’s gets its ice cream from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, a family-run ice cream company in Madison, Wisconsin.

5306 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 271-7600
(773) 271-7600

Also featured in:

Lady Gregory's Irish Bar & Restaurant

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Many Chicago neighborhoods have a beloved Irish pub, and Andersonville has Lady Gregory’s. The food here is simple and goes well with a pint of beer. Expect comforting dishes like chicken pot pie, meatloaf, lobster mac and cheese, and decadent sandwiches. But the pub grub isn’t the only star here: Lady Gregory’s bartenders pour around 100 brews and 300 whiskeys, and the establishment also has a beautiful seating area with a library and fireplace. There’s also an Old Town location and the owners operate Wilde in Lakeview.

5260 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 271-5050
(773) 271-5050

Svea Restaurant

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True to the neighborhood’s Scandinavian roots, Svea serves Swedish pancakes with lingonberry sauce and “viking breakfasts” with potatoes, eggs, pancakes, and falukorv — a type of Swedish sausage. The eatery also has been known to break out lutefisk — the infamously stinky Nordic fish — from time to time. If you plan to dine at Svea, take note that the restaurant only accepts cash.

5236 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 275-7738
(773) 275-7738

Simon's Tavern

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Simon’s Tavern is famous in winter for glogg, the warm, mulled wine. But this is a beer and shot spot with occasional live music and and analog jukebox holding some one of the best music selections in the city.

5210 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 878-0894
(773) 878-0894

More in Maps

Jin Ju

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Classic Korean dishes mingle with inventive cocktails at this modern Andersonville spot. Orders of dol sut bi bim nap arrive served in a sizzling hot stone pot with soybean paste soup on the side, and pair perfectly with cool soju-infused martinis. The restaurant is dimly lit and full of intimate ambience, making it ideal for first dates.

5203 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 334-6377
(773) 334-6377

Middle East Bakery & Grocery

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Middle East Bakery & Grocery is a longtime local supplier of pantry goods, grains and rice, savory pies, and pastries. The store also operates a restaurant with falafel sandwiches, shawarma, and fresh kabobs carved from a rotisserie behind the counter. One offering in particular — the “shawafel wrap” with a satisfying one-two punch of falafel and chicken shawarma.

1512 W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 561-2224
(773) 561-2224

Also featured in:

Taste of Lebanon Restaurant

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This shotgun-style storefront restaurant emphasizes substance over style, and once the food arrives the surroundings melt away. Diners feast on falafel, hummus, and lavosh wraps containing lamb kebab, chicken or beef shawarma, but the real showstopper is the lentil soup.

1509 W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 334-1600
(773) 334-1600

Also featured in:

Hopleaf

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Hopleaf is one of the country’s most-celebrated beer bars, and a destination for beer lovers all over the city. The gastropub fills its taps with a huge and rotating selection of domestic and imported brews. But the beer isn’t the only reason to visit this Andersonville bar: Hopleaf also serves mussels and frites cooked Belgian-style or in a white wine and cream broth, and a delectable grilled cheese that marries sourdough bread, house-made cashew butter, fig jam, and gooey raclette cheese.

5148 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 334-9851
(773) 334-9851

Also featured in:

More in Maps

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m.henry

5707 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660

M.henry is known throughout the neighborhood as one of the top spots for weekday breakfast and weekend brunch. Diners can devour a “Fannie’s killer fried egg sandwich,” which arrives with eggs, bacon, sliced plum tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese and fresh thyme, or sink their teeth into vegan tofu scrambles, fluffy pancakes, and more.

5707 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 561-1600
(773) 561-1600

Little Madrid Tapas-Café

5661 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660

First-time restaurant owner and native Spaniard Francisco Bolaños has a hit on his hands with Andersonville’s only Spanish restaurant. A mellow storefront spot, the restaurant has earned a following with a broad selection of tapas, pintxos, palleas, and more. It all goes down beautifully with cafe con leche.

5661 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660
(312) 973-0462
(312) 973-0462

Uvae Kitchen and Wine Bar

5553 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

This charming corner wine bar has become a neighborhood destination with special tastings, prix fixe wine dinners for two, and a food menu laden with meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes. Ownership aims to soon open a retail spot and tasting room next door called the Fromagerie where patrons can while away the hours among top-notch cheeses.

5553 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 654-1432
(773) 654-1432

Little Bad Wolf

1541 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660

Little Bad Wolf serves filling fare and carefully crafted cocktails until the wee hours of the morning. The menu includes orders of mussels served with crostini, tacos and bao buns stuffed with steak, chicken, and fish, and big burgers topped with bacon, cheese, and runny fried eggs. It’s a sister spot to Gretel in Logan Square.

1541 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 942-6399
(773) 942-6399

Fiya

5419 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Andersonville has a number of Middle Eastern options to choose from but modern Israeli spot Fiya, which replaced sandwich spot Jerry’s in June 2020, sets itself apart by representing the more than 180 nationalities that populate the state. Dishes and ingredients draw on the culinary traditions of Palestine, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, and beyond, with hits including a massive za’atar chicken schnintzel (torshi, tahina, amba, pita) and two types of Georgian khachapuri.

5419 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(312) 493-0443
(312) 493-0443

A Taste of Heaven

5401 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

How are pancakes served in heaven? According to this Andersonville brunch spot, they’re presented as buttermilk “Katie cakes,” which are topped with three-berry compote, lemon streusel crumbs, and a generous dollop of whipped cream. Other menu items include bountiful omelettes, sandwiches, and cookies or sizable slices of cake from the bakery.

5401 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 989-0151
(773) 989-0151

Nobody's Darling

1744 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

This newish queer cocktail spot tucked on a residential street is making major waves as Chicago’s second Black-owned LGBTQ bar. The lively spot, located in the former of home of lesbian wine bar  Joie de Vine, tends to draw one of the most diverse crowds in the neighborhood with playful drinks like the Pink Kitty and Darling Mule, delivered in cut glassware.

1744 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
A bartender holds a metal cocktail shaker inside a black-and-red bar space
Nobody’s Darling arrived with a splash in Andersonville.
Garrett Sweet/Eater Chicago

Marty's Martini Bar

1511 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

The namesake drink at Marty’s Martini Bar arrives strong and filled to the brim. The signature cocktails here are served in inventive varieties that include chocolate hazelnut and strawberry shortcake martinis. Marty’s bartenders also pour beer and glasses of wine.

1511 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 561-6425
(773) 561-6425

Big Jones

5347 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Big Jones has brought top-notch Southern cuisine to Chicago and has earned national spotlight. Though the Andersonville eatery is celebrated for its crawfish etoufee and pickle platter, the big favorite here is the fried Amish chicken, which is brined in herbs and spices and fried in leaf lard, ham drippings, and clarified butter. Fans of Popeyes should take note: chef Paul Fehribach admires how the chain fries chicken and has adapted those techniques in his kitchen.

5347 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 275-5725
(773) 275-5725

Lost Larson

5318 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Carb load in style at this dreamy bakery by ex-Grace pastry chef Bobby Schaffer. Breads and Baked goods include whole wheat, Swedish limpa, and their wildly popular cardamom buns. Customers with substantial appetites can choose from the open face sandwiches piled with fresh ingredients, or Lost Larson’s signature light green duchess cake, a twist on traditional Swedish princess cake. There’s a smaller second outpost in Wicker Park.

5318 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 944-0587
(773) 944-0587

Anteprima

5316 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

This rustic Italian restaurant has two faces: quiet, romantic, and intimate most weeknights, crowded and raucous on the weekend. Friendly, knowledgeable servers squeeze between the tightly-packed tables, delivering dishes including griddled scamorza cheese with smoked mozzarella and pickled cabbage, bucatini with braised calamari and octopus, and slow-cooked lamb shank with English peas.

5316 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 506-9990
(773) 506-9990

George's Ice Cream & Sweets

5306 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

This beloved local ice cream shop tops its sweet treats with a bevy of candies, nuts, and sauces. George’s gets its ice cream from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, a family-run ice cream company in Madison, Wisconsin.

5306 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 271-7600
(773) 271-7600

Lady Gregory's Irish Bar & Restaurant

5260 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Many Chicago neighborhoods have a beloved Irish pub, and Andersonville has Lady Gregory’s. The food here is simple and goes well with a pint of beer. Expect comforting dishes like chicken pot pie, meatloaf, lobster mac and cheese, and decadent sandwiches. But the pub grub isn’t the only star here: Lady Gregory’s bartenders pour around 100 brews and 300 whiskeys, and the establishment also has a beautiful seating area with a library and fireplace. There’s also an Old Town location and the owners operate Wilde in Lakeview.

5260 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 271-5050
(773) 271-5050

Svea Restaurant

5236 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

True to the neighborhood’s Scandinavian roots, Svea serves Swedish pancakes with lingonberry sauce and “viking breakfasts” with potatoes, eggs, pancakes, and falukorv — a type of Swedish sausage. The eatery also has been known to break out lutefisk — the infamously stinky Nordic fish — from time to time. If you plan to dine at Svea, take note that the restaurant only accepts cash.

5236 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 275-7738
(773) 275-7738

Simon's Tavern

5210 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Simon’s Tavern is famous in winter for glogg, the warm, mulled wine. But this is a beer and shot spot with occasional live music and and analog jukebox holding some one of the best music selections in the city.

5210 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 878-0894
(773) 878-0894

Related Maps

Jin Ju

5203 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Classic Korean dishes mingle with inventive cocktails at this modern Andersonville spot. Orders of dol sut bi bim nap arrive served in a sizzling hot stone pot with soybean paste soup on the side, and pair perfectly with cool soju-infused martinis. The restaurant is dimly lit and full of intimate ambience, making it ideal for first dates.

5203 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 334-6377
(773) 334-6377

Middle East Bakery & Grocery

1512 W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

Middle East Bakery & Grocery is a longtime local supplier of pantry goods, grains and rice, savory pies, and pastries. The store also operates a restaurant with falafel sandwiches, shawarma, and fresh kabobs carved from a rotisserie behind the counter. One offering in particular — the “shawafel wrap” with a satisfying one-two punch of falafel and chicken shawarma.

1512 W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 561-2224
(773) 561-2224

Taste of Lebanon Restaurant

1509 W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

This shotgun-style storefront restaurant emphasizes substance over style, and once the food arrives the surroundings melt away. Diners feast on falafel, hummus, and lavosh wraps containing lamb kebab, chicken or beef shawarma, but the real showstopper is the lentil soup.

1509 W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 334-1600
(773) 334-1600

Hopleaf

5148 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Hopleaf is one of the country’s most-celebrated beer bars, and a destination for beer lovers all over the city. The gastropub fills its taps with a huge and rotating selection of domestic and imported brews. But the beer isn’t the only reason to visit this Andersonville bar: Hopleaf also serves mussels and frites cooked Belgian-style or in a white wine and cream broth, and a delectable grilled cheese that marries sourdough bread, house-made cashew butter, fig jam, and gooey raclette cheese.

5148 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 334-9851
(773) 334-9851

Related Maps