Why Are So Many Chicago Businesses Named After Michoacan?
The short answer? Because it’s come to mean great Mexican food.
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Best of Chicago 2022
From finger-licking sandwiches to our latest SNL export, these are the 47 foods, people, experiences, and finds setting a new standard in this city.
The Lean Mile
COVID, crime, and online shopping are emptying Michigan Avenue’s swankiest stretch. Will it ever be magnificent again?
Best New Spots to Sip Wine
Château Carbide Best for: Views and vibes The scene: Situated atop the 24-story Pendry Chicago, this lounge offers gorgeous downtown panoramas, a rosé-obsessed menu (yes, you can get a three-liter of Whispering Angel to share with your crew), and an elegant selection of Japanese-inspired bites. Pick: Four Graces Pinot Noir. “It has a juicy flavor … Read more
Best High-End Game Day Feast
T9 Sampler at Cuckoo When Lillian Yu, chef of the now-shuttered Little Lamb in Chinatown, and her sister, Yuli, opened Cuckoo, they knew they’d perfected a seriously crispy take on Korean-style chicken wings. Their only concern? Customers might be torn as to which glaze (soy garlic, honey butter, secret spicy, honey mustard, and coconut curry) … Read more
Best Rap&B Siren
Baha Bank$ The exigencies of the moment demand a certain seriousness — unless you’re Baha Bank$, a pouty-lipped enchantress who calls herself the Queen of Chicago. Prior to 2020, Bank$ was not a rapper but a bottle girl and a YouTube comedian best known for her sketches on the much-subscribed Korporate Bidness channel. Were it not for … Read more
Best Place to Dress Your Kiddos on the Cheap
Wild Oats Megan and Dave Miller, who own the café Baker Miller, started shopping secondhand for their sons, Otis and Archie, when they saw just how fast the boys outgrew their clothes. So it was only natural for the couple to open a consignment shop specializing in children’s clothes, with options from budget to bougie. … Read more
Best Way to Repurpose an Adidas Store
Hubbard Street Dance’s Water Tower studio After a string of bad luck, including the loss of its storied building on West Jackson Boulevard, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago built out a new 13,000-square-foot studio and rehearsal space in the former Adidas store in Water Tower Place. Completed in April, the move is part of a rebranding … Read more
Best Sake Selection
Konbini & Kanpai Many of us have graduated from those flasks of scalding-hot, dirt-cheap sake into the world of a gorgeous chilled version, served in proper glassware, that smells both floral and earthy and lingers on the tongue after every sip. But man, it’s a steep learning curve. Does daiginjo refer to the polish of … Read more
Best Restaurant Glow-Up
Oriole Noah and Cara Sandoval decided to give their two-Michelin-starred restaurant a revamp while it was closed for the pandemic. Down came an adjoining wall, in went a bar, and the larger and airier space was ready to host diners for a new progressive experience. You still enter through the freight elevator doors, but now … Read more