Best Place for Pretending You’re in Moscow, Circa 1995

If you engage Russian-born Yana Khernburg in conversation, either inside her restaurant and bar or perhaps outside as she harangues passersby to come in, you might get a breathless monologue like the one I received one night: “I opened my barbershop here in 2020 right as the pandemic started but the shutdown rules allowed barbershops … Read more

Best Global Tour via Doughnuts

Stepping into this brightly colored place, you might think it’s just another neighborhood doughnut shop. But a look inside the display cases tells a different story. Alongside the classic glazed, red velvet, and old-fashioned flavors at this four-year-old spot (originally called Hello Donut), you’ll find a rotating selection of inventive international offerings. “We think food … Read more

Best New Breakfast Burrito

A few times each week, I jog from my house in Highland Park down to the lake and back up the ravine. It’s the bare minimum to stay just this side of dad bod. But these days, I have an additional reason to lace up my Asics, albeit one that is counterproductive to maintaining my … Read more

Best Bar for People Who Read the Whole Menu

After years of serving city crowds, co-owners Chad and Alicia Hauge and Mike Melazzo — industry vets with stints at Longman & Eagle, Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits, and Mott St. — noticed something: A lot of their regulars were making the trek in from the suburbs. So in 2018, they opened this bar in Glen Ellyn, where they … Read more