Taylor Street’s Finest

Hey Chicago! I’m Mannat, one of Billy’s new interns this winter, and I’m here to tell you about one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city!

In the heart of Chicago lies one of the most well known areas of the times, Taylor Street. The busy buzzing street on the UIC campus is home for excellent Italian food, dive bars, and a diverse group of friendly college students. Also known as “Little Italy,” Taylor Street has some of the finest restaurants and eat-outs ranging from exquisite places such as Tuscany and Francesca’s, to places like Al’s Italian Beef and Mario’s Italian Lemonade, which have been recognized from television as Chicago’s must haves.

Taylor Street is definitely one of the best places to meet all sorts of people. Little Joe’s, one of Taylor Street’s most loved family owned bars, is a small hole in the wall bar where you will see people walk in with their casual sweats and shorts on a weekday to meet their friends for the usual $6 pitchers of PBR. karaoke, quiz night, Bears games; they have it all. That’s not it, college bars like Vintage Lounge and The Drum and Monkey are two places where you will definitely spot some fun people! Partying is big part of college, but the other thing that UIC students love is the late night pizza at Taylor Made Pizza and the juicy burgers at Busy Burger. Now don’t get me wrong, this is a college town, but there are plenty of places you will find professionals who just want to grab a good beer or whisky and what better place than Three Aces? This place has one of the best beer collections in the area.

Taylor Street is a hub for food and liquor. With Rosebud and Hawkeye’s Bar & Grilll right around the corner, who would want to go anywhere else? My personal favorite is Leona’s; they have buttery bread, fresh salad and scrumptious shrimp fettuccini.

A round of applause is well deserved for the restaurants that try to add a little zest and change up cuisine, such as the Taj Mahal serving their mouth watering Indian “samosas” and Thai Bowl with their excellent “pork pad Thai.” The newest additions, Flirty Cupcakes and The Skinny Piggy are for all of all of you who have a sweet tooth and love creamy icing. If you desire breakfast, no need to worry! Stax Cafe and Sweet Maple Cafe are right here with the best pancakes and eggs in the area.

Winter is always beautiful, but what is more wonderful is the bright sunny summer days where you will see people walking up and down the street almost all day enjoying a quick run around the block and then a huge cup of Mario’s Italian Lemonade. These are some places and things that you just have to do as a resident of Taylor Street. Ralph’s Cigars and Gentile’s Wine Shop are the two of my favorite spots for some good old cigars and some fruitful wine tasting. You can always find quite the crowd sitting in the Ralph’s Cigar patio; it’s a favorite spot for many of the locals when the weather is warm.

These are just a few of everyone’s must-loved places in Little Italy, and if you haven’t tried any of these places yet, now is the time to go explore and get a taste of the truly amazing area that is Taylor Street!