Chicago
Chicago has been one of my favorite places I have lived in so far. A global city with a small-town feel, it has something for everyone. Here's a guide of restaurants, bars, and clubs you can go to for a fun weekend in the city.
Friday (Logan Square and River North)
Dinner at Fat Rice ($$)
Hands-down one of my favorite restaurants and must-go-to places in Chicago. It specializes in Macau and Southeast Asian cuisine. You will probably never eat this cuisine or food like this again.
Do NOT eat at the main area of the restaurant. When making a reservation, specifically ask to be seated at The Ladies Room portion, which has its own special menu and where the ambiance is incredible and intimate.
Ask for the drink that comes in a panda glass (I think it’s called Bamboo Pandamonium) - it’s really good and makes for cute Instagram posts.
The entire menu is incredible so you really can’t go wrong. I would highly recommend also ordering the “Fat Rice” entree - one order is big enough to share with three people.
The sign says no photography allowed but if you ask the server nicely, they’ll let you take photos.
Dress code: Moderate to fancy
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Drinks at Gilt Bar ($$)
Swanky lounge and a perpetual “cool spot” in Chicago. Great cocktails.
Can sometimes be a bit of a wait so I would go sometime before or around 10.
They also have some snacks/smaller plates to nibble on while you drink.
Dress code: Swanky-ish
Neighborhood: River North (near Kinzie Street)
Going out dancing at The Bassment ($$)
Live music place that has cover bands on the weekends. I absolutely love going here.
Make a beeline to get to the front of the stage - knock people over if you have to. It’s a much better experience at the front of the stage than all the way back.
Great cocktails! They’re always changing things up. Ask for the drink that comes in a bathtub (I forget the name).
$10 cover for girls
Dress code: Swanky
Neighborhood: River North (near Kinzie Street)
Other great places in the Kinzie & Hubbard area
Celeste ($$): A really cute rooftop bar/club that’s intimate and small. Great cocktails and swanky. Cover charge is $10 after 11 PM, I think.
Disco ($$): On the second floor of Celeste. Club with a chic 70s vibe, filled with rich people lmao. It’s technically exclusive and you need to be on a list but if you talk to the bouncer and ask if you can get in, they’ll let you in lmao.
Ramen-San ($): Great ramen place right in the middle of all clubs you can get food at in between all the clubbing.
Late-night food at Velvet Taco ($)
Global taco menu (chicken/paneer tikka tacos, Korean tacos, etc.). This is where EVERYONE comes for their late-night food.
Dress code: Doesn’t matter, it’s 3 or 4 AM at this point.
Neighborhood: Gold Coast
Saturday (West Loop/Fulton Market and Ukrainian Village/Wicker Park)
West Loop and Fulton Market are the renowned restaurant areas in Chicago. There are incredible restaurants at every price-range. I’ve included cheap to moderate options here, so accessible to everyone. All these places are within a 5-ish minute walk from one another (with most places less than 2 minutes from another).
Coffee at Sawada ($)
A hot chocolate and military latte
World-renowned coffee spot. Has a cute outdoor seating area also.
They’re known for their “Military Latte” which is a matcha latte. Very Instagrammable.
A huge open space with industrial vibes. There’s an attached place that sells barbecue so you could take your laptop and even work here.
Dress code: Normal/comfy
Neighborhood: Fulton Market
Bambini (Italian donuts) at BamboBar ($)
Right across the street from Sawada. They sell stuffed mini Italian donuts and some Italian donut sandwiches. Very cute, yummy, and Instagrammable.
They’re literally a hole in the wall, it’s outside with a bunch of benches. I would recommend getting some bambo and going into Sawada to sit in the warmth.
Definitely get the mini donuts that are stuffed (options include Nutella, strawberry jam, etc.). They give you mini containers of the stuffing that you inject into the donut before you eat. Very instagrammable and VERY yummy.
Dress code: Normal/comfy
Neighborhood: Fulton Market
Brunch at The Little Goat Diner ($$)
Right across the street from BamboBar. There’s an iconic restaurant in Chicago called The Girl and the Goat, which is led by a Michelin star chef. The Little Goat Diner is the more affordable version and has great food at a much more reasonable price.
Try to get a reservation in advance because this can book up really fast, especially for a busy weekend like St. Patty’s
Dress code: Normal/comfy
Neighborhood: Fulton Market