Streeterville’s Dining Scene on the Rise
When it comes to downtown dining destinations, Streeterville has mostly paled compared to nearby River North. But thanks to a slew of recent openings and upcoming restaurants, Streeterville is in the midst of a dining resurgence.
Between the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier, Streeterville had previously fallen into a tourist trap-like pattern in terms of dining and drinking outlets. While there are still plenty of those in the neighborhood, the recent emergence of chef-driven spots like Labriola Ristorante & Cafe and Rural Society has shifted the tide. The former is the first downtown location for the famous bread brand, in the form of a full-fledged Italian restaurant, cafe, and bar tucked away off Michigan Avenue. The latter is an Argentine steakhouse from celebrity chef Jose Garces, located in the Loews Hotel. Also on the Loews Hotel property is Streeterville Social, the newest and largest outdoor terrace in Chicago, complete with dining and drinking operations and lawn games like cornhole and croquet.
Streeterville may be known as the home base for Northwestern Memorial Hospital, but that hasn’t stopped the neighborhood from indulging in some decadent comfort food. Do-Rite Donuts opened its second location in the area, complete with a broadened menu that includes fried chicken sandwiches. Stan’s Donuts & Coffee also chose Northwestern property for its second location, ensuring there’s no shortage of fried dough downtown.
Even Navy Pier has gotten an influx of culinary cred as of late, with the launch of Lettuce Entertain You’s Big City Chicken, a fried chicken sandwich eatery, and locations of DMK Burger Bar and Goddess and the Baker.
Still to come, Lettuce Entertain You is opening a second location of their popular Beatrix in the former Cicchetti space. Plus, one of the most anticipated openings in the entire city is Streeterville’s imminent GreenRiver, an Irish restaurant and bar from New York City’s famed hospitality maven Danny Meyer and the team behind New York’s Dead Rabbit.
Labriola Ristorante & Cafè
535 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
(312) 955-3100
Website
Rural Society
455 N. Park Drive, Chicago
(312) 840-6605
Website
Streeterville Social
455 N. Park Drive, Chicago
(312) 840-6617
Website
Do-Rite Donuts
233 E. Erie Street, Chicago
(312) 344-1374
Website
Stan’s Donuts & Coffee
259 E. Erie Street, Chicago
(312) 255-1130
Website
Big City Chicken
600 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago
(312) 546-7440
Website
DMK Burger Bar
600 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago
(312) 595-5282
Website
Goddess and the Baker
600 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago
(312) 285-2630
Website
