Illinois

The metal cryotherapy tanks found at Lincoln Park’s CryoBar are as futuristic as it gets—and be warned: the thought of being surrounded in a subzero fold of icy fog is a little daunting. But many regulars describe the enveloping cold as a surprisingly pleasant experience, which is meant to release endorphins and produce an anti-inflammatory response that can reduce pain and increase your metabolism. It’s also said to encourage a great night’s sleep. It’s an easy, quick process: Step inside, remove your robe, and after three minutes, you emerge with a body that feels rested and recharged.

A former architect and auctioneer, respectively, Jared Peterson and Don Schmaltz partnered up to open one of Chicago’s best furniture showrooms in West Town. This is the kind of place where American, Scandinavian, and Italian mid-century modern designs attract interior designers and new home buyers from around the city. You’ll find Eames chairs, Arne Jacobsen flatware, and more obscure finds (there’s an Alvar Aalto tea trolley, for instance), but it’s a good idea to browse the website before making an appointment at the store: Some may not be ready in the showrooms, but a quick call or email ensures that whatever you’d like to see is brought from the warehouse to the shop for your perusal.

It may appear to be one of those hip, brick coffee houses that are ubiquitous these days, but this Logan Square roaster also happens to serve an excellent breakfast and lunch, too. Locals swear by the duck egg benedict and house made pickles, and the tartines (ricotta with pear, prosciutto and olive oil; salmon with goat cheese, capers and chives) make for great snacks in between exploring the area’s vintage and specialty stores. Pro tip: Buy a bag of Gaslight’s beans to bring home, and you’ll get your coffee order for free.

Tired of almond milk? This is your place. This colorful little place gives the health-obsessed cafés of L.A. a serious run for their money when it comes to alternative creamers. Pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, and coconuts are all soaked, pressed, blitzed, and strained for the perfect velvety, dairy-free latte. These nutty elixirs are spiked with all manner of adaptogens and superfoods (ashwagandha, moringa, maca, camu camu) for a supercharged, super healthy pick-me-up. The coconut Cubano—hot espresso poured over a teaspoon of coconut sugar—is the perfect marriage of syrupy sweetness and bitter heat.

A 1950’s style diner, a bowling alley, karaoke rooms, and an arcade room are all under one roof at Punch Bowl Social, a 30,000 square-foot adult playground in the West Loop. It’s a little kitschy but fun when you’re in the mood to let loose. Even if a round of bowling or belting out a few karaoke tunes isn’t in the cards, it’s worth a visit for the food alone, which leans towards comforting staples, like buttermilk-brined southern fried chicken and big burgers made with grass-fed, hormone-free beef. Otherwise, healthier, lighter fare is available too, including a superfood grain bowl, loaded with quinoa, kale, radishes, sprouts, roasted carrots, pickled chiles, and shiitake mushrooms.

Radio Anago isn’t a typical sushi bar. Design and atmosphere take center stage at this River North spot, with its sexy purple banquettes and dim lighting that’s more reminiscent of a supper club from the 1950’s than a sushi bar from 2018. They serve all the standard rolls you could want (yellowtail sashimi, freshwater eel, salmon roe), but it’s worth ordering the Japanese-style, roasted matcha-enhanced fried chicken and the Sakura Blossom Last Word—a cocktail made of gin, green chartreuse, lime, and sakura cherry.

Some Chicagoans swear that Small Cheval has the best burgers in the city. The burger they’re known for is the “double stack,” two patties with cheddar cheese, dijonnaise, pickles, and two slices of maple-glazed bacon. The food menu is small (hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries), so don’t come here for a salad. But when you’re craving a summertime burger outside on a picnic table with a pitcher of locally-made Half Acre microbrew, there’s no place better.

The typical caution against filling up on bread before dinner flies out the window at Tied House, in Lakeview, where Parker House rolls are served with addictive sides like chicken liver mousse, green tomato marmalade, and buttery bone marrow. Some of the best entree options are on the lighter, side, including vegetarian dishes like maitake mushrooms in a shoyu and leek broth that’s packed with umami. If there’s room, though, meat-based items (milk braised pork with cabbage salsify and apple, short rib with black garlic and yellow foot chanterelle mushrooms) is worth the extra calories.

Chicago hasn’t been immune to the Nordic food craze of the past few years, and it reaches new heights at Elske, a Danish-influenced West Loop restaurant from husband-and-wife team David and Anna Posey (formerly of Blackbird, a few blocks away). The spare, airy dining room is thoroughly Danish, and made warm and inviting with jugs of wildflowers, ferns, and candlelight. The menu, meanwhile, is both curious and comforting, consisting of dishes like fermented black bean agnolotti with morels, sugar snap peas, and sherry and aged duck breast and grilled confit with ember roasted kohlrabi, kraut, and creamed duck fat. After dinner, there’s a huge outdoor fireplace—the perfect place to finish your Pinot Noir.

In a blue, rectangular clapboard building in Logan Square, the team from Land and Sea Dept., which run popular spots like Lost Lake and Cherry Circle Room, have scored another hit with Lonesome Rose. The decor gives off a Southern California vibe (lots of light wood accents, potted cacti and ficus, and sunlight streaming through oversized windows), but the food is pure Tex-Mex. The chile con queso is probably the best you’ll find in the city (you’ll want to add black beans), and the fried chicken torta with pickled peppers is a winner, too. There’s also a basement bar, Golden Teardrops, convenient when you want an after-dinner drink without having to travel too far.