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Community area in Chicago, Illinois
Photo: Flickr user: Seth Anderson Chicago https://www.flickr.com/photos/swanksalot/, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Near West Side of Chicago has two of the city's premiere culinary strips, Little Italy and Greektown, and basketball legend Michael Jordan's old stomping grounds with the Chicago Bulls.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
UIC was built on top of the original Hull House, where the prolific writer and reformer Jane Addams lived and worked to help people in need. This museum is dedicated to her memory in two surviving buildings from the complex, now absorbed into the UIC campus, and features exhibits on local history and social justice throughout the world. Occasionally hosts speakers during the day, and offer a free soup lunch during the discussion.
Now housed in a beautiful glass building, the National Hellenic Museum sits neatly at the start of Greektown's best restaurants. Partnered with the Field Museum, they host many actual Greek relics and also support Greek and Greek-American artists.
Exactly what the name says; this is a glittering, big-budget facility, moved here from the suburbs a few years ago. The collection pays tribute to more than 200 inductees from many professional sports, with Joe DiMaggio held in highest esteem. Space for event rentals (like fundraisers for Italian-American politicians) outstrips the space for exhibits, though.
Opened in 1869, two years prior to the Chicago Fire, this impressive building is still a working high school. No tours are offered of the interior, but pieces of famous Chicago buildings from the past have been installed around the campus, including murals from the old Chicago Stadium and intriguing ornament from lost Adler & Sullivan and Burnham & Root masterworks. (Next door, Holy Family Church dates from 1857.)
Contemporary art (mostly painting and photography) by international artists (like Joe Sola).
Contemporary art. The primary focus at EC Gallery is the introduction and representation of emerging and mid-career artists whose practices traverse painting, drawing, mixed media and photo media.
Kavi Gupta's gallery is generally understood to have been the pioneer of the West Loop gallery phenomenon. Today his collection is still one of the area's most important and features new works from emerging international artists. If you're here, you might as well check out the Bucket Rider Gallery on the same floor or any of the other, smaller galleries in the building.
A large store/gallery packed with so-called "Primitive Art" from around the world. The selection is wide, including (among others): East African jewelry, Native American costumes, old-style Chinese beds, Eastern European stained glass, etc.
Several large-sized portraits of contemporary figures. It also sells some antique art and limited editions. Supreme has a large collection of art posters, serigraphs and prints, many with a distinctly Chicago flavor
A theater group comprised of... trapeze artists?! The space is run by an "aerial dance" troupe which puts on shows and runs high-flying circus training programs. If you're in town for the week and looking for something really out of the ordinary to do, consider signing up for their Two-Day Beginning Trapeze course ($65). It's in an alley and has no signs, so you'll have to really look for it.
If one of the local hockey teams inspires you to strap on skates, Johnny's Ice House offers ice skating year-round for people of all experience levels, and the Chicago Blackhawks occasionally stop by.
UIC's campus stadium is remarkably adaptable, hosting college sports like basketball and the school's stand-out ice hockey team (the Flames), and concerts for mid-sized to major touring bands.
Home of the NBA Chicago Bulls and the NHL Chicago Blackhawks. The United Center doesn't have much in the way of character as a stadium, but the sightlines are great from anywhere in the house, and both teams are on an upswing. Fans of Michael Jordan (who played here from 1996-98) should look for his jersey in the rafters and his statue outside. (Check the statue details — he's wearing stone Air Jordans!) Most games sell out, but it's usually possible to find tickets at or near face value. On off-nights, this is Chicago's second-largest concert venue for big touring bands, the circus (in November), and other random events.
Greek artisan breads provide the foundation for bakery treats, sandwiches, and wood-fired pizzas. There's a full bar and wine list as well.
A bright and relaxed brunch option, with cage-free eggs and Mediterranean-influenced soups and sandwiches.
Another solid option for greasy late-night gyros.
A popular lunch joint.
With its highly distinctive finely chopped giardinera with tons of red pepper for the heat, Al's has won accolades from various sources claiming it serves one of the top ten sandwiches in America, or more plausibly from the Chicago Magazine, the best Italian Beef in the city. It has since grown into a chain, but this is the original, and the destination of choice for aficionados.
Fried chicken.
Established in 1939, this long-time purveyor of the Maxwell Street Polish was able to move a few blocks away when the last hold-outs were evicted in 2001. Whether it's as good as it used to be is purely academic; it's an original, and it's good.
If you're dining in Little Italy in the summer, skip dessert at your restaurant and come here instead. Mario's has been selling delicious Italian ice all over Chicago for more than 50 years. There are several flavors, but lemon is the staple.
Another one of the few places serving the fast food classics like Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches here, in the area where they were born.
A good and reliable all-night diner near Little Italy and the university. Since 1939, and fortunate enough to have avoided displacement.
Lots of hot and cold appetizers to accompany the entrees, which are a little cheaper and a little less plentiful than the other Greektown restaurants. Nice indoor and outdoor seating.
One of the best and probably the biggest Greek restaurant in the city, with about 400 seats. Good standard Greek food: seafood, lamb, and chicken.
Cheap, good Italian deli sandwiches amidst an enormous range of imported wine and groceries.
Tricky to find on a residential block behind Taylor Street, but Tufano's is a nice, relaxed Italian place to eat before a night at the United Center.
A mainstay of the Little Italy scene.
West Loop restaurant designed to be a really nice diner. It's next to the Crowne Plaza Hotel (see Sleep).
Come hungry and carnivorous, as the Publican delivers mighty plates stacked high with ham, lamb, pork bellies, and other meats. There's also quite a lot of gourmet seafood from around the world. The Sunday brunch will destroy you.
"Southern Reconstruction Cooking" includes some nice vegetarian options along with seafood, chicken, burgers, and a large variety of great Southern sides.
This chic Nuevo-Latino club has a great wait-staff and nice, colorful yet understated decor. They're always ready with a margarita, but only the (delicious) appetizers are available in the afternoon hours.
"Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard offers ten options each from the meat, seafood, and vegetable categories; sharing plates is advised, and pairing with beer is highly encouraged (30 carefully selected brews on tap). Though the menu changes with the chef's creative whims, variations on the "pig face" theme seem to be a mainstay.
More of a modern style than the other Greektown bars and restaurants, but with plentiful portions of food, good outdoor seating, and an enthusiastic late-night dance scene.
The Greektown location means that ouzo and saganaki have a place among the usual bar & grill fare.
As the name implies, this hotel is close to UIC and Rush University Medical Center, and also to Little Italy. A free shuttle service to the Loop and the usual business amenities are available.
Just west of the Loop.
Very close to the Near South and the Loop as well.
Good hostel in Greektown within walking distance of Union Station (about 7 to 10 minute walk) with free breakfast, wi-fi and onsite restaurant and bar.
The much smaller size and higher vendor fees ensure that the original flavor of the world's greatest outdoor market is now only a piece of history, but the New Market has a truly awe-inspiring number of cheap Mexican food along with discount jewelry, t-shirts, random vintage items, suspicious electronics, and other flea market classics, and is a lot of fun.
It's worth a visit just to gawk at their wall of candles, but the fun in browsing begins with their extensive and eclectic collection of religious/spiritual items, from the Christian to the arcane. Ponder to which category the "Pope holograms" belong.
By bus
The CTA runs several bus routes through the West Side:
By car
For Greektown, exit I-90/94 east at Adams, or west at Monroe. From the Eisenhower Expressway, exit at Racine, and turn left. Halsted & Adams is three blocks north and six blocks east.
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