The corridor along Ravenswood Ave. contains a number of buildings in the former historic industrial manufacturing district that have been turned into loft residential buildings, offices, microbreweries, distilleries, restaurants, artist’s studios and a popular Art Center. There are also some excellent shops, cafes and restaurants along N. Damen, N. Lincoln, W. Montrose and W. Wilson.
Lill Street Art Center: A great arts education center with classes on everything from painting, digital photography, jewelry, textiles to print making. I have taken several classes in encaustic painting, photography and collage in the past. There is a great store with items from students and well-known artists. 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Every year in mid-September is the Ravenswood ArtWalk along Ravenswood Ave. from Lawrence to Irving Park. Here you can visit galleries and an outdoor arts market, hear live music, sample local craft beer and enjoy a number of food trucks. I really liked the work of local artists, Katie Shaw and Corey Postiglione at Studio 104 at 4201 N. Ravenswood Ave. and Ken Swallow at Studio 306, 4541 N. Ravenswood Ave.
In addition to the ArtWalk, there are a number of sculptures known as the Ravenswood Sculpture Garden, which is along Ravenswood Ave. between Lawrence and Irving Park.
Near Lill Street is the second location for the popular Margie’s Candies at 1813 W. Montrose Ave. for ice cream, sundaes and homemade candies from hand-dipped chocolates, fudge, toffee and mints. Margie’s has been in business since 1921.
To the west near the Montrose Brown Line stop is Spoken Café. They feature locally roasted organic coffee and espresso beverages along with bagels and breakfast sandwiches, local pastries and lunch dishes from sandwiches to salads. 1812 W. Montrose Ave.
At 1969 W Montrose Ave. is First Slice Pie Café Montrose. They have a menu of coffee, fruit and cream pies made onsite, soups, salads, quiches and sandwiches. I went after my brunch and loved the key lime pie with a latte. I always enjoyed going to the café when they had a location at Lill Street Art Center. Now closed, they have this location along with two more on Manor Ave. and in Andersonville on N. Ashland Ave.
Nearby is Celtic Gifts at 1940 W. Montrose. This small Irish boutique carries food, clothing and accessories, books and journals, jewelry, crystal and barware.
To the north is O’Shaughnessy’s Public House which currently occupies the historic Pickard Building, located at 4557 N Ravenswood at Wilson. This is a casual Irish tavern featuring pub food. They have a large outdoor patio as well. Here you can enjoy bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie and curry chips plus a long list of Scotch and Irish whiskey. I enjoyed a bourbon old fashioned and a fish sandwich. The sandwich was made with cod loin dipped and fried in their famous beer batter and served on marble rye bread with melted Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and tartar sauce.
I recently went back again with friends and enjoyed a perfect maple old fashioned made with barrel aged maple syrup with curry chips which are fries along with a traditional Irish curry sauce for dipping. They have a lovely outdoor patio during the warmer months.
A block south is another great find, Spacca Napoli Pizzeria, located at 1769 W Sunnyside Ave. Local friends had recommended it, and it had been on my list to try. I went with friends and enjoyed my dinner on the lovely outdoor patio.Opened in 2006, it specializes in Neapolitan-style thin-crust pizzas served in a rustic space. The menu also as some pastas and salads. I really enjoyed the fig pizza with prosciutto. I recommend the experience. Reservations are accepted.
Dovetail Brewing is located at 1800 W. Belle Plaine Ave. and is known for its German style beers including pilsners and lagers.
Nearby is Begyle Brewing at 1800 W. Cuyler Ave. This is a microbrewery, also a part of Malt Row, that features a taproom and beer garden. They make a number of ales, stouts, blondes and IPAs.
Cultivate by Forbidden Root, the brewery’s third location, opened its doors on Malt Row in November of 2021. As Chicago’s first botanic brewery, they use herbs, spices, flowers, fruits and roots in their brewing process. They also have a large dinner and weekend brunch food menu in addition to a large menu of their creative pilsners, ales, wheat beer and lagers. I was very impressed with the Peach Wit and the Hibiscus Walking Distance. The Peach Wit is a Belgian styled wheat beer,, brewed with peaches and a selection of botanicals to enhance the peach aroma and flavor. The Hibiscus Walking Distance is a farmhouse ale with added hibiscus for an earthy sweetness.
They took over the former home of the Band of Bohemia brewpub, which I enjoyed in the past, at 4710 N. Ravenswood Ave.
On the north end of the neighborhood is Spiteful Brewing at 2024 W. Balmoral Ave. Started in 2012 by two childhood friends, in 2017, they relocated a couple of miles north and opened a new brewery complete with an expanded Tap Room. Here you can taste one of their 16 beers on tap including IPAs, Porters, and Classic European styles. I thought the Bleacher Bum Peach Blonde Ale was very light and refreshing. They have indoor seating as well as an outdoor patio.
Next door is Half Acre Beer Company. Started in 2007, in 2015, they transformed a bow truss factory building into their current home and brewery at 2050 W Balmoral Avenue. This property includes a taproom and seasonal beer garden with full service dining and a retail shop. Here you can try one of their IPAs, ales, pilsners and lagers. I recommend that you try the Green Torch Lime Lager which is a crisp, refreshing beer. They age some of their beers in old bourbon and whiskey barrels which adds to the flavor.
Located in the same building as Cultivate by Forbidden Root is Vin312 Winery. This is a small winery and tasting room where you can taste their red, white, and rosé wines. Made with grapes sourced from California and Washington state, the wines are made at this location at 4710 N. Ravenswood Ave. The full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon was a good choice to try.
On my recent trip, I went to three new spots.
At 5121 N. Ravenswood, is/was Brewing is a small Chicago-based producer of artisanal beers, currently focused on the Saison style. It has been ranked as one Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine’s Top 20 Saison Breweries in the world. It has a small tasting room. Their Will Be, flagship Saison, was light and refreshing.
I then went south to Demo Brewing Company at 1763 W. Berteau Ave. It has a really attractive tasting room and very helpful staff. They have a selection of wheat beer, ales and lagers. I tried the Urban Achiever Blonde Ale, but Tart Blackberry Wheat Ale was my favorite, as it was made with a blackberry puree. They also have an attached parking lot.
My last stop was Hop Butcher For The World. Their brewery, taproom and store is located at 4257 N. Lincoln Ave. Here you can find their ales, stouts, lagers, IPAs and pilsners. The Honey Bear Stout made with chocolate, honey and vanilla was very rich and tasty.
Take a detour to the east to see the All Saints Episcopal Church. Built in 1883, the structure was declared a Chicago Landmark in 1982. The building was designed in what is known as stick style and is Chicago’s oldest wood-frame church.
I recently went there for a student recital presented the ACM School of Music located across from the church. It was excellent and the church interior is lovely. 4550 N Hermitage Ave.
To the north of the church at 4505 N. Hermitage is the historic Abbott Mansion built in 1891 for the founder of Abbott Laboratories. He founded the drug company in Ravenswood in 1888. The Queen Anne-style mansion is considered a Chicago landmark.
Further north at 4646 N. Hermitage Ave. is the Carl Sandburg House. This is an historic landmark where the famed writer Carl Sandburg lived with his family beginning in 1912. This was where the biographer and poet began writing for the Chicago Daily News and was where his famous poem Chicago was written
Located west of Ravenswood in North Center is one of my farvorite new restaurant finds. After reading about its great reviews, I recently went to Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant at 4337 N. Western Ave. which opened in February 2023. In its first year, Chef Joe Fontelera received a 2024 James Beard nomination as a Semifinalist for Best Chef Midwest. They are also listed in the Michelin Guide in the Bib Gourmand category. I went with a local friend who was born in the Philippines. We were both very impressed with the food. He said it brought back great memories of growing up there.
They have a small menu of Filipino specialties. I recommend that you share starters, entrees, sides and desserts in order to taste any many dishes as you can! We enjoyed the Lumpiang Shanghai or crispy fried pork spring rolls with a sweet and sour sauce along with the Adobong Monok or chicken thighs with an adobo glaze. This was followed by a very tasty Adobong Isde or black cod dish with garlic rice. We topped off the meal with a perfect Turon or plantain wrapped as a spring roll, dusted in brown sugar and deep fried. It is BYOB. I really enjoyed the excellent service and the great energy of this small restaurant. Make sure to make a reservation in advance.
Also just west of Ravenswood in Albany Park is Antepeli Mediterranean Grill at 4849 N. Kedzie. This is a Turkish restaurant near the corner of Lawrence Ave. I went for lunch with a local friend and enjoyed the food, atmosphere and the service. The staff were all from Türkiye. I loved my past trip to Istanbul and wanted to try the food. I enjoyed the babaganoush, lamb and chicken kabobs plus the traditional baklava. They also have a bakery where you can buy their baklava and other pastries.
