Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INEXPENSIVE
Northside Café
AMERICAN/BURGERS Among the best cheap eats in the
city, Northside cooks up great burgers, sandwiches, and salads, all for less than
$11. This is strictly neighborhood dining, without attitude and little in the way
of decor; the back dining room looks like a rec room circa 1973, complete with
a fireplace, pinball machines, and a pool table. In nice weather, Northside opens
up its large front patio for dining, and a skylit cover keeps it in use during the
winter. You're always sure to be entertained people-watching, as Northside
attracts all sorts. During the week, it's more of a neighborhood hangout, while
on weekends, a touristy crowd from Lincoln Park and the suburbs piles in. A
limited late-night menu is available from 10pm to 1am.
1635 N. Damen Ave. (at North and Milwaukee aves.).
&
773/384-3555.
Reservations not accepted. Menu
items $5.95-$11. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Sun-Fri 11:30am-2am; Sat 11am-3am. Subway/El: Blue Line to
Damen.
Piece
AMERICAN/PIZZA Ever since its debut a few years ago, Piece
has been convincing deep-dish-loving Chicagoans that thin-crust pizza deserves
respect. A casual, welcoming hangout, Piece makes a great family lunch stop
during the day; at night, it becomes a convivial scene full of young singles sip-
ping one of the restaurant's seasonal microbrew beers. The large, airy dining
room—a former garage that's been outfitted with dark wood tables and ceiling
beams—is flooded with light from the expansive skylights overhead; even when
it's crowded (as it gets on weekend evenings), the soaring space above keeps the
place from feeling claustrophobic.
Piece offers a selection of salads and sandwiches on satisfyingly crusty bread,
but pizza in the style of New Haven, Connecticut (hometown of one of the
owners), is the house specialty. You pick from three styles: plain (tomato sauce,
Parmesan cheese, and garlic), red (tomato sauce and mozzarella), or white (olive
oil, garlic, and mozzarella), then add on your favorite toppings. Sausage and/or
spinach work well with the plain or red, but the adventurous shouldn't miss the
house specialty: clam and bacon on white pizza.
1927 W. North Ave. (at Milwaukee Ave.).
&
773/772-4422.
www.piecechicago.com. Reservations not
accepted. Pizza $9-$15. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11:30am-11pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-12:30am; Sun
11am-11pm. Subway: Blue Line to Damen.
Silver Cloud
AMERICAN The motto of this casual cafe is “Food like
Mom would make if she was gettin' paid.” Silver Cloud is comfort food central,
with a laid-back pub-meets-diner decor and suitably attitude-free clientele. If
intimate conversation is your priority, try to snag one of the roomy red leather
booths. While the food isn't extraordinary, the restaurant does deliver consis-
tently reliable home-style favorites: chicken potpie, grilled-cheese sandwiches,
pot roast, even sloppy joes with a side of tater tots; retro desserts include s'mores
and root beer floats. While Silver Cloud attracts a mix of families, couples, and
groups of friends during the day and early evening hours, it becomes more of a
cocktail lounge at night—serving up specialty martinis and allowing smoking
after 10pm. A warning for those with sensitive ears: The jukebox volume gets
turned up at night, too. The Sunday brunch is especially popular; the “Hang-
over Helpers” attract a fair amount of hip young things recovering from nightly
adventures.
1700 N. Damen Ave. (at Wabansia St.).
&
773/489-6212.
www.silvercloudchicago.com. Reservations
accepted. Main courses $6.50-$10 lunch, $6.50-$13 dinner. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11:30am-11pm; Fri
11:30am-midnight; Sat-Sun 10am-midnight. Subway: Blue Line to Damen.
Kids
