Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Greek restaurants clustered on Halsted Street between Van Buren and Washing-
ton streets. Many restaurants have wonderful outdoor seating and spectacular
views of the city—plus, long tables of families and shouts of “Opa!” make quite
a ruckus that will keep your kids entertained.
Greek Islands,
200 S. Halsted St.
(
&
312/782-9855
);
Santorini,
800 W. Adams St., at Halsted Street (
&
312/
829-8820
);
Parthenon,
314 S. Halsted St. (
&
312/726-2407
); and
Costas,
340
S. Halsted St. (
&
312/263-0767
), are all good bets for gyros, Greek salads, shish
kabobs, and the classic moussaka. My top pick for families is
Athena,
212 S. Hal-
sted St. (
&
312/655-0000
), which has a stunning three-level outdoor seating
area, a fantastic choice for a warm summer evening. It's paved with brick and
landscaped with 30-foot trees, flower gardens, and even a waterfall. Best of all: an
incredible view of the downtown skyline with the Sears Tower right in the mid-
dle.
Pegasus,
130 S. Halsted St. (
&
312/226-3377
), has a rooftop patio serving
drinks, appetizers, and desserts.
Artopolis,
306 S. Halsted St. (
&
312/559-9000
),
is another casual option offering up tasty Greek and Mediterranean specialties,
wood-oven pizzas, and wonderful breads and French pastries.
4 The Magnificent Mile & the Gold Coast
Yes, the Mag Mile is all about designer shopping—and designer eating—and
you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover that plenty of those eateries welcome
kids. In fact, a great many families who visit Chicago never stray far from the
Magnificent Mile and the adjoining Gold Coast area. From the array of restau-
rants, shops, and pretty streets in the area, it's not hard to see why.
EXPENSIVE
American Girl Place Cafe
AMERICAN Dining with dolly has never
been done in a more appealing manner than at the cafe located inside the Amer-
ican Girl Place store. Not to be sexist, but most boys will be less than thrilled
about spending time here surrounded by girls, dolls, and dresses: It's really best
for a girls' day out. With an eye-popping black, white, and red polka-dot-and-
stripe decor, the cafe has loads of kid appeal. The view of the water tower and
surrounding street life from the third-floor cafe is wonderful. Parents and
daughters can bond over lunch, dinner, or tea, and dolly (only of the American
Girl species, of course) can join in, settled on a special booster seat. Treats on the
menu include fresh cinnamon buns, frittata quiche, chicken fingers, macaroni
and cheese, and tic-tac-toe pizza. Top your meal off with a sugar cookie, carrot
cake, or chocolate pudding flowerpot, and wash everything down with a pink
lemonade or hot chocolate. American Girl Place is a destination for many fam-
ilies visiting Chicago, so plan well in advance to avoid disappointing the Amer-
ican girl in your life. The cafe recommends booking 8 to 12 weeks in advance.
111 E. Chicago Ave.
&
877/247-5223.
High chairs, boosters. Reservations required. Prix-fixe menu (includes
gratuity) lunch $17, tea $16, dinner $18. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Lunch seatings 11am and 12:30pm daily; tea
seatings 2:30 and 4pm daily; dinner 5:30 Mon-Thurs, 7:30 Fri-Sat. Subway/El: Red Line to Chicago/State.
Bandera
SOUTHWESTERN The open-range ambience here is created by
the chicken roasting over a hickory-burning fire. Some complain that the room
even gets a bit too smoky from that open fire, but in the wintertime it gives Ban-
dera a cozy rustic Western feel. If your kids will eat cornbread and roasted
chicken with mashed potatoes, they'll do fine here. Menu offerings include
roasted prime rib, pork tenderloin with barbecue sauce, Western beef back ribs,
and wood-roasted salmon. This is a national chain, so the restaurant might look
