There are a few good restaurants south of North Avenue on Wells Street, and of course, those several blocks make up the main drag of Old Town. But alas, those blocks are no more a part of the Old Town Triangle than Morton Grove is.
Bricks (no apostrophe, please), at 1909 N. Lincoln Ave., is a subterranean thin-crust pizza and beer mecca that is as homey and comfortable as they come. The pizza is top-notch, the beers are crafty (Bricks served Fat Tire before Fat Tire was Fat Tire), and the music veers toward live Dead and Keith Richards. There’s one TV at the bar — usually showing sports — and the dimly lighted dining room is accented with red-and-white-checked tablecloths and flickering candles. On Tuesdays, bottles of wine are half-price.
Adobo Grill, 1610 N. Wells St., is a fine, fine Mexican restaurant and that can’t be said about 99 percent of the Mexican restaurants in this city. Naturally, go for the legendary guacamole made tableside, but also go for the grilled pork tenderloin in Oaxacán black mole, with fresh corn tamal and sautéed garlicky spinach ($16.95) if you know what’s good for you.
The place is brightly decorated in that Mexican fiesta kind of way, but it is also sophisiticated in that downtown restaurant kind of way. There are a few outdoor seats too.
Sinatra went to Twin Anchors, 1655 N. Sedgwick St. for ribs, so why shouldn’t you? And William Petersen used to drink there when he lived in Old Town, before CSI became a hit. There’s a whole list of famous people who have been there on the restaurant’s Web site if you are impressed by that. I know I am. When you go, just order the ribs. The only real decision is fries or rings, mild or zesty sauce. Rings and zesty if you ask me.
Don’t be intimidated by the subterranean entrance at Bricks – it’s quaint as hell inside.
Haven’t ever been to Chicago, but I have heard about all the great places to eat there. Brick’s seems authentic and like the type of place i’d like to visit. I consider myself a big food buff so missing out on Chicago’s restaurants sucks. I actually work with Gourmet, and if you’re a food fanatic as well check it out – http://condenast.eprize.net/gourmet/index.tbapp?affiliate id=1v – this video shows a top New York chef preparing an amazing dish. There are many different chefs also featured on the site. You can actually also enter to win a trip for 2 to a top resort, and you find out immediately if you won or not. Definitely worth checking out. What other places are worth checking out in the windy city?
Hey Jason, that’s a tough question to answer without narrowing it down a little.
Too bad that the building that contains Bricks no longer contains one of the best nightspots ever to grace Lincoln Park – The Bulls. (That’s THE, not DA; this predates the Jordan era, OK?) They had live entertainment every night of the year – yes, even Christmas eve and day. It closed sometime in the mid-90s.
Oldster, I remember Bulls, and if you venture into the late-night club next to Bricks–Katacomb–you’ll see shades of the old jazz haunt.
Katacomb, spent a night or two there without any recollection of it. Ouch.
Adobo is a great restaurant. They also have one located around Damen and Division. They are both gold mines!
And who could ever get past Twin Anchors. The best ribs in the city, in my opinion.
What will happen to the Old Town Pub or Ale house when the smoking ban takes effect? It’s a nice little place, lots of character. But probably the smokiest bar outside of most of the places on Western.