The South Loop sits between Grant Park, the Museum Campus and Soldier Field, and Chinatown is a quick hop down the Red Line. It's also the easiest jumping-off point for some of the South Side's great food.
South Loop
- Tilly Bagel Shop: inventive sourdough bagels, and the best bagel near Grant Park. Get the cacio e pepe.
- Harold's Chicken Shack: the South Side chain that gave Chicago mild sauce. Order a half chicken fried hard, with mild sauce and lemon pepper.
- Flo & Santos: a Polish-Italian pub whose thin-crust pizza gets named among the city's best. It's handy before a game.
Chinatown
- Strings Ramen Shop: noodles made fresh every day, and a ghost-pepper "Hell Ramen" challenge if you're brave.
- Nine Bar: an Asian-inspired cocktail bar tucked behind a restaurant, ranked among North America's best.
Worth the short trip south
- Phil's Pizza in Bridgeport: cash-only tavern-style pizza since 1960.
- Maxwell Street Depot in Bridgeport: an old-school walk-up for a Maxwell Street Polish.
- Shawn Michelle's and Honey 1 BBQ in Bronzeville.
- Lem's Bar-B-Q, a James Beard America's Classic. Get the rib tips and hot links. More BBQ →
Thinking about living near the lakefront museums? Browse apartment buildings in the South Loop →