Advice for Weekend Visit (Chicago, Lincoln: renting, neighborhood, taxis)

[spencgr]

Visiting your lovely city this weekend and am not planning on renting a car. Is the best/ easiest method of transportation a cab (assuming cost is not a factor)? How plentiful are they throughout the city?

Also, we have reservations for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, but haven't decided on places for lunches. We are thinking polish food one day and hot dogs the next. Not looking for the most touristy places, just delicious food.....(we're open to other suggestions as well - just looking for great food.)

Finally, my husband loves great beers. Any recommendations for a good bar/ beer garden? Low key is our style, we don't want to go anywhere where we have to push someone away to get to the bar.

We're staying at the Westin on Michigan if that helps with recommendations.

Thanks!!

[Vlajos]

Cabs are plenitful in the areas you will be visiting.

Hot Dougs for weiners:

Hot Doug's


or Superdawg for a classic experience:

Superdawg® drive-in

Hopleaf for beer:

Hopleaf • Uptown, Chicago

Resi's for a beer garden and good German food:

Resi's Bierstube - North Center - Chicago, IL

Someone else will have to chime in on the Polish food. Have a nice trip!

[Suburban Mom of 2 Kids]

If you are at the Westin on Michigan avenue.....

Portillos at Michigan/Ontario....for hot dogs & sandwiches
State/Pearson....there's a "dive" hot dog place with great hot dogs (I can't remember the name right now) over there on the Loyola campus

Polish restaurants are not easy to find in the city, and I am not aware of any in the downtown area......

Other Lunch suggestions:
Bandera - 535 N. Michigan
Grand Lux Cafe - 600 N. Michigan avenue
Xoco - casual Mexican on Clark street
Maggiano's (italian) - Clark street

[long101]

Originally Posted by Suburban Mom of 2 Kids

Maggiano's (italian) - Clark street

Really?

Hot dougs is great, but it will be a pain getting their without a car and if your only staying the weekend might not be worth the time investment. If you do wind up going make sure to get there 30min before it opens

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Suburban Mom of 2 Kids

Other Lunch suggestions:
Grand Lux Cafe - 600 N. Michigan avenue
Maggiano's (italian) - Clark street

Thanks to all for the suggestions, so far! I should have been a little more clear, though. We aren't looking for chain restaurants - only places specific to Chicago.

I've been to both Maggiano's and Grand Lux multiple times....

(Oh, and we're going to Frontera Grill for dinner, so that kinda rules out XOCO)

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by long101

Really?

Hot dougs is great, but it will be a pain getting their without a car and if your only staying the weekend might not be worth the time investment. If you do wind up going make sure to get there 30min before it opens

Just checked out the menu for Hot Dougs and it looks very tempting!

(Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel

White Wine and Dijon Rabbit Sausage (Easter's over, after all) with Mushroom Aioli and St. Paulin Cheese)

If we were to make our way out there for lunch, is there anything fun to see or do out in that area? Or is it pretty much sausage, and then head back to town?

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Suburban Mom of 2 Kids

...
Polish restaurants are not easy to find in the city, and I am not aware of any in the downtown area......

Says the surbubanite who recommends chain restaurants to out-of-towners

Polish restaurants are easy to find in the Polish parts of the city, however they're not considered fine dining so it is true there aren't many downtown.

There is a place in the Loop that sells pierogies called, aptly enough, Pierogi Heaven on Wells Street just south of Lake Street.

Podhalanka is probably the closest Polish place to downtown. It's pretty easy to get to with or without a car or taxi even. On Division Street on the Polish Triangle (Division Street and Milwaukee Ave). Taxis are easy to and from there, or you can take the Blue Line subway there (Division stop is less than a block away), or the Division bus.

You may also enjoy Kasia's Polish Delicatessen, which is on Chicago Ave a block west of Damen Ave in the Ukranian Village neighborhood. Cabs there easy, might wait a few minutes to hail one coming back, but there will be cabs around. Or can take the Chicago Ave bus there and back.

You might also consider checking out Szalas on the southwest side. Taking a cab there from downtown would be about $25 or so and you'd likely have to call for a cab for the return trip, but it's also within a 15 minute walk from the Orange Line Pulaski station (good station name when going to a Polish place, right?).

Two others you might consider, on the west Belmont Polish area are Staropolska in the Polish part of Avondale. $15-$20 cab fare, might be able to hail one coming back, or only about a 10 minute walk to the Blue Line Belmont subway station.

And Barbakan on Central Avenue just south of Belmont (probably $25-$30 cab fare, would have to call one to return, or take the Belmont bus back east to the train lines).

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Just checked out the menu for Hot Dougs and it looks very tempting!

(Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel

White Wine and Dijon Rabbit Sausage (Easter's over, after all) with Mushroom Aioli and St. Paulin Cheese)

If we were to make our way out there for lunch, is there anything fun to see or do out in that area? Or is it pretty much sausage, and then head back to town?

The foie gras dog is really tasty. Actually everything is really good. The waits can be long as someone else said.

You could go up to Lincoln Square from Hot Doug's and stroll Lincoln Avenue with it's shops, watering holes and restaurants.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

You could go up to Lincoln Square from Hot Doug's and stroll Lincoln Avenue with it's shops, watering holes and restaurants.

Aha - from eating straight to more eating and drinking! This is really shaping up to be a fantastic weekend.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Visiting your lovely city this weekend and am not planning on renting a car. Is the best/ easiest method of transportation a cab (assuming cost is not a factor)? How plentiful are they throughout the city?
...

Most places close to downtown will have plenty of cabs on the street. They are *usually* the fastest way around, although at rush hour or during festivals sometimes the subway/"L" will be faster. Subway will almost always be cheaper, though. With two people don't expect any trip in a taxi to be less than $8 including tip, and that's for a short trip (about a mile in downtown traffic).

If you don't mind spending the money, just go with cabs. If you head a little further out, it might be good to have a taxi company's phone number in your phone in case you can't find one on the street. NOTE: If you end up calling for a cab, do wait for the cab or, at the very least, call them back and cancel the request if you change your mind - if you call a cab, a driver is dispatched to you and he'll lose out on other potential fares if you just ditch him. Generally speaking the most you'll have to wait for a called cab in most areas, even if there aren't a lot of street cabs, is 15 minutes, and 5-10 is typical. Most restaurants will also call you cab if you ask.

That said, it never hurts to carry a transit map "just in case" because you're never more than about a 5 minute walk (worst case) from a bus stop in the vast majority of the city, and the CTA has real-time bus-tracking technology so you will actually know when the next bus will be there. CTA | Bus Tracker