Outdoor dining at a restaurant epitomizes Chicago during the summer. After being cooped up inside all day during the long winter, most Chicagoans can’t wait to dine outside at their favorite restaurant. Late in May the restaurants slowly start setting up their outdoor dining on the sidewalk, on patios, and well, in any space they can find. The city of Chicago is full of great restuarnats with outdoors dining options, but there are definitely a few you should visit first. All of these restuarnats serve up great food, in casual atmosphere, and best of all they have a patio. The next time you are visiting Chicago, take a step or two off of the beaten tourist path and check out these great local spots for outdoor dining.
Dinotto Ristorante is a super affordable Italian restaurant in the heart of Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. If you are staying downtown, this is only a very short cab ride away. They have a great covered outdoor patio that is perfect for people watching. It faces North Avenue and swarms of people are always traipsing by. If you can look up from your big plate of great Italian food there is quite a lot to see. Old Town is a fun little area with lots of charm. I had the grilled Portobello mushroom. White wine, cheeses, and herbs rounded out this flavorful dish. It was perfect with a glass of house chardonnay. Dinotto Ristorante is located at 215 West North Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60610. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is quaint. It can get crowded, so expect a wait for a table. They can be reached at (312) 202-0302.
Pepper Lounge has one of the cutest outdoor patios in Chicago. They are located in Wrigleyville, so if you are taking in a Cubs game you are not too far away. The atmosphere is very hip and there were quite a lot of people packed into his apparently hot little lounge. I did not expect it to be so popular, but I can see why it was. The food is good, the décor is funky, and the wait staff is actually down right friendly. I tried the crab ravioli. It was a combination of crabmeat, ricotta, and red peppers. It was actually really good. Considering I thought I was headed for a regular old bar with a cute patio, I was happily surprised by the menu. Pepper Lounge is located at 3441 North Sheffield Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60657. You can reach them at (773) 665-7377.
Moody’s Pub is located in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. Definitely off the beaten path. You won’t find many tourists this far from Michigan Avenue. The patio is huge and the burgers are great. They offer up great bar food in a fun Chicago atmosphere. They are known for their burgers, which is how I ended up there. There is nothing like a great burger at a good bar. It is the ultimate Sunday afternoon food for any American. Moody’s Pub did not let me down and almost felt like I was at home in Atlanta at my favorite bar The Bucket Shop. Both have large friendly patios and great real burgers. I was a little alarmed to find out that they don’t take credit cards or bankcards, but my waiter pointed me to an ATM that was only a few feet away. I thought I was going to be washing dishes for a second or two! Moody’s Pub is located at 5910 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL 60660. A trip to Moody’s Pub is a great chance to check out a different part of Chicago while eating a good greasy meal. They can be reached at (773) 275-2696.
