A constellation of incredible restaurants dots the district bounded by Ogden Avenue and the Kennedy. The area is aptly dubbed “Restaurant Row.” Some big names include Au Cheval (one of the best burgers in Chicago), Girl and the Goat (whose cook won the fourth season of “Top Chef”), Monteverde (stylish pastas and global wines), avec (inventive, minimalistic, Mediterranean), Blackbird (complete with James-Beard-award-winning chef), Formento’s (hearty Italian), Belly Q (innovative Asian barbecue) and El Che (Argentine-focused South American fare). Plus, Bar Biscay, the French-inspired “Spanish brasserie” created by the owners of mfk, opened less than a month ago. Nobody knew they needed a cross between Basque pintxo bar and French boite, but now they have one. In a neighborhood acclaimed for culinary pleasures, options not only abound but continually increase.
And after eating an exquisite meal at a restaurant that may have once been a warehouse (or a taxi building), the bars and other nocturnal activities beckon. Places like The Aviary bring innovation and nuance to both modern and antiquated cocktails. CH Distillery, another West Loop classic with a vodka focus, offers a tasting room, in which spirits are served with a soft slice of rye bread and two skewered cornichons on a wooden board. And Fulton Market Lounge brings another a completely different environment, given that the walls host a rotating lineup of local art.
An incredible aspect of the West Loop is the culture pervading the area. Thousands of people from across the country pour into Union Park every July to indulge in the Pitchfork music festival. The online magazine’s perennial concert presents up and coming talent along with industry veterans — entertainment that spans an entire weekend. Plus, the West Loop Art Fest commences in the middle of September every year. Not to mention Taste of Randolph and Chicago’s Movies in the Parks at Mary Bartelme Park. Another great addition to the West Loop culture is the art in the area. Numerous galleries surround the area on or north of Randolph Street.
But a culture is not solely defined by the events or buildings in an area. Instead, a communal aesthetic arises from the attitudes and ambience that residents exude. The people in West Loop breathe life into the ever-emerging restaurants, bars, apartment complexes and retail shops. These are trend-setting Chicagoans hoping to experience the development of a neighborhood, looking for a more urban experience than the River North cohort while still maintaining an interest in the chic and artistic.
