Beckett’s

The beer and conversation flow, and Nebraska fans munch on gourmet burgers beneath wide-screen TVs. But this sports bar is unique, and not because it has 200 craft beers. Beckett’s is infused with, well, Samuel Beckett. A giant portrait of the Irish playwright glares from the wall. His silhouette decorates the dinner plates. A sketch of his face comprises the restaurant’s logo. And the dining area feels like a library with its wood paneling, captain’s chairs and shelves of books. Flip through one while you’re watching the Bears or waiting for Godot.

Beckett’s
3210 North Lincoln
(773)880-9620
beckettschicago.com

Best of Chicago 2011

Perfect Smile Dental Spa

Before your exam even starts you get a complimentary “tune-up” upper-neck-and-back massage from one of their licensed therapists, a free paraffin hand-wax and, if you want, free medical-grade nitrous oxide. You heard us right. For longer visits why not watch “Iron Man 2″ on their stereo movie goggles (they also have satellite radio if you just want some tunes). The waiting room has complimentary bottled water, gourmet coffee, tea and hot chocolate (plus an Xbox and a foot massager). That’s not even counting things like free second opinions, complimentary oral cancer screening and “Whitening for Life” free for new patients. And did we mention the nitrous?

2155 West Roscoe
(773)528-3384
perfectsmiledentalspa.com

Best of Chicago 2010

Stax Café

We’ve probably had as many pancakes as Wilt Chamberlain had ladies and to pick amongst them is a disservice of sorts. For the Walker Bros. Pancake House in Wheeling’s Dutch Baby is just as solid as the Butterfinger-larded Bongo Room flapjack. It’s really just a matter of mood. No matter our temperament though, the light ricotta pancakes slathered with tart-sweet rhubarb strawberry compote at Stax Café always seem to fit the bill.

1401 West Taylor
(312)733-9871

Audience choice:

Bongo Room, Orange, Original Pancake House (TIE)

Bongo Room
1470 North Milwaukee
(773)489-0690

1152 South Wabash
(312)291-0100
thebongoroom.com

Orange
738 North Clark
(312)202-0600

730 West Grand
(312)942-0300

2011 West Roscoe
(773)248-0999

2413 North Clark
(773)549-7833
orangerestaurantchicago.com

Original Pancake House
2020 North Lincoln Park West
(773)929-8130

22 East Bellevue
(312)642-7917

1517 East Hyde Park
(773)288-2322
originalpancakehouse.com

Best of Chicago 2010

Turquoise Café

Venture beneath the turquoise-diamond sign. Carrots with yogurt and fresh-baked bread will start you off on an evening of gastronomic delight. Feast on herb-crusted rack of lamb. Let the joy of kazandibi—a caramel custard topped with ice cream—melt in your mouth for dessert.

2147 West Roscoe
(773)549-3523
turquoisedining.com

Best of Chicago 2010

Four Moon Tavern

Handmade pierogis, meatloaf sandwiches and saucy sloppy joes charm guests daily at this corner drink-and-dine gem. Johnny Cash croons on the juke, obscure microbrews chill in the coolers and on Sundays, slow-cooked pot roast rules the “specials” chalkboard. Leave room for a finely crafted bloody and conversation with some of the best bar and wait staff in Chicago. Sweet home, indeed.

1847 West Roscoe
(773)929-6666
fourmoontavern.com

Best of Chicago 2010

Cakegirls

Striped, solid or flowered purse cakes—they look so real! Fancy cakes for large parties are available, too. Just call the designers at Cakegirls (sisters Mary and Brenda Maher) and tell them what you have in mind. They’ve created cakes in the shape of a baby carriage, Eiffel Tower, sushi dinner, boxing gloves and green eggs & ham. They’ve made Queen Latifah and countless brides smile.

2207 W. Belmont
(773)404-3147
thecakegirls.com

Best of Chicago 2008

Lenny and Me

This popular resale/consignment shop in Wicker Park is known for its quirky vintage wares. In addition to eclectic clothing and jewelry, Lenny and Me offers a selective array of classic and contemporary women’s hats. The shop sells a rotating collection of twenty-five to thirty hats on any given day: “church lady” pillboxes, wool caps, fur-lined bombers and beautifully crafted vintage cloches. But if you’re looking for something to wear to a Cubs game, you’ll have to go to Lids; at this kitschy hipster shop, there’s nary a baseball cap in sight.

1459 N. Milwaukee
(773)489-5576
lennyandmechicago.com

Audience choice:

p+L boutique
2956 N. Clark
(773)248-3758

Best of Chicago 2008

Hungry Brain

Roscoe Village’s quaint pub remains one of the best bars in the city not only because of its warm, charming décor (the stage, dotted with couches and a community table is a nice touch) but also because no one is ever there. You’ll rarely, if ever, have a difficult time finding a seat for you and your friend(s) at a table or at the bar itself, and the music, while always agreeable, is kept at a safe distance from your conversation. So talk politics, talk art, talk relationships and, best yet, talk at a normal volume, and do so while taking down a Guinness, because for some reason it tastes especially good here.

2319 W. Belmont
(773)709-1401

Audience choice
(Tie) Danny’s, 1951 W. Dickens, (773)489-6457; Violet Hour,
1520 N. Damen. (773)252-1500.

Best of Chicago 2008

Diversey River Bowl
Better known as Diversey Rock’n'Bowl, it’s best on Monday, punk rock night, with its giddy crowd of regulars, but almost any night will find a kind of bowling undreamt of by league overseers: fun, young and drunk? The thirty-six lanes have a special secret to facilitate the boozy Chicago-osity of it all: They’re plastic-sealed against the kind of damage that could quickly warp and ruin a lesser joint.

2211 West Diversey (773)227-5800

Best of Chicago 2002

Paulina Meat Market
This old-world meat market is a marvel of activity, especially on holiday-season weekends, when home cooks converge to choose from an unsurpassed offering of family-sized hams and roasts. Don’t pass up on the sausage or the homemade beef jerky, which are shaped like candy canes at Christmastime.

3501 North Lincoln (773)248-6272

Best of Chicago 2002