A guide to over 20 of the best restaurants in Ravenswood and Lincoln Square. This pair of neighborhoods on the north side is densely packed with restaurants.
It’s easy to get confused about the difference between Ravenswood and Lincoln Square. If you look at the official map of Chicago neighborhoods, Lincoln Square is included and not Ravenswood. But that map is from 1993 and these days most people call the larger neighborhood Ravenswood, and Lincoln Square refers to a small area encompassed by Ravenswood.
It’s confusing. The maps of Lincoln Square aren’t exactly consistent. For the sake of including all restaurant in the same geographic area, this list includes both restaurants in Ravenswood and Lincoln Square. One thing that is consistent is that Lincoln Square includes the stretch of Lincoln Avenue starting at the intersection of Western and going north – this is where many of the restaurants are located.
Last updated: March 2022
Restaurants in Ravenswood:
We have indicated which restaurants serve breakfast/brunch and/or lunch in addition to dinner.
Elizabeth
American, Fine Dining
Elizabeth offers a hyper-seasonal tasting menu with Midwestern roots that highlights forgotten foods and methods of preparation. Ingredients are sourced from local farmers.
goosefoot
American, Fine Dining
goosefoot is a fine dining restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine influenced by French technique in Lincoln Square. The restaurant serves a “surprise” twelve-course seasonal tasting menu for $175 per person. goosefoot is BYOB but you can purchase wine from the sister restaurant, goosefoot food & wine, which is located next door to goosefoot.
goosefoot food & wine
Italian, French
The more casual sibling to goosefoot, goosefoot food & wine serves at five-course tasting menu for $95 per person. The menu is inspired by regional Italian and French cuisine.
Gene’s Sausage Shop & Delicatessen
German, Polish, Lunch
Lincoln Square was originally settled by German immigrants and this rooftop beer and wine garden helps to tie to the neighborhood to its history. The menu includes polish sausage, bratwurst, schnitzel, and pierogi. The restaurant is located above a market and deli.
Himmel’s
German, Italian
Today, Gene’s and Himmel’s are the two German restaurants remaining in Lincoln Square. The menu at Himmel’s is a mix of German and Italian cuisine. You can find Bavarian pork shank, chicken schnitzel, and sauerbraten listed above chicken parmesan, chicken marsala, and spaghetti and meatballs on the menu.
Lutz
Pastries
A European pastry shop that opened in 1948 and that makes everything from wedding cakes to kid’s birthday cakes. A variety of cakes are available by the slice including Black Forest Cake. You can also find European pastries like eclairs, marzipan, tarts, and cannoli.
Artango Bar & Steakhouse
Argentinian, Steakhouse
Artango serves grass-fed beef from Argentina and other Argentinian specialities like ceviche and empanadas. Steak flights and larger sharable entrees are available to serve 2-4 people. The restaurant also hosts live music and tango shows.
The Warbler
American, Kid-friendly, Lunch
The Warbler serves lunch and dinner daily and the menu has flatbreads, sandwiches, pastas, and entrees like pork loin and butternut squash falafel. A family-style supper is available from 4:30 pm – 6 pm on weeknights for $27 a person and includes a selection of five dishes from the dinner menu including a salad, two appetizers, vegetable dishes or a pasta, and a flatbread. Kids under nine-years-old eat free.
Gather
American
A sister restaurant to The Warbler which is located next door, Gather serves modern American comfort food like pork belly, chicken liver mousse, uovo raviolo, braised pork shoulder, and a burger. Dinner is served nightly and brunch is available on Sundays.
Miku Sushi
Japanese, Sushi, Asian, Lunch
Miku Sushi serves ramen, poke bowls, and skewers in addition to sushi, sashimi, nigiri, and maki. Bento boxes are available at lunchtime.
Jerry’s Sandwiches
American, Burgers, Lunch, Kid-friendly
Jerry’s specializes in sandwiches and has over three dozen on the menu, plus several burgers. The menu has it all: fried chicken sandwiches, blacked chicken sandwiches, corned beef sandwiches, skirt steak sandwiches, pork belly sandwiches, seafood sandwiches, and vegetarian sandwiches. The menu has soups, salads, and sides too.
Root’s Pizza
Pizza, Kid-friendly
Roots serves up Quad Cities style pizza, and has four locations in Chicago. Roots often collaborates with other restaurants to bring things like Korean Fried Chicken Pizza and Butter Chicken Pizza to the menu. They have a long list of salad options too.
Cafe Selmarie
American, Breakfast, Lunch
An American bakery and cafe in Lincoln Square that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The kitchen menu has European influences and includes spinach lasagna, chicken schnitzel, and a burger. The bakery serves croissants, cinnamon buns, eclairs, brownies, torts, cakes, and pies.
Spacca Napoli
Pizza, Italian, Lunch
A pizzeria serving Neapolitan-style thin-crust pizzas. The menu has antipasti, salads, and over twenty different pizzas made with fresh gourmet ingredients. Gluten-free pizza is available. This is considered one of the best pizzerias in Chicago.
Half Acre
Brewery, Gastropub
Technically, Half Acre is in the small neighborhood of Bowmanville which borders Andersonville and Ravenswood. The space on Balmoral Ave is home to a taproom and beer garden that serves casual pub grub like cheese curds, nachos, bratwurst, and burgers. Brunch is available on weekends.
Baker Miller
Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch
This restaurant and bakery in Lincoln Square serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch (not dinner). The menu includes breakfast tacos, biscuit sandwiches, bagel sandwiches, salads, and sandwiches plus pastries, pies, and breads.
Bistro Champagne
French
A neighborhood French bistro with a garden patio that serves sustainable farm-to-table cuisine. The menu is traditional French and includes escargots, terrine de foie gras, French onion soup, salads lyonnaise, cassoulet, and steak frites.
Cultivate by Forbidden Root
Gastropub, American
A sister restaurant to Forbidden Root in West Town, Cultivate serves bar snacks, cheese plates, salads, vegetable mains, and larger meat entrees. The atmosphere is low-key but the cuisine is more sophisticated than most brewpubs. The menu has chicken liver mousse, lamb shank cassoulet, and duck confit with dumplings.
Luella’s Southern Kitchen
American, Southern
Luella’s Southern Kitchen is committed to being traditional Southern cuisine to Chicago. The menu features shrimp and grits, gumbo, buttermilk fried chicken, and Nashville chicken and waffles. Sides include cornbread, buttermilk biscuit, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and fried green tomatoes. Brunch is served on weekends. This is one of the most well-known restaurants in Ravenswood.
Urban Vegan Thai
Thai, Asian, Lunch, Vegetarian/Vegan
An entirely vegan restaurant specializing in Thai and Asian cuisine. The menu includes both vegetable dishes and meals made with soy-based meats. A mix of noodles, rice, and curry dishes are served.
The Bad Apple
American, Gastropub, Burgers, Kid-friendly
A relaxed gastropub known for beer and burgers. The menu has fourteen burgers plus starters like fried cheese curds, nachos, and poutine. If burgers aren’t your thing, there are some salads and sandwiches on the menu.
Shanghai Inn
Chinese, Asian, Lunch
Shanghai Inn has been serving Chinese comfort food since 1960. The restaurant has a large menu offering familiar favorites like crab rangoon, egg rolls, potstickers, chow mein, orange chicken, sesame chicken, curries, fried rice, and cashew beef.
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