What to Eat at Green City Market
· Updated · BootsnAll
No summer Saturday (or Wednesday) morning is complete for me without a trip to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. It's not a typical tourist attraction, but I think it gives visitors a better look at life in Chicago than most of the things on their list, and you get to snack all morning. Come for a cheap breakfast or lunch, or to stock up for the perfect summer picnic.
When and where
The Lincoln Park market sets up at the south end of the park, 1817 N. Clark St., on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 7am to 1pm. The outdoor season starts with Saturdays in April, adds Wednesdays in May and now runs into late November. Early-spring Saturdays can start an hour later, so check the market's Lincoln Park page before you go. There's no admission.
A second market, GCM West Loop, runs on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm at 900 W. Monroe St. It's handy if you're staying downtown.
Green City is a year-round market. After the outdoor season ends, a smaller indoor winter market takes over. It has moved around over the years, from Lincoln Park Zoo to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and then to Avondale, so check the website for where it is this winter.
Getting there
The 22 Clark, 36 Broadway, 73 Armitage and 151 Sheridan buses all stop right in front of the market. The 22 is the easy one from downtown. The closest trains are the Sedgwick stop on the Brown Line and Clark/Division on the Red Line, each a longish walk. If you drive, the Chicago History Museum lot off Stockton Drive offers discounted parking with a validation card from the market, $14 for two hours at last check.
A little history
Food writer Abby Mandel started Green City in 1999 after visiting sustainable farmers markets in Europe. It began with nine farmers next to the Chicago Theatre and soon outgrew the spot and moved to Lincoln Park (the market tells the full story). It's still strict about who sells there. Every vendor has to be certified by an outside organization, such as USDA Organic, Certified Naturally Grown or Animal Welfare Approved. That's why a lot of Chicago chefs shop here, and you may spot one loading crates into a car on Stockton Drive, where chefs get priority parking.
What to eat
Wandering the market can be overwhelming, and the rows of produce, flowers, herbs and eggs make it hard to find the ready-to-eat food. Vendors change from week to week and year to year, so check the market calendar to see who's coming. These are the ones to look for.
Breakfast
Start with coffee from Kikwetu Kenya Coffee Company, which sells locally roasted, direct-trade coffee. Then get a breakfast sandwich. Mint Creek Farm, which sells pasture-raised meat and eggs, makes them, and Dorothy's Bakery does bagel sandwiches. Avrom Farm serves chicken and waffles, which is the big-appetite option.
Cheese, cheese and more cheese
Look for Baked Cheese Haus, which sells baked cheese and raclette, melted and scraped onto your plate. J2K Capraio sells goat and cow's milk cheese to take home, and Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese makes its sandwiches with ingredients from other vendors at the market.
Bread and pastry
Bennison's Bakery has been part of the market for years, with artisan breads, croissants, scones and seasonal pastries. pHlour Bakery and Verzênay are two more bakeries worth a look, and Verzênay also does quiche and sandwiches. Urban Challah sells exactly what you'd guess.
Lunch
Noble Fat sells bao, lumpia and meat skewers. River Valley Ranch has tamales and soups along with its mushrooms, and Mint Creek grills burgers. Phoenix Bean sells tofu salads, and Earth & Skye Farm has salads and green smoothies. Underground Meats has salami and cured meats for a picnic board.
Sweet endings
Hoosier Mama Pie Co. brings pies and pastries. Daly's Donuts sells baked donuts, not fried, and Suffice scoops gelato and sorbet. For something cold to drink, Seedling Farms makes fruit smoothies and sells cider, and jun bug brews kombucha with local honey.
Make a morning of it
The market is at the south end of the park, so you can walk north to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is free, or cross to North Avenue Beach. Our Lincoln Park guide has the rest of the neighborhood. In September, the market holds its big fundraiser, the Chef BBQ, a ticketed evening in the park with more than 100 Chicago restaurants and drink makers cooking with market ingredients.
For more markets around the city, see our list of farmers markets in Chicago. The food and drink hub has everything else.