The Lakeview Neighborhood

Lakeview is where a lot of Chicagoans move after college and don't leave. It runs along the lakefront north of Lincoln Park, and it's packed with three-flats, greystones, restaurants, boutiques and bars. Families, recent grads and a big LGBTQ community all live here, and the neighborhood has enough going on that you could spend a whole trip in it and still eat well every night.

It was its own town once. Lake View was an independent township with its own charter, and it held its first township election in 1857, with a town hall at what's now Addison and Halsted. The building on that corner still carries the name. Today Lakeview is a patchwork of smaller neighborhoods, each with its own personality, so it helps to know which one you're headed to.

Getting there

The Red Line is the fast way in. Belmont, Addison and Sheridan are the Lakeview stops, and the Red Line runs 24 hours, which matters in a neighborhood with this many bars. The Brown Line serves the western half, stopping at Diversey, Wellington, Southport, Paulina and Addison, and it shares the Belmont station with the Red Line. Buses run up and down Broadway, Clark and Halsted, and along the lake on the express routes that use Lake Shore Drive. Don't drive to Wrigleyville on a game day. Street parking near the ballpark is restricted, and traffic backs up for blocks. Our transportation guide has the details.

Lakeview East

East of Clark, from Diversey up to Irving Park, is what most people mean when they just say "Lakeview." Broadway is the main street, lined with restaurants, coffee shops and neighborhood bars. Pingpong, 3322 N. Broadway, has been one of those places for years, a small Asian restaurant open every night from 4pm with last orders at 11pm. The side streets toward the lake are quiet and residential. Keep walking east and you hit the park and the Lakefront Trail, which runs along the shore past Belmont Harbor, full of sailboats in summer, and on south toward downtown. It's the best free thing in the neighborhood. The Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce kicks off the summer street-fest season with the Belmont-Sheffield Music Festival over Memorial Day weekend.

Northalsted

Halsted Street between Belmont and Grace is the heart of gay Chicago. For decades it was called Boystown. The business association now uses Northalsted, though plenty of people still say Boystown. The rainbow pylons along the sidewalk double as the Legacy Walk, an outdoor museum of LGBTQ history, and Center on Halsted is the neighborhood's community center. More families have moved in since this page was first written, and the street is calmer on an ordinary weekday than it used to be. It's still the place for a big night out. Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted, and Roscoe's, across the street at 3356 N. Halsted, are the two anchors, and the Kit Kat Club, the drag supper club, is at 3524 N. Halsted.

For food, The Chicago Diner, 3411 N. Halsted, has been cooking vegetarian comfort food since 1983. Most of the menu is vegan, and it's open until 10pm every night. Our vegetarian and vegan guide has what to order.

Two weekends a year the street gets wild. The Chicago Pride Parade on the last Sunday in June draws crowds estimated at more than a million, and Northalsted Market Days fills Halsted from Belmont to Addison over a weekend in August. Both are a great time. Just know that the costumes are skimpy and the crowd is loud, so you might leave young kids with a sitter. Our gay Chicago guide covers the bars, the history and Pride in more detail.

Wrigleyville

Wrigley Field, at 1060 W. Addison St., opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park, and the Cubs have played there since 1916. Everything around it runs on the Cubs schedule. On game days and concert nights the blocks around Clark and Addison fill with fans hours before the first pitch, and the bars turn into a frat party. If that isn't your scene, stay away before and after games. If it is, get there early. See our guides to going to a Cubs game and the Chicago Cubs.

You don't need a game ticket to see the ballpark. Wrigley Field tours take about 90 minutes and go into the seating bowl and the bleachers on non-game days. Next door, Gallagher Way is a public plaza that's free to walk into when there's no game, with movie nights and concerts in summer and an ice rink in winter.

Murphy's Bleachers, 3655 N. Sheffield Ave., is the old bar across from the bleacher gate. It's been there in one form or another for close to 80 years, and owner Jim Murphy opened the first rooftop seats in 1984, which started the rooftop business that now rings the ballpark. It runs a trivia night except on home game days. Sluggers, 3540 N. Clark St., has a game room and stays open until 2am, 3am on Saturdays. Big Star has a Wrigleyville taco bar at 3640 N. Clark. For more places near the park, read where to eat and drink near Wrigley Field.

The best reason to be in Wrigleyville when the Cubs aren't playing is Metro, 3730 N. Clark, the rock club that has been booking bands since 1982, with the Smartbar dance club in the basement. The Addison Red Line stop is two blocks away. Our nightlife guide has more.

If you want to stay here, Hotel Zachary, 3630 N. Clark St., is directly across from the ballpark. Rates jump when the Cubs are home. See our list of hotels near Wrigley Field.

Southport

West of Wrigleyville, Southport Avenue north of the Southport Brown Line stop is a quieter strip of boutiques, cafés and restaurants aimed at the young families who live on the side streets. The anchor is the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport, a 1929 movie palace that shows classic and independent films. For breakfast or lunch, Southport Grocery and Cafe, 3552 N. Southport, is open every day from 8am to 3pm. Order the bread pudding pancakes. It doubles as a specialty grocery, so you can pick up snacks for the road. Our shopping guide covers the stores, and the Southport Art Fest comes to the street each July.

Roscoe Village

Farther west, around Roscoe Street and Damen Avenue, Roscoe Village is the most small-town part of Lakeview's orbit, technically in the North Center community area. It's a good place for a slow afternoon. Village Tap, 2055 W. Roscoe, is the neighborhood tavern, and Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont Ave., is a restaurant and music venue in one, with brunch on weekends. Take the Brown Line to Paulina and walk west, or ride the 77 Belmont or 50 Damen bus. In September, Retro on Roscoe closes six blocks of Roscoe for three stages of oldies and a classic car show. See our neighborhood festivals page for the rest of the summer fests.

Is Lakeview a good base?

For a second trip to Chicago, yes. It doesn't have downtown's skyscrapers or big museums, but it's where you see how people in this city live, and the Red Line gets you to the Loop in about 20 minutes. Hotels are few, so book early for summer weekends and anything near a Cubs home stand. Our where to stay page compares Lakeview with the other areas, and the Lincoln Park guide covers the neighborhood just south.

Photo by ChiDN