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Andersonville
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Andersonville is full of cute independent shops, fantastic restaurants, and fun bars — all with a certain small-town-meets-big-city feel, and a warm, everyone-is-welcome energy.
The neighborhood is absolutely loaded with things to do. Clark Street in particular is perfect for window-shopping, bar-hopping, and people-watching. There are also a lot of family-friendly festivals and events, ranging from farmer’s markets to Pride celebrations to the big annual Midsommarfest. Andersonville is also just a charming place to walk around. You feel like you’re just far enough away from the city center to have a more laid-back atmosphere, but everything is still close by and easily accessible.
You’ll see signs of the neighborhood’s history everywhere, from the Swedish-American Museum to the iconic blue-and-yellow water tower that hovers over the neighborhood. There are quiet residential stretches away from the action, with adorable apartments, single family homes, vintage walk-ups, and beautiful greystones. There’s also a strong feeling of community — you can tell that Andersonville residents are proud to call this place home. In fact, Time Out readers named Andersonville the coolest neighborhood in the country, and the second coolest neighborhood in the entire world.
Andersonville feels like a warm summer night. It’s a day spent wandering from shop to shop, looking for the perfect gift, and finding something for yourself along the way. It’s afternoon beers that inevitably lead to an evening of dinner and dessert. It’s charming brick buildings, a soft neon glow, and a slow, quiet, relaxing walk home.
Backstory
In the 1850s, Swedish immigrants moved to the Andersonville area to find work. As this Scandinavian enclave grew, locals started businesses and developed a neighborhood identity.
During the Great Depression, the area’s population started to dip — but in the mid-1960s there was a big push to spark a resurgence, and a ceremony was held to officially rededicate the neighborhood. Midsommarfest was also established around this time, which has grown into a major annual event that’s still going strong to this day.
Over time, the neighborhood has diversified and continued to develop, now home to some of the most fun shopping and dining in Chicago. At the same time, Andersonville has maintained an easygoing personality that’s hard to find in such a big city, and also hard not to fall in love with.
Local Fare
- Gadabout: Their unusual and inventive American-fusion dishes have caught the attention of the Michelin Guide. The dining room has a casual and eclectic aesthetic that makes you feel more like you’re in someone’s nice, art-decked living room.
- Bar Roma: Great cocktails and a solid wine list. The menu is focused on Roman cuisine, including specialty meatballs and handmade pasta.
- m.henry: A Chicago brunch all-star. Go for classics like pancakes, french toast, and quiche, all made with fresh ingredients and a focus on healthy eating. There are great veggie and vegan options, and it’s BYOB. It’s also extremely popular, so make a reservation.
- Hopleaf: Known for an endless selection of Belgian beers, and their specialty Belgian-style mussels. You can sit at the bar for a solo drink, get a table in the multi-level dining room for a dinner date, or hang with friends on the patio for far too long. The CBJ sandwich is a sleeper hit.
- Lost Larson: Some of the best pastries you will ever eat in your life, including many Swedish specialties. Try the cardamom bun, carrot cake, lingonberry almond cake, and the beautifully-layered princess cake.
- Big Jones: They make legit southern classics, from spiced crawfish etouffee to freshly baked buttermilk biscuits. Brunch here is extra good, and also don’t skip their cocktails.
- Little Bad Wolf: Get one of their stacked burgers, or check out the full menu of upscale bar food, ranging from tacos to bao. It’s a small space with a lot of character, like a bit of an industrial-modern-dungeon style going on. Full bar with solid cocktails. Go for the patio seating when it’s warm out.
- Lady Gregory’s: This mellow Irish pub feels a little like a cozy old library — complete with dark wood, a fireplace, and book-lined walls. They have tasty pub food and a massive whiskey selection (seriously, it’s like over 300 bottles).
Things to Do
- Swedish American Museum: A long-standing non-profit with a collection of Swedish art and artifacts, a Nordic genealogy center, a children’s museum, and a full calendar of events. Their walking tour is a fun way to get to know the neighborhood.
- Chicago Magic Lounge: This magic-filled speakeasy is hidden behind a secret entrance in what appears to be a laundromat. In fact, it was a commercial laundry in the 1940s. But once you sneak inside, you’ll find a collection of deco-styled stages and bars where you can sip a cocktail and watch the city’s best magicians up close.
- Gethsemane Garden Center: Gethsemane is one of those places you think you’ll only need ten minutes to explore, but two hours later you’re still picking out plants.
- The Neo-Futurists: This theater ensemble has been performing The Infinite Wrench for over 30 years. You’ll see 30 original short plays in 60 minutes, and they constantly rotate new scenes into the mix, so it’s different every time you go.
- Midsommarfest: This festival is rooted in Swedish tradition, but in Andersonville it’s also become a way to celebrate a lot of different things: Pride, the start of summer, and the local community spirit, to name a few. There’s a Maypole, multiple stages, and also lots of flower crowns and face-painting, so you can bring your crew or bring the kids and have a blast either way.
- Woolly Mammoth Antiques, Oddities & Resale: A shop for the strange, the curious, and the kitsch, with plenty of skulls, taxidermy, and other oddities. It’s run by a couple of artists whose families were really into antiques.
Sights to See
Transportation
The buses on Clark and Ashland run often, and are a great way to hop to nearby neighborhoods. To get on the Red Line, it’s a 15 minute walk to the Bryn Mawr or Berwyn stations in Edgewater — or you can catch a southbound bus and transfer at Addison. If you’re driving, Lake Shore Drive is a quick and beautiful route downtown.
- the Loop: ~50 min by public transit
- the Lake (Foster Beach): ~10 min by bike; ~25 min walk
- O’Hare: ~60 min by public transit
- Midway: ~75-90 min by public transit
- Wrigley Field: ~15 min by bike or public transit