Chicago’s Andersonville
ALL Eyes on Andersonville
*Give Chicago’s most eclectic neighborhood some well-deserved attention, and you’ll be rewarded with an exciting mix of shops, restaurants and nightlife.
words by > Pam George
For more than a century, Swedish immigrants dominated Andersonville, a quiet Chicago neighborhood with broad, tree-lined streets, close to Lake Michigan. By 1890, the number of Swedes in Chicago was catching up with the number in Stockholm. Thankfully, you can still order a mug of hot glögg on Saturday night and pancakes with lingonberry sauce on Sunday morning. But more recently, immigrants from Middle Eastern, Asian and Latin-American countries are spicing up Andersonville in new ways. And members of Chicago’s creative communities, tired of living in hip but cramped areas, have moved from tiny lofts into spacious homes there. Today, it is one of Chicago’s hottest neighborhoods.
Shopping
Small, independent shops along Clark
Street create a village atmosphere, echoed
by Victorian-style street lamps and faux
wrought-iron benches.
At Studio 90 (5239 N Clark St, 773- 878-0097), Chicago designers Angela Turley and Jill Hilgenberg combine their line of soft, romantic clothing, made using luxurious vintage fabrics, with hip, tempting accessories.
Meanwhile, shoe fanatics know that Alamo Shoes (5321 N Clark St, 773-334- 6100) achieves the impossible: fashionable footwear at the right price. With a staff that knows what it’s talking about and a selection of American and European brands for both men and women, including Ugg, Ecco, Merrell and Born, it’s no wonder this 30-year-old shoe store has a dedicated clientele.
At Women & Children First (5233 N Clark
St, 773-769-9299), one of the country’s
largest feminist bookstores, bookworms can
pick from an inventory of more than 30,000
books, some written by Chicago authors
who live in the neighborhood. If travel
books are more your thing, head to Kopi: A Traveler’s Café, (5317 N Clark St,
773-989-5674), a combination vegetarian
restaurant, boutique and bookstore, where
you can enjoy chatting with staff about your
next vacation and fi nd guidebooks on farfl
ung destinations.
Swedish goods are, of course, sold
throughout Andersonville. The gift shop
in the Swedish American Museum (5211
N Clark St, 773-728-8111) offers a good
selection of Orrefors and Kosta Boda
glassware, handcrafted wooden toys and
Swedish cookbooks. And at Erickson’s
Delicatessen (5250 N Clark St, 773-561-
5634) and Wickstrom’s Gourmet Foods
(5247 N Clark St, 773-275-6100), the aroma
of aged cheeses and homemade cabbage
rolls fi lls the air. The traditionally prepared
lutfi sh is sold frozen, so it doesn’t emit the
notoriously pungent odor achieved by days
spent swelling in a vat of lye.
Down the block, barrels of Middle Eastern herbs, nuts and seeds, bottles of medicinal waters and a large selection of hookahs are sold at Pars Persian Store (5260 N Clark St, 773-769-6635). Hookahs are also featured in the windows of the Sabrina Gift Shop (5202 N Clark St, 773- 275-6291), along with a curious collection of Native American fi gurines.
Dining
Whether you want a quick snack or a
delicious dinner, Andersonville is a gourmet’s
delight—you’ll be spoiled with choices.
For Swedish dishes of fruit soup, potato
sausages and roast duckling, try Ann
Sather (5207 N Clark St, 773-271-6677)
or Svea Restaurant (5236 N Clark St, 773-
275-7738), both of which draw crowds for
Sunday brunch, too. Meanwhile, the breads,
cookies and marzipan pastries are so
irresistible at the Swedish Bakery (5348 N
Clark St, 773-561-8919) that they offer free
coffee at a stand-up bar for its customers,
tempted by signature delights such as the
pink triangle—a rosy mound of chocolate
and marzipan.
Side-by-side Middle Eastern hotspots,
Reza’s Restaurant (5255 N Clark St, 773-
561-1898) and Andies Restaurant (5253 N
Clark St, 773-784-8616) both offer healthy
vegetarian entrées, grilled lamb, fresh
seafood with couscous and tiny cups of
thick, strong coffee.
Fans of Korean classics such as
barbecue spareribs and bi bim bop will
love Jin Ju (5203 N Clark St, 773-334-
6377), a sleekly designed restaurant with
a delectable ginger ice cream and special
Korean cocktails. Meanwhile, Hopleaf
(5148 N Clark St, 773-334-9851) serves
Belgian bar food—mussels, rabbit stew
and Belgian-style steaks and fries—and,
for drinks, more than 200 types of
imported beers.
For a leisurely dinner, try La Tache
(1475 W Balmoral Ave, 773-334-7168), a
French spot with a three-course fi xed price
Neighborhood Appreciation Menu.
A trip to Chicago would not be complete
without a Chicago-style hot dog—and at
Huey’s Hot Dogs (1507 W Balmoral Ave,
773-293-4800), Vienna Beef hot dogs are
steamed or charred and served with a side
of fries, and plenty of veggie options too.
Entertainment
A permanent exhibit at the Swedish
American Museum Center chronicles
the Swedish immigrant experience, but
it’s the center’s Children’s Museum that
brings it to life, with a hands-on replica
of a Swedish home where kids can don
aprons and keep themselves busy with
everyday household chores.
Architecture fans will recognize the
castle-like entrance to Rosehill Cemetery
(5800 N Ravenswood Ave, 773-561-5940)
as the work of WW Boyington, designer
of the Chicago Water Tower. He’s buried
at the cemetery with other famous
Chicagoans—retailers Aaron Montgomery
Ward and Richard Sears, hot dog king
Oscar Mayer and baseball broadcaster
Jack Brickhouse.
Two quirky theater companies, The
Neo-Futurists, (5153 N Ashland Ave, 773-
275-5255) and Rogue Theater Company
(5123 N Clark St, 773-561-5893), are
also worth a trip for their exciting live
productions.
Throughout the year Andersonville
also celebrates food, religious and arts
festivals. The largest are St. Morten’s Gos
Day on November 18, when a Viking kicks
off the Christmas shopping season, and
the Midsommarfest, a street festival that
attracts 40,000 in early June.