3 Chicago Spots Named Among Top Neighborhood Restaurants In U.S.

CHICAGO, IL — An Uptown bar, a Streeterville restaurant and a fast-food chicken chain were named among the best neighborhood restaurants in Chicago by Bon Appetit. The website's team of editors said they asked "80 of the most interesting people we know—chefs, novelists, activists, comedians, NBA players, and more," to tell them their favorite neighborhood eateries and bars. The panel chose Big Chicks, D4 Irish Pub and Cafe and Harold's Chicken in Chicago.

The report features the Uptown joint Big Chicks at 5024 N Sheridan Road as one of the most interesting Chicago bars. The report tells the story of how the spot went from being an "old-man bar" to a gay bar. Michelle Fire opened Big Chicks but refused to kick out the old guys, and instead cooked them free meals, according to the report.

"She served them drinks and slowly made renovations around them. Technically, these old guys were sitting in a gay bar now, but they didn’t know or didn’t care."

The report also named the popular D4 Irish Pub and Cafe in Streeterville and Harold's Chicken Shack, which has locations in Wicker Park, South Loop, West Loop, Bronzeville and Evanston.

The Bon Appetit report named more than 70 neighborhood restaurants around the country that "make no claim to be the 'newest' or the 'trendiest'" spots but are loved by locals.

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