Jefferson Park: A Great Place to Eat

If you want to visit Chicago during the Summit and have a few hours to spare, I highly recommend going to Jefferson Park. This Chicago neighborhood has some great restaurants. If you have spring fever, it’s also a great place to walk.  Getting to Jefferson Park only takes a few minutes on the CTA Blue Line. You can catch the train a few blocks from the Rosemont Hyatt Regency and you’ll find a cabstand outside the Jefferson Park station on Milwaukee Avenue.  If it’s a beautiful spring day, I highly recommend walking to these restaurants. I know Chicago is notorious for crime, but Jefferson Park is a safe neighborhood. This is where many of Chicago’s police offers and firefighters live because they must reside within the city.  You can reach all of these restaurants by heading north on Milwaukee Avenue. North is toward the McDonald’s.  Gale Street Inn 4914 N. Milwaukee (across the street from the Jefferson Park station)  This place serves great ribs and features live jazz on Monday nights. You’ll fit right in wearing a suit or business-casual clothing. Open seven days a week.  Moy Lee Chinese Restaurant 5346 N. Milwaukee (0.06 miles from the Jefferson Park station)  One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Chicago, which could be because of the sai woo duck. Closed Mondays. Open for lunch and dinner the rest of the week.  Cafe Marbella 5527 N. Milwaukee (1 mile from the Jefferson Park station)  Shhh! Don’t tell anyone who lives in Chicago about this place. I don’t want to wait six weeks to get a table. Cafe Marbella has the best tapas in Chicago, maybe even the United States. I highly recommend making a reservation. Open for dinner only.  It’s BYOB. If you’d like some cold beer or wine, stop by Andy’s Deli across the street. Andy’s is a famous Polish deli, so you will find only European alcoholic beverages.  Caspian Cafe 5691 N. Milwaukee (1.2 miles from the Jefferson Park station)  The homemade hummus and tabbouleh are superb. I highly recommend the vegetarian combo and the fillet kabob. This place serves up an affordable meal, and it’s so clean you can eat off the floor. Free WiFi. BYOB.  Amitabul 6207 N. Milwaukee (2.0 miles from the Jefferson Park station)  I’m not a vegan, but this restaurant could turn me into one. Be sure to try something from the juice bar. If you’re feeling stressed, this is the place to go. It has a relaxing atmosphere with classical Asian music playing in the background and pictures of the Dalai Lama on the walls. Affordable.  If you want to take a cab after your meal, just ask the driver to take you back to Rosemont. It’s a short drive from here.  Super Dawg 6363 N. Milwaukee (2.2 miles from the Jefferson Park station)  I’m not a fan of the food, but lots of Chicagoans love this place. In fact, it’s so famous that people actually get married at this vintage 1950s drive-in. You don’t have to have a car to eat here. There are a few tables inside and picnic tables outside. You’ll find hot dogs, hamburgers, and Polish sausages on the menu.  Paula Ludmann is a member of the STC Chicago 2012 Host Committee and a senior technical writer at the American Academy of Dermatology.