Chef’s Special is a very good Chinese restaurant from the team behind Giant.

Monteverde is the best Italian restaurant in Chicago. Order lots of pasta.

Gaijin is a great all-day Japanese restaurant specializing in okonomiyaki and kakigori.

Bárbaro is a taqueria in Humboldt Park with great cocktails and decent tacos.

Sunda is an Asian-fusion restaurant in River North that’s been around for a while, but still has great food.

Southport Lanes is a great neighborhood bar with a bowling alley and billiards tables.

The Grafton is an Irish pub in Lincoln Square with decent bar food and a great fireplace.

Amaru is a fun and casual Latin American restaurant in Wicker Park.

Bokeh is a small cocktail bar in Albany Park with great drinks and bar snacks.

Mart Anthony is a casual Italian restaurant in the West Loop.

Carol’s is a country bar in Uptown that’s great for dancing to live music and eating at the bar.

Rooh is an upscale Indian restaurant in the West Loop with beautifully-plated, tasty food.

Maplewood is a Logan Square brew pub that has great craft beer and food, and feels like a neighborhood bar.

Fulton Galley is a food hall in Fulton Market that also has a full bar.

The Long Room is a craft beer bar in Lakeview that's great for an early in the game date or catching up with friends.

Beck’s is a Kansas City sports bar and grill in Lincoln Park that has a great menu of beers, burgers, and bar food.