West Town's food and drink scene is booming. We sent a reporter to find out what the fuss is all about
In recent years, buzz has steadily grown that Chicago crowned a new Restaurant Row, toppling the long-dominant Randolph Street in the West Loop. Just northwest of the West Loop’s corporate glass towers and slick restaurants, West Town, the low-slung, still (somewhat) affordable, concrete and brick neighborhood houses a slew of restaurant and bar hot spots, several earning nods from the kingmaking Michelin Guide and James Beard Foundation. Price per square foot — averaging between $50 and $85 in high-visibility areas of the West Loop compared to West Town, where it more typically runs between $30 and $50 — undoubtedly played a role in the latter’s ascent, as hotly anticipated indie outfits opt to set up shop here, from Pizz’Amici, Bar Bambi and Guillotine Bakery to Feld and Gilda.
