The Coolest Places in Chicago Right Now

When visiting Chicago, it's a good idea to stop by Millennium Park, catch a game at Wrigley Field, or take an architectural tour on the river, particularly if you want to bang tourists. But this list isn't about the Windy City's fundamentals. With a booming restaurant scene and constant change throughout its neighborhoods, Chicago can be downright overwhelming. To help navigate the new places that are poppin' at the moment, Complex City Guide presents The 15 Coolest Places in Chicago Right Now.

Written by Sean Evans (@seanseaevans)

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Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Address: 1531 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Website: stalfred.com

Of all the amazing sneaker shops in Chicago, Saint Alred's is arguably the one that's distinguished itself the most over the last five years. The store's unambiguously linked itself with The Chi through the exclusive distribution of a Vans chukka that paid homage to the White Sox and Cubs, their highly lauded Bears and Bulls apparel packs in 2011, and its Chicago-inspired Asics Gel-Lyte III, which was a coming-of-age moment for the already flourishing specialty store.

Neighborhood: West Loop
Address: 800 W. Randolph St.
Website: auchevalchicago.com

Typically, we wouldn't recommend waiting in an hour-long line for a burger. Like, In-N-Out knows what they're doing with that Double Double and it's in your hand 12 seconds after you pull up to the drive-through window. But Au Cheval, the latest from Brendan Sodikoff (Gilt Bar, Doughnut Vault, Maude's Liquor Bar), has its cheeseburger blitzed with an enthusiasm people usually reserve for winning lottery tickets and finding out they're "not the father" on Maury. If you have room after your beef patty and fried egg, the honey-fried chicken and griddled bratwurst are also worth the delayed gratification.

Neighborhood: Logan Square
Address: 3201 W. Armitage Ave.
Website: scofflawchicago.com

Scofflaw is a gin bar that looks like it's staged with hand-me-down furniture from the Palace of Versailles, and it's unequivocally perfect that way. This is a casual spot with $8 drinks across the board, a Motown soundtrack and, if you play your cards right, fresh baked cookies from the kitchen. With Longman & Eagle, The Whistler and Billy Sunday (more on that one later) in the area, Logan Square's become a cocktail culture stronghold, particularly for those who booze without pretentions.

Neighborhood: Near North Side
Address: 672 N. Wells St.
Website: leaders1354.com

Alongside Jugrnaut (427 S. Dearborn St.), Leaders—as the name so poetically implies—is a pioneer in Chicago streetwear. You'll find prevailing labels (read: Billionaire Boys Club, 10.Deep and Jordan) as well as major sneaker releases at this downtown boutique, but the in-house brand (the New Era fitted hats, in particular) deserve a place in your rotation. Also, if you have $10,000 and some wall space, the store showcases incredible paintings by Hebru Brantley. Copping a piece is a good first step in prepping your apartment for a one-night stand, and it's about time you replaced that Derrick Rose Fathead.

Neighborhood: Gold Coast
Address: 1301 North State Parkway
Website: publichotels.com/chicago

Look, you can't just hang out in sneaker shops and expect to feign a sense of coolness. You need to have a place that's frequented by beautiful people, and PUBLIC Chicago—with its accompanying Pump Room—is where hot girls that finally called it quits with their college boyfriends go to make questionable life decisions. The space was created by Ian Schrager, an esteemed...blah...blah...blah. The Pump Room permeates with the robust sexual energy of 1,000 bachelorette parties, which is all you really need to know. Make your Saturday night plans accordingly.

Neighborhood: Logan Square
Address: 3143 W. Logan Blvd.
Website: billy-sunday.com

Matthias Merges, an expatriate of Charlie Trotter's eponymous restaurant and the man behind Yusho, opened this much ballyhooed, prohibition-era haunt in early 2013. The hype around it hasn't subsided, either. As far as high-concept cocktail bars go, this place is refreshingly casual and it harkens back to Chicago's roaring '20s era without coming off like another contrived obeisance to Al Capone. That's two points for this place, if you're keeping track.

Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Address: 2424 N. Lincoln Ave.
Website: lincolnhallchicago.com

Lincoln Hall is located across the street from The Biograph Theater, where John Dillinger was famously killed in a hail of FBI gunfire. Besides its haunting connection to the city's gangster era, this bi-level concert venue has a restaurant, some of the city's most heralded acoustics, and it's located in a nightlife-heavy stretch of Lincoln Park. So if your show sucks because the lead singer is strung out on OxyContin, the area's bar scene provides a rewarding concert encore.

Neighborhood: West Loop
Address: 955 W. Fulton Market
Website: theaviary.com

Growing up means trading your Coors Light wide mouth can for a dramatically garnished, smoldering test tube full of whiskey-based chemistry. The Aviary, a brainchild of Alinea's Grant Achatz, vaunts a 2013 James Beard Foundation Award for "Outstanding Bar Program," and hallmarks the same sustenance-as-theater vibes that made Achatz the face of Chicago's fine dining renaissance. Basically, if you want to secure a second date or elicit a "23 like" banger on Instagram, this is the place to take angled iPhone pictures of your Baked Apple cocktail.

Neighborhood: Ukranian Village
Address: 1016 N. Western Ave.
Website: verticalgallery.com

Vertical Gallery features work inspired by urban environments, like street art, graffiti, and pieces that are influenced by popular culture. While it's less than a year old, the space has quickly drawn attention to Chicago's incredibly talented locals including Don't Fret, Left Handed Wave (the guy responsible for the bananas you see all over town), and Hebru Brantley.

Neighborhood: Bridgeport
Address: 960 W. 31st St.
Website: community-bar.com

As you'd expect from a liquor store that doubles as a bar, Maria's has a tremendous selection of bottled beers. But less obvious is the music programming, which—shout out to Joe Bryl—includes some of the most carefully curated DJ sets in the city. You're probably not that familiar with Acid Jazz b-sides or deep Neo-Soul cuts, but this place keeps the heads ringing regardless.

Neighborhood: Near North Side
Address: 720 N. Wells St.
Website: boardinghousechicago.com

After a decade-long run as host of WTTW's Check Please, Alpana Singh—the youngest woman ever to pass the master sommelier exam—opened The Boarding House in December 2012. The five-story space features a trademark chandelier made of more than 9,000 wine glasses and a menu that, rather appropriately, complements the joint's unrivaled passion for fermented grape juice.

Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Address: 1753 N. Damen Ave.
Website: rsvpgallery.com

It's been an insane few years for Marc Moran, Don Crawley and Virgil Abloh; three of Kanye West's cohorts and the guys behind Just Don and Pyrex vision respectively. Their Wicker Park/Bucktown boutique, RSVP Gallery, collaborated with A Bathing Ape, A$AP Rocky and—between bong hits and bikini clad selfies—made frequent appearances on Rihanna's Instagram. This place is a neon lit, subterranean reminder of the shrinking chasm between streetwear and high fashion, with clothing from Phillip Lim, A.P.C., Comme des Garcons and more, as well as their increasingly popular in-house brand.

Neighborhood: Streeterville
Address: 220 E. Chicago Ave.
Website: mcachicago.org

The Museum of Contemporary Art welcomes a pair of banner exhibits this fall and neither is something stupid, like a string hanging from the ceiling or a room full of balloons or whatever. MCA DNA: Warhol and Marisol looks at early works by Andy Warhol and Marisol Escobar, including silkscreen paintings and wood sculptures. Modern Cartoonist: The Art of Daniel Clowes is a rather extensive showcase of legendary cartoonist Daniel Clowes' work, which you might recognize from Ghost World, David Boring, and Eightball.

Neighborhood: Logan Square
Address: 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Website: revbrew.com

It didn't take long for Revolution Brewing Company to join industry behemoth Goose Island and newcomer of consequence Half Acre as a trademark of Chicago's burgeoning craft beer scene. The titanic brewpub's Anti-Hero IPA is tremendously popular locally and we've recently replaced our morning cup of coffee by chugging a bottle of Eugene Porter at 6 a.m., a DGAF lifestyle choice we happily endorse. Besides the fire-grilled pizzas and bar grub you'd expect, the house restaurant has a menu full of vegetarian options that are very much in harmony with managing partner Josh Deth's vegan concept at nearby Handlebar.

Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Address: 1816 N. Clark St.
Website: jdvhotels.com/hotel-lincoln

With Perennial Virant at street level and the J. Parker rooftop bar as its crown, Hotel Lincoln effectually offers a weekend's worth of plans on site. We know that sounds like corny ad copy for Joie de Vivre, but it's true. The Lincoln Park Zoo, which is just across the street, is one of only a few remaining zoos in the country that doesn't charge admission, and there are an abundance of nearby softball fields if you want to mix it up with locals or boot some grounders at third base. With North Avenue Beach and the Lakefront Trail just blocks away, you're a Sammy Sosa cutoff throw from a handful of tried and true Chicago best pastimes.