Teen Friendly Restaurants - Need Help

I'm at a total loss here and unfortunately, Google and Metromix have turned up very little. I turn to you all for help.

My 15 year-old, much younger, kid sister is coming into town for a few days and I'm looking for restaurants that will be fun for her and her friend. If they were little kids it would be a lot easier, but they're at an age when they want to do something "cool" and fun yet aren't old enough to go to some hipster bar or lounge.

The only places I've thought of that would be fun are Piece, Toast and maybe Iberico. Greektown is out because they're from Detroit and have (in my opinion) a better Greektown then us. Deep dish is an option, but a bit of a last resort .

Chinatown is the first night but I need places for a pre-Wicked, theater dinner the next night and then another dinner the following night.

Any ideas?

Quality of food should certainly take a backseat to ambiance and fun.

Extra indentured bonus points will be awarded to the posters who can also suggest fun non-meal activities (Second City mainstage is sold out, make your own purses will be a day activity.)

thanks very much.

ComedySportz and Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind are good choices for non-food activities.

I think your instincts so far are good. Some of the Jerry Kleiner restaurants might fit the bill, too, like Opera or Marche or Carnivale.

Certainly Hot Doug's or, at least, Wiener's Circle, would be worth a trip, if they're down with encased meats.

What about somewhere like Cheesecake Factory or Grand Luxe Cafe. Both are big with the teen crowd and have at least passable food.

What about Kitsch'n on Roscoe (or River North)? It's got a funky retro vibe that's fun. Definitely take them up to the Signature Room at the Hancock for a snack/drinks (non alcoholic of course ). If they're into sushi and want a "scene" I'd suggest SushiSambaRio. Frontera Grill may score name recognition points. Same for the Hard Rock Cafe.

Are you doing your "make your own purses" at 1154Lill? There may be card/album/bookmaking courses offered at the Paper Source on Armitage or River North if you've got the time. I second ComedySportz or I.O. (formerly ImprovOlympic).

Ben Pao might be a good idea. I always see teenagers when I'm there. Do they like sushi? Maybe Sushi Wabi or Star Sushi would be a good choice if they're into maki. I'm sure either will seem very glamorous.

I second the Kitsch'N suggestion. I'll also add Earwax Cafe, Wishbone and Twisted Spoke. How about Flattop Grill? They might enjoy the whole "make your own stir-fry" thing. Good luck!

What about Improv Kitchen? My teenage daughter and her friends have been dying to go there, but we have not yet been. The cool thing in their minds is that you can bring in your own DVD or pictures and or set up an elaborate improv scenario with the staff. I can't vouch for the food, but nr706 posted a review on this site, and liked it well enough as I recall.
Another place the teens like is Tizi Melloul--be sure to get seats in the plush, exotic, low-sofa-furnished room where they offer a prix-fixe menu--reservations essential.
Or you could go for tea at the Drake or lunch at the Berghoff. At the holidays, a bit of nostalgia is welcome at any age.

If you go to Kitsch'n, which my (somewhat younger) kids like, I'd recommend a stop at Uncle Fun on Belmont, not too far away. You probably know the place, but if not, it's a Chicago treasure with every hip retro toy you can think of, and many you can't, jammed into a tiny space, and there are always cool folks there (or people that my middle-aged self find cool, anyway.) Also PaperBoy across the street (owned by the same folks) is also a neat store. You could go further east on Belmont later for dessert at Bittersweet. FoodLife at Water Tower Place is always good for kids, I think, and eliminates the picky-eater problem, as there's something for everyone there. Uncle Julio's on North and Clybourn might also be a good choice, though I haven't been there in years, or the Goose Island Brewery (though I don't care much for the food) and then you could do the Clybourn shopping strip afterwords, or the stores on Armitage like Paul Frank and Lush and Art Effect (also there's an Ethel's chocolate shop there, which I don't like, but it might appeal to teenage girls.) And bowling is always a good choice -- isn't there some new bowling alley (Lucky Strike?) downtown or near north that's a good place to go? (Someone else needs to help on this one.) Have fun!

I second Twisted Spoke, which has fairly decent food, and a sort of hip atmosphere.

What about Ed Debevic? Not much food-wise, but it might appeal to 15 year olds.

Hi,

You may want to consult this fairly recent thread seeking hip lunch joints for a teen.

Regards,

As the parent of a 15 year old, I face your challenge constantly.

Our girl likes Marche, Club Lucky, Lawry's Gibson's, most LYE places. She really disliked Kitsch'n. A cool brunch place is good since this age tends to sleep until noon. Ann Sather's on Belmont is always a hit along with stops at the nearby stores.

Ask the girls what they want to do, I bet they have some ideas that involve shopping and music like Tower Records or the Virgin store.

A walk down Michigan Avenue or Oak Street with frequent stops for shopping works, and take them to the Billy Goat.
Water Tower Place and a stop at Food Life is always a winner.
Take them to Wicker Park on the el and just let them walk around, popping into stores and picking a place to have lunch based on how it looks, not the food.
A trip to Devon Avenue to a buffet with shopping included will keep them happy.
Navy Pier is also a good option. You can eat at the food court or let them pick a restaurant there
There are a lot of new movies that are out now that will fill up an afternoon along with an early dinner.

Good luck!

gleam wrote:ComedySportz and Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind are good choices for non-food activities.

TMLMTBGB may be a BIT much for a 15 year old? again, this varies individual to individual (as I as educated by VI's 9 year old on saturday, kids are maturing at a sickening pace.)

would spoken word/open mike be interesting?
http://www.chicagoreader.com/listings/s ... poken.html
http://www.chicagoreader.com/listings/static/open.html

or ice skating at Navy Pier/Millenium-Grant Park?

per ToniG's reply, Lucky Strike at River East is definitely popular w/ the teen set.

Most of my TMLMTBGB-going friends have been going since they were 16 (me since I was 18), so I think it depends on the kid

AnneK wrote:

A cool brunch place is good since this age tends to sleep
until noon. Ann Sather's on Belmont is always a hit along
with stops at the nearby stores.

I think AnneK is on the right track here. It may be a gender stereotype, but in my experience, 15 year-old girls are drawn to clothes shopping as 4 year-old girls are drawn to everything pink. (When my daughter was 4, I used to do three loads of laundry: 1 white, 1 dark and 1 pink.) Belmont has the right shopping for girls this age, inexpensive accessories and cheap trendy clothes as well as vintage. And the stores are not ubiquitous chains -- might as well stay in your home town for that. Cooler than Anne Sather, though, is Orange (on Clark just North of Belmont) which my daughter loves for brunch. (Crowded, though).

Other options for brunch-cum-shopping could be Devon, where the fashion is on-trend right now (bangles, jewelled shoes, beaded tops)
or Bucktown, where the price point is a bit higher than Belmont, but you also have Piece, suggested by several in the cool lunch thread Cathy2 mentioned.

Enjoy yourselves-- this phase doesn't last long. Sadly, neither did the passion for pink.

My 14 y/o cousin really like the vibe at Red Light on Randolph (expensive Pan-asian but very cool interior). He's a fairly adventurous eater but they have some relatively tame things on the menu (a shrimp pad thai, steak, etc). I'll second Earwax. You could also check out Filter down the street. They might have fun checking out Nuevo Leon in Pilsen--you could stop by the Mexican fine arts museum (which is free). Nuevo Leon is not really a teen place but it's lively with an interesting mix of people.

This thread is fantastic and saved me. Lots of great options. I'll report back once I've thrown them out to them and they make their decisions.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

You may want to consult this fairly recent thread seeking hip lunch joints for a teen.

Thanks Cathy! Somehow I totally missed that thread.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:I need places for a pre-Wicked, theater dinner

Near the theater, Atwood Cafe in the Hotel Burnham is pretty cool, with seating at loveseats and a menu of upscale comfort food. The House of Blues is a fun atmosphere also convenient to the Oriental Theatre. (Check to be sure they aren't having a major show in the club, though -- the restaurant will be a zoo.)

You know your sister best, of course, but back when I was a teenage girl, nothing pleased me more than being treated like a grown up. You might consider somewhere with a bit of sophistication. For that, my recommendations near the theater would be the same as for any adult: Catch 35 if they like seafood; Trattoria No. 10 if not.

Activities: Skating in Millennium Park, museums (depending on their interests: Art Institute, Field, Shedd, Adler, Holography, etc.), Blue Man Group, Lincoln Park Zoo, window shopping on Michigan Avenue. And, speaking as a former Detroiter -- a ride on the L. I recommend the Brown Line.

Atwood Cafe
312/368-1900
www.atwoodcafe.com
Hotel Burnham
Reliance Building
1 W. Washington St.
Chicago, IL 60602

House of Blues Back Porch Restaurant
312/527-2583
www.hob.com/venues/clubvenues/chicago/dining.asp
Marina City Towers
329 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL 60610

Catch 35
312/346-3500
www.catch35.com
Leo Burnett Building
35 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago IL 60601

Trattoria No. 10
312/984-1718
www.trattoriaten.com
10 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL 60602