Restaurants near Theatre Wit

I'm going to a play here (1229 W. Belmont) on Saturday. Any suggestions for restaurants that are a reasonably short drive from here? Anything where the food is good is a consideration.

Our theater group usually ends up at La Gondola (1258 W Belmont Ave) before shows at the Wit. Its your basic red sauce Italian with some interesting pastas & seafood thrown in. Nothing extraordinary, but solidly reliable.

About good old Yoshi's Cafe at 3257 N. Halsted.(a quarter block north of Belmont) It is close to your theater and it offers a mix of contemporary and classic cuisines for very reasonable prices.

Chizakaya--a Japanese "pub"--just had dinner here on Saturday and it is so delicious--and very reasonably priced.
Reservations accepted on Open Table.
ph 773.697.4725
3056 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657

Northdown Cafe and Taproom--a pub but with really thoughtful food--downhome style but with some modern touches. Great beer selection.
3244 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 697-7578

Cafe Orchid--solid and interesting turkish--the food is very fresh and a bit more diverse menu than the typical schwarma spot.
1746 West Addison Street
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 327-3808

Of the places mentioned above, La Gondola is close enough that you don't have to drive and re-park the car. Yoshi's is about half a mile, so it may qualify too. Same thing for Jack's on Halsted and Deleece Grill Pub.

Deleece on Southport just moved further south (closer) on Southport, so it's now about 3/4 mile from the theater, sort of a toss-up between walking and driving/reparking (especially in that area, where street parking is difficult). I've eaten there three times in the past year and all three were outstanding.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I think I want to try Yoshi's but I'll pass these suggestions along to the rest of the group.

Across the street from the theater is a place that's decent, Coopers.

Also, re Deleece, there's a closer outpost to the theater than the one nxstasy mentioned--the Deleece Grill on Clark a little bit north of Belmont. It's not the same kind of place as the main Deleece, but fine.

Since you're talking about a "reasonably short drive" instead of a walk, you have many options, but in the event you'd welcome a place you can almost literally fall out of and into the theater on foot, those are a couple of choices.

riddlemay wrote:Also, re Deleece, there's a closer outpost to the theater than the one nxstasy mentioned--the Deleece Grill on Clark a little bit north of Belmont. It's not the same kind of place as the main Deleece, but fine.

Actually, I mentioned both locations in my previous post, along with their respective distances from the theater.

Deleece Grill Pub, on Clark, is a bit cheaper and the menu leans towards comfort foods. The menu at Deleece, on Southport, has more of a contemporary American emphasis. Although Deleece is slightly more expensive, I think it's a great bargain; you can have a delicious upscale contemporary American dinner there, in a lively bistro atmosphere, for little more than half the price of comparable meals at certain downtown restaurants. (They even have some special bargains on weekdays.) Both display sample menus, with prices, on their websites.

nsxtasy wrote:Actually, I mentioned both locations in my previous post, along with their respective distances from the theater.

Yes, you did. I read too quickly and carelessly. Sorry.

I notice this thread has not been updated in some time. Does anyone have any current suggestions for dining near Theatre Wit? I would like to be within walking distance (1/2 mile) of the theater. Thanks.

The closest place is Fahlstrom's Fresh Fish Market, which is serviceable if not earth-shattering but has the advantage of being across the street from the theatre. A little farther away but an easy walk up Southport (at the corner of Henderson -- about 4 blocks from Belmont) is the new (and hot) Coda da Volpe. Food is much more refined and cocktails are great, but it's certainly more expensive and probably deserves a little more time commitment than Fahlstrom's.

If you want to settle for no-frills quick eats, you can't do much better than Big & Little's down the block at 1034 W Belmont Ave.

Spanish Square is really good and just a block and a half away on Belmont.

Spanish Square
1358 West Belmont Avenue
(773) 717-7900

Riddlay mentioned Cooper's above which is where we usually go before Theater Wit or Stage 773. If you're driving you can leave your car in their lot during the performance.

We usually go to Coopers for the easy parking. The food is fine, the service is nice. They have a decent selection of beers.

Thanks, everyone. We ended up going to The Spanish Square and had a really nice meal - three tapas plates (patatas bravas (quite spicy), baked goat cheese on onion strings, and jamon iberico) and one of the night's specials, seafood paella, which was perfect (sorry no pictures). The menu had interesting cocktail choices and a pretty extensive wine list. We will definitely go again next time we are in the neighborhood or have tickets at Theatre Wit or Stage 773.