Going to Welch-Ryan Arena...Suggestions?

Along with a couple of friends, I will be going up to the Michigan State/Northwestern Basketball game in Evanston on Saturday, and am looking for a bite afterwards. We'll be on foot and then the "L", and am really open to any suggestions for a post-game dinner in either Evanston or in some proximity to the "L" between the campus and the far North Side. Being that we'll be in casual game attire, I am not thinking anything where jeans won't be acceptable, but anything else is gratefully appreciated. Thanks.

There isn't anything around the Central Street el station (other than Evanston Hospital), so your best bet is to take the el and eat somewhere near one of the el stops along the way, such as:

Davis St.
Thai Sookdee (Thai)
Al's Beef (Italian beef)
Bat 17 (deli)
Buffalo Joe's (burgers, wings)
Merle's (barbecue)
Giordano's (deep-dish)
Lou Malnati's (deep-dish)
Dixie Kitchen (Cajun)
Lulu's Dim Sum (pan-Asian)
Mt. Everest (Indian/Nepalese)
That Little Mexican Cafe (Mexican)

Main St.
Lupita's (Mexican)
Lucky Platter (eclectic)
Cross Rhodes (gyros/Greek)

All of the above are quite casual, where game attire is not a problem. If you're looking for something just a little bit nicer, where you would be just fine in nice blue jeans but perhaps not something super-casual (e.g. sweatshirt or athletic attire), you could also consider:

Davis St.
Chef's Station (contemporary American)
The Stained Glass (wine bar/contemporary American)
Pete Miller's (steakhouse)
Davis Street Fishmarket (seafood)

Main St.
Campagnola (Italian)
Oceanique (contemporary seafood)

Two additional "nicer" places are walkable from the arena; they are near the Central Street Metra station, a couple blocks west of the arena (the opposite direction from the el station):

Jacky's Bistro on Prairie (French bistro)
Jilly's Cafe (French bistro)

All of the places mentioned here are good, places I've been again and again. Choosing one may be a simple matter of what kind of food appeals to you the most. If you're interested which of these usually leave me thinking back even weeks later, "that was a TERRIFIC dinner," that would be Campagnola, Oceanique, and Chef's Station. However, I also just named the Tom Kha Gai at Thai Sookdee as one of the ten best dishes I ate this year.

Oh, and if you feel like a light bite to eat before the game, Mustard's Last Stand is right near the arena on Central, and there are two sandwich/lunch places at the Noyes Street el stop, which is three blocks (or one el stop) south of the Central Street el stop:

Al's Deli
Rollin' To Go

HTH

Living off the Dempster St. El Stop, I'll add to Ken's suggestions.

If you're feeling vegetarian, there's Blind Faith Café, just a block west of the Dempster stop. I'm a definite omnivore, but at Blind Faith I don't miss the meat too much.

GNR favorite Wiener and Still Champion has amazingly creative options for an otherwise plain-looking hot dog stand. About a half block west of the El stop. Ask about off-menu items for a real treat.

Good Ethiopean is about a block east and a block north of the Dempster stop, at Addis Abeda.

And there's upscale pizza, plus a great live music venue (I saw Jefferson Starfish there) at Union Pizzeria.

There are also several Thai places off the Dempster El stop, some sushi and pan-Asian food, and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

Let us know where you end up.

Thanks for the excellent feedback. While I had discovered some of these places looking at "Virtual L" on Centerstage, I had no idea what was really behind the names. Both of your replies have given me some great direction for a post-game dinner and we'll likely stop in at one of the excellent suggestions. Thanks.

Not to be that guy, but it's Welsh-Ryan. I don't think you can even get a glass of grape juice in the place.

Not to be that guy, but it's Welsh-Ryan. I don't think you can even get a glass of grape juice in the place.

We make the trek every year for the Indiana - Northwestern basketball game. We've found it's easy to sneak in your favorite pint that is sold at your closest 7-11. Never a problem with filling the big bottles of Pepsi they sell with your carry-in for a college style mixed drink. The only time of the year I ever find myself needing Jack Daniels and Diet-Pepsi, as Indiana typically loses in an awful fashion.

AlexG wrote:Not to be that guy, but it's Welsh-Ryan. I don't think you can even get a glass of grape juice in the place.

In case you need them, there are directions (driving as well as public transportation) on Northwestern's arena website, and some historical information on Wikipedia.

Thanks for the directions link. Despite hearing about single digit temperatures and -20-something wind chills, we're going to Red and Purple Line it north to Central and walk the last four blocks.

Bluestone is about 4 blocks west of Welch Ryan on Central (just west of underpass). Casual brewpub atmosphere. Fireplaces are nice on cold night. Food is OK. Probably a short wait.

Hi- I and a group of my friends are going to Welsh Ryan Arena on Wednesday 5/21 to hear Temple Grandin speak. Apparently they expect a large crowd, because they request that people make reservations. I can't imagine that she would draw that large a crowd.

The program starts at 7:30pm, and we want to meet for an early dinner somewhere in the vicinity around 5:45, since some people will be coming on the L. We would prefer someplace that is under $20. I know that leaves out Jilly's, and many people have reported that Custer's Last Stand is not that great. How about Symphony Cafe or Pinto Thai? I have been to Symphony a few times and it was okay. I have had take out once from Pinto Thai once, and it was ok, but I have had better. There are probably going to be 8-10 of us, and the majority of the people are not foodies, and so they would probably do okay with Pinto. Any other suggestions? You think that there would be more choices near Evanston Hospital, but there are not really any.

If we had to the people like me that drive, could pick up the few people who are taking the L at the Central Street L stop, and we could go to Walker Brothers, which would definitely be within our budget. Any suggestions would be appreciated. BTW- Temple is also speaking over at the auditorium at New Trier High School at 4:00 pm, and no registration is required for that, but that is geared towards educators. The program at Welsh Ryan Arena is going to also include her mother, and is going to be a Q & A session. Family Action Network is sponsoring both sessions, and both sessions are free. Thanks, Nancy

If you're driving - or, if you don't mind making an extra stop on the el - then downtown Evanston is a possibility, and there are way more options than on Central Street. Found now accepts reservations but is iffy at meeting your price target. Edzo's, the burger place (and a GNR), will definitely meet your price target. So will the new DMK Burger & Fish, on Noyes Street, which is even closer than downtown Evanston; it's very good, but it's very very small in terms of the amount of seating available.

Prairie Joe's--which is just west of Green Bay on Central (1921 Central) in Evanston--has gotten some LTH love in the past:

viewtopic.php?t=3111&start=0

That should be walkable from the el and Welsh-Ryan.

Hi- Prairie Joe's is only open for breakfast and lunch now. Apparently they were open for dinner for a while. Another complication is the fact that one of the participants is vegan. I don't know if Edzo's has any vegan items. I just checked DMK and they don't. I assume Naf Naf has some vegan items? LEYE which just opened up on Orrington and Davis in the Chase building has some vegan items too it looks like. THanks, Nancy

Sorry about that.... I was just double-checking to see if Prairie Joe's was in fact open for dinner--Google says yes, Yelp says no, and PJ's own site mentions that they are "the real Joe's" in the evening but gives no dinner hours. Confusing! (And they are closed Sunday afternoons so I couldn't call and check.) Again, sorry!

NFriday wrote: LEYE which just opened up on Orrington and Davis in the Chase building has some vegan items too it looks like. THanks, Nancy

I think you're referring to LYFE Kitchen, which isn't associated with LEYE (Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises).

Hi- Actually on one of the sites I looked at last night, they said that they eliminated their evening hours a little over a year ago. I talked to the person that is arranging this dinner, and I mentioned the fact that one of the persons that wants to attend is vegan, and he had forgotten about that. I suggested to Steve that maybe we should meet at Naf Naf, and for those people who come on public transportation, the rest of use can supply rides to the Arena. He had been to another Naf Naf before and enjoyed it, and thought it might work out. It is either that or Pinto thai. I just drove down Central from Ridge to Green Bay, and really the only restaurant that I can see is the hot dog place, and that would definitely not be vegan friendly. I would love to go to LYFE which just opened up on Orrington and Davis, but that is a new healthy eating place, and I am not sure how many other people in the group would be receptive to it. Thanks, Nancy

NFriday wrote:I would love to go to LYFE which just opened up on Orrington and Davis, but that is a new healthy eating place, and I am not sure how many other people in the group would be receptive to it.

I recommend looking at the menu on their website at http://www.lyfekitchen.com before ruling it out. They have a wide range of items, including some (e.g. burgers, steaks) that could satisfy those who are not specifically looking for healthy or vegetarian items.

How about Bluestone, just down Central Street from Welsh-Ryan? Very good bar pizza, decent comfort food overall, not sure about vegan options.

Hi- We ended up going to Pinto Thai, and it was okay. Besides the vegan, we had somebody who was gluten free, and so it worked out. The prices were definitely reasonable. I had the salmon dish, which was not bad but could have been a little more spicy even though it was labeled spicy. My dish including tip only cost me $14, and it was one of the more expensive dishes on the menu. BTW- The restaurant seats 28. There were 8 of us in our group, and the restaurant was fairly busy for a weeknight.

The only complaint was that it took them forever to give us our change back after we paid the bill. They gave everybody separate checks, which a lot of restaurants do not like to do, and that held everything up. They then had 8 people they had to give change back to instead of one person. When we paid our bills it took them 15 minutes to give us our change back. We got there at 5:45, and we did not get out of there until 7:15, and the program with Temple Grandin and her mother was supposed to start at 7:30. It started a few minutes late. I enjoyed Temple better than I did her mother, but the location was not ideal. There was a lot of reverberation in the arena, and I especially had a hard time hearing the mother. The group that sponsored her did not do a great job of publicizing it either, and the place was less than half full.