Hip lunch place for 15-16 yr old nephew??

Any suggestions for a hip-seeming place to bring my 15/16-ish year old nephew this Saturday? I will not likely have a car, but will have access to the blue line, so Wicker Park and thereabouts are likely targets. I'm not looking for anything fancy, but something that might appeal to a skateboarding, sometimes-green-haired, very nice kid from Springfield.

I dont know if its hip for a 16 yr old, but I assume Cheesecake Factory in Water Tower Place appeals to many. Food is pretty good and seems like a hip place to me... but what do I know!

I'd suggest Lula for a great brunch/lunch, or Milk&Honey or Swim Cafe.

Could you give some clues about price range, if your nephew is an adventurous eater, etc? Someplace like Carnivale or Sushi Samba could be fun for the uber-hip atmosphere but they're pricey and the food is probably over-hyped. Red Light has a very cool interior but the food is basically dressed-up pan-Asian. There are tons of trendy places near the Bucktown/Wicker Park stop. Cafe Absinthe (haven't eaten there in a while, but I liked it), Spring (one of my faves for an event meal but probably too sedate for a teen), Tre Via has a dark, velvet-draped interior and has pretty good pastas and wood-fired pizza, Rodan, Souk, Coast (sushi)... If it's not a weekend, you could probably just get off the 'el' and look for what appeals to you. Besides Spring, I can't say I find any of the above particularly exciting, but they do meet the hip requirement. O/w, you probably need a reservation.

I'd say Lula is a good choice. Earwax might also work. It's too bad you don't have a car, since otherwise Hot Doug's would be my natural suggestion.

Absinthe/Sushisamba/Carnivale/etc all fall more under "trendy" than "hip", at least as I think the OP meant it.

I think a green-haired skateboarding kid would be very out of place in an all-black-saketini type place like Sushisamba.

I think a green-haired skateboarding kid would be very out of place in an all-black-saketini type place like Sushisamba.

Yeah, you're probably right. What do you think about Earwax cafe-it's pretty casual, but I have seen lots of green hair there. Bite on Western is another kind of edgy place but it's a bit far from the Blue line.

gleam wrote:I'd say Lula is a good choice. Earwax might also work. It's too bad you don't have a car, since otherwise Hot Doug's would be my natural suggestion.

Lula is the place that springs to mind most readily for me as well. It's right by the Logan Square blue line as well. Be warned that it gets pretty busy on weekends though.

Earwax would be good too. Much as I like Lula, I probably would have liked Earwax a bit more when I was 16.

How about Dave & Busters on Clark and Oak or ESPN Zone on Michigan. Most kids like the games. Food is o.k. but you are looking to entertain him right.
Paulette

Hillary's Urban Eatery would be my suggestion. It's not far from the Blue Line stop at Ashland/Division/Milwaukee.

The place has a great breakfast and lunch, and is reasonably priced. The last time I was there for lunch I had a great omlette with fresh ingredients and there were a wide variety of people there from the Bucktown/West Town/Wicker Park area, as well as other 'hoods.

When I've been there for lunch I've had an excellent burger that is made with onions and peppers and seasoned nicely. The Mac and Cheese is also a must have. If it's still unseasonably warm you can take a seat in there nice outdoor garden.

Hillary's Urban Eatery
1500 W. Division St.
773-235-4327

I would also suggest Leo's lunch room on Division and about Wolcott. I haven't been there in a couple years, but I assume it's still there. It's got that Triumph/Ducati crowd and it has great corned beef hash. Seating can be sometimes a little touch and go on the weekends, but stuff always opens up. However, I believe that they only serve breakfast on the weekends, but that doesn't matter since it is pretty hearty.

How about the Pontiac Grill on Damen in Bucktown since it's right below the Blue Line?

Or you can take the bus to the Belmont/Clark/Halsted intersection and eat at Clarke's diner and go to The Alley afterwards. That's where my tattooed, skateboarding, punk rock self used to hang when I was younger.

bern bern wrote:I would also suggest Leo's lunch room on Division and about Wolcott. I haven't been there in a couple years, but I assume it's still there. It's got that Triumph/Ducati crowd and it has great corned beef hash. Seating can be sometimes a little touch and go on the weekends, but stuff always opens up. However, I believe that they only serve breakfast on the weekends, but that doesn't matter since it is pretty hearty.

Leo's is no longer in business.

E.M.

That hurt. Thanks for the post

A lot of good suggestions here but I noticed a couple not mentioned. One is Piece on North Avenue, just east of the Blue Line Damen stop. It should have both the wait staff and clientele that you're looking for (as well as great pizza) and it's a fun place.

www.piecechicago.com

Another idea if you're going for a great lunch/brunch is Bongo Room on Milwaukee, again just a short walk from the "L".

Another fun place might be Fat Willy's Rib Shack, located at 2416 W. Schubert.

I second Piece(for the food and somewhat appropriate atmosphere). This is probably the only instance I'd ever recommend Earwax: it's probably right up your nephew's alley.

>One is Piece on North Avenue, just east of the Blue Line Damen stop. It should have both the wait staff and clientele that you're looking for (as well as great pizza) and it's a fun place.<



Piece also has the "Real World" (MTV) connection as the RWers worked there during their stay and the RW house was across the street.

I second what Fujisan said. Clark's is as good a place as any on that strip of Belmont. I just can't see someone who is that young caring about what the food is like, as long as it is somewhat familiar to them. That's what you'll get at Clark's. Hamburgers and sandwiches will work perfectly.

I think a lot of the suggestions regarding what is "hip" are geared more towards what is hip for a much older demographic. Not to harp on the suggestion, but I think Sushi Samba is about the last place you'd want to take someone that young, and from Springfield. I doubt the poor guy has ever even had sushi. You'd pretty much be buying top of the line fancy food for someone who won't appreciate it.

Lula is also not the best place to bring this guy. He's young and probably eats at Applebee's, so he's not gonna dig chilled peanut satay noodles with gomae and marinated tofu.

unhappymeal wrote:Lula is also not the best place to bring this guy. He's young and probably eats at Applebee's, so he's not gonna dig chilled peanut satay noodles with gomae and marinated tofu.

That is hardly representative of the fare at Lula Cafe.

Here are the menus.

And, give the kid a chance. At the age of 15 I would have loved the hell out of any place that dressed in costume for Halloween.*

E.M.

* Lula "dressed up" as the ficticious Olive Pit for Halloween this year. Yes, it was a thinly-veiled reference to Olive Garden. Yes, the menu was entirely Italian. Yes, I went. It was flippin' brilliant.

Looking at that menu, I can honestly say that when I was a skateboarding 15 year old (11 years ago) I wouldn't want anything on that menu. Perhaps I'm not the norm.

unhappymeal wrote:Looking at that menu, I can honestly say that when I was a skateboarding 15 year old (11 years ago) I wouldn't want anything on that menu. Perhaps I'm not the norm.

The Thrasher Magazine recipes ("Skarfing Material") that I encountered as a skateboarding 15 year old included stuff like tofu and sprout burritos, so, yeah, you might not be "the norm."

E.M.

Back when I was around that age we used to hang out at the 3rd Coast Cafe and the Pick-Me-Up Cafe - but both primarily for their hours and coffee. (And well, both were locations that the monthly meetings of readers of 2600 Magazine were held at, at different points in time.)

I'd say the Pick-Me-Up is far more hip than Third Coast, though.


Third Coast
1260 N. Dearborn St.
312-649-0730

Pick Me Up
3408 N. Clark St.
773-248-6613

I would agree that this recommendatino would depend a lot on the 15-year old, but near the blue line, I also think Piece is the best bet. Lula would be more appropriate for a hipster-in-waiting college student than a 15-year old kid. Depending on the type of meal you're going for and the kid, other places on the Blue Line might be Ear Wax, Smoke Daddy, La Pasadita, or Silver Palm might also work.

If you are trying to stay near the Blue Line. I would recommend Irazu. Not that hip, but the clientele usually is. Its different then most taco/burrito houses and has both the vegetarian and carnivorous options covered. Otherwise, I would probably go with Earwax or The Handlebar, especially if he likes vegetarian food.

Erik M. wrote:* Lula "dressed up" as the ficticious Olive Pit for Halloween this year. Yes, it was a thinly-veiled reference to Olive Garden. Yes, the menu was entirely Italian. Yes, I went. It was flippin' brilliant.

Off topic, but I also went to Lula last Monday and I concur that it was flippin' brilliant. The lack of the bottomless salad was a problem for my dining partner - a recovering OG aficionado   - but the breadsticks made up for it.

I look forward to seeing what they do next year...

I would make them wear sportcoats and take them to the Cape Cod Room. Why meet kids on their terms?

Mike G wrote:I would make them wear sportcoats and take them to the Cape Cod Room. Why meet kids on their terms?

The last time I went to the Cape Cod Room, the waitstaff was so old that I was afraid one of them would keel over in to my plate of lobster.

I also recommend Earwax or Irazu. While Irazu's decor or menu might not quite be right up a teen from Springfield's alley, Irazu has all those fun sweet shakes. The OP said lunch, right? The Silver Palm doesn't do lunch, the last time I checked.

What about The Bongo Room? You could have lunch or breakfast.

Earwax, Piece both good options. Lots of good walking around there as well.

I'd add Flo to the list...

1434 W Chicago Ave