Planning a trip to Andersonville? Make an evening of it!

If you are planning a visit to Women & Children First bookstore, we recommend you make an evening of it by partaking of dinner, drinks, maybe even a show at one of our many wonderful neighboring businesses. Andersonville is renowned for its excellent dining and nightlife options. Here our some of our favorite choices for a night out in Andersonville.

For a casual dinner with friends, we recommend the warm environment and traditional American home cooking of Charlie’s Ale House. Their pretty curbside patio is a great summer perch for taking in all the action on Clark Street. For a more flamboyant night with the gang, the burgers and suds at Hamburger Mary’s are served with a side of sass. Try the Macho Nachos or the Tuna Turner. Big Jones dishes up fried green tomatoes, gumbo ya-ya, shrimp and grits and other southern comfort food with classically decadent desserts to match. Mississippi mud pie, anyone?

Nothing brightens up a gloomy day like a big bowl of Asian noodles from the Noodle Zone. On the other hand, if it’s Italian you’re craving, Calo has been serving pizza and pasta at their Andersonville location since 1963. Across the street from Calo, intimate Anteprima is a great place for a date; in nice weather their back patio is expecially romantic. And if your appetit is small, (or you can’t decide) don’t worry – Anteprima offers half orders on all of their pasta dishes. Traveling further down the Mediterranean, Andie’s is a bright, inviting spot for delectable Greek and Middle Eastern food, and they offer plentiful yummy options for vegetarians.  Or, if you have a taste for Mexican cuisine, you simply have to try the fabulous enchiladas at La Cocina de Frida, a restaurant named after the artist and feminist icon, Frida Kahlo.

Hopleaf Bar is more than just a place to grab a beer. The bar and bistro specializes in craft and Belgian beers that pair excellently with their to-die-for mussels and frites. T’s Bar is another popular gathering spot for cocktails or a simple meal. Make sure you check out their great daily specials. A little off the beaten path, Big Chicks is a woman-owned bar popular with gay men, lesbians, and their friends. Michelle Fire’s fantastic art collection featuring, you guessed it, big chicks, is worth a trip in itself.  If you’re more of a morning lark than a night owl, have brunch at Big Chicks’ neighboring sister restaurant, Tweet.

Andersonville is just a short walk from Lincoln Park and great beaches. Stock up for your picnic at The Middle Eastern Bakery; their hummus and other dips, pita, meat and vegetable pies are all made in-house. And don’t forget the sweets! The Swedish Bakery is an Andersonville institution for their traditional European cookies and cakes, and the otherworldly cannoli at Sicilian pastry shop Pasticceria Natalina are hand-filled to order.

And if you’re coming to Andersonville for an evening, to meet friends for dinner or drinks, or to catch a film screening at Chicago Filmmakers, or a performance of the wildly popular and long-running Neo-Futurist’s show, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, don’t forget about us! We’re open until 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; until 7 p.m. on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday; and until 6 p.m. on Sundays.