Moving to West Rogers Park

Hi L.,

There are a lot of great ethnic restaurants on Devon Ave. We are especially fond of Indian food. Favorites include Udupi Palace, Mysore Woodlands, and Moti Mahal. There is also a good pizza place on Touhy (I think it's called Eastern Style Pizza -- I haven't eaten there in a while, but it at least used to be pretty good). It's in the few blocks b/w Western and California.

I don't live in the neighborhood personally, but know the area fairly well. If I lived nearby I could answer your other questions as well.

Hope that helps,
R.

Hi! Just wanted to say that we are kind of in the same boat. Looking to move into a house but can't really afford to live in the busy parts of Chicago anymore (we live in Lakeview). I just today drove around WRP and was a little nervous about the area and really just making the jump from the shops, restaurants, parks, kids programs, etc. I guess I'm just clueless too. Your post has helped a ton and if I gather any other information during our search I'll be sure to let you know. You never know, maybe we'll end up being neighbors! Good luck.

Hi L. -
What a lot for you to deal with these past few months.
Unfotunately, there aren't that many great places in West Rogers. It is a nice, safe neighborhood though. There is a good Kosher Middle Eastern restaurant called Taboun Grill on California and Toughy. I believe there is also a mom's group on meetup.com for mothers in Rogers Park...There are lots of Indian restaurants along Devon...There is a great Jewel at Kedzie and Howard as well.
Good luck!

Hi L.,

I live in the area just south of where you are moving and while it will be really different from River North, there are many things to do here. Soothe Your Senses Day Spa is great... they have everything from mani/pedi to waxing, massage, etc... I've been going there for the past 2 years and really like them. Uncommon Ground is an awesome 'green' coffeehouse/restaurant and has live music nightly. Across the street from there is Viet Bistro and I've never been there but friends of mine say it's great. Andersonville is just a little bit south (definitely not that walkable from where you are, but a very short drive) and they have a southern restaurant called Big Jones that is great and a French place called La Tache that is excellent. They also have a Sicilian bakery/gelato place called Pasteria Natalina that is outstanding. For mommy and me classes, the Lutheran Church on Elmdale is great... besides mommy/me classes, they also have music classes that my daughter and I enjoyed. Here's the website: http://www.littlelearnerschicago.com/ Best of luck with your move!

hi L.,
welcome to WRP! i grew up in the general area, moved downtown in my 20s and came back to settle down---bigger yards. you will notice that the area has a different feel than the trendier/more fashionable neighborhoods further south. but WRP is definitely more hipster. this area is probably one of the most integrated neighborhoods in chicago. local middle-class tend to be more intellectuals-associated with the neighboring universities. local area restaurant favorites include: the heartland, morseland, uncommon ground, ennui cafe, hema's kitchen, babi's kitchen, gruppo di amici, candelite, viet bistro are good to start with. there is a dominick's around howard and clark and there are several great fruit markets to get not only regular produce, but also great meats and ethnic veggies and fruits. there is also a little grocery store on touhy, just west of you, (name escapes me now, merv's?), that doesn't look like much, but is the place to go for meat cuts and chicken, esp. for bbq. (i just found out last summer). as for spas and such, not really much here for that, (at least that i am aware of), but there is a place called natasha's, (further west on devon/california). they do eyebrow threading. this is incredibly painful, but no wax job matches the precision and beauty of eyebrow threading. fyi:total hole in the wall, but very popular. hope this helps!

Welcome to the neighborhood! I'm in East Rogers Park and am happy that there's a lot of development going on in the neighborhood. As far as restaurants, for pizza try Pizza Apart on Broadway, for Asian food try Summer, Indie or Thai Grill (all in Edgewater area), for coffee try Metropolis (they roast their own beans!). . . that's just a few places that we like. Groceries - we shop at Dominicks on Broadway but try the Devon Market for produce. For mani/pedi try Soothe Your Senses on Broadway (I've never been but have heard good things about the place) and for a Mommy and Me class call Immanuel Lutheran on Elmdale in Edgewater, I know they have a nice program there. Other areas to check out are Morse Ave. between Sheridan and Clark and Jarvis Square and or course there's a bunch of great restaurants and shops on Clark Street in Andersonville.
Good-Luck and enjoy exploring your new neighborhood!

My husband's business is on Western between Howard and Touhy, Marshall Electric. Our favorite Thai in the neighborhood is actually almost next door, Siam Pasta. My favorite pan Pizza is Gullivers on Howard near California. It is nice to sit outside at Gullivers in the summer. Since you are in close proximity to Evanston, you have a plethora of wonderful restaurants all over as well as shopping, the lake and fun summer festivals. If you go Northeast to Skokie you have Dempster St., just west McCormick full of eateries and good "fast-food", my fav is Pita Inn. If you go southeast in Rogers Park you have a ton of Indian restaurants and shopping. Go to Metromix.com for reviews because what I like you may not.
Mani/Pedi, see Adriana at Albert Memi Salon on Dempster (west of Mc Cormick in Skokie, she's been doing my nails for 12 years, her cell is ###-###-####). Sorry but I don't know of one in Chicago proper. Good luck, and if you need any lighting, lamps or bulbs,etc, go to Marshall Electric and tell them I referred you so you get the Welcome new neighbor discount.
Oh, and Jewel and Target are on Howard and McCormick, but there are two Whole Foods on Chicago Ave in Evanston. I believe Ashland turns into Chicago when heading north out of Rogers Park into Evanston. I'm not a big Jewel shopper!

Don't live in the area since we are living part-time abroad but have a good friend that lives on Ridge that we are always with while in Chicago. The neighborhood is a great mix of city and suburban living with great parks and close to the lake. You have great diversity in people and places and I highly encourage you to explore on your own to discover all the amazing hidden gems. Otherwise restaurants abound from all different ethnicities and you have Heartland Cafe and Uncommon Ground nearby. Devon street to the south has amazing INdian shops and indian food, Evanston to the north is great to walk around in. Also ANdersonville and Lincoln Square have so many things to see and eat!! Happy adventuring through the neighborhoods!!